Here’s where our new experiences begin.

Up until today, everywhere we’ve been on this World Cruise since leaving Fort Lauderdale on December 19th is somewhere we’ve been before.

From now on, with the exception of São Vicente Cabo Verde which we’ll reach on April 19th, it’s all an adventure into the unfamiliar.

Yes, there will be lots of sea days. The Pacific Ocean is huge, which means that visiting countries around its perimeter is a matter of crossing vast distances on the water.

Viking manages to give us lots of both food and food for thought on those days when we might otherwise find ourselves simply “at sea” for things to do.

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Today was filled with lectures, laundry, and connecting with friends.

Ted began his day well before mine (as always) and was already caffeinated and headed to Simon and Lisa Thomas’s photography workshop in the Star Theater by the time I was finishing my omelette in the World Café. The photography workshops were originally scheduled to be held on alternate sea day mornings in Torshavn, the bar retreat on Deck 1 that holds about 100 people. A second set of afternoon workshops were quickly added, due to the fact that – according to our Cruise Director Matt – “folks don’t know how to use their phones”. Within a couple of days, because “apparently even more people don’t know how to use their phones”, even the second session was standing room only, with passengers complaining to Matt about not being able to attend.

The sessions are not just about taking pictures with phones, though, but also cater to folks like Ted who are more serious photographers with more serious equipment.

Simon and Lisa must be great teachers – or a LOT of us old folks challenged by our technology – because today’s 10:00 a.m. session and all future ones have been moved into the Star Theater which seats up to 450 people, fully half of the ship’s full capacity. As I queued outside the theatre for my first lecture of the day, I could see that the theatre was more than half full. That reflects how important it is for all of us on this kind of epic voyage to get great photographic memories.

My first lecture of the day was Patrick Goodness’ “Polynesian Culture – The Interesting, the Taboo & the Bizarre”. I’m finding his perspectives on cultures and religions incredibly interesting and thought-provoking. He has been lecturing for 28 years and in over 140 countries, and yet he quipped that his children – like all of ours – don’t listen to him.

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Today’s talk covered topics that are very “current”, and yet have been around since the beginning of man’s existence: gender identity, sexual habits, and sexual mores. He talked about “taboos”, which are social norms that become “sacred” to a given culture. Thirty years ago, for instance, homosexuality was taboo/illegal and considered deviant, and yet in many ancient cultures it was both commonplace and accepted.

Patrick pointed out that laws – and commandments – were created to create a societal framework, and – think about this – are only created after an action has taken place and been seen as detrimental. No law against killing would be needed if no one had ever killed; the same applies to worshiping idols, lying, stealing, “coveting”, etc.

He talked about the dangers of extremism, when rules are taken so literally that it actually causes society to cease functioning reasonably.

We learned about fa’afafine in Samoa, who are born male but embrace and fulfill female roles, and have sexual relationships almost exclusively with straight men (and never with other fa’afafine). Their relationships are not considered homosexual, but heterosexual – the fa’afafine being considered a third gender. About 1-5% of Samoans (and people in the New Zealand diaspora), identify as fa’afafine; boys who exhibit “female” interests are simply raised as female, while remaining biologically male.

Polynesian peoples believed that a person’s mana, their spiritual force, is displayed through their tattoos. Those not tattooed were seen as “not belonging”, but the arrival of missionaries in Polynesia in 1797 put an end to tattooing for 150 years. Just as tattoos were seen as primitive and heathen, so the Polynesians’ sexuality was seen as sinful. The European/Christian sensibilities were offended by the Polynesian mores and norms. In places like Tonga, the struggle between very strict Christian mores and exposure to the wider world through access to media is is still problematic.

The final portion of Patrick’s lecture today talked about the common elements between “pagan” magic and Christians’ belief in the miraculous properties of things like pieces of the cross or the bones of martyrs.

The meme below was not one of Patrick’s, but certainly could have been. It’s the kind of thing he’s been addressing: the difference between religions based on natural elements of the world versus ones based on a “transcendent being”.

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Lunch today involved a special fresh tuna station on the Aquavit Terrace. My big breakfast, and the fact we were meeting friends at Manfredi’s for dinner, meant that the only way in which I indulged was by asking Ted to take some photos.

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We’d booked dinner tonight with Linda and Howard, who we first met on the 21/22 cruise. Just before that, Viking held a champagne reception (which we missed) in the atrium for the “Explorers’ Society”, which is guests who have sailed with Viking before. It’s a tribute to Viking that more than half of those on board are returning customers, among them a couple who are veterans of FOUR Viking World cruises, and another couple who have completed a combination of 17 Viking river and ocean cruises! (Note: we found out afterwards that there is a couple on board who have done FIFTY!!)

We ended our day by taking in the performance by guest entertainer Terrell Edwards, an absolutely wonderful soul/jazz/R&B singer who was Jay Leno’s opening act at the Mirage in Las Vegas for three years.

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Although we could have gone to Torshavn for a set by the Viking Band, we have an early breakfast meeting tomorrow, so simply called it a night.