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!

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 .

MORE CHONGQING & Strange Signs

By Pat Patrick • September 14, 2026
After our Panda watching we went to Erling Park for some good city views. Green space in Chongqing is rare, it is truly a concrete jungle with a few planters and trees smattered in along the sidewalks.

CHONGQING ZOO - PANDAS

By Pat Patrick • September 14, 2026
The 21 Pandas at the Chongqing Zoo is t he largest grouping of them of anywhere we have traveled in China. We were all excited to see them and were up and on the road by 7am. They are super popular and morning is the supposedly the best time to see them active. It was another hot and steamy day, but less brutal than yesterday.