Hear Ric’s stories from Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Eretria, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Abkhazia and Transnistria. In Part 2 of this interview, Ric Gazarian talks about his decision to pursue the goal of traveling to all 193 UN 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.
Hosted by Matt Bowles
307: Watching Buzkashi in Afghanistan, Visiting Micronations, and How Not to Take the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania with Ric Gazarian
Episode #307: Watching Buzkashi in Afghanistan, Visiting Micronations, and How Not to Take the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania with Ric Gazarian
Hosted by Matt Bowles
307: Watching Buzkashi in Afghanistan, Visiting Micronations, and How Not to Take the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania with Ric Gazarian
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Ric Gazarian
Ric Gazarian (better known as “Global Gaz”) is an Armenian-American travel content creator who has spent time in 180 countries on all 7 continents. He is an author, photographer, and award-winning documentary film maker who has produced two films that follow his adventures racing a tuk tuk across both India and Cambodia. Born and raised in Boston, Ric now maintains a base in Bangkok, Thailand but travels most of the year on his quest to visit all 193 UN recognized countries. He is the Bangkok Chapter Leader as well as the Asia Coordinator for Travel Massive, a 60,000 person travel industry network. Ric is also the host of the Counting Countries podcast, where he publishes long-form interviews with the world’s most traveled people. And, he is also the founder of the Extraordinary Travel Festival—the largest gathering of avid, accomplished, and adventurous travelers in the world. The first event was held in Armenia in 2022, and the second event is coming up in Bangkok in November, 2024.
What You'll Learn
- How and Why to Visit Every Country in the World
- Tips for visiting Chad, Burundi, Eretria, Mauritania and Afghanistan
- Tips for visiting Transnistria, Abkhazia, and The Principality of Sealand
Links From the Episode
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JOIN RIC AND MATT AT THE EXTRAORDINARY TRAVEL FESTIVAL IN BANGKOK IN NOVEMBER 2024 (Use code Maverick for a special discount)
LISTEN TO RIC’S COUNTING COUNTRIES PODCAST
JOIN THE TRAVEL MASSIVE NETWORK
OTHER MAVERICK SHOW PODCAST GUESTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
#1 BOOK THAT RIC RECOMMENDS
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM RIC WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKETLIST DESTINATIONS
OTHER PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
FESTIVAL CELEBRATED IN CHAD
SPORT MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
TRAVEL COMPANY MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN AFGHANISTAN MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN MAURITANIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN UKRAINE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
- Matt: Asheville, North Carolina
- Ric: Bangkok, Thailand
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Abkhazia
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- Asmara
- Atlantic Ocean
- Boston
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Chad
- Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
- Chicago
- East Africa
- Eiffel Tower
- England
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Italy
- Kampala
- Kosovo
- London
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Nauru
- Niger
- North Korea
- Palestine
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Pickering Island
- Principality of Sealand
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Sahara Nouakchott
- Sepik River
- Sudan
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Transnistria
- Ukraine
- Vatican
- West Africa
CONTACT AND FOLLOW RIC
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[1:08] Deciding to Travel to All 193 UN Recognized Countries
[3:01] Traveling to Afghanistan in 2019
[4:54] Watching a Buzkashi Match
[6:33] The Children’s Circus in Kabul
[7:51] The Royal Drummers of Burundi
[10:43] The Gerewol Festival in Chad
[12:52] Traveling by Train in Eretria
[15:14] How Not to Take the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania
[18:56] Traveling to Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
[23:07] Papua New Guinea
[27:25] The Varying Definitions of a “Country”
[29:31] Visiting Transnistria
[31:12] Visiting Abkhazia
[32:43] Visiting the Principality of Sealand
[35:33] Hosting the “Counting Countries” Podcast
[37:33] Founding the Extraordinary Travel Festival
[40:42] How to Design Culturally Immersive Travel Experiences
[42:01] How Gaz’s Perception of Travel Has Evolved Over the Years
[43:19] How Travel Has Impacted Gaz
[44:33] What Travel Means to Gaz Today
[46:09] The Lightning Round
[55:23] How to Follow and Connect with Gaz
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