November 4, 2025

AUSTRALIA marks our 6th Continent of this trip around the World! I visited Australia & New Zealand for the first time back in 2016, but we didn't make it to Darwin then - so I was excited to see this time.

The Port is a fairly quiet place. They get 160 cruise ships on average in their winter months - because of their warm climate ( they are the Florida of Australia). But in their summer season, as is now, they only get roughly one ship a week. Cyclones are common here and on Christmas Eve 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastated the City of Darwin, and practically everything had to be rebuilt. The waterfront area where we docked is loaded with mid rise Condo's, Bars and Restaurants. You can't swim in the ocean here, because it is loaded with Crocodiles and Box Jelly Fish! So the government built a FUN Wave Lagoon Pool in their Harbor, as a center piece for the Condo's and Restaurants that is very reasonable priced.


It took us a couple of hours to clear customs when we arrived in Australia. They are extremely strict and thorough at checking everything on the Ship environmentally and this is the first time they have ever allowed a Ship to arrive with residential cats on board. It was a hugh deal for our management team to figure out. We currently have 11 cats on board, spread between 6 or 7 owners / Villas, and they had to be checked out and quarantined in a separate area, down on level 2, away from their owners. Lots of drama.


We went on a harbor sunset cruise, our first night here, with several other residents. We saw some lighting in the distant sky, but got lucky with a lovely sunset, as late afternoon thunder storms are also common here, in their summer months.

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.
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)
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.