Saturday, 31st of december 2011, cont’d
New Year’s Eve
After an extraordinary outing on Floreana, we got back on board our Galapagos cruise to end the year. Our young explorers are ready for their Kids meals and the adults for an evening full of activities.
The most interesting part of the day, however, began early that morning when the official Santa Cruz cruise ship “años viejos” were displayed at the reception area. Años Viejos, or “Old Years” in English, are dolls made of anything flammable that represent something (usually a person) that can be readily associated with the year that passed. As tradition has it (a very popular tradition in our country), these dolls are burned at midnight to bring forth the new year. This year’s “viejos” were supposed to be Captain Christian Cuvi and our Onboard Physician Elvia Andrade.
We took a proper picture with crew and guides gathered around the viejos, which we later placed on Facebook and on the bulletin board, together with our best wishes for 2012.
During dinner, I had help from several young explorers to decorate the main lounge. Balloons and serpentines of different colors were everywhere, and masks, hats and blowouts were put on the tables. What a job! The kids were fantastic and our barman Santiago an ace decorator as usual!
We will be heading west to the farthest islands on the archipelago. Our Captain has decided to burn the “viejos” while still anchored at Comrorant Point in Floreana. As soon as dinner is over, we invite our Galapagos cruise guests to the sundeck, where the dolls are safely burned inside a metal trash container. We watch the spectacle of Old Year dolls slowly being consumed by the fire!
The official ceremony takes place at the Sundeck, where champagne is served and Captain Christian Cuvi wishes our Galapagos holiday guests and the crew members a happy and successful 2012!!
We invite our guest to the party at the main lounge, which will be great… and of course, we’ve thought of everything: tomorrow wake-up is later than usual!
Vanessa Gallo
Galapagos Tourism Expedition Leader
MN Santa Cruz
