Around South America in 80 Days

January 24, 2019

Isla Robinson Crusoe, Chile

Likely you have heard of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe’s famous fictional character who was shipwrecked on an island. But have you heard of Robinson Crusoe Island? A real person, Scotsman Alexander Selkirk, was actually stranded on this island that was then called Mas a Tierra, one of the then uninhabited Juan Fernandez archipelago. Some believe that Robinson Crusoe’s adventures were at least partly based on Selkirk’s (although Crusoe’s island was in the Caribbean). The island was renamed in 1966 to capitalize on this and to help attract tourists.

The island is less than 19 square miles and only has a little over 800 residents as of the last census. Its most important industry is the spiny lobster trade. There is electricity and satellite connections for TV and the internet.

I took the tender over at 10:30 and walked around the flat land near the pier. Some of my friends hiked up one of the mountains. There are a couple of cafes, small shops (not much bigger than a walk-in closet), a tourist information center and a post office.

I returned around noon and lazed away the afternoon. After lunch I sat out by the Lido pool where the temperature was lovely with lots of sun, alternately knitting and reading.

At 4:00 trivia we did not do well with only 12 out of 19. The winning team had 18!

1) What is the name of Sean Connery’s last Bond movie?

2) Which movie dog came first – Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Asta, or Toto?

3) What is the widest and longest single nerve in the body?

4) This country declared its independence in 1991 and joined the UN in 1993 but because of a conflict with Greece was provisionally called FYROM. What do these initials stand for?

5) What is the name of the currency of Algeria, Serbia, and Jordan?

We did better at evening trivia with 14 out of 17. We tied with three other teams for the win but lost the tiebreaker.

1) In the Prince song, where can you find a “raspberry beret”?

2) What is the highest number on a roulette wheel?

3) Which condiment or dip surpassed ketchup in gross sales in 1991?

4) Which Caribbean island nation is closest to Mexico?

5) How many time zones in China?

Tie breaker – How many games in a regular National Hockey League season?

All present for dinner. I had a Greek salad, delicious tomato soup, orange ginger pork (also delicious), and Pavlova for dessert.

The show was a magician named Craig Diamond.

From my deck