George has set two ambitious goals.  First, he wants to summit the tallest mountain on each continent.  Second, he intends to travel to every country in the world.  He has made great progress so far, summiting six of the seven summits and has traveled to 78 UN countries. George has climbed the highest mountain on each continent, except for Mt. Vinson Massif in Antarctica, which is quite remote and expensive to climb.  George has showed true grit.  His first attempt at summiting Mt. Everest ended in failure, with the peak only being a couple hundred feet away.  He was not deterred and the following year he successfully submitted Mt. Everest.  This feat was accomplished at great monetary and time expense.  George talks about his summit of Mt. Elbrus, which nearly ended in true disaster.            George has an unusual list of countries he has traveled to.  He has not been to Ireland or Denmark, but he has traveled to Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, and Somalia.  Heshares with us why he is not fond of Burundi, and why he believes Torres de Plaines in Chile is a special place.         George’s episode marks a milestone for Counting Countries.  This is the 50th episode.  I want to thank everyone who has participated in previous interviews, and of course I want to thank the listeners for tuning in.  And please, if you like the podcast, subscribe and write a review.     Also, Counting Countries is now available on Spotify.  And check out the Counting Countries store on Amazon.       I want to thank Pong who was on Episode 44 who introduced me to George.  If there is someone you want to hear on Counting Countries, please reach out to me.  George joined me from Virginia while I was in Bangkok, please join in and listen to today’s episode.    You can purchase today on Amazon.        And now you can listen to !   And write a review! Check out our friends: and .  They organize international rallies around the world including: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Amazon.   More about George Kashouh:   Born in: Alexandria, VA   Passports from: US Favorite travel book: Lost World of Z Favorite websites: Google Flights Must carry: My camera Favorite food:  Thai food Favorite drink: Andes Cerveza   Favorite airline: Emirates   Favorite hotel: Hotel with the best price   Instagram:      Website: JR’s Eco Lodge in Easter Island:   About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by . About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and .  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and .   Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well… that depends on who you ask! The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Century Club states that there are . The Most Traveled Person states that there are . The Nomad Mania states that there are . Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Check out our partner and sponsor: Explore the unique stories from 20 more world-class travelers from various backgrounds and nations and from all walks of life who have tirelessly pursued visiting every country in the world and have filled their lives with a virtually endless amount of adventure. Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if you order from Amazon/Agoda.