May 20, 2026

Sunday, May 17th in Singapore was the last day for Tulip Mania at the Flower Dome in Gardens by the Bay. Sheri joined me in passion for flowers and we headed over to explore on our last port day here.

The Flower Dome is the smaller one above, the Cloud Forest is in the larger dome. The 18 supertrees in Gardens by the Bay are about 16 stories high and each is a vertical garden containing about 10,000 plants with over 200 species between them. They also collect solar energy and rain water and serve as air intakes and exhaust for the 2 domes. Beautiful Engineering Marvels!

Tulip Mania

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The exhibit was all about blending art and tulips to showcase the most iconic elements of Holland. Their most famous art works, delft pottery,  windmills and tulips abound. The Fritillaria Rubra Tulip used in Van Gogh's Vase of Sunflowers was stunning and unlike any tulip we had ever seen before.

My favorites were the frangrances of Hyacints, the Van Gogh Starry Night with the sky done in flowers and the amazing views outside  the dome framed with the gorgeous flowers from within the dome!

There were also plenty of wood sculptures and lots of Hydrangeas in blooms I had not seen before.

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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.

BINTAN, INDONESIA - Buddhist Culture

By PAT PATRICK • July 1, 2026
500 Lohan Temple or Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was the most interesting place we visited on Bintan Island . It features 500 hand sculpted, life sized, distinctively expressive statues of Buddhist disciplines (Lohans) surrounding a tranquil courtyard. They are arranged symetrical, in an arc and it's interesting how some pop out, as you look down the rows. The statues were crafted by artist in China from 2010 to 2017 when the temple was inaugurated; no two are alike.