Pacific Ocean
Thursday 13 March 2020
position 07 ° 08 ′ SOUTH 114 ° 14 ′ WEST
Miles traveled by missing Galapagos 1492 to Hiva Oa 1464
Having passed the halfway point today, celebrated by the unexpected meeting, how much appreciated with a family of sperm whales, a son who jumped in front of them and parents to monitor the oddities of the small mammal (so to speak, since it was huge) We followed them with our eyes and with the cameras as they passed to our left, snorting and sinuously advancing. On radio contact our Influencer opponents had spotted whales yesterday, so here in between it is likely to be normal. Today also two birds, the first in this sea; ocean that you go inhabitants you find, different in every part of the planet. The birds are present in enormous quantities on approach to the Galapagos and accompany you when you leave, pleasantly and constantly, and then get lost in the stern, with a few vaulting greetings. Oddly, two of them appeared today, but they didn’t stop and didn’t even mention a greeting.
The Pacific is truly immense, when we arrive at the Marquesas we will be in the middle of its geographical extension, and the discovery of a world totally unknown to us will really open, both geographically, but above all on an anthropological level.
It is known that before the colonizers arrived in these seas, these islands were populated by more than one hundred thousand people, down to about 18,000 today, decimated over the centuries by infectious diseases introduced by Europeans. They were an aggressive people, they practiced cannibalism, towards their enemies and towards characters who sacrificed to the spirits. The sacrificed man was the “long pig” which, as many cartoons of the past report, were made arrostonè more nor less than like sardinian porceddu. The last act of cannibalism dates back to 1860. The advent of the Spanish, English and French invaders led to a behavioral evolution, and today they are recognized as the most hospitable and kind populations on the planet. Let’s go find out.
The landing will take place in Hiva Oa, in the Marquesas, lush volcanic peaks due to constant humidity and frequent rains, in addition to the fertility of the land. Outcomes of violent eruptions that did not stop so the lava continued to accumulate creating real mountains; the books speak of basic lava, which cooling in contact with the sea water was consolidated much more than the acidic lava, which instead crumbled upon cooling, causing craters and lagoons instead.
It is now 7 pm local time, and the situation on board requires the intervention of the captain, therefore I suspend today’s page to resume it in the night.
see you soon from Ariel
