South American Journey - Day 8

On Sunday we sailed to Cape Horn, the southern most land area on the South American continent. At that point we were just 400 miles north of Antarctica. We felt like we were at the end of the world!

By this point the waves were 9 to 10 feet high and put on a good show. Truthfully, it was a beautiful day. One of the crew mentioned that it was the smoothest trip he had ever made around the Horn.

So far the weather on this trip has been spectacular. Even earlier in the day it was cloudy but the clouds would come and go. The shore was rugged.

The albatross is a common bird in the area. Of course to mariners, the albatross is a symbol of bad luck. They often follow ships. They are very efficient gliders and stay at sea for months or even years at a time. We heard that albatrosses would often watch for men that were swept overboard and pick at the man mercilessly.

Cape Horn is an island off of the southern tip of the continent. It is marked by a Chilean flag, a weather station and a monument that is dedicated to the honor of those who died in these waters. In the years before ships had steel hulls and before the Panama canal was built over one thousand ships sank in these waters and 15,000 sailors lost their lives.

My parents, who were missionaries in South America for thirty-six years lived about 200 miles north of here in Punta Arenas, Chile for ten years. I often heard Pop that they were the world's southern most Southern Baptist missionaries. They certainly believed that they were fulfilling literally the great commission:

"Go ye therefore and teach all men whatsoever I have taught you baptizing them in the name of The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost and lo I will be with you even unto the ends of the earth."
Matthew 28: 18-19

South American Journey - Day 6

Friday we stopped in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. We then boarded a bus and drove two and a half hours south to Punto Tombo to a nature preserve that is dedicated to the preservation of a breeding ground of Magellan Penguins.

This one was one of Charlotte's favorites because he paid attention to her. I guess you can say they connected! She called him Pancho.

The penguins usually arrive in early September and leave in early March. At the height of the season their will be as many as two million penguins. We arrived at the end of the season and many had left but there were still several thousand penguins.

The Magellan Penguins are different from their cousins the Emperor Penguins found in Antarctica that grow to three feet. Theses grow to an average of eighteen inches. They spend the majority of the year swimming the waters off the coast of South America eating their favorite food, anchovies.

From one observation point we saw hundreds of penguins lined up on the beach with many others frolicking in the water. It reminds me of being on the beach on the 4th of July.

After a long day of traveling to see penguins, we returned to the ship to sail to points South. The sunset that evening was spectacular. Tomorrow we make it to Cape Horn, the southern most tip of South America. Approximately 500 miles from Antarctica. That is pretty close to the bottom of the world!

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it,

The world and all who live in it;

For he founded it upon the seas

And established it upon the waters.

Psalm 25:1-2

South American Journey Day 7

Overnight the ship journeyed from Montevideo to Punta del Este (East Point). The name is appropriate since it is located on a point of land that marks the end of the Rio de la Plata and the Atlantic.

Punta del Este is a ocean resort town that has about 10,000 year around residents and as many as 500,000 during the summer months of December through the first of March. The light house above is somewhat of a simple for the town.

Walking around this town we saw this little boy playing outside of his home which is near the lighthouse. His mother was very friendly and gave us permission to take his picture. He is one year old.

The church in the background is very picturesque. Sadly we heard the statistic yesterday that 38% of the residents say that they are atheists. I have heard for years that mission work in this country has been very challenging.

The 'fingers in the sand' are a piece of unusual local artwork. The city has some of the most beautiful beaches I have seen on both the sea side and on the river side of the peninsula.

There is no dock large enough to handle the ship so we 'tendered' on and off the ship, which means we used the life boats to take the 20 minute journey from the ship to the dock in town.


Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

And gave him a name that is above every name

that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow

in heaven and on the earth and under the earth

every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 10-11

South American Journey - Day 6

We traveled overnight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The distance is about 200 kilometers across what is said to be the widest river in the world, the Rio de la Plata. We arrived in Montevideo on Tuesday morning just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.

Our ship is the Celebrity Infinity which is just over 900 feet long and carries 1950 passengers.

We were able to visit the 'Old City' which is an area within walking distance of the dock. The picture is of independence square.

