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Globe-trotter Radhika Jain gallivanted through Bahrain last weekend, making the kingdom her 121st international stopover on a quest to travel to all 197 countries around the globe.
The Indian-born American citizen has been travelling since 2003, but last year, after her father passed away, she made it her mission to visit everywhere on the planet and share her experiences.
“My love for travel started when I was just three and my dad was sent on an assignment to Nigeria,” Radhika, 48, told GulfWeekly.
“I remember standing in front of a Boeing 747 and it was love at first sight. But I didn’t really set a goal to see all the countries in the world until much later in life.
“It just so happened that I always wanted to see something new. Last year, my father, with whom I was very close, passed away from Covid-19 quite suddenly, and it shook my world.
“Before he passed, he told me to continue to chart my own path and share my journey with others.”
Before landing in Bahrain, Radhika was in Dubai, the UAE, for a few days and has just landed in Nairobi, Kenya. She then plans to hang out with the gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, before heading to Burundi, all in East Africa.
In Bahrain, she visited the national museum, Qal’at Al Bahrain, Manama Souq and, of course, breakfast at the famous Haji’s Café.
Last year, in October, Radhika embarked on a five-month long trans-African over-land adventure starting from Morocco and going down the west coast of Africa through 16 countries including Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa.
“I also returned to Nigeria after 38 years, where I spent the majority of my childhood,” the Las Vegas-based occupational therapist added. “I connected spiritually with my father when I was there as my most precious childhood memories are of him.”
Throughout her travels, Radhika eschewed the glamourous stops in favour of mingling amongst locals, living in tents and sleeping under the stars.
Her comfort with going off the beaten path was hard-earned, ever since she started travelling intensively in 2003.
Not only did she get used to camping and hiking, she has also grown into the shoes of a solo female traveller, while also travelling with and meeting a wide variety of fellow adventurers.
For more details, follow @globetrottingchic on Instagram.
