Maryam has traveled to 130 UN countries I had the great opportunity speak with Maryam Sultan Abdullah of Kuwait. Ryan Gazder, a former guest of Counting Countries, introduced us via email. And after some time, Maryam and I were able to schedule a time to speak over the internet. I am reminding you that Counting Countries [...]
20 best photos of 2019. It is time for my end of the year photo wrap up. In this annual post, I usually go over the stated 20 photos, this year I am a couple of photos short. Armenia I rented a car for several days visiting the northern part of Armenia, one of my favorite [...]
Two-Week Agenda In Uzbekistan. Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan’s first leader from independence in 1991 to his death in 2016, ruled this country with an iron fist. His harsh policies overflowed and negatively impacted travelers to Uzbekistan. Upon Karimov’s death, Shavkat Mirziyoyev assumed the presidency and the country made significant changes. Some of these positive changes positively effected [...]
Visiting the children’s circus in Kabul. Life goes on. People wake up. Put their clothes on. And they go about their day. Yet, some people have to overcome much larger challenges every single day. Over one billion people live on $1 a day. Tens of millions have been forced to flee their homes. Others in Yemen [...]
Watching Buzkashi in Afghanistan. Buzkashi is not a sport for the faint-hearted. Think of polo on horses, but the ball is dead goat, missing its head. Men on horses compete fiercely to grab the goat off the ground (or from a competitor) and race to the goal while fending off other players. In Farsi, Buzkashi [...]
Afghanistan – 140th Country. To see where I have been so far, check out my map as I count down the final 93 countries on the road to all 193 UN countries. Afghanistan is my 140th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Afghanistan is a landlocked nation of over 30 million people. [...]
Visiting the Jihad Museum Afghanistan. I’ve been fortunate to visit some of the world’s most renowned museums of the world such as the Louvre, the Vatican Museums, and the Hermitage. I have even managed to explore lesser known gems like the Bardo Musuem, Museum of Baikonur Cosmodrome History or Nukus Museum of Art (I.V. Savitsky collection). [...]
Visiting The Tomb Of Ahmad Shah Massoud. The Mujahideen were painted as courageous and resilient freedom fighters as they defended their lands from the Soviet invaders in the 1980s. None were more lionized than Ahmad Shah Massoud. Massoud was an Afghan politician and a military commander who led the guerrilla resistance in the Panjshir Valley. [...]
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