August 26, 2025

Day 3 - continued into a Special Night!

After a quick lunch in the Nitishi Market we rested up and got out of the heat at our hotel for a few hours. We then went to a fabulous Dinner at little place I had noticed near our hotel that always had a crowd dining there - it was yummy and very well priced! Bosco and I split susumi (sea bream and tuna) and tempura ( the corn, peppers, yams, eggplant and chicken was all amazing!

Then we got an uber and went to the Tanabata Latern Festival, it was magical! We all got our own latern, we wrote our own special intention, attached it to the bottom of the lantern and then at 8:30 pm we all released the to the sky - tethered by our kite strings and then brought them back down after about 15 minutes for proper disposal / reuse. A totally environmental friendly event! And so pretty!

TIOMAN ISLAND, MALAYSIA

By Pat Patrick • July 6, 2026
Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.

HAPPY 4th of JULY from SE ASIA SEA!

By Pat Patrick • July 4, 2026
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)

BINTAN, INDONESIA - BUDDHIST TEMPLE

By Pat Patrick • July 2, 2026
Vihara Avalokiteshvara Graha or Guan Yin Temple is near 500 Lohan, so we also toured the grounds of this large Temple complex. It's dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and is one the tallest brass statues of her in SE Asia. She is just over 55' tall, coated in 22 carat gold and is surrounded by scenic dragon fruit plantations. The tile work is intricate and textured with great details. The whole place is very tranquil and calming for meditation and prayer.