May 7, 2025

SAN BLAS ISLANDS, Off coast of PANAMA

I had never heard of the 365 San Blas Islands and cays before, but once I did and read & saw how remote, untouched and beautiful they are, I was very excited to check out. Only 49 of islands are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of Panama, east of the canal. A part of the Guna Yala  district along the Caribbean coast of Panama and home to the indigenous Kuna people. The Kuna live in huts made of straw and bamboo, with a few solar panels thrown in. They have rejected commercial tourism and development and mainly survive by selling their handcrafted wares ( textile art forms called Mola) passing tourist, in either the ports surrounding, or cruisers  passing through their islands. 


 I was hoping to be able to shuttle over to Isla Perro ( Dog Island) because the snorkeling was suppose to be amazing. However the water swells in the islands were too much for us to safely leave the area closest to where the ship was anchored. The Captain and crew struggled to even get the tenders safely in the water for us, but they prevailed and we were able to go ashore, to one of the larger islands,  for a few hours but they didn't want us to stray any further, in case we needed to pull up anchor quickly. I did enjoy meeting and seeing the Kuna people at their homes. The women are so tiny and the children so cute, sweet and curious.

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KUANTAN, MALAYSIA

By Pat Patrick • October 12, 2026
Just the other day a friend asked me if I got enough down time while living this lifestyle. My answer was "you have to make it !" In the beginning, it was go, go, go, every port. We had lots of FOMO ( fear of missing out ) and we tried to cram in as much as possible at every port. Sea days, were our only down time and there were never enough. It was a tad exhausting. Now two years into this life, I can say there are some ports that just don't call me and I opt to get other things done. Kuantan, Malaysia was one of the Ports. I never got off the ship, either day we were here. I intended to this morning, but we had storms with loud thunder late into the night and then was awoken by a crew alarm around 6:45am. My energy was low, there were shuttle issues, town was an hour ride away and there is alot of air pollution, ( due to neighboring Indonesia burning organic materials, in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season ). So I bagged my plans and continued working on my never ending TO DO LIST!

Sad Passing of ODYSSEY Shipmate

By Pat Patrick • October 11, 2026
During our two years of sailing we have had several Shipmates come and go for a variety of reasons. Their health, has sadly been the reason for many departures. Cindy Harvey , would have loved to have lived out her days here on the Odyssey and even bought a second cabin and had an adjoining door added, to have a care provider, stay with her full time. However, Cindy's limited mobility, pain and confinement got to be too much - so she left us a few months ago. She went to an assisted living facility, on the coast of Oregon, to be near her family. Tragically she fell, was trying to recover, slipped into a coma and sadly passed away this week.

SANCTUARY OF TRUTH MUSEUM, CHONBURI, THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • October 8, 2026
The Sanctuary of Truth Museum is the world's largest hand carved wooden castle, located on the coast of Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand . Conceived in 1981 by Thai visionary Khun Lek Viriyaphun the structure is built entirely from 4 types of wood - Teak, Mai Daeng, Mai Takien & Mai Panchaat and put together using Thai nailless wood joinery - mainly dovetails, carrying poles and tongue & groove. We started the tour in the workshop where the artisan, mainly woman, were hard at work. Since conception, the Museum has been an active construction site, thus we all wore hardhats! The artisans continue handcarving sculptures and columns, daily and will most likely continue for years to come.