September 12, 2025

BeiJing, used to be Peking - so we had to have the famous Peking Duck!

There are several well known Peking Duck specialty restaurants, we went to Siji Minfu. They bring you appetizers of spicy cucumbers, grapes and baked bran with mushrooms and peanuts - tasty! Then comes the roast duck carved table side with it crispy skin. You put duck in super thin pancakes with slices of cucumber, scallions, melon and sprinkle of sugar with plum sauce. Wrap like small burrito and SO YUMMY !! We also enjoyed a side of crispy baby eggplant.

When we got back to hotel we got to witness another type of dinner. Robot delivery - most of the hotels use this service for takeout deliveries to the rooms. It's so cute and sometimes they chat to you if you ride elevator with them! Love how they park themselves right infant of doors, must be tied into elevator system because they always get next one down and go right to their floor. Want to order something just so we can receive delivery. Very Jetsons! Finally ! I really want flying cars next!

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.