Crossing the International Date Line – what day is this?

As we slept, we crossed the International Date Line.  We completely deep sixed Saturday February 11, 2012.  It was the day that never was!  We went to bed Friday the 10^th, and awoke  and it was Sunday the 12^{th .}    I know on some of Tom and Michael’s trips they may have experienced such an event, but for us, there was absolutely no hangover involved.  A very strange sensation.  Before I left on this trip, I made a book with an accompanying map so that Hannah could “come with me around the world”. In the book I tried to put some facts and information about each stop or crossing that might interest a 7 year old. Well, when I got to the International Date Line I was stumped! We all sort of know what it is - an imaginary line running generally north-south passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It designates the place where each calendar day begins. It is roughly along 180° longitude, opposite the Prime Meridian. It is not exactly a straight line but it is drawn with jig jags to pass around some territories and island groups. So here’s the deal, if you are crossing the International Date Line (IDL) going east you lose 24 hours so you repeat that date west of the line. If you are traveling west a day is added, so the date on that side of the IDL is plus one calendar day. The reason of establishing the IDL was to have a fixed, albeit arbitrary line on the globe where the calendar date advances. In these Islands you can perhaps imagine the considerable bewilderment this causes travelers leaving one island today and trying to book their hotel room on the next island for yesterday! They say hotel and rental car reservations can be a nightmare of confusion down here.  There is a particular spot on Taveuni Island in Fiji where you can stand with one foot in the current day and one foot in yesterday. The most problematic situation usually occurs with short journeys from west to east. For example, traveling  from Tonga to Samoa by air takes about two hours but because you cross the International Date Line, you arrive the day before you left. I can see how this could get incredibly perplexing. Several people aboard “lost” their birthdays this trip, lucky ducks.  I wonder - if you took just the right flight every year on your birthday, would you never age? I guess not. Anyway – that’s all I know about that. Tomorrow Fiji !