Pakistan – 138th Country
Pakistan – 138th 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. Pakistan is my 138th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Pakistan burst into existence in 1947, when the Brits left the subcontinent, allowing for the formation of the independent nations of India and Pakistan. It was a traumatic birth with thousands of deaths and one of the largest migrations in humankind. For centuries before, the region was at the crossroads of many empires from Alexander the Great to the Mughal Empire. Since independence Pakistan has had a recent challenging history. Multiple wars with its big neighbor India over the disputed Kashmir region. Multiple assassinations of their leaders and exiles of others. At the forefront of the war in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has been subject to much violence and terrorism over the last couple of decades. Thankfully, stability and security have been improving in the last couple of years. In addition, [...]
What To See And Do In Lahore Pakistan
What to see and do in Lahore Pakistan. Lahore has been at the crossroads of competing empires for centuries past. At times this region has been ruled by the Hindu Shahis, Ghurids, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Sikh Empire, and the Brits. Pakistan became an independent nation in 1947, when the British Empire left the subcontinent, and India was partitioned into two countries. Lahore is an ancient city, with an indeterminate founding date, anywhere from 4000 to 1000 years ago. Today, Lahore is a densely packed city of 12 million plus souls and is considered the cultural capital of Pakistan. Lahore houses some of Pakistan’s leading universities. The city is a major center for the publishing industry. It is also home to Pakistan’s film industry known as Lollywood. Pakistan has wisely transitioned to an efficient and simple evisa system. Previously, Pakistan was known to have a challenging visa process. This change with a better security environment should help tourism growth in this undiscovered gem. I crossed the border from Amritsar to Lahore, two historic cities [...]
Visiting The Must-See Golden Temple In Amritsar
What you need to know when visiting the Golden Temple. India is an immense and diverse country that offers so much for visitors. I have just returned for my fourth time and was wowed once again. My inaugural visit was in 2004 in Rajasthan, followed by an extensive trip in 2012 when I filmed a documentary, and a recent trip in 2018 to the northeast of India. This time I was back for a longtime coveted trip to Punjab, in the northwest. Why? I wanted to experience two things in Punjab; the amazing Wagah Border Closing Ceremony and the holy Golden Temple. The Golden Temple known officially as the Harmandir Sahib, found in Amritsar, is the most holy site for the Sikhs. The temple broke ground in 1581. Sikhism is a religion that was founded in the late 15th century. Sikhism is based on the teachings of Guru Nanak as well as the nine Sikh gurus who followed him. Sikh translates as learner or disciple and the monotheist religion has a noble ethos of equality of all [...]
Visiting The Wagah Border Ceremony From Pakistan And India
What you need to know when visiting Wagah Ceremony from Pakistan India. Part Dancing With The Stars and part Battle Rap, the Wagah-Attari border ceremony exceeded my high expectations. The Wagah-Attari border is currently the only open land border crossing between India and Pakistan, two long-term rivals ever since their independence in 1947. It takes place in the state of Punjab, which was bisected in the partition of India in 1947 and created the independent countries of Pakistan and India. This ceremony has taken place daily to mark the closing of the border since 1959. This event has been very high on my personal bucketlist, and I finally was able to schedule a visit. I witnessed the ceremony twice from the Indian side and once from the Pakistani side. This was a true, high-energy event that I found to be unique. Two semi-circle, open stadiums face each other, with a double, black iron gate separating the two countries. The Indian stadium clearly dwarfs the Pakistani stadium. The ceremony which takes place before sunset and is overflowing with [...]
Per Besson … On The Road To Turkmenistan
Per has traveled to every country in the world I had the great opportunity to sit down with Per Besson. We met in person at the Extreme Travel International Congress, where Per did a lot of great organizing for the event at the Principality of Sealand. The following week we met for some great Georgian food and sat down to do an interview in person in London. My apologies, this episode was recorded in the hotel lobby with some background noise. I am reminding you that Counting Countries is now partnered with Patreon. Patreon is a platform that allows patrons, that’s you, to support creators, and that is me creating Counting Countries. And thanks to my other patrons, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Ryan Gazder, and Adam Hickman. As thanks, they are able to listen to additional interviews like the extra interview I did with Per, only available to them. Counting Countries is offering its first group tour to Bhutan on November 7th. Please go to GlobalGaz.com to see more information as well as disclosures. And I am [...]
Visiting The Fukushima Disaster Area
Visiting Fukushima Disaster Area. There are some things which you simply don’t really want to score well at. Avoiding the highest rating within the International Nuclear Event Scale is a worthwhile endeavor. Chernobyl was given the highest classification, Level 7. Only one other nuclear disaster received the same calamitous rating and that was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe. Level 7 is succinctly described as “disaster”. The scale is logarithmic, meaning that each increasing level is the equivalent to ten times as severe as the previous level. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 precipitated the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor detecting the earthquake automatically shut down the fission reactions. Emergency generators kicked-in, supplying needed coolant to the reactors. Tragically, 46 minutes later, the tsunami delivered a 14-meter wave which knocked out the emergency generators. The result was three nuclear meltdowns and three hydrogen explosions at Units 1, 2, and 3. Radioactive contamination was released resulting in the creation of a 20-kilometer radius no-go zone with over 150,000 being evacuated. The Japanese [...]
