September 21, 2026

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. 

Bosco and I stayed at the Silverland May Hotel, which was a nice boutique place that had a complementary afternoon tea and a sweet pool deck on the roof, but we never found a sunny moment to enjoy. Below are some of the local sites we got to see.

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For dinner, we were craving another delicious Banh Mi sandwich, like the ones we had in DaNang, and thought we would get it at Banh Mi Me In - since it is listed as a Michelin star winner for 4 years in row! Others from the ship talked about how good it was, but I don't know if we ordered the wrong ones or just got a bad batch, but our bread crumbled and there was no standout flavors. Bosco's shrimp was marginally better than my crisy pork.We appreciated the gloves that accompanied the dishes, but left dissappointed.

After dark the town lights up! Neon is everywhere, along the tons of massage places, restuaurants and bars. Competition is fierce, eveywhere has representatives trying to lore you in from the sidewalk / street! Thank goodness we had a loose plan, set up by our favorite party ringleader Eddie! He had a ship What's App Chat with a timeline to explore the happening Bui Vien Walking Street.

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First stop was The View, I nice rooftop bar that had real charm with laterns everywhere. Next was THI, a tiny place with a live band that was good, but just too small a venue to handle our group of 25. So onward to Frolic, which was so nicely air conditioned with great dance music and pretty boy dancers! We didn't make it to the last stop, after midnight, sleep was calling!

SHIP SHENANIGANS - CLUE PARTY

By Pat Patrick • September 16, 2026
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.

TERRACOTTA ARMY - XI'AN, CHINA

By Pat Patrick • September 16, 2026
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.

XI'AN, CHINA - WALLED CITY

By Pat Patrick • September 15, 2026
Xi'An, China has been on my must do list , for awhile. The story of the Terracotta Army has fascinated me, since I first heard it. What I didn't know too much about, was the actual City of Xi'An and the walled inner City that remains today. It was built from 1370 to 1378 during the Ming dynasty on top of the older Tang dynasty foundations. There are 9 miles of City walls, they are 39' high, 45' to 50' wide at the top and 55' to 60' at the base. There are four main gate towers and the only draw bridge restored is at the South Gate. There are 98 ramparts, watchtowers, battlements and a wide surrounding moat. It one of the oldest and best preserved fortifications in China .