September 14, 2025
Our first view of Shanghai at night, it's magical!
We traveled to Shanghai via their Bullet train - it took about 4.5 hours and was not as nice as the Japanese trains. The amazing thing was so many of the passengers order fast food delivery via apps and had it delivered to their train cars in the 2 to 3 minutes we were in each of the maybe 4 stops, along the route. KFC, Burger King, McDