Talk Travel Asia podcast Season Three begins with guest Ric Gazarian and his quest to visit every country on Earth. On this episode we talk about travel to Afghanistan, a new destination for the podcast! Few nations in the modern era have as tortured a history as Afghanistan’s. It’s been in conflict for most of the last century and is still firmly unstable. Hippy caravan travelers passed through the country in the 1970s while making their way from Europe to Kathmandu, but today it’s pretty much off the travel radar. But not for our guest who will share tales of his recent visit.
Photo courtesy of Ric Gazarian
Scott and Trevor begin the show talking about the year since last recording an episode for Talk Travel Asia, which was episode #100 back in May 2019. They then fill us in on what they’ve been doing over the past year including Scott’s Christmas and New Year’s eve 2019 and Trevor’s travel to New York for the first time in over a decade in summer 2019.
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You can sponsor anywhere from $1/month upwards. These funds will help us cover costs of keeping the show going. Visit PATREON TO DONATE TO THE SHOW or the link from the left-side of our website, or search Talk Travel Asia Patreon. Thanks in advance for supporting the cost and helping to keep the travel talk happening.
Photo courtesy of Ric Gazarian
Trevor and Scott then banter about what they know about Afghanistan and their impressions on what it might be like to travel there. They then introduce the episode guest, Ric Gazarian. American, Ric Gazarian is on a quest to travel to all 193 countries recognized by the United Nations. He shares his experiences of his trip to Afghanistan, the 140th country on his list, which he visited in November 2019. He joins by Skype from Bangkok.
Introducing Today’s Guest, Ric Gazarian: Ric joined Talk Travel Asia on Episode 45: Out There Asian Adventures way back in May 2016, when he shared stories about his travel documentary Hit the Road India, Thailand’s Surin Islands, and a visit to Chernobyl among other exotic destinations. TTA stayed in touch since, saw on Twitter that he went to Afghanistan and had to learn more.
To listen to Ric’s answers to the following questions,
Listen to Episode 101: Traveling Afghanistan with Ric Gazarian now!
- So what made you choose to travel to Afghanistan?
- What were you expecting before you visited Afghanistan?
- What were the biggest differences compared to your pre-visit expectations?
- So how did you plan your trip?
- Tell us about your itinerary and what you did.
- How were you treated as a foreign visitor?
- Tell us about the food in Afghanistan?
- I assume it’s a pretty dangerous place, how did you mitigate risk?
- Did you end up in any dangerous situations?
- Tell us about the other areas you went – what did you see?
- Now that you’ve been, would you recommend that other travelers go?
- What are the best resources for planning a trip?
- Tell us about a few of your most stand-out memories from the experience?
- When do you think you will hit your 193rd country?
- How can our listeners learn about Ric and his travels?
Check out a Google Map from This Episode
Photo courtesy of Ric Gazarian
IF YOU ENJOY LISTENING, PLEASE DONATE TO THE SHOW
You can sponsor anywhere from $1/month upwards. These funds will help us cover costs of keeping the show going. Visit PATREON TO DONATE TO THE SHOW or the link from the left-side of our website, or search Talk Travel Asia Patreon. Thanks in advance for supporting the cost and helping to keep the travel talk happening. There are several sponsorship levels: $1 – Vagabond (thanks for helping to keep it going); $2 – Day Dreamer (much love); $25The Big Kahuna (we’ll give you a shout-out and send you a postcard from Asia); $100 You Da Woman – Man!! (talk about you on the show and send you something from Asia)
Links:
- Ric Gazarian’s website
- Ric Gazarian on Twitter
- Ric Gazarian on Instagram
- EPISODE 45: OUT THERE ASIAN ADVENTURES WITH RIC GAZARIAN
- Google Map of Ric’s Travels in Afghanistan
- Photos of Ric’s travels in Afghanistan
To learn more about Scott & Trevor:
- Follow Scott on Twitter: @scottcoates73
- Trevor’s Blog
- Scott’s Blog
- Groovy Map Seoul
- National Geographic Cambodia
- National Geographic Thailand
- Follow Talk Travel Asia on Twitter
- Follow us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Vine
- Theme Music by Jamie Ruben
Talk Travel Asia is brought to you by Trevor Ranges and Scott Coates, every two weeks(ish) from wherever in the Asia they happen to be. Alternating episodes feature a guest or the two hosts, cultivating travel insight through intelligent conversation. If you enjoyed the show, please donate, even just a dollar a month: that’s only .50c per episode(ish).
PLEASE DONATE TO THE SHOW – we appreciate your support to keep the podcast happening (thanks)!
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