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)

The program was lead by Lynn Montoya who did a great job! It honored our military - we had 15 veterans amongst our residents. There were dancers, singing, poetry, a funny skit and Bosco was Uncle Sam to emcee the trivia game we all played via Kahoot! There were fireworks ( on screen) , snacks, cocktails and lots of good humor.

There was even a parade! All 50 state flags were carried by representing residents - I think we had at least one resident from every state, except 8! We are a diverse group! 

There were some fun & interesting facts shared !

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We finished with a Happy 250th Birthday wish to all our friends and family - can you spot me in the crowd?

Love you all and of course miss you dearly! Please, come visit!!

BINTAN, INDONESIA - BUDDHIST TEMPLE

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.

BINTAN, INDONESIA - Buddhist Culture

By PAT PATRICK • July 1, 2026
500 Lohan Temple or Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was the most interesting place we visited on Bintan Island . It features 500 hand sculpted, life sized, distinctively expressive statues of Buddhist disciplines (Lohans) surrounding a tranquil courtyard. They are arranged symetrical, in an arc and it's interesting how some pop out, as you look down the rows. The statues were crafted by artist in China from 2010 to 2017 when the temple was inaugurated; no two are alike.

BINTAN, INDONESIA - MANGROVE RESTORATION

By Pat Patrick • July 1, 2026
As part of our Global Harmony Mission , eighteen of us, including 7 crew members, went on an excursion into the Mangrove Forest and planted 100 new mangrove trees. It was a fun, informative afternoon and nice to have some of our hard working crew, be our guest and enjoy the time too!