August 28, 2025

An afternoon taking in Kobe!

The port city of Kobe, Japan was a good size with lots of shopping, a huge ChinaTown, a nice waterfront area and super friendly people. This is also the home of the famous KOBE BEEF! Bosco and I headed out at 11 am to explore, hoping we could brave the heat for a few hours to get in a few of the sights.

Of course we had to check out the IKUTA SHRINE, can never have enough good intentions!

We splurged on Lunch to try out their famous Kobe Beef..

After lunch we needed to walk off the yummy meal, so we headed to the port area.

The town gave a heart warming send off from the port berth, right next to the Ship. The Local Kobe Fire Band  played and were fantastic with great acoustics in the port. The people are so nice and welcoming!

KOH CHANG, THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • July 26, 2026
We just relaxed on the Island of Koh Chang, Thailand. It's one of the largest Thai Islands in the Gulf of Thailand and it has a dense, steep jungle & National Park covering the interior of the Island, which extends off shore, to coral reefs. The coast line is dotted with beaches and villages. This was a tender port, so we decided to stay on the Island for 3 nights, to be able to experience the nightlife. Turns out, it is low season, so nightlife was pretty sleepy. However, we did find a new favorite night time activity! Any Guesses?!?

On the way to Koh Chang, Thailand

By Pat Patrick • July 25, 2026
Love Sea Days ! I got a much needed haircut and color. Think I'll be going shorter, but giving this a whirl! Can you see the back in the mirror? The bangs and side volume, is what drives me nuts in the heat and humidity!

WAT BANG KUNG & TRAIN MARKET - Bangkok ,Thailand

By Pat Patrick • July 21, 2026
Wat Bang Kung Temple was a quick stop along the way to the Train Markets . What makes this unique is the Temple is completely enclosed by roots of four giant trees (a banyan, bodhi and others). From the outside, it looks like nature has swallowed the building. Inside the chapel is a golden Buddha image, that locals still visit to pray. It was quite active during our short visit there. The Temple dates back over 250 years and survived the Burmese invasion.