April 11, 2025
DEVIL'S ISLAND, FRENCH GUIANA - Don't know that this port counts - we never got off the ship - just a sail by!
I feel like I saw this Island ! We watch the 2.5 hour movie Papillon from 1973 with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman the night before ( it was 2.5 hours I will never get back - not a real action thriller and ending fizzled out, like there budget got removed! It was a true story - so gave us good insight to prison there. Sadly the water was too choppy for our rented tenders to safely board passengers. They tried several times all morning, will no luck. So we had to simply sail by. A big disappointment for a lot of us who had watched the movie in anticipation.
There are actually 3 islands here called the Salvation Islands of French Guiana. Devil's Island is the one in the back behind the other two.
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.
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)
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.