After lunch the captain set sail heading north towards the equator.  The only thing in sight is the deep blue waters of the Pacific ocean.  The captain spotted a school of dolphins in the distance.  Everyone scurried to the top deck, cameras in hand, to take in this spectacular sight. There were hundreds of dolphins swimming, and jumping high into the air. It’s almost as though they were entertaining us.  The captain circled around the pod so we could a get a closer look at these playful mammals.

EQUATOR PARTY!!!!!!
This afternoon we crossed the equator. Our fabulous captain decided we are going to do this in style.  Everyone including the crew joined the captain in the tight quarters of the bridge for an equator party.  Tour guide Juan has his guitar with him and he gladly plays a few songs. It’s not long before the ladies are singing along and dancing.  The captain slowed the boat as we came close to the equator so we could count down the latitudes from 10 to 0 degrees. As we crossed over 0 degrees the captain blew the horn and we all toasted with Enrique’s delicious margaritas.

The party continues down below in the lounge. Juan has everyone draw a paper from the hat and asks us to prepare for our charade party.  The only problem was the charades were written in Spanish.  With much confusion and lots of laughs we tried to decipher what were were supposed to be portraying.  Each charade was one of the animals, mammals or birds we had seen during our Galapagos adventure.  There was a prize for the best actions.  The Captain won with his depiction of a male frigate bird trying to woo a female.
The crew dressed for the party,  Jonathan and Ivan were pirates, Juan was King Neptune of the sea and brave Ramirez was his daughter.  The ladies loved their creativity and they welcomed them with applause and lots of laughter. Enrique the bar tender was busy serving drinks and playing Spanish dance music.  Everyone was up dancing and enjoying our afternoon party at sea.  I’m sure we’ll be talking about this party for years to come.

The party ended, the crew went back to work and the ladies relaxed. Before dinner we enjoyed a cocktail party and the crew came back dressed in their traditional clothing. Ramirez aka King Neptune’s daughter certainly looks very different in his uniform. The amazing crew was acknowledged and thanked for their exceptional service; Chef Segundo, Captain, second in command Ramirez, tour guide Juan, panga drivers and deck hands Jonathan and Ivan.
Everyone agreed we couldn’t have had a better group of ladies as our travel mates or a better crew.   This certainly was a trip of a lifetime.