February 18, 2025

PUNTA TOMBO, ARGENTINA

We were in the port of Punta Madryn, Argentina from February 7th thru the 9th. On the 8th, we rented a car to drive down to TOMBO NATIONAL RESERVE about 2 hours south of the port, and the first time I have driven a manual car or any car, since this journey began for me September 30th, 2024. The drive was fine, but the roads boring as it was mainly through arid desert areas and the roads through the park are not paved, just loose stones, so noisy, dusty and loud. Once we got to the long narrow peninsula it is Penguins galore! There is a vast colony of Magellanic penguins here along with other wildlife - hares, foxes, snakes, guanaco &        gulls. Below is the growth chart for a typical Magellanic. The babies were just born back in November, so we saw many that were just

3 months old. We spent a couple of hours watching the penguins play, bathe, waddle, sleep and just have fun! It was a very windy day but refreshing to stroll the trails and boardwalks, weaving across all the burrows and small shrubs that hide penguins nests.

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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!
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.
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.