Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #10 – ETF/ABS Index, Baba Ahmed El Bekay, Ahmed Abdulrazzaq, & NM Awards
Hey now, I am your host Ric Gazarian on the 10th update for the Extraordinary Travel Festival. We have a lot of news to share with you today. So grab that coffee of if in Thailand, grab a chamanow and please listen in. The event is now about a month and a half a way. But still time to join, use code BANGKOK to save at www.extraordinarytravelfest.com. Some quick updates ... we have added three new speakers, Luisa Yu, Matt Bowles and Sabbatical Tommy. Luisa is well known in the community for her determination and her multi-decade quest to visit every country in the world. She finished at age 79! So impressive. Matt is the host of the super entertaining the Maverick Show Podcast, where he speaks with amazing travelers from around the world. He will be speaking on his 10 plus years of being a digital nomad. Tommy is a travel content creator on YouTube and also a polyglot! That's cool. Are you scared of ghosts? Did you know that ghosts play a cental role in [...]
Andy Hicks … Recatalogging DNA
Andy Hicks Counting Countries has traveled to 120 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Today, we are speaking with Andy Hicks. I have had the pleasure of meeting Andy at the first ETF in Armenia and the TCC meeting in May in the Azores. Andy was raised in a non-travel environment, but a couple of pivotal trips propelled him into the 193 community and with his stated goal of every country by 50. If you want to meet Andy Hicks and 206 other travelers join us in Bangkok. The Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November 15, 2024 in Bangkok. Use discount code BANGKOK for $60, so please purchase your ticket today to lock in your savings at the Extraordinary Travel Fest. I’ll give an ETF recap at the end of this episode. I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons: Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe “JL” Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir [...]
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #9 – Matt Bowles & Ian Cumming
I am excited to introduce to you two partners of the Extraordinary Travel Festival, Matt Bowles and Ian Cumming. Matt is a 10 year plus digital nomad, who hosts the very successful The Maverick Show With Matt Bowles as well as a real estate investment company. Matt can be found around the globe setting up shop in cities as diverse as Nairobi, Lagos or Luanda. I am pleased to announce that Matt will be one of the speakers at the ETF. You can connect with him here on Instagram. Ian Cumming is the founder of Travel Massive, a global networking platform for people who work in travel or are passionate travelers. There are scores of chapters around the globe hosting events or meet people on the network whether they be entrepreneurs or content creators. Travel Massive is also hosting our meetup on Thursday, November 14. You can RSVP here. I believe there are 3 main pillars of why you might want to consider attending the ETF, this November in Bangkok. First is the destination. Maybe BKK [...]
Faces Of Papua New Guinea
Faces of Papua New Guinea. (There are affiliates in this post.) I do not like throwing around superlatives, but I feel confident to share ... that this was my best tribal photographic experience. I slept next to the Mundari tribe in South Sudan and camped in Chad at the Gerewol Festival, but nothing can beat the quality and quantity of different and amazing tribes I witnessed in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. This country of 10 million approximately the size of Sweden is one of the most linguistically places on earth with 800 different languages. How can tribes that live so close to each other have such different customs, cultures, and languages? Geographical isolation: The rugged terrain—mountains, rivers, and forests—keeps tribes separate, allowing languages and customs to evolve independently. Small, autonomous communities: Tribes are organized into small, independent groups, reinforcing cultural and linguistic uniqueness. Limited interaction: Historical inter-tribal conflict and competition reduced interaction, keeping cultures distinct. Environmental adaptation: Different ecological settings shaped unique customs and survival strategies. Language as identity: Language is key to tribal identity, [...]
Visiting Papua New Guinea
Visiting Papua New Guinea with affiliates in this post. INTRO While not my raison d’etre for travel, I have interacted with and met some fascinating tribal groups. Whether that is dancing into the night with the Wodabe people at the Gerewol festival in Chad, breathing in cow shit with the Mundari in South Sudan, or living it up with Prince Charles and the Ashanti in Ghana. But after spending time in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, it is difficult to fathom that any country can compete with the quantity and diversity of the tribes of this country located in Oceania. It is estimated that over 800 distinct tribal groups are in PNG, each with their own culture and language. These 800 distinct languages make this place the most linguistically diverse country. How did we get there? Parts of PNG are a collection of soaring mountains coupled with valleys in dense, thick rain forests or a series of dispersed islands. The isolation of the tribes and distinctive traditions also meant there was no strong central government. And, [...]
Luisa Yu … The Black Sheep
Luisa Yu has traveled to every country in the world. Luisa Yu Counting Countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I am excited to have Luisa Yu on the podcast. She is well known and beloved member to many in the community. For those not in the know, Luisa just visited her last country this year. She accomplished this goal as a 79-year-old. When many in her age group have retired to more placid and serene pastures, Luisa has demonstrated grit and determination. And Luisa has not slowed down .. trips since she has completed the quest include Mogadishu, the north Caucasus, and the Kalash Festival in Pakistan. Truly, she is an inspiration. A quick show out to Phillipe for assisting in scheduling my conversation with Luisa. A public service reminder, the next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November 15, 2024 in Bangkok. Discount code BANGKOK for $100, so please purchase your ticket today to lock in your savings at the Extraordinary Travel Fest. This $100 discount will be reduced starting September [...]
