Mauritania – 135th Country
Mauritania – 135th 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. Mauritania is my 135th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Mauritania traces its history to a Berber kingdom from the 3rd century BC. Mauritania is located on the Atlantic Ocean south of Morocco in the north west of Africa. Approximately 90% of Mauritania can be found within the confines of the Sahara desert. Mauritania is another former French colony that won its independence in 1960. Less than 5 million people make their home in Africa’s 11th largest nation. This nation that straddles the African and the Arab world is nearly 100% Muslim. I arrived in darkness to Mauritania’s capital of Nouakchott, spending one night there. The next day my driver picked me up for a seven-day drive in the Sahara. I spent the first night at tented camp in a small village, the next two nights in the ancient Saharan [...]
Trekking For Gorillas In Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Trekking Gorillas Kahuzi-Biega National Park. “Sporadic but severe outbreaks of violence targeting civilians, including killing, rape, kidnapping, and pillaging, continue” … “A significant number of both confirmed and probable cases of Ebola have been reported”. These are some of the travel advisories for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Not exactly reassuring. Not what you would want printed on the travel brochure. I get a tad nervous when I am warned about pillaging or Ebola. It sounds a bit medieval. But, DRC is a giant country. In fact, the 11th largest country in the world with 80 million people. So is it realistic to paint the entire country with a singular generalization? I have a home in Chicago, which has a reputation for violence and murder. Yet, in my neighborhood I have never witnessed any criminality in 20 years. But, there are some neighborhoods on the south side which I would not visit for safety concerns. For the intrepid traveler, some use the “back door” of visiting Virunga National Park. You may cross via land into the DRC [...]
Felix Mechnig-Giordano … flirting with disaster in Syria
Felix Mechnig-Giordano … flirting with disaster in Syria Felix has traveled to 113 countries On today’s episode, I welcome Felix Mechnig-Giordano to Counting Countries. But before I introduce Felix, 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. I have been extremely fortunate to be be able to create this podcast and be able to meet so many interesting and compelling travelers, but I have also spent a tremendous amount of time and some money creating this podcast. So for example, some benefits are extended interviews. Some Patrons are able to listen to exclusive additional interviews from former guest like Fabio Cao. And a shoutout to Ted Nims, my newest patron, and a fellow Chicagoan. Welcome and thank you for your support. And a reminder, Counting Countries is offering its first group tour to Bhutan on November 7th. This is a great agenda which I consulted on and helped create. I have been to [...]
Temples of Bagan Photo Experience
Bagan Photo Experience. I have expressed my love for Temples of Bagan previously. I am a strong believer that these temples should be categorized in the top tier of must-see landmarks in the world. I have visited these temples four times beginning in 2005. And I want to go back again. Soon. Bagan was the heart of the Pagan Kingdom and at is height between the 11th and the 13th century, over 10,000 Buddhist temples dotted the plains. Today, over 2,200 still remain. At times, when exploring the temples, I lose myself in thought, and day dream of time traveling to the kingdom’s heyday. It must have been a glorious sight to wander through the magnificence. You can read more about what you need to know when you are in Bagan here. My most recent trip in 2019 had a unique twist to it. I was traveling with Ian Ord the founder of Where Sidewalks End. WSE focuses on immersive and cultural travel experience while being responsible and respectful of the environment and peoples in the [...]
Three Days In Burundi
Visiting Burundi. I was one of the first of the plane, and I motored to immigration. An official handed me a slip, which I hastily filled out. I had now assumed pole position and was speeding to get my passport stamped. An official doublechecked my papers and informed me there were two forms, not just one. He produced the other form, and graciously filled in my form on my behalf. When he inquired my hotel’s name, I drew a blank. The official then wrote down a name (he just guessed) on my behalf. I proceeded forward and my passport was stamped. Easy peasy. The carousel lazily produced my bag and I exited into the general area. My guide, Hypolite, greeted me with a warm Burundian smile, and my trip was about to begin. Visa The Burundi visa is not cheap or easy to get. I applied to the Burundi Embassy in Washington DC, but I used VISA HQ to process my visa. The embassy fee was $90 in addition to VISA HQ’s fee of $99. Plus the [...]
Royal Drummers Of Burundi
Royal Drummers Burundi. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that excited about to be traveling to Burundi. Fellow travelers have shared with me their stories of corruption and difficulties with the police. And finally, my research did not result in any must-see landmarks in Burundi. There is no equivalent of gorilla trekking, Grand Mosque, or Table Mountain in Burundi. But, when you are on a quest to travel to every country in the world, your hands are a bit tied. I was going to Burundi. It was going to be my 134th country. Burundi is a small East African nation of approximately 8 million people that is landlocked. It is squeezed in between Rwanda, DRC and Tanzania. The former capital and city of commerce Bujumbura contains about 10% of the nation’s population. Unbeknownst to me, I had learned after my trip, that Burundi had moved its capital to Gitega from Bujumbura just weeks before my arrival. I guess this was not big international news. My guide Hypolite met me at the airport and settled me into my hotel [...]
