August 25, 2026

Next stop on the VIETNAM FUN TOUR is HOI'AN - The City of Laterns! I had arranged a private car to take us between all the major locations and towns for the 5 days we were touring the interior. He delivered us to Hoi'An in just about an hour from Ba Na Hills. Here we stayed 2 nights and had lots of relaxing time built in. Again the heat was oppressive! The driver recommended below tailor to me as I mentioned I might want to have a dress custom made as that is another thing the town is known for with 24 hour turn around.

Above is tailor shop, the design we agreed upon ( complete with pockets!) and washable, non-wrinkling soft silk fabric I chose. You'll have to wait till later to see the outcome! Got it for a special occasion.

Next was massages, the first day Bosco and I did a 2 hour one, together. I fell asleep, it was so nice! The second day, I had a facial and another mini massage. Heaven! And it was right in our Hotel with really good prices!

In Hoi'An there is a well known show, every night but Tuesday, called The Memories Show. It's done on an island, in the Thu Bon River and has over 500 performers and known for it's costumes and pagentry - fire lights & water. Of course we had to get VIP tickets! We went over at 6:30 for the pre-show and to grab some dinner, we found a Japanese place and got some quick bites!

Our VIP seats were assigned and came with a covered canopy in case it rained.  There were some fans in it blowing down on us and we had cushioned seats with backs, unlike the open seating benches in general admission. We also got a chilled wash cloth, bottle of water and fruit plate delivered once we sat down. So fancy!

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SANCTUARY OF TRUTH MUSEUM, CHONBURI, THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • October 8, 2026
The Sanctuary of Truth Museum is the world's largest hand carved wooden castle, located on the coast of Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand . Conceived in 1981 by Thai visionary Khun Lek Viriyaphun the structure is built entirely from 4 types of wood - Teak, Mai Daeng, Mai Takien & Mai Panchaat and put together using Thai nailless wood joinery - mainly dovetails, carrying poles and tongue & groove. We started the tour in the workshop where the artisan, mainly woman, were hard at work. Since conception, the Museum has been an active construction site, thus we all wore hardhats! The artisans continue handcarving sculptures and columns, daily and will most likely continue for years to come.

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!