Jack Goldstein … Itching To Cross Borders
Jack Goldstein has traveled to 134 countries Jack and I have never met in person, but we have been close, one time both being in the Caucasus at the same time years ago. And I “met” him numerous times over a quarantine Zoom trivia game for a number of weeks during the height of Covid this past spring. Regardless of never meeting Jack in person, I was curios to learn more about his travels. Thanks to my patrons Simen Flotvik Mathisen, William Schelling, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, and Adam Hickman for supporting Counting Countries. They help pay for the production of this podcast. You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries. My patrons will hear the final part of my conversation with Jack. Be careful of what you wish for. I always ask for reviews, and I just got a recent one from MFallik. And he is not happy. This person gave me one star. Ouch. This person wrote ... And a message from our friend’s at Untamed Borders. One country where travel [...]
Visiting Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Visiting Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Always look for the silver lining. I have been “stuck” in Thailand since mid-March. While I spent a couple of months mostly quarantined in my apartment, by June Thailand had effectively opened up. This meant there was time to explore parts of Thailand I had not been to before. The added bonus is Thailand had shut its doors to the 40 million tourists who annually visit the Kingdom. The benefit was I was able to visit places with virtually no foreign tourists combined with the occasional discount as well. While perusing the calendar I noted that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival was taking place in mid-October. This event had always been on my list, but I had always been out of the country during this festival. This year was different. I wasn’t leaving Thailand. The name can be a bit deceiving. Yes, adherents consume vegetarian meals, actually vegan during the festival, but that is not one will recall after attending this nine-day event. Devotees purify themselves in a unique manner and by doing so [...]
Natasha Keary … Lived In 10 Different Countries
Natasha Keary has traveled to 125 countries Natasha and I follow each other on Instagram. And two things stood out on her profile bio. First, she travels on a Trinidad and Tobago passport, not one of the most powerful passports in the world. The second is she has lived in ten different countries. That piqued my interest to invite her on the podcast. Thanks to my patrons Simen Flotvik Mathisen, William Schelling, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, and Adam Hickman for supporting Counting Countries. They help pay for the production of this podcast. You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries. My patrons will hear the final part of my conversation with Natasha. Natasha was born in the Caribbean and was able to explore the region growing up. But Natasha’s serious travels began when she relocated to the Pacific Islands. She shares with us how she balances her travel when her spouse can not always join her and talks about relying on her 193 travel crew. I encourage you to subscribe wherever you listen, Apple [...]
Visiting King Power Mahanakhon
Visiting King Power Mahanakhon. It is not an obsession, but I definitely enjoy visiting the tallest buildings when visiting a new city. I have admired the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Petronas Towers in KL, the Taipei 101 obviously in Taipei, the Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower) in Chicago, and the Bitexco Financial Tower in Saigon. (I was a guest of Mahanakhon.) While being a parttime resident of Bangkok I finally visited the King Power Mahanakhon in 2020 after several years of procrastination. I attended the official unveiling in August of 2016 as I perched myself on a nearby rooftop restaurant. My camera rested on my tripod as I watched drones zip by as I admired the laser and light show christening the new building. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6kUDwvB6Z8 At the time of the Mahanakhon unveiling, this was the tallest building in Thailand, topping out at 314 meters (1,030 feet). In 2018, Mahanakhon lost its crown to the Magnolias Waterfront Residences, which added on measly three meters. This glass tower with an intriguing cubical pattern which cascades down tops [...]
Graham Hughes … Three Hobbits Named Mohammed
Graham Hughes Counting Countries has traveled to every country in the world A fleeting tweet recently connected me to Graham Hughes and paved the way for this podcast. I had reached out to him years ago, but my email ended up in a spam folder. So for those who say nothing good comes of Twitter, you now stand corrected. Thanks to my patrons William Schelling, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, and Adam Hickman for supporting Counting Countries. And a warm welcome to our new patron, Simen Flotvik Mathisen from Norway. They help pay for the production of this podcast. You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries. My patrons will hear 30 more minutes of my conversation with Graham. Untamed Borders is the sponsor of this podcast and we will be hearing a few words from James Willcox, the co-founder, on how to manage safety and security when traveling. Graham is no stranger to the extreme traveler community. He completed his quest to travel to every country in the world in 2013. He claimed [...]
Very Hungry Nomads … On Their Reverse Retirement
Very Hungry Nomads have traveled to 185 countries I had the opportunity to speak with world travelers Martina Sebova and Rachel Davey, who comprise the Very Hungry Nomads. This was my first outing of attempting to interview two people at the same time. Marty and Rach did an excellent job of moderating the answers. It has been a frustrating time for most extreme travelers as we shelter in place around the globe. There does not seem to be an end in sight when travel will go back to normal. I hope everyone is well and keeping safe. Thanks to my patrons William Schelling, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Stephen Rothwell, and Adam Hickman for supporting Counting Countries. And William, if you are listening, please reach out to me. They help pay for the production of this podcast. You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com. My patrons will hear an extra interview with Marty and Rach which is exclusive to them. Untamed Borders is our sponsor and they want to remind you that Covid-19 travel [...]
