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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This photo was taken out the galley (here at pole sometimes called the dining room) window. It is the area called the "back yard". You can see some old snow sculptures, some camping expiditioners that just arrived and the geographic south pole.

Station life surrounds (especially in my department) the satellites rising and setting. It is interesting that in a place that has 24 sunlight and no visible moon the culture surrounds an artifical satellite rise and set. Sleep and meals and other activities are scheduled around the visibility of the satellites. You may hear in the galley "Well, I might as well wait till the satellite rises since I am up now"

This place is so much like a sci fi story waiting to play out. The scenes are built, the characters are cast, the lighting is set. We just need a story.

I got another radio call last night. The air-to-ground radio system was out with planes in the air. Luckily, I didn't have to walk out to the RF building a mile away to get it going again.

The prime minister of New Zealand will be arriving today with the head of the NSF and some other folks. I suspect I won't be having dinner with them.

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

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Image
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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