We had left Papua New-Guinea and were now on track for Palau, covering a distance of 775 nautical miles. This translated to two days at sea – great for relaxation and processing of all the experiences and adventures of the previous days in PNG.

In the morning of the 21st we crossed the equator; this included the traditional visit of Neptun and a celebration (complete with a bite of fish, champagne and a Linie).

Later in the morning I had the opportunity, to get to see the technical internals of the ship during a chief-engineer-led guided tour. The tour covered the engines, the desalination plant, sewage facilities, garbage management and the laundry. It took us more than 2.5 hours and was getting us well below the waterline (and into areas, that other cruise companies won’t show).