Visitors to every country on Earth share one country that is not worth it. (Image: Nicopasqualiok (Instagram)/Getty)
The man who called himself “the first Argentina to visit every country in the world” ranked the 196 countries he visited and named one country that wasn't worth halting.
After an incredible eight years of travel, 33-year-old Nicholas Pascali finally made his dream come true.
The United Nations recognizes only 193 countries, but he added Palestine, the Vatican and Taiwan to his bucket list.
Pascari, a native of Buenos Aires, checked his final destination on February 20th when his passport was engraved for entry to North Korea.
“We are only allowed to tour with a North Korean government guide,” Pascari shared the challenge of reaching one of the most secret countries with the strictest rules in the world.
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Pascari said there is virtually no connection between North Korea and the outside world. (Image: Getty)
Pascali explained to the Infova department, “We have decided to include Palestine and the Vatican and add Taiwan as it is recognized by the 14 member states of that organization.” This makes him stand out from other Argentinas who claim the same record.
Unlike other travelers (who have to work at the same time to cover costs), he has been dedicated to traveling the world since 2017 without working.
“I'll create a consistent budget, calculate the amount I need to spend on work, and generate a certain monthly return for me to live,” he explained that he was a university professor who worked at a bank, taught tennis on weekends, drove Uber, sold products online, gave private lessons in finance and macroeconomics, and reached that first amount.
“I collected the money I needed when I turned 24 and I was leaving it now,” he explained.
Recalling his time in the last country on his list, North Korean Pascari said there is virtually no connection to the outside world. “There's no internet. No one can access it except the government.
However, it was not North Korea that Pascari was named as a country that was not worth visiting. (Image: Getty)
Argentina had to hire an approved institution because foreigners could not travel independently. “We need sponsors who support your visit and ensure you're not a journalist and can cause problems for the administration. They checked everything about me, from my social media to my travel intentions,” he commented.
The approval process was uncertain and stressful. “I received my confirmation on February 15th and only had 72 hours to use my permit. I rushed to Ezeiza Airport without telling anyone, then bought my tickets, flew from Buenos Aires to China, crossing the border and crossing the time,” he recalled.
Pascali, according to his testimony, was the first Westerner to enter North Korea five years later, and was part of a group of 12 tourists who excluded diplomatic visits.
For Pasquali, the visitor control was very strict. “You can't move on your own. You will always be escorted behind two guides and four. If you follow the rules, they will treat you well. Otherwise you are dead.”
However, it was not North Korea that Pascari was named as a country that was not worth visiting.
Pascari named Turkmenistan the most exotic country in the world. (Image: Getty)
Its title fell to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), a South African country. Pascari revealed that the country has little to offer to travelers compared to other destinations. In a small kingdom within South Africa, inaccessible to the sea and rulled by the king, with his wife in each of the 42 villages, Pascari was hit by a lack of tourism development.
“It's not a country with great charm. There are safaris, but on foot. It's not like South Africa where you go to the car. Here you walk among the animals. The elephants may pass you while you go to the supermarket.”
He found an interesting peculiarity in the country's culture and said it had a very strong habit, but he concluded that “compared with other countries in the region, it does not have a great value added.”
Meanwhile, the country that surprised him the most was Syria. “There's been a lot of negative things being said, but the reality is that people are incredibly kind. I'm treated spectacularly and they have one of the best dishes I've ever tasted,” he said.
He also described Sudan as the most dangerous Turkmenistan as the most exotic Nigeria, and the most poorest, France as the most friendly country and the most dangerous country that has visited 32 times incredible.
