October 25, 2024

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO - Here's looking at you!

I thought I would prep for this Port, the day before, by watching the famous movie, for the first time. I have to admit I feel asleep for a brief part, towards the end. No big deal, since the movie was filmed 100% on a sound stage in CA, in 1942. The famed Rick's Cafe from the film, was built for tourist in 2004 in Morocco. The port talk gave us some of the basics, but I joined in on a walking tour with a group of 9 others from the Ship. Our ship mooring was 1.5 miles walk, just to get out of port area. The tour was advertised at 3 hours to see the old and new city, starting at Sacred Heart Cathedral and ending at the Hassan II Mosque. We walked for over 5 and never even made it too Mosque! It was hot and humid. Our guide was good but sketchy. We seemed to to stop at a lot of his friends and information was maybe getting lost in translation. Regardless, we learned and saw a lot of this huge City.

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Arab League Park or Parc de la Ligue Arabe

Somebody in tourism messed up with the We Casa Blanca sign in Mohammed V Square - blanca should be white? not black letters!

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French influence in architecture - Muslim buildings never have windows or balconies - don't want their women seen. Water men in red dress - sell water out of leather pouch, poured into gold cups they carry. One lady who may not be Muslim, looking down from Balcony.

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.