So glad to be home safe, even if sick...

My favorite Antarctica quote is by Barry Lopez “Antarctica reflects the mystery we call God!” I definitely think the mystery and majesty of God is evident in Antarctica, more than anywhere else I’ve been. It reminds me of Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

But today, a quote from Robert Swan (who has walked to both poles) is more appropriate: “Antarctica is like meeting a mass murderer who looks nice. At least in the Arctic you know you're meeting a mass murderer.”

My trip to Antarctica was nice, not mass murderer. Actually, it was amazing, incredible, and fantastic. And I knew I was blessed to have had such a trip: great crew, great weather, great travel mates, all that. The crew warned us that our time in the Drake wasn’t as bad as it could have been. When they said that, I thanked God that I didn’t get to experience how bad the Drake can really be.

Today, it appears that I missed it by just two days, and I am ever so grateful. The front page of Yahoo (not the front TRAVEL page, the front page of regular news) has a story titled “Horror on the High Seas” that talks about a ship like ours (roughly same size, taking roughly the same route) that encountered 30 foot waves (i.e., equivalent to a three-story building) in the Drake Passage. The waves broke the window of the bridge and knocked out communication, and one of their engines was lost. They slowed to ~1 mph in the Drake. That does not sound fun. Actually, it sounds downright miserable.

I have been feeling pretty lousy for the last 48 hours, and I wasn’t expecting this at all. I have “sea sickness” on land. Biologically, my inner ear is trying to readjust to solid ground. It makes me dizzy and nauseous, not all day but frequently throughout the day (and especially in the afternoons). On the ship, I could lay down and feel better. On land, it isn’t working. I googled the phenomenon and found that it’s normal. It usually takes a few days to go away, more if the waves were really rough or if your body was really seasick (like mine was). When I watch the video of the Clelia II ship, I can see that it’s going to take those passengers a lot longer to get used to land again. I do not envy them at all!

I am so glad that my Antarctica Adventure wasn’t quite that adventurous…. I’m grateful that my Heavenly Father knew I just couldn’t handle that much excitement.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/horror-on-the-high-seas-23392390;_ylt=AlssV06plUWlMmo_WRLaQw6z174F;_ylu=X3oDMTE3cm8yYXZyBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNtb3N0LXBvcHVsYXIEc2xrA2hvcnJvcm9udGhlaA--

Here are some of Kobie's pictures that I like: