August 23, 2026

Just about a half hour outside downtown Da Nang are Marble Hills.These five stone hills produce a huge amount of various colored marble that have been made into all kinds of statues, furniture, jewelry and knick knacks. Inside the cavernous spaces of the Hills, lots of temples and shrines have developed. Before getting to the base of the Hills, our driver asked us if we wanted to stop at a Marble Shop, bearing the wares of this marble. The place was huge - with soo many choices! And guess what their prices all have an option to ship to the USA! or I figure any where else in the world! A sales person escorted us through out the spaces. No heavy stones for me despite how pretty!

Once we arrived at Marble Hills the real fun began ! We waited in line to take an elevator up and thought that was going to cut out a majority of the stairs BUT OH NO!! It did not. It was so hot and there were so many steps - all uneven and no hand rails. I was very conscious of all my steps because one fall on these marble rocks would have been disastrous! My sweat rag and clothing were the most drenched I have ever been, unless of course my brain has blocked out the last similar experience! WOW I think we had logged 12,000 steps before we finished and it took just under 2 hours.

We met these nice friends traveling together from Sydney, Australia. We were all taking a much needed break after trekking to the halfway point of the most popular cave, Dong Tang Chon. They wanted to know all about our cruise on Villa Vie Residences. Hopefully we will see them again on the Ship one day! Once we got to the Cave, the temperature was still hot, since there was little air movement. We didin't linger, rather high tailed it back down the steps and to the elevator to get back to our waiting driver, our lovely AC car and ice cold water bottles! Ahhhhh! Thank goodness our next stop is an hour away - so we can fully chill out!

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!
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!
By Pat Patrick • September 29, 2026
Before coming to Cambodia , I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.