April 11, 2026

Day 1 @ Eco Cove Resort we met this lovely young couple, Camille and Timothe from France. At the 6:30 pm nightly briefing, we found out we were randomly paired with them for the next day's excursion to the famed Melissa's Garden in the Fam Islands, which is about a 35 minutes boat ride from resort. We sat with them at dinner and instantly connected.

Melissa's Garden (named for the daughter of the Discoverer) is such a world-renowned dive site, it is even pictured with the FAM ISLANDS on Indonesia most used IDR currency! As soon as we hit the water snorkeling this bio- diverse pardise we had WOW moments,  one after another! Here are some of the highlights Day 2 ( video credits to Timothe, who is part fish himself!)

After the morning exploring this Wonderland, we went to a nearby spot know as Piaynemo where we had a rest room break, before climbing 300 stairs to get to the amazing view at the top of the Fam Islands (drone footage again compliments of Timothe)!

We came down and had started to eat lunch when this total shocker happened, TIMOTHE PROPOSED MARRIAGE TO CAMILLE!

She was so speechless, she said nothing! They actually came all the way down, told us, we congratulated them, took some pictures  and then they went back all the way back up the stairs, to document again! He was so nervous and she was so shocked !!

SO HAPPY FOR THEM AND HONORED TO BE THERE TO SHARE THE SPECIAL MOMENT.

They have been together for 10 years and just bought their first home together right before they came on this 4 week vacation to Indonesia. Camille has a Doctorate of Pharmacy and works in a local village store and Timothe works in Systems Technology for large refrigeration plants. They also have a golden labrador Mia and cat Ava.

PATTAYA , THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • October 7, 2026
We just had 5 days in the Port of Laem Chabang , Thailand. When we were here in mid-July, we spent that time exploring Bangkok, which is about a 2 hour drive NW of Port. This time we went to explore Pattaya which is south of Port on coast just about 45 minutes drive. Our fellow shipmate, party planner Eddie put together a fun Friday night touring the Pattaya walking street drag shows. He even recommended a hotel he had stayed at before that was right in the same area and a great location for the beach, bars and restaurants. All we had to do was book a room, show up & have fun!

2nd YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SAILING THE WORLD

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!

APOPO, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

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.