August, 2002. In the remotest Amazon jungle of Brazil, along a tributary of the Upper Xingu River, live the Xicrin-Kayapo people. They live traditionally as they have for centuries, isolated in their forests from the world. Here the young boys, painted and adorned, apprehensively await their initiation ceremonies into becoming young men. They are to be tested to show they have what it takes for the village to be proud of them.

In some of their eyes, there is confidence. In others less so. This is an ancient Rite of Passage, an enthralling experience to witness. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #229 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Banja Luka, Srpska.  You may never have of this country, the Republic of Srpska, that takes up half the size and 40% of the population of the Balkan country of Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The entire country was conquered and ruled for centuries by the Islamic Ottoman Empire, thus after the Ottomans fell in WWI and Yugoslavia broke apart after the Soviet Union fell, those Bosnians who retained adherence to Christianity through those centuries of Islamic occupation found themselves greatly outnumbered by those who had converted to Islam (“Bosniaks”).  So they (Bosnian Serbs) formed their own country which remains unrecognized by every other country on the planet.

They rebuilt their beautiful Cathedral of Christ the Savior – destroyed in WWII and never allowed rebuilding by Communist Yugoslavia – in their capital of Banja Luka.  You can see how gorgeous the interior is from the photo.  The whole country is beautiful with its lakes, forests, rivers, vineyards, sprinkled with old castles and charming villages. The people of Srpska are proud of what they have achieved and now simply want to live in peace with their neighbors.  (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #300, photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Bukhara is the oldest city on the fabled Silk Road.  You’ve seen Glimpses of The Well of Job, where legend says Job of the Old Testament struck the ground with his staff, creating a well bubbling with fresh pure water that still flows today.

And of The Ark of Bukhara, the palace-fortress of Bukhara rulers since 500 BC.  The ancient Silk Road oasis has a history of 5,000 years.  I was first here in 1963, a 19 year-old teenager with a summer job of filming fabulously exotic places in Central Asia unknown to the West for a Hollywood stock film company.

I was not much older than these teenage ladies back then.  I took this picture of them when I was last in Bukhara in 2019.  It was so extraordinarily lucky of me to experience such magical places as Bukhara when young.  It’s enabled me to stay young at heart so many decades later.

Perhaps you have a teenage child or grandchild with whom you could experience its wonders together.  It will be a life-long treasured memory for you both. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #214 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

This close – if you’re at the right place at the right time in the right boat.  That would be the Canal do Faial channel between the islands of Faial and Pico in the Azores, populated by more spawning sperm whales that just about anywhere else.  It’s also a haven for many other whale and dolphin species on their migratory route between the North and South Atlantic.

You won’t believe how truly paradisical Madeira and the Azores are.  Not just the weather and the beauty, but how safe, calm, and serene they are, how friendly everyone is – so friendly because everyone here is at peace with themselves.  You’ll discover your inner peace here too.  While never being bored as there’s always something exciting to see and do.  Like being this close to a baby sperm whale. (Glimpses of our breathtaking world #195).

The Cathedral of Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) in Barcelona, Spain, was designed by legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). Construction started in 1883, continued after his death, to be finally completed and consecrated this June 2026. It is the tallest church in the world and perhaps the most extraordinary.  You have to see it to believe it. Worshippers come from all over the world to experience it.  Christianity is flourishing here in Barcelona.  (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #317 photo ©Jack Wheeler)