September 11, 2025

We left the Great Wall and went to THE MING TOMBS - however we were disappointed to find there was nothing there except the grounds.

Their website needs some updating! All the cool artifacts are long gone from the site! We didn't a lot more walking and climbing, with nothing but this funny picture at the end, to show for it! Look at where Bob's water bottle is aimed!

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This evening we went on a Food Tour I had arranged in the Hutong neighborhood of BeiJing. This was a very pretty, residential area with lots of shops and energy. The Hutongs are some of the oldest housing areas - many down long narrow alleys and have communal living space. The four restaurants we went to on the tour, were all small owners and we would never have found some of these amazing food samplings on our own! We had to split into 2 groups of 6 to accommodate small spaces. Our guide Joe was great. Super open, friendly and answered all our questions! He even walked us back to subway to make sure we found our way back to Hotel hassle free.

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2nd YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SAILING THE WORLD

By Pat Patrick • October 1, 2026
WOW!! I can't believe it has been two years of sailing around the World already for me and my fellow shipmates on the Villa Vie Odyssey! We left Belfast, Ireland back on September 30, 2024 and it has been such a great adventure to date! We have been to 201 different ports, some more than once, during those two years, with much more to come!

APOPO, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

By Pat Patrick • September 29, 2026
Before coming to Cambodia , I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.

Ta Prohm Temple ( AKA Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), CAMBODIA

By Pat Patrick • September 28, 2026
I rallied for our last temple of the morning, because I heard this one was unique and I think it was my favorite. Ta Prohm was built starting in 1186 by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university dedicated to the king's mother. It was left mostly un-restored so that huge banyan and silk cotton trees grow directly over and through the walls. In 2001, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie was filmed here.