I’m back from the bottom of the world—LITERALLY!

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For the past month, you have not heard from me on this blog. Why? Did I die, or just simply lose interest? NO! I’m still very much alive and am still here, by YHVH’s grace, to serve his precious saints as best I can. 

So where was I?

In a place few people ever go.

ANTARCTICA! — and a few other amazing places in South America as well.

For nearly a month, Sandi and I were blessed to be able to spend time in several countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile plus the British overseas territory of the Falkland Islands), in addition to voyaging for several days in the waters of the Antarctic. We went from tropical jungles with summer temperatures in the mid-90s˚ F (30–35˚ C) to snow and ice and subfreezing temps in the waters of the Antarctic all in one trip! Ever try to pack clothing for an adventure like this with the luggage weight limits the airlines impose on their travelers? A challenge, to be sure, but we did it.

So what can I say about the Antarctic? There are no words. It is another world outside of this one. Etherial. Other-worldly. Majestic beyond description. Almost heavenly. Totally pristine. Spiritual. Totally unique. Enrapturing and mystifying. The pictures below give a grain of sand’s worth view of what we saw. The videos that I will begin posting shortly on my personal YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClT887ZoVCGlni2UbmJU8vA) will tell the story a little more fully, but not much. Nothing that one can say or show will do justice. It was a totally spiritual, physical and psycho-emotional experience that one can only understand if they have experienced for themselves. 

First, we will see some views of Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil and close to Uruguay. This is a world-class falls that is many times larger than Niagara Falls in New York and on a par with Victoria Falls located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. While Victoria Falls is taller, the cliffs over which Iguazu Falls tumbles is longer (1.7 miles or 2.7 km) and it is the largest falls complex (275 falls total) in the world. This was our first stop before embarking on our 16-day cruise out of Buenos Aires, Argentina ending in Santiago,Chile nearly a month later. For those of you who have seen America’s Grand Canyon in Arizona, you will have a sense of Iguazu’s grandeur when I say that this falls awed and amazed me as much as the Grand Canyon!

Please enjoy!

This photo shows only about one-quarter of the Iguazu Falls.
Nathan and Sandi in their sub-tropical jungled attire.
This photo shows maybe a little more than one-third of the total falls. It is impossible to capture the entire falls complex in one photo because of the twists and turns in the Paraná River.
A king penguin colony in the Falkland Islands.
A gentoo penguin drying off on the beach after having emerged from the surf.
Fledgling gentoo penguins—five months old.
Antarctica! (The is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg!)
The temperatures were hovering around the freezing mark, and we even had a couple of days of snow. The wind was constantly blowing off the Antarctic continent. One time with wind chill, we briefly got down to -25˚F or -32˚C, but that was only for a brief time. The rest of the time, it was warmer in our part of the Antarctic (remember, it’s the summer there now) than in most of the USA including my home in Oregon!
Sandi, my Eskimo wife and lifelong Ruth and traveling companion. On this trip, actually I was Sandi’s “Ruth” since it was her idea to come here. At first when she first proposed the trip a few years ago, I brushed it off as another one of her crazy ideas. Then she convinced me otherwise. Am I glad of this. I’ve now been in some 33 countries on six continents, and this trip beats all!

I hope you enjoyed this pictures. If you would like to see more, I invite you to stay tuned for videos on my YouTube channel. 

 

5 thoughts on “I’m back from the bottom of the world—LITERALLY!”

  1. Breathtaking to say the very least! What an opportunity to see more of YHVH’S creation in a most pure and untainted way. Sure helps healing come to the heart and soul to see all this. So glad you two were beyond blessed. You deserve it!

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  4. Welcome back! So glad you and Sandi were blessed to be able to take this wonderful trip together!

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  5. Wow!! I agree, the pictures are amazing! I’m so happy you saw Antarctica! I’ve always loved the colder places more than tropical. These views of icebergs and snow covered mountains are so untouched by men; they give me a feeling of purity and cleanliness as white as the holiness of YHVH- this is what all of these views remind me! Thank you very much of sharing!!! And the waterfall is gorgeous too

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