Legion of Angels News Archive

(CNN) – Like many people, I have a “bucket list.” It’s something along the lines of the “top-10-things-to-see-or-do-before-you-die” lists published on travel Web sites.

“Set foot on all seven continents” has always been on my list. This past February, after nearly six months of planning, I was fortunate to be able to knock off two — the most amazing being Antarctica, the other South America.

I chose an optimal time to go — summer in the Southern Hemisphere — and found a tour company online that was able to accommodate my needs. It is a costly adventure, especially when traveling solo, but iExplore put together a package for me that was perfect.

Plan on spending at least $3,500 (USD) just for the tour itself. Airfare is another cost, depending on where you’re coming from and where you choose to connect from, as there are no direct international flights into Ushuaia, the jumping-off point in Argentina. I connected through Buenos Aires. There are certainly other companies to choose from, and I shopped around until I found one that suited my “solo-traveler” needs.

iExplore not only got me to the continent, but allowed me the opportunity to set foot on it. Many tour companies will put you on a cruise ship that sails through the area, weaving between islands and giving views of the shore. But to actually set foot on the continent is a rare and awe-inspiring treat.

One of the tour leaders on our boat estimated that the total number of people who have actually set foot on this land mass — tourists, scientists and explorers — would fill a very large football stadium. Think University of Michigan or Penn State University, 107,501 and 107,282 respectively. This is because tourism to Antarctica didn’t really exist until roughly 15 years ago and has only recently taken off in popularity.

There are also rules and restrictions for visiting set up by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Take nothing away, leave nothing behind. Boots are scrubbed and disinfected upon each return trip to the boat to prevent contamination between stops.

My plan was simple. Arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina, and get on the M/V Orlova, an ice-strengthened Russian ship, to spend 10 days exploring Antarctica. After two days crossing the Drake Passage, suffering the ups and downs of the sea and learning to walk at a 45-degree angle, about 110 other passengers from around the globe and I got first sight of the peninsula.

Pick every word out of Roget’s Thesaurus to elaborate on “beauty” and “awe-inspiring,” and each of them ALMOST covers it. Over the course of the first four days at the continent, we ventured out in Zodiac boats twice daily and set foot on Aitchoo Island, visited research stations, passed the remains of old whaling stations and came face to face with Minke whales and elephant seals. I had the pleasure of curious juvenile penguins coming up to me to see who I was and what the strings on my jacket tasted like.

We saw paradise in a frozen form. No traffic noise, no pollution, no road rage (though some penguins fought over stones) — just clear skies, fresh air and undisturbed beauty for miles. Upon each excursion’s return to the Orlova, my newfound friends and I could only look at one another and grin. Each time saying, “That was amazing, there’s no way that they can top it at the next stop” — only to be proved wrong.

Months later, I still wish I could be there sitting with the penguins, taking it all in, smile firmly frozen in place.

Source — CNN

Wednesday’s rescue in Colombia of three U.S. military contractors and politician Ingrid Betancourt from guerillas came as U.S. presidential candidate John McCain was visiting the South American nation.

The timing didn’t hurt the Republican presidential candidate, who has long touted his foreign policy experience as being much stronger than that of Democratic rival Barack Obama.

McCain said Wednesday that he had been briefed about the mission the night before by Colombia President Alvaro Uribe, along with two other U.S. senators traveling with him — Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham. McCain had left Colombia and was on his campaign plane en route to Mexico when he learned about the success of the mission.

And though he mentioned the hostages during his public appearances in Colombia Wednesday, he didn’t let on he knew what was happening with them, NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell reported.

He discounted any suggestion by reporters later that the timing of the hostages’ release was anything but a coincidence.

“I would remind you that these things require incredibly long planning and coordination, etc. I am — there’s no way possible that it could have had anything to do with our visit, that I could imagine,” McCain said.

‘Sign of confidence’?
But Lieberman said Uribe’s willingness to brief the senators in advance of the operation was significant.

“I think it was a sign of confidence of President Uribe and the defense minister in Senator McCain — and maybe in the two of us — that they were prepared to share this information last night, which was highly classified, ” Lieberman said. “They were quite detailed about what they were trying to do, and thank god they succeeded.”

The rescue is the most serious blow ever dealt to the 44-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which considered the four hostages its most valuable bargaining chips. FARC is already reeling from the deaths of key commanders and the loss of much of the territory it once held. In recent months, FARC has also seen the surrender of many of its soldiers.

Among those freed Wednesday were 11 Colombian soldiers and police, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said.

The Americans — Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell — were being flown to the United States from a military base in central Colombia. In a call Wednesday to Uribe, President Bush called him a “strong leader,” according to White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe. He said Uribe in turn thanked Bush for his support, which has included billions of dollars in military aid.

Key American assistance
U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and National Security Agency, played a role in locating the hostages by providing resources and equipment, NBC News reported. According to Pentagon officials, the U.S. military provided helicopters that airlifted the three Americans and Betancourt to safety but did not participate directly in the operation.

A senior U.S. military official told NBC News Wednesday that there had been about a half dozen “close ones” before the successful rescue. The U.S. “has been involved since the beginning” with “dozens of people working it full” and U.S. military aircraft flying “more than 4,000 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties in support of the effort,” the source said.

McCain said it wasn’t unusual for him to be briefed ahead of such an operation, even as a presidential candidate. “I have been informed as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee of plans for years and years and years that are going to be carried out either by the United States or our friends and allies.”

He said the focus should now turn to the other hostages still being held by FARC.

While McCain on Wednesday found himself in the middle of the action, Obama also weighed in on the hostages’ release from the United States. He praised Colombia’s longtime strategy of making no concessions to the FARC, instead using “intelligence, military, law enforcement, diplomatic, and political power to achieve important victories against terrorism.”

Obama added that he “will do everything that I can to assure the success of future efforts to free the FARC’s hostages and to defeat this terrorist organization.”

Source — MSNBC