"Countries Visited" | Memoir | Part V of VI | Travel Journals

In the serene tranquility of retirement, I unearthed my cherished scrapbook labeled “Business Travels Abroad,” adorned with a picture of a woman perched atop a globe.

As I flipped through its pages, I was thrilled to revisit the countless countries and cities I enjoyed exploring during an incredible two-year journey. The sheer variety of places I experienced still fills me with wonder and amazement.

Each destination held its own rhythm, its own story, and its own unforgettable charm. I remember the vibrant markets of Accra, where the colors of kente cloth dazzled my eyes, and the warm greetings of locals made me feel instantly welcome. In Tokyo, the quiet grace of a tea ceremony contrasted beautifully with the neon buzz of Shibuya Crossing. The haunting beauty of Reykjavik’s icy landscapes still lingers in my memory, as does the melodic lilt of Portuguese in the streets of Rio.

This scrapbook is more than a record, it’s a passport to my past, a tactile reminder of the courage it took to step into the unknown. I traveled not just for work, but for wonder. I tasted dishes I couldn’t pronounce, danced to rhythms I’d never heard, and stood in awe before cathedrals, mosques, and temples that whispered centuries of devotion.

Now, in the quiet of retirement, I marvel at how those journeys shaped me. They taught me humility, broadened my worldview, and gifted me stories that still shimmer with life. As I turn each page, I’m reminded that the world is vast, beautiful, and worth exploring, and that I was blessed to see so much of it firsthand.

And still, there were moments that took my breath away, like watching the sun rise over the Indian Ocean in Mauritius or hearing the call to prayer echo through the streets of Djibouti at dawn. I recall the laughter shared with fellow travelers, the kindness of strangers who became friends, and the quiet solitude of hotel rooms where I wrote postcards home. Each stamp, each visa, each memory etched into that scrapbook is a testament to a life richly lived, deeply felt, and joyfully remembered.

Here’s a glimpse into the names of the diverse nations across the continents that I was lucky enough to visit:

1. Africa: Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Nouakchott, Mauritania Dakar, Senegal Banjul, Gambia Conakry, Guinea Lagos, Nigeria Accra, Ghana Monrovia, Liberia Bamako, Mali Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Niamey, Niger Bangui, Ubangi Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo Cotonou, Benin Douala, Cameroon Freetown, Sierra Leone Kinshasa, Zaire Libreville, Gabon Lome, Togo Luanda, Angelo Yaoundé, Cameroon Cape Town, South Africa Gaborone, Botswana Harare, Zimbabwe Johannesburg, South Africa Maseru, Lesotho Maputo, Mozambique Mbabane, Swaziland Pretoria, South Africa Cape Verde Islands, Praia Mauritius, Port Louis Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Djibouti, East Africa Nairobi, Kenya.

2. Asia: Seoul, Korea Tokyo, Japan Beijing, China Hong Kong, China Bangkok, Thailand Rangoon, Burma Hanoi, Vietnam Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Singapore, Singapore Manila, Philippines.

3. Europe: Helsinki, Finland Moscow, Russia Paris, France Reykjavik, Iceland Riga, Latvia Saint Petersburg, Russia Tallinn, Estonia Bern, Switzerland Vilnius, Lithuania.

4. South America: Asuncion, Paraguay Belize, Central America Bogota, Columbia Brasilia, Brazil Buenos Aires, Argentina Caracas, Venezuela Georgetown, Guyana Guatemala, Guatemala City La Paz, Bolivia Lima, Peru Montevideo, Uruguay Mexico City, Mexico Panama City, Panama Paramaribo, Suriname Port of Spain, Trinidad Quito, Ecuador Rio De Janeiro, Brazil San Jose, Costa Rica San Salvador, El Salvador Santiago, Chile Tegucigalpa, Honduras Bridgetown, Barbados Curacao, South Caribbean Grenada, Saint George (West Indies) Hamilton, Bermuda Havana, Cuba Kingston, Jamaica Martinique, Fort de France (West Indies) Port Au Prince, Haiti Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

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(Copyright © 2025 by Mia Z. Edwards. All rights reserved.)