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I have been hoping for this type of family experience most of my adult life.  When Dana and I began to conjure this crazy plan -- way back in 2000 -- it all seemed so distant and unlikely.  Would we find the time?  Would we be able to pay for it?  Well, we told ourselves, we'll make the time and we'll take loans if we have to.  What could be more important than this? Now through good fortune and good timing, we can make it happen.  The kids have NO IDEA what awaits them. Frankly, neither do Dana and I.
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The Belly of the Beast

The Belly of the Beast

(Greg) India is sensory explosion: the colors, smells and sounds smash together in a whirling chaos that is hypnotic, magnetic and, at times, frightening. A few of us were frightened yesterday. On our way to visit the great Muslim mosque in Old Delhi, we passed the Sunday Market. It was a mass of mostly men […]

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Bodies Under the Stars

Bodies Under the Stars

Bali is only a few miles away from its much larger neighbor to the West, Java, separated by the easily traversed 2.3km Bali Strait. Bali is a really nice place and the Javanese discovered this early. No surprise, then, that the vast majority of today’s Balinese are actually transplanted people from Java whose forebearers crossed […]

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The Reunion

The Reunion

My flight to Hobart, though long, was surprisingly comfortable. I am sure the anticipation of the surprise and the continuation of the adventure helped to ease whatever discomfort I had. Shane and the rest of the team on the Kapitan Klebnikov had done an excellent job orchestrating the surprise. All the baggage was hoisted onto […]

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Part 3: Surgery and Recovery

Part 3: Surgery and Recovery

I met Tom Gill for the first time as the anesthesiologists were deadening my leg with a big needle in my groin.  This is called a femoral nerve block and is very effective. I asked if he knew about the circumstances surrounding my arrival. He made it plain that he did. Not surprising. I was, […]

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Part 2: The Evacuation

Part 2: The Evacuation

The expedition team acted quickly to grab me off the bottom of that slope and return me to the ship.  Seven or eight staff members (including my fine wife) splinted my leg, tobogganed me to the waters edge, hoisted me into a zodiac and craned me onto the stern deck of the Kapitan Klebnikov. As […]

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Part 1: The Injury

Part 1: The Injury

As the dark clouds of the last four weeks recede, I am increasingly aware of silver linings. On the first day in the Falkland Islands, high winds and big waves prevented the tenders from shuttling the newly-arrived passengers onto the Kapitan Klebnikov, the icebreaker that would serve as our home for the next 31 days. […]

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White, Out

White, Out

From December 4, 2010 to January 3, 2011 we are going way off the grid: a semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica, starting off the coast of South America and ending 31 days later in the other hemisphere; in Hobart, Tasmania. We will be unable to update the site, check emails or really much of anything electronic. This […]

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Parenting at 17,000 feet

Parenting at 17,000 feet

(Greg) Sometimes, as parents, it is hard to know when to push a kid out of his comfort zone and when to back off.  This trip throws comfort zone challenges at us almost everyday. Some are spectacular; like jumping into a gorge in Zimbabwe, watching predators violently rip apart prey, or walking into cold black […]

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Immodium Horribilis

Immodium Horribilis

(Greg) Woke up at 4:30AM for a quick excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel and back. The one boy who most loves all things Egypt has been throwing up all over himself and his mother most of the night. At 5AM we help him decide to suck it up.  We’ll be back by noon. The […]

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Desert Doctor

Desert Doctor

(Greg) When David Livingstone traipsed across the African sub-continent, he and his exploring band were afflicted by all kinds of nasty maladies: tsetse fly-borne sleeping sickness, malaria, yellow fever and skin disorders of all types. So, as the 6 explorers, we were kind of hoping we might have the same kind of authentic experience. As […]

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