307: Watching Buzkashi in Afghanistan, Visiting Micronations, and How Not to Take the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania with Ric Gazarian

Hear Ric’s stories from Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Eretria, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Abkhazia and Transnistria. 

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In Part 2 of this interview, Ric Gazarian talks about his decision to pursue the goal of traveling to all 193 U.N. recognized countries. He shares stories of watching the sport of Buzkashi in Afghanistan, getting a private performance by the Royal Drummers of Burundi, and attending the Gerewol Festival in Chad. Ric talks about two very different train experiences in Eretria and Mauritania, describes his overnight tour of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and explains why one of his most unique trips was to Papua New Guinea. He then discusses the contested definition of what constitutes a country, explains what a micronation is, and shares his experiences visiting Transnistria, Abkhazia, and the Principality of Sealand. Ric then talks about his “Counting Countries” podcast and his biennial conference “The Extraordinary Travel Festival”. Finally, he talks about how he designs culturally immersive travel experiences, how his perception of travel has changed over the years, how all of this travel has impacted him, and what travel means to him today. FULL SHOW NOTES WITH DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED ARE AVAILABLE HERE. 

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