CROSSING THE EQUATOR

 WiFi now works well on the ship.  Only five days left on the cruise.  Today I'll post on what happened the past two days.  Sunday began with lunch.  We wake up too late for breakfast.  Mostly fish.

At 4PM we went to high tea, with piano music in the background.

Dinner was delivered to our room.

Started with Ahi Tuna Poke and Karuga Caviar and Cappuccino of Poblano Pepper and Sweet Corn.  Then an excellent Classic Tournedos Rossini, with Sautéed Foie Gras, Dauphine Potatoes and Truffled Madeira Sauce.  Not shown was Lemon Meringue Pie.

Walked 3403 steps, mostly jogging/dancing in place in our room.

The big deal about yesterday was crossing the equator.  Of course only instruments know when this occurs at sea, but I've seen man-made lines on land a couple of times.  I've lost track of how many equator crossings on a plane.  When I crossed the equator cruising south on the Crystal Harmony (photo on the right), I cited the following advantages:

• 1.  Ideal for space shots.
• 2.  No hurricane has ever passed through this imaginary line.
• 3.  Thus, some day, many OTEC grazing plantships will populate the ocean around the equator, for this is where the temperature difference is at maximum and there is no threat from hurricanes

I add more info here:

• This first one will confuse you, but there are two equators.  The terrestrial equator is the one you know, but there is another celestial equator which I will not bother to explain.
• The equator is very slightly fatter at the equator, by 27 miles, compared to a circle connecting the poles.  The equator has a radius of 7,926 miles.
• The distance from the equator to either pole is 6,215 miles.
• The equator passes through 79% water and 21% land.
• The lines above the equator in the northern hemisphere are referred to as north latitude.  The imaginary circles drawn from the poles are called meridians or longitudes.
• There are no cities on the equator.  The biggest are:

1. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (4° 19′ 30″ S)

2. Bogota, Colombia (4° 35′ 53″ N)

3. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (3° 8′ 51″ N)

4. Singapore (1° 17′ 0″ N)

5. Medan, Indonesia (3° 35′ 0″ N)

6. Guayaquil, Ecuador (2° 11′ 0″ S)

7. Fortaleza, Brazil (3° 43′ 6″ S)

8. Cali, Colombia (3° 25′14″ N)

9. Nairobi, Kenya (1°17′0″S)

 10.Quito  Equador (0°15′0″S)...right

• 

  Thus Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is the closest, only  12.4 miles away.
• Hawaii is the closest state to the equator, 19 to 22 degrees north latitude,  and Honolulu is 1472 miles from the equator and 4746 miles from the North Pole.  Florida is 1911 miles from the equator.
• It has to do with the tilt of our planet, but nighttime is 14 minutes shorter than daylight.
• The equator passes through 13 countries, but 11 on land.
• Gets the most sunlight.
• The gravitational pull at the equator is weaker, so space launches are easier here.  You weigh less on the equator.  A 200 pound person at either pole would weigh 2 pounds less.

• 
  The highest point of the equator is 15,387 feet, southern slopes of the Volcán Cayabe, Ecuador.  This is the only place where snow is found.  Mount Kilimanjaro is 205 miles away and has glaciers

• 
  The seamen who have already crossed the equator are called Shellbacks (or Sons Of Neptune), and those who haven't are called Pollywogs. The Pollywogs are put through some physical tests to initiate the 'ancient mysteries of the deep.'

  This ceremony keeps a sailor away from the sea's perils and brings good luck, and is performed to appease the king.

  Pollywogs are then certified with a new status as Golden/Emerald/Royal Diamond Shellbacks, depending on the meridian they crossed

On this note, I first reprise my 2014 Crystal Harmony ceremony. King Neptune presided, and 60 went through the agony, even the captain of the ship, Ralf Zander.

In that same blog of 7 November 2014 I also mentioned one of my earlier land experiences at the equator:

I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in Kenya, which is located on the Equator.  Also known as the Mount Kenya Safari Club, the founder was actor William Holden. I participated in a ceremony here because the property straddles the Equator.  Here he is with Zamba and Capucine.

The Seabourn Odyssey only initiated crew members.

I earlier took a photo of that fish, which pollywogs are asked to kiss before being covered with color.

Ship captain on this ship helped clean out an empty pool.

In the meantime, I later had lunch in the Colonnade.

Drinks were aplenty.

I had four for lunch.

Then after lunch a Pina Colada, but with gin instead of rum, and raspberry coconut mix.

We got certificates attesting to our crossing the equator.

Dinner was at The Restaurant of dishes we had requested.  The sashimi was okay and the grilled tuna was not quite what we wanted.  First, we asked for the fatty part of the fish, o-toro.  We got the regular portion plus some kind of white fish.  Secondly, we asked for the collar, and did not.

For the record, here are images showing where the o-toro and collar can be found on the fish.

One more point about Japanese cuisine.  The ultimates are o-toro sashimi and wagyu steak.  At Marukai in Honolulu, they each can sell for  up to $100/pound.  The best o-toro comes from blue-fin tuna, and during the New Year period can be as high as $3600/pound.  A5 is the highest rated Kobe-style beef, and #1 is supposedly from Matsuzaki.  Wagyumafia restaurant in Tokyo says their top wagyu on January 1 can sell for more than $1000/pound.

Only 1399 steps today,

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