We crossed the Equator at 3 in the morning of the 3rd of December and opened a can of gulaab jamun.
A little while later we were ambushed by a bad squall, which was normal given my affinity for rains. The southern hemisphere officially began and hopefully the boat should do some better speed because its downslope all the way from here. Things might be upside down from now on and I might have to hold on to things to stop myself from falling off the boat.
The Equatorial sun is harsh. It has begun to leave a mess of rashes and boils on my body. The heat makes it impossible to keep awake during the day and dehydration adds to the nausea.
I look forward to the evenings which bring in beautiful sunsets and nights that bring about the phenomena of stars. A cursory look upwards at night and you are bound to be mesmerised by the billions of stars that people the night sky. There are so many constellations one can make out even if you are not a habitual stargazer, for the mind is inventive and imaginative. One of the crew discovered the constellation of the eye and another that of the umbrella.
When my turn came, I tried to look for one that signified accommodation for single officers in the navy. Needless to say, I failed. It has also become difficult to sleep on the deck because starlight impinges on my eyes even when they are closed and plays with my dreams.
did you had the gulab jamun ... u mentioned you opened the can but u had it or not that is not mentioned ...... I have rough idea.. that ...pole star can be seen on pole, was wondering , if ur route was towards the north pole than by christmas u could have been the lucky person to see the pole star ......anyways christmas fever have started here......bakers have started taking orders ......i wish by 25th dec weather should be benign enough so that u can collect sufficient ice to make a snowball .......take care
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