After a frenetic first week of our trip a leisurely day at sea was welcome. Before breakfast was over we had cleared Ecuadorian customs, picked up a group of local musicians for an evening performance, and we were on our way to the Equator. While Kike Calvo gave a talk on his career as a photographer, involving his life and work in South America over several years, our guests reflected on their own photographic experiences in Panama and Colombia.
In the late afternoon we approached the Equator. Guests were summoned to the sundeck as “immigration officials” arrived to inspect their paperwork. King Neptune, Captain Jack Sparrow, and a motley pirate crew began the initiation process for those crossing the Equator by sea for the first time. The “pollywogs” were forced to kiss a wet fish and down some homemade grog before being “cleansed.” Once the rum bunch were initiated and the captain was satisfied we passed the Equator with the sound of the horn. Guests gathered up on the bridge to photograph the coordinates at 0º before we continued on, into the Southern hemisphere. Some of our guests who were traversing the Equator had, just a few weeks ago, also crossed 80º in the Arctic with us. The galley crew served up cold beers and barbecued lobster with a delicious tropical salsa to celebrate the occasion.
As National Geographic Explorer crosses the Equator and heads further south we move into the colder Peru, or Humboldt, Current. Throughout the day there were several sightings of humpback whales as we cruised through these nutrient-rich waters.
After a beautiful sunset and a delicious dinner our guests were treated to yet another musical performance in the evening. Margarita Laso is a well-known Ecuadorian singer and combines her beautiful voice with the sound of local wooden pipes. It was a wonderful end to a relaxing day at sea, and I’m sure left our guests excited about the Ecuadorian adventures to come in the following days.
