May 30, 2026

We are currently docked at the port of CORON, in the Palawan archipelago islands, of the Philippines. While the port itself is nothing special, and the surrounding town is hardly thriving, the people here are amazingly friendly, joyful and so happy to be around! You can see from below, they have a ton of hotels and restaurants but mostly it's their water actives that attract a fair number of tourist. Known for their crystal clear water, dramatic limestone cliffs and powdery white sand beaches. June is the start of the rainy season, but so far the weather has been good.

Our first day here we explored the town, got some local cash and had drinks and dinner at a nice outdoor rooftop deck called Alfresco appropriately! It was nice to catch up with our good buddy Kimberly Cleary and share a yummy meal - had a yellowfin tuna and eggplant teriyaki bowl, that was delicious along with some lumpia spring rolls and a watermelon mojito. Sorry forgot to take food photos!

Tok toks, gas motorcycle tricycles with custom side cars ( one shown below) are the main transportation around town. They offer cheap rides, are plentiful and come in a variety of styles to fit one, to a multiple number, of passengers. The main street through town is currently under construction as they add drainage flow to the sides and repave. So there are a lot of stops and starts in the daily traffic.

Our rides have been very interesting, there is soo much to take in and you never could guess, what you are going to see! Yesterday, one minute I saw what looked to be a Funeral - a white, ornate, casket, was inside a road side tent opened with a body in it and there were 2 or 3 people outside the casket paying their respects? In the next minutes, a local parade was walking up the side of the road! We are not sure of the celebration, it may have been a Flores de Mayo ( Flowers of May) which is celebrated in the Philippines in May, their version of a May procession - I was in our grade school one back in 2nd grade - I was part of the the May Queen's court! Such a memory from long ago! These young girls were lovely and there seemed to be a flower theme! All that in a ten minute ride !

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!
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.
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.