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Cassie DePecol (expedition_196)
There have only been 98 people to go to every country in the world, and I’m good friends with two of them (Lee Abbamonte and Charles Veley). Both of them coincidentally grew up in my home state of Connecticut, just a few towns away from each other.

I’m not sure what’s going on with our little corner of the Nutmeg State, but there’s about to be a third person from that area and the first woman ever to accomplish the extraordinary feat. To top it off, she’s doing it in record time. Cassie DePecol is 27-years old and on track to visit 196 countries in less than two years! According to a UK paper she has just 20 countries to go. You can follow Cassie on her travels on Instagram.

After a 1 hour and 15 minute fast paced uphill trek, I arrived at Paro Taktsang. The pilgrimage was like something out of Avatar, a dream to trek, through low hanging clouds with a harrowing drop at any given moment on either side. Prayer flags swayed through the pines, prayer wheels spinning in the breeze, and tsa-tsas (ashes of the dead) wedged between crevices of stone. Passing over a bridge and waterfall and up the last flight of stairs, I entered one of the chambers where I was completely alone. Tip-toeing past the glowing butter candles and sacred relics, I kneeled on a rug, cracked open an aged window and rested my head on the windowsill to reflect and admire the massive 2,000ft plunge into the vast Himalayan valley below, as clouds swiftly passed. Without my phone or camera equipment, I was able to consciously enjoy this moment in peace. ? • • • #expedition196 #everycountryintheworld

A photo posted by ᶜᴬˢˢᴵᴱ ᴰᴱ ᴾᴱᶜᴼᴸ| ᴼᶠᶠᴵᶜᴵᴬᴸ ᴾᴬᴳᴱ (@expedition_196) on

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