Tuesday Jan 25.  Third day at sea en-route to French Polynesia.  Calm waters.  Internet speed is 500K bps - slow by on-shore standards, acceptable for the middle of the Pacific ocean.

I develop a Pavlovian response to the constant motion of the ship.  Some people get seasick, but my brain now associates ship movement with top-quality dining.  I actually crave sea motion and salivate when the ship is underway.

I get the name of my new favorite hot sauce: sambal oelek - an Indonesian concoction.  Distributed by a company in California.  I research it online and become an expert.

French polynesia is a collection of 130 islands dispersed over a huge area of the south Pacific - almost one million square miles.  Total land area of all its islands is 1,622 sq. miles - slightly smaller than Connecticut.  The first European to visit the islands was Ferdinand Magellan, who stopped in Tahiti while on a world cruise in 1521.  It was here that he developed his well-known fondness for crème brûlée.

Islands noted for black pearls, vanilla bean, noni fruit.  Also beautiful clear water.  Official language is French, principal industry is tourism.

Polynesia became a protectorate of France in 1842, a territory in 1946 and most recently a collective in 2004.  Indigenous peoples now lobbying for it to become a patisserie.

Later today we will cross the equator heading south. This is a big deal - an event filled with ritual and superstition dating back at least 400 years. First timers are known as 'pollywogs', while veteran equatorial crossers are called 'shellbacks.'  Four hundred years ago, during the golden age of exploration, sailors developed a number of unsavory traditions that amounted to hazing the more junior staff upon crossing the equator.  Pollywogs through the centuries were made to pay respect to Neptune and his aquatic god friends by enduring some sort of humiliating activity, while the more veteran sailors watched.

In keeping with these long-standing traditions, Regent will conduct festivities appropriate to the demographic of a modern, pricey cruise ship.  The captain will command the pollywogs to pay respect to Neptune by making a sacrificial offering - they will toss a tray of tiramisu overboard.  The wait staff will serve champagne, the band will play and a good time will be had by all.

Since we already made this crossing on our journey to the Galapagos islands 15 years ago, we are now shellbacks.  So no sacrifice for us. We can have our tiramisu and eat it too.

Scheduled to arrive in Papeete, Tahiti in 3 days.