May 2, 2026

KOMODO ISLAND NATIONAL PARK in Indonesia was an unexpected rare twist on this voyage.  We had no idea that we would be able to anchor right in the heart of this National Park for 3 days. The National Park is comprised of 3 major islands & 26 smaller ones and is home to the legendary Komodo Dragons!  We were suppose to anchor at the coastal town of Labuan Bajo and shuttle into the Park. But hours before docking, the Port Agents directed us to anchor right in the heart of the  Park. Captain Val made it possible for our tour vendors, to pull right up to the Odyssey, so we had super easy access to our tours saving us lots of logistics and time.


Bosco and I were part of the above group of 9 (on Left) Theresa & Riley, Paul & Nuran and (on Right) is Holly, (who put tour together), Diana and Alex. We had reservations on an all inclusive Live a Board Boat, for 2 days and a night, touring & snorkeling the islands.

Park Rangers need to take groups into the jungle to see the Komodo Dragons. The National Park was established in 1980 and is a UNESCO site, as it's the only natural habitat of the endangered Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Below is some of the sites on jungle walk on Komodo Island. Who knew slugs could be found in trees?

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The 2 videos below were captured by our Ship's security officer, Ram, and show some of the teenage dragons fighting!

Turn up your volume to hear their screeching!

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Shopping & Fashion

By Pat Patrick • June 11, 2026
Shopping is huge in Manila - there are sooo many malls! Probably because it is so stinky hot! The air condition draws you in, plus the malls have everything - giant Hyper supermarkets, movies, entertainment venues, sport complexes, spas & medical services, tons of restaurants and every retailer you can imagine. SH Mall of Asia is the 5th largest Mall in the World! I went here 2 different days, first with the ladies- Anna Sherrie & Sarah. Then back the next day with Terri, mainly because I was now familiar with the layout, and could move faster and get what I needed quickly.

MAKATI, MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Nightlife

By Pat Patrick • June 11, 2026
Metro Manila is a massive urban jungle with a population of between 18 to 20 Million. Makati City, specifically the the neighborhood of Poblacion and P. Burgos Street is the heart of night life scene, this red light district is heavily concentrated with bars, pubs and go-go venues. I saw a Get your Guide VIP tour of some of the best clubs offered and Bosco and I, decided to check it out. When we arrived at the first venue, we found five other shipmates! We run into ship people everywhere! It's kinda nice, The Community is what we love about this lifestyle!

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - INTRAMUPOS

By Pat Patrick • June 8, 2026
The Intramuros section of Manila, Philippines is the historic walled core, of this Capital City. Today, the surrounding stone walls are ringed by a golf course, in lieu of the moat from long ago. Below shows comparison from rendering 300 years ago, under Spanish Colonization to Today. Many of the historic buildings, churches, fort and prison remain. Kimberly and I walked it for over 4 hours, and we saw maybe a quarter of it. We sadly gave up due to the heat, humidity and our exhausted feet and missed the Corpus Christi procession to the Manila Cathedral with the Bishop, by just a half hour! If only we had known ahead of time!