May 30, 2026

Yesterday we joined in with many of our fellow residents to take in some of the many water spots around Coron. We signed up through Get Your Guide, others used Trip Advisor and they both contracted with Psalms Travel Services in Coron. As I've explained before, figuring out our excursions in each port, is a big time suck for me. We prefer to find local venders without having to go through the big agencies (because you usually can get better service, pricing and customization) but sometimes it is just easier to stick with the big guys, when the excursion is super popular. Psalms turned out to be an excellent operator and I laughed when I saw they had used the below images on their Facebook page today. Didn't realize my pink dry bag stood out so much!

Above is our boat with outriggers, for stability and carrying equipment. We had seventeen on our boat and saw several of our friends on at least another 3 boats, of about the same size, at all the same spots. The three above ( L to R ) Psalm guides Lendell, Joed and Captain JR were a lot of fun and their whole crew and operation made our day really special and fun. The tour went from 8 am to 5pm and they picked us up and dropped us off right at the Ship. We went to seven different spots: Barracuda Lake, CYC Beach ( which is the only spot that is also a public free island) Kayangan Lake, Malwawey Coral Garden, Skelton Point, Atwayan Beach ( for our lunch spot ) and finally Twin Lagoon. We got to swim, kayak, snorkel and hike a little at the last spot, if inclined, for a scenic vista. 

These guides spend so much of their lives in these water, they are now part fish! Their free diving talents are amazing. They can submerge with their life vest on, and make it down 20 -30 feet without showing any efforts. It also helps that they are fit and in their 30's!

Below is video Lendell took with my camera of sunken Chinese wreck at Skelton Point.

Our yummy lunch spread, grilled tuna with sea grapes, adobe chicken, shrimp and mussels, rice, veggie noodles, spring rolls and green beans with yams. As a special treat, on our way back to port, they gave us a yummy warm final snack of a fried plantain spring roll!



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.
By Pat Patrick • September 28, 2026
I rallied for our last temple of the morning, because I heard this one was unique and I think it was my favorite. Ta Prohm was built starting in 1186 by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university dedicated to the king's mother. It was left mostly un-restored so that huge banyan and silk cotton trees grow directly over and through the walls. In 2001, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie was filmed here.