October 2, 2025

Today we were Cave explorers! We went to the one of UNESCO newly classified 7 NEW WONDERS OF NATURE - The Puerto Princesa Underground River.

Found out today, that over 600 million people voted for the list of 7 New Wonders of Nature in 2011. The list includes Ha Long Bay, Vietnam and Komodo Island which we have yet to travel to. And I have now gone to 5 others - Jeju Island, South Korea; Table Mountain in South Africa, Iguana Falls in Brazil & Argentina; the Amazon Forest & River in South American and Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines.

It was a twisty turning ride for 2 hours each way and sadly a couple of our gang was getting car sick, but once we got there it was a nice boating experience. Our guide Anna, a mother of 6, was very chipper and chatty and explained a lot about their culture and the National park on the way there and back. Above is 1/2 our group of 10 in our transfer boat, to get to Cave entrance. ( L to R - Darrell, Scott, Sherrie, Me and Bosco)

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They give you an audio tape to listen to as you take the 45 minute ride through the cave. They ask you to be silent, while in the Cave, to not disturb the wildlife that lives inside the Cave and by keeping your mouth closed, you have a better chance of not ingesting any Bat poop! There are tons of bats and swallows. They have named a lot of the rock formations or Stalagmites and Stalactites - i.e. St Paul's Cathedral to Sharon Stone's Basic Instinct famous pose! I also learned today, that bats hang up side down, so they can fall and use gravity to give them enough power to fly. Their wings are not strong enough, unlike birds, to just take fly at will! So cool!

  • Our group of 10 today L to R - Scott, Me, Ed , Darrell,Bob, Sarah, Sherrie & Bosco ( Joey & Lori - Missing) 

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  • My Boat into Cave

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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.