The Boat

The 38 hour boat ride really wasn't that bad at all. I was surprised. After enduring weeks of jokes and Debora telling me that I am crazy, well she might not have been the only one come to think of it, I expected only the worse. I think the key to it was that by the time I got on the boat I was dead tired and really just wanted to sleep.

The day before was jam packed with saying goodbye to people, and passing on my friends to Alanna (the new me, in other words the new au pair). We spent a long time on the beach, which, as Alanna pointed out, is extremely exhausting. Then went grocery shopping, out for coffee, then out for dinner. Hard life, I know. By the time we got home it was midnight and guess what I still hadn't done.....packed. I went to bed at 3 a.m.

The next morning we both got up on time and got the boys ready for school. I went to my Spanish class for the last time....again....but don't worry Beatriz, this time I actually did leave, and the rest of the day was a blur of saying goodbye and finishing packing.

So what was the first thing I did when I got on the boat - fell asleep. I fell asleep just to be woken up by a call from Alanna and my friend Echedey needing translations because they don't understand each other.....but it wasn't long before my phone lost reception and all I had left to do in the middle of the ocean was sleep. That or play bingo. I declined on the bingo.

I found that I quite liked the rocking of the boat, thats probably why I slept so much! I didn't get seasick at all. The only eventful thing that really happened besides the bingo and guess the song games going on at the bar was when I discovered that there was water water everywhere and not a drop to drink.
Before I got on I bought a lot of food because I did not want to have to spend a fortune on the ferry. My only problem was that my water bottle was a little small. I finished my water with less than 12 hours to go on the boat and figured that maybe I could make it without have to by a 2 euro bottle at the bar. Yes, I'm becoming cheap again. Unfortunately I woke up at 1 am and decided I was miserably thirsty. At this same moment I heard them closing up the bar. NOOO!!  I need water!!! I ran down to the bar and asked for a bottle of water, they weren't done closing the gate. The man looked at me, and said sorry, the bar is closed. But I could see the bottles!! I could almost reach and grab one! I just stood there looking desperate....but is there...? No. the bar is closed.
I really didn't know what I was going to do. It seemed like I was either going to have to wake up a sleeping passenger and beg them for water or drink tap water.....which I haven't done since coming to Spain and maybe don't want the first place I do try to be on a ferry...
I started wandering the boat hoping that by some chance a magic vending machine would appear. Instead I ran into the same guy I saw at the bar. I must have looked really desperate because he kind of just stared at me for a minute and told me to wait there. He came back with two bottles of water and refused my money. haha! Success! And the water was free!
Looking completely helpless always works in the long run. I didn't even have to start crying!

Passport control on the other side is a different story however......but  its dinner time so I'll have to muddle over the question of whether or not my visa is actually valid and get back to you.