Day 25 ~ In which we learn the true definition of the word "waiter..."

 February 3, 2022

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ "Let the cat out of the bag"

In the Royal Navy, the punishment prescribed for most serious crimes was flogging. This was administered by the bosun's mate using a whip called a "cat o' nine tails." The "cat" was kept in a leather or baize bag, and it was considered bad news indeed when the "cat was let out of the bag."

We have only one sea day between Valparaiso and our next port of call, Puerto Montt located at the northernmost point of what's called "green" Patagonia. The sea is lively today and I'm thankful for my scopolamine patch. In fact, the deck is swelling and dipping so much, the line dancing class for this afternoon was cancelled. There might be a little too much boot scootin'!

But it's all good. Sometimes a chance to rest and read and do nothing is just what's needed on a voyage of this duration. Once we get into the Mediterranean and start hitting a new port almost every day, we will miss these lazy sea days. 

We attended the Puerto Montt port talk and learned that southern Chile has some interesting wildlife. The main predators are the puma and small foxes. The central region is overrun with rabbits so a puma or two might not come amiss there. Here, in addition to alpacas and llamas, the hoofed animals you usually associate with South America, they have the smallest deer species in the world. This ridiculously cute critter is called a "pudu."  

Pudus only stand 17-18 inches tall, just a few inches taller that Charlie, my Shih Tzu. I doubt we'll see one of these understandably timid little ungulates, but doesn't the world feel like a happier place just knowing such a creature exists?

In the evening, we dined with Kristy and Dave in The Restaurant where we were served by a waiter named "Morrizs." (Actually, that's probably not his real name. Most of the servers adopt a name that is easier for our western tongues to negotiate.) Anyway, Morrizs had a big personality and we had a lot of fun with him. As he served us dessert, he explained the true function of a "waiter" is to put "weight" on the guests! 

Mission probably accomplished...

Our evening entertainment featured Damian Sollesse, one of our assistant cruise directors. Damian has sung on London's West End (their equivalent of our Broadway) and won awards for his edgy portrayal of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. He is gifted with explosive energy and sang one tour de force song after another.  His range is very broad. I was astounded when he sang baritone Javert's This I Swear by the Stars and the lightest of tenor ballads Jean Valjean's Bring Him Home, both from Les Mis, back to back! Plus, Damian is an excellent fellow, very friendly and all around "good people." He was with us on our whale watching excursion back in Cabo and it was fun to share that awesome experience with him. 

More soon...