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!

View more

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.

View more

TIOMAN ISLAND, MALAYSIA

By Pat Patrick • July 6, 2026
Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.

HAPPY 4th of JULY from SE ASIA SEA!

By Pat Patrick • July 4, 2026
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)

BINTAN, INDONESIA - BUDDHIST TEMPLE

By Pat Patrick • July 2, 2026
Vihara Avalokiteshvara Graha or Guan Yin Temple is near 500 Lohan, so we also toured the grounds of this large Temple complex. It's dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and is one the tallest brass statues of her in SE Asia. She is just over 55' tall, coated in 22 carat gold and is surrounded by scenic dragon fruit plantations. The tile work is intricate and textured with great details. The whole place is very tranquil and calming for meditation and prayer.