100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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I am at South Pole Station!

The new station is really incredible. This place is not like a building it is much more like a space ship or something. There is always a little vibration and sounds of machinery and ventalation. I am so lucky to be here in this time frame. The new station is fully inhabited and the dome is starting to get torn down this winter. I went straight away to the dome. It really is quite the structure. It stays about 60 below zero in there and the related tunnels. It only feels like -30 or so because there is no wind. None. It is extremely quiet.

I am concentrating getting my body adjusted to the physio-altitude. I ended up not taking Diamox and I am fine. I knew what it was going to be like and have taken the precautionary steps. I should be almost 100 percent today on my first full day on station. Southpole is an inside place. I have not yet gone outside, but I suspect I will tonight and get down to the actual pole. I got on the ham radio last night and talked with a couple of folks in New Zealand.

These pictures are not of the new station. They are in the connected older parts and connected dome. They will be gone soon. I lot of history is there. I have heard conflicting stories of where the dome is going to end up. Florida was one of the places. I think it would make a good night club and restaurant and you get a free meal if you ever visited it on the ice.

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