The old town is rather ecclectic with grand old buildings next to new high rise buildings.

Of course for me, the key to any people or culture is the food. For lunch we enjoyed a mixed kabob of tenderloin, chicken and pork (which we shared and still could not finish). Then about an hour later we enjoyed a great cup of coffee...

... with dessert of a crepe with dulce de leche and ice cream on top!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies,

Thou annointest my head with oil.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23

South American Journey - Days 4& 5

I like Buenos Aires. It is a big city, a lot of heritage and culture. There are monuments everywhere! It is summer time and I love the trees. There are a lot of good restaurants and the people appear to be warm and friendly.

Above is one of my favorite spots during our visit. Its a park named for Jose San Martin the general who led Argentina to be free of Spanish rule. I like this broad walkway that is covered with a canopy of trees.

The 'Casa Rosada' (Pink House) is the Argentine version of the White House, the working office of the President of Argentina.

A significant part of the city's heritage is the tango, a dance that was born in this neighborhood in the southern part of the city where poor imigrants from Italy and Spain lived in the late 1800's. Interestingly, I read that 60% of the people have Italian heritage.

The tragedy is that for a city with a population of 14 million, there are many, many lost people here. The have the semblance of religion, but I doubt there is a genuine faith and comitment to Christ.

"Not everyone who says unto me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of the Father in Heaven."

Matthew 7: 21

South American Journey - Day 3

Day three was spent in Buenos Aires looking around and doing some shopping. Mostly we just relaxed.
It looks like Charlotte is studying something very hard. It is a puzzle book!

Our room is on the top floor and we have a patio attached to the room. This afternoon the temperature was around 82, but there was a gentle breeze and it was very pleasant. No, I am not praying, I am trying to read and not go to sleep! Charlotte took the picture.

The people here are serious about their meat! This was a grill in a mall food court. Last night Charlotte and I ordered a rib-eye steak that was 500 grams. After thinking about it we realized that it was one pound of steak so we decided to share!

The British have a long relationship with Argentina. The bell tower in the distance is a memorial to a major immigration of British in the early 1800's. However, the Faulkland Islands War soured that relationship. In the foreground is a memorial to those who died in the war over the Faulkland Islands (which Argentina calls Malvinas Islands).

So, Argentina built their memorial to those who died in that war directly across from the clock tower built in honor of the British many years before.

Another impression I have of Buenos Aires is they have a lot of beautiful trees. Here are more of the huge trees with large trunks, similar to the one we mentioned yesterday.

For years Argentina struggled through political turmoil. Then there was the Faulkland Island War. Fortunately, Argentina is fairly calm and there is a relatively good standard of living for many.

I am reminded of Psalm 46: 9-10

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exhalted among the nations, I will be exhalted in the earth.

South American Journey Day 1 & 2

Charlotte and I will be traveling through Argentina, Uruguay and Chile for the next three weeks. I hope to post some pictures on a regular basis that will give you some idea of what we are experiencing.

We flew from Richmond to Miami on a small American Airlines jet. Note the gate agent watching the captian as he went through his preflight procedures.

When we left Richmond it was cloudy with a light rain. As the altitude increased we went through multiple layers of clouds.

The nice thing about flying is that no matter how cloudy and rainy the weather is on the surface, if you can get high enough you will always find sunshine.

It reminds me of the phrase from Psalm 19:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

We flew through the night landing in Buenos Aires at 7:30 AM. When we got to our hotel, our room was not ready, so we found a side walk cafe and I enjoyed a good cup of coffee!

Out hotel is located across the street from the Plaza San Martin which commemorates the exploits of General Jose San Martin who was the key military leader in liberating Argentina, Peru and Chile from Spanish rule in the early 1800's.

At the center of the park we found this ancient tree. I have no idea how old it is, but I do wonder about some of the history it has seen.

A nice treat to being in the southern hemisphere in February is that it is late summer here. Today the temperature was near 80 degrees with bright sunshine. It was a beautiful day in the park and lovers were out enjoying the weather and each other.

Psalm 19 concludes saying:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.

More tomorrow!