Last Day at Sea

Friday, 06 Jan 2012 – After writing yesterday that today would be a packing day, we need to add that we are NOT packing to come home quite yet!  We plan to disembark in Valparaiso, Chile but then to stay in Chile for 4 nights before flying to Detroit on 11 January.  (We won’t actually be back in Iowa until 14 or 15 Jan.)  Therefore, our packing is a little more complicated; we are packing one suitcase for clothes to use in Chile (while we are “living out of a suitcase”), and the other filled with everything else.  Also, we expect to be online in Chile so that we can continue writing on this blog.  (So, please keep writing to us, too.  We have been enjoying reading your messages!)

This morning we ate our customary “late” breakfast, attended dance class, and followed up with a light lunch a couple of hours later.  Today’s dance class was a review of the Salsa, Tango, and Waltz.   Then, we returned to our cabin and started our packing routine.  It’s summer here but today was still “chilly.”  (Was this the origin of Chile’s name?) 

Later in the afternoon, we took a break and attended a Spanish lesson.  It was a small group this time, so the instructor had each of the students recite responses, etc., in Spanish.  Needless to say, we didn’t do well.  We both tried to say that we were “retired” in Spanish, but apparently in some South American countries, “retired” translates to being fired, so the instructor gave us alternative words to use (which we don’t remember anyway)….

After eating our last dinner with our table companions and saying goodbye to our wait staff, we danced for the last time to the Buenos Aires Quartet.  We will definitely miss the convenience of dancing to Latin music right in our “own home.” 

It was announced earlier today that tonight the Southern Cross would be visible from the starboard side of the ship (which includes our balcony).  When Sally went out on the balcony to look at 10:00 PM, there was a full moon in the east almost in front of the ship, and two fairly bright stars in the south, possibly associated with the Cross.  Apparently, several South American countries include some of those stars in their national flags.