Zambia – 122nd Country
Zambia – 122nd 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. Namibia is my 122nd country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Landlocked Zambia became an independent nation in 1964 gaining its freedom from the United Kingdom. This nation has over 16 million citizens and shares a border with Zimbabwe and also access to Victoria Falls. The 19th century explorer, David Livingstone, “discovered” Victoria Falls. I crossed into Zambia on foot. This is a straight forward exercise as the Victoria Falls Bridge connects Zimbabwe to Zambia. You simply check through the respective immigration offices at the end of each side of the bridge. Zambia gives you access to Livingstone Island, which sits perched, teetering over the falls. In fact, you can wade into the falls, and witness the water cascading 300 feet below you. Visiting the amazing Victoria Falls Zambia – 122nd Country
Zimbabwe – 121st Country
Zimbabwe – 121st 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. Zimbabwe is my 121st country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Zimbabwe is in the news for all of the wrong reasons. Once known as the Jewel of Africa for its prosperity, the country has been under extreme duress after the transition from white minority rule to a government under Robert Mugabe. Mugabe ruled the country for 37 years, until he stepped down in 2017. He drove the country to economic collapse and at one-point inflation reached 11,200,000% with the government issuing 100 billion notes. But regardless, Zimbabwe is a must-visit during your trip to Africa. Zimbabwe is the co-home of Victoria Falls, one of the most impressive natural sights in the world. The town of Victoria Falls has been set up to serve tourists to marvel at this sight. I was able to spend a couple of days in Zimbabwe and [...]
Angola – 119th 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. Angola is my 119th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Angola can be found on the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part of Africa. Angola was colonized by Portugal and was wracked by a brutal and long civil war. Today, it is a wealthy petrol-state but it is a country of extreme haves and have-nots. Angola is virtually untouched by tourism, and until just recently, it was one of the more difficult visas to get in Africa. Once I learned of the more lenient visa protocols I added on a side trip to Angola when visiting four other countries in Africa. It was a brief visit with a day spent visiting the city and another day visiting shipwreck beach. This country has a lot of potential from a tourism perspective if they expand the tourist infrastructure and provide more competitive prices. What you need to [...]
Namibia – 120th 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. Namibia is my 120th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! The second least densely populated country after Mongolia, Namibia is twice the size of California. Namibia located on the Atlantic Ocean is just north of South Africa. Namibia is a diverse and beautiful country, known for its ancient deserts with towering dunes, great game watching, and the spookily named Skeleton Coast. I spent ten days visiting Namibia with G Adventures (check out my agenda). There are too may highlights for a single trip, and some of them included the surreal Deadvlei, watching lions in Etosha National Park, climbing 300 foot dunes of the Namib desert, and taking a scenic flight for two hours across the Skeleton Coast. Namibia Highlights Scenic Flight Over The Desert Cheetah Conservation Fund Why Travel With G Adventures Visiting Penduka Village Namibia – 120th Country Disclosure: I was an invited guest [...]
Maurice Brand … has completed 148 UN countries
Maurice is planning on completing his quest next year On today’s episode, I welcome Maurice Brand to Counting Countries. Maurice of course is a fellow country chaser as well as one of my neighbors in Bangkok. We met for a Lebanese lunch on Soi Arab in Sukhumvit and then retired to my apartment for our conversation. Maurice does everything at either 0 or 100. Maurice began a career in entrepreneurship in his home country of Holland. So for many years, he was focussed on growing his business and nothing else. After nearing burn out, he sold his business and moved to Thailand. Why Thailand? He had a lovely Thai girlfriend. Maurice also began to dip his toe in the water, with a trip to Bali. He was disappointed with the number of tourists and motorbikes. This was not his expectation of paradise found. A triple inspiration led him down the path of travel. As a kid, he grew up with a globe in his room which planted the seeds of travel. After Bali, he wanted to test [...]
Why Small Group Travel With G Adventures
Why Small Group Travel With G Adventures. What is your style of travel? I often get this question. And I don’t have a good answer. Why is that? Because I don’t have a consistent style. I have stayed in a $3 room in the Mekong Delta, slept on a teenager’s pull-out coach in Transnistria, and lived it up for a week at a $1200 a night, over the water villa in the Maldives (that was awesome!). I have rented cars, hired private taxis to cross borders, and jammed myself in the back of a marshrutka. I have traveled solo for months, with friends, visited friends, with my special someone, and on also on group tours. As you may note, I am not committed to a single travel style, it is simply what makes the most amount of sense for the country I am visiting. In June, I visited my 120th country when I visited Namibia. I traveled to Namibia and Zimbabwe on a National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures tour as part of a group trip. Using [...]
