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Showing posts with the label Road to 193

Interview with the first Filipino to travel to all 193 UN sovereign countries

Lourdes Ricasa with Capizeños, Peewee Roldan, Mike Ignacio, Dr Munich Conlu There are fewer than 300 people who have visited all 193 United Nations recognized sovereign countries. Odette Aquitania Ricasa is one of them and is the first Filipino to have done so. The last country on her "road to 193" was Iraq, which she visited in August of this year. Ricasa's travels have been authenticated by NomadMania, a non profit organization that validates the countries and regions visited by its community of travelers through a rigorous verification process. Ricasa is also a member of the Travelers Century Club (TCC) having visited 304 of 325 countries, islands and territories on the TCC list. Ricasa is the author of six books (she's currently working on her seventh book), is an accomplished painter, a motivational speaker and a pianist.  Ricasa has received numerous awards including First Prize in an International Speech Contest sponsored by Toastmasters Club and several Best

The Road to 193 with Jazmin Gaite

Jazmin Gaite and Al Manahan in Viña de Mar, Chile Where and when was your first trip outside of your home country? My first trip was  with my  ex-husband   to the US in 1985 to plan our relocation from the Phili ppines to the United States. It  was a trip around the US to scout for a place to relocate. Our trip took us to California, Illinois, New York, Washington DC, Missouri, and Florida. By this time, all our 3 children have been born, but they were 3, 5 and 7 years old. We decided to settle in California and in the City of Los Angeles as it is a bigger city with lots of business opportunities. After settling in California, I spent most of my time raising my  3 kids and taking care of my  retirement home business  s o there was no time nor money to spend on leisure or  travel. I made sure all the 3 kids were finished with college before starting to travel. My first trip for pleasure was with my mother after my father died. As soon as we buried my father in the Philippines, I took m

The Road to 193 with Bengt Enbuske

Bengt Enbuske in the northwestern mountains of Sweden Where and when was your first trip outside of your home country?   My first trip was to Norway in 1965 with my parents. My first solo trip was in 1972 to Gran Canarias. My first far away trip was in 1974 to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Actually, Finland was the first country I visited but it’s almost my home country. I live close to the Finnish border.  I have always been curious about the world and always had dreams to visit different places. And some places are “you must see it”. What is it about traveling that appeals to you the most? Experiencing the world, new countries, cultures, nature, peoples, amazing places and finding friendly people who are almost everywhere. Often in underdeveloped countries you find poorer people who are the most hospitable.   How many UN recognized sovereign countries have you visited? How many continents have you been to? I’ve been to all 193 UN countries (as of 2018) and 40 other countries from the Trave

The Road to 193 with Odette Aquitania Ricasa

Update: Odette Aquitania Ricasa just completed visiting all 193 UN countries on August 24, 2022 in Erbil, Iraq (her last country). She is the first Filipino to visit all 193 UN countries. She has also visited 301/330 TCC countries and territories. Congratulations! Odette Aquitania Ricasa Odette Aquitania Ricasa is poised to be the first Filipino American to travel to all 193 United Nations recognized sovereign countries. She has visited 189 countries, just four countries shy of 193. These travels have been rigorously validated by NomadMania. She is also a member of the Travelers Century Club (TCC) having visited 295 of 325 countries and territories on the TCC list. Odette is the author of six books*, an accomplished painter, a motivational speaker and a pianist.  Odette Ricasa has received numerous awards including First Prize in an International Speech Contest sponsored by Toastmasters Club and several Best Speaker awards from the Los Angeles Toa