May 11, 2026
The ancient temple of
Soo Poo Kong was our next stop. We were all wilting in the heat by then, but they promised an air conditioned room for a 20 minute movie on the history - so we rallied! Basically, the Temple was erected as a thank you to the
Chinese Muslim Admiral Cheng Ho who let the fleet stop here on their way somewhere else in Asia back in 1416 because his helmsman,
Wang Jing Hong, was sick. Wang recovered from his illness in a cave on this site and built first the statue and then the temple to thank Ho for his life.
Our last stop on the tour was the Old Town of Semerang, which still has a lot of the original Dutch architect.
View more
I loved catching a variety of smiling faces & curious looks through out the day. Apparently, white faces are pretty rare in Java and the children have no filter and just stare trying to figure out what makes us so different. Many were happy to pose for a picture!
October has been a bit of a blur! My last post from Thailand , was about medical treatment and I'm happy to report all good; pathology negative and I'm healing nicely. What I haven't posted about, is what has been going on in the background of my fantastic voyage around the world . You have probably already seen a lot of news coverage and social media post and sorry I have done none. I have been busy weighing options, the logistics ( visas ugh! ) and gathering my things: organizing, weighing, purging, repacking, weighing again and flying. Below is my attempt of the short version, from my point of view and a map of area (and my quick stops) for reference.
This Blog is more than a journal of my travels around the world, it's a major memory tool for me in documenting all the events along the way. You often ask me how we take care of medical things, as we travel non stop and today is a perfect example. A fellow resident had posted on one of our WhatsApp groups ( this is the main way we all- residents, crew and stateside support all communicate ) that she had an excellent contact for anyone looking to get medical appointments in the Pattaya / Bangkok area.
Off the coast of Pattaya, Thailand a talented and dedicated group of residents, the Odyssey Troubadours , performed A Night of Broadway for the enjoyment of all the other residents and senior staff on board. The group of 20 performed, 15 Broadway songs that had some special Odyssey edits, personalizing them to our journey. We loved it ! Such a clever, talented and fun loving group. I was upfront and focused on getting candid pictures of the talented cast.