Null Island is a ‘place’ at the geographical coordinates 0 degrees N and 0 degrees E where the Equator and the Prime Meridian intersect. Located in the international waters in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, a one-square meter plot of ‘land’ has been identified with buoy to observe the weather and sea conditions. Not many people actually pass this location and at the request of some passengers, the Captain veered off course to arrive here at 5:00am this morning. We set our alarm and went to the top deck to look for the light on the buoy, the Captain was there and they served champagne, coffee and tea. It’s a big deal. The 3rd picture is what the Captain took from his instruments on the bridge. The yellow dot in the middle is out ship.

Later that morning the ship conducted a Line-Crossing ceremony. This ceremony has been around for over 400 years and is well known among Navy servicemen throughout different countries and commemorates a person’s first crossing of the Equator. It is somewhat of a hazing ritual. Before the first crossing you are known as a Pollywog. After the crossing, you are called to stand before King Neptune and his court. You are charged with certain ‘crimes’. You are required to Kiss the Fish and then are smattered with colored foam/whipped cream, pelted with Jell-o and then plunged into a sea water bath. After the ceremony you are known as a Shellback. There are different status’s you can achieve like a Golden Shellback who is a person that crosses the Equator at the 180th meridian but the rarest Shellback status is the Emerald Shellback which is received after crossing the Equator at the prime meridian. That’s the ceremony we participated in today. King Neptune charged us with eating too much food and hoarding the fancy soaps and lotions. We were found guilty, kissed the fish (a real fish) hazed and then plunged into the pool. It was so funny and a great time.

After all of this, we watched the Coronation of King Charles. The Cruise Director, Ross is from the UK and went all out including streaming complete event, serving British food and drink and obtaining Fortnum & Mason’s special blend of tea created for the occasion.

Africa! We have now been to all 7 Continents. I can’t believe it – even typing it now seems unreal. The younger us would’ve never thought that one day we would travel the world. What a blessed life; full of hard work, lucky breaks, smart decisions and wanderlust.

On April 14 we arrived in Zanzibar, Tanzania and then flew to the Serengeti to begin our 4-day safari. (more on that posted under Where Are We Now)

UPDATE ON BIRD – From Native Animal Rescue: Broome. Millie was turned over to the Balinese authorities as protected Australian Wildlife. She is in quarantine in Bali and Australia has requested special permission to return Millie to Australia. Once she is returned home, she will be held in captivity as an educational animal.

First of all, we’ve been busy but promise I will post more about what’s been going on soon under ‘where are we now’. For now, I wanted to tell you about our stowaway on board! A Black Kite joined us as we sailed away from Broome, our last stop in Australia! Several people caught her and tried to get her to fly away but she keep coming back. The captain and other officers got in touch with the Australian port and it turns out her name is MILLY. She was raised by a woman when she was orphaned which explains why she wasn’t afraid of humans. We think she was afraid of a thunderstorm that was rumbling behind us and by the time it passed, we were too far away from land for her to go home. She’s our new celebrity guest and is being well taken care of. In fact, the captain is making arrangements for her to catch a ship heading from Bali to Broome so she can get home. There are a few questions still to be answered as to if she’ll have to quarantine in Bali or even in Broome when she returns. Australia has strict and funky rules with these types of situations. In the meantime, she is fed and watered and has been the star in many pictures and stories.

FYI, the Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey. They are opportunistic hunters and spend most time soaring and gliding while scavenging for food. A kite is part of the Accipitridae family which also includes other types of raptors that are active during the day.

Today is officially our half-way point. Honestly, it’s going great and fast! There is so much going on all the time that Charlie is super happy to watch March Madness and relax. We have enjoyed the entertainment on board and have been blown away by the quality of talent. Last night we were entertained by Marc Vincent. (I couldn’t upload a video but I encourage you to google). At 15 he won Australia’s Got Talent and has recorded 9 consecutive #1 Classical Crossover Albums. We asked him why he was on the ship and he said he was trying out his performance with other audiences other than Australians so that next year he will tour in the US. We will definitely watch for him.

OK…..use your imagination….we get to the part of the great barrier reef that we intend to snorkel. The jellyfish aka stingers are prevalent in the water this time of year. In order to protect us, the crew of the catamaran give us ‘stinger suits’. These suits zip in the front, have a hood for our head and built-in gloves for our hands. They are damp from the weather and previous use therefore they are harder than hell to even get on. I’m not sure these suits would look good on any supermodel, let alone Charlie and I!!! I’ve cropped the picture to save everyone from therapy but imagine if a teletubby and Danny DeVito as the Penguin had a baby!

The food on board is amazing, rich and a little too fancy after awhile, so we headed into the town of Papeete (Tahiti) and found the mecca for us….The Golden Arches!!!

Yep…it was amazing and felt like home. The only downside was the price….$25.00 for 2 Big Mac meals!!! It was totally worth it.