August 12, 2024
First look at my Cabin !!!
I flew overnight Philly to Dublin, got in at 8:15am, took the 9am Bus from Dublin Airport to Downtown Belfast, roughly 2 hours and hired a Cab to take me from bus depot to Harlon & Wolff shipyard to go on board the Odyssey for the first time since early June. After a quick stop at guest services to pick up my room keys, I headed down the Lido Deck to my Cabin #6065. Here's my first impressions!
I am really happy with size, layout and furnishing - what I expected! The artwork is fine, like the Van Gogh vibes from Provence - had a great trip there and it is bright and sunny! Had to track down one of my suitcases, but everything else was there and waiting for me.
Going to take a few days to unpack and get settled, more to come.
HO CHI MING CITY or SAIGON was our last port in Vietnam . The downtown area was an hour away from the Port , so most of us got Hotel rooms in town, as prices were so reasonable. Sadly, it was a rainy four days, but that kept temperatures moderate and we could still get out and do most things. We stayed in district #1 as most of the City highlights are in this area along with the nightlife. Traffic is very busy in the City, especially motorbikes. Crossing the streets needs to be done with intent and quickly as there are very few traffic lights or stop signs.
It's never a dull Sea Day on the Odyssey! We have such creative residents, that are always coming up with new ideas to entertain ourselves and have a good time. This plot was the calculating of Eddie and Michelle - a Game of Clue! The rules were simple - find the party venue at 8:30 pm, come dressed as a character, weapon or room from the game and solve the mystery of who stole the Ship's bell.
In March of 1974, some local farmers outside Xi'An, China are digging a well and accidentally hit one of the great archaeological sites in the World! They were paid one day's wages for the find, roughly 4 USD! The Terracotta Army was dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World by France's President in 1980 when he came to visit and wanted to meet the farmers, the oldest was then, 89 years old.