The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Friday, September 4, 2026
Thor Pedersen was in Hong Kong in his seventh year of travel, close to completing his goal of visiting all countries without flying, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to border closures. This unexpected detour caused him to extend his stay in Hong Kong significantly.
“So I really just want to go home. I chose... I have no control over the situation. I need to do things where I feel I have control.”
“So I sat myself minor goals. The very first thing I did was I looked up what's the highest mountain in Hong Kong and then the goal was I want to reach the peak of that within this day and come back victorious.”