Kiss The Fish!

Today I was awakened by the ringing of pots and pans and yelling through the halls. A group of crew members, I think, were dressed in togas, making all kinds of racket and knocking on everyone’s doors. This was at about 7:30 a.m., the start of Neptune Day! Apparently, the celebration is a tribute to those of yore that commemorated new sailors’first crossing of the Equator.

After breakfast, we all gathered out on the back of the top deck, the one with the swimming pool, and with great pomp and circumstance we were introduced to Neptune, which was actually the real captain of the ship dressed in a long, white plastic wig and skirt with his body painted green, and his royal court. (I got a picture with him later! Haha) We were instructed to be anointed by “fish guts,”which was actually some sort of dyed water, then kiss a large fish, kiss Neptune’s ring and bow to the queen. After that, we had to jump into the pool. It was great! The “fish guts”and the pool water were so cold! I didn’t really go with a group, since there were so many people up there on the deck, but a friend I talked to later showed me a great picture she got of me with the “guts”being poured on. Then, what you’re also supposed to shave your head, but they make that part optional. Lots of people did it! Tons of guys, of course, but also I’d say about 20 girls or so. I actually thought about doing it. Like seriously considered it for a while –I kept feeling like if I were ever to shave my head this would be the time to do it, and I’d have a great story to tell. But, it took me too long to warm up to the idea and by that time there wasn’t too much of a crowd left. For some reason, when convincing myself that I should do it, I was hearing Uncle Marty’s voice in my head, mentioning something about seizing the great experience. After all of that, my hair is still intact.

It was such a relaxing day. Before lunch they were blaring music on the back deck and “Island In the Sun”came on by Weezer. I thought it was just perfect. A group of people I was with went to the front of the seventh deck and laid down right on the deck (there aren’t any chairs up there). It was pretty windy, so that made the 80-degree weather just right. We chatted for a bit, walked back to the snack bar and got some ice cream, came back to the deck and just relaxed for most of the afternoon. Many of them went in around 3, but I alternated between the shade and the sun after that and read some Hemingway. Audrey (who you may remember is the girl from the flight down to Nassau) and I watched the water for a while. I went back and forth between reading and watching flying fish pop out of the water and skim over it for 100 feet or so. It was a great afternoon.

Then there was a barbecue for dinner! It was probably the best food that we’ve had so far on the ship! Hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, little corn-on-the-cobs, baked beans, macaroni salad. It was all so good! And the buffet was all set up out there by the pool and they had two large barbecues grilling the ribs. Yum. It was just a great day out at sea.