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
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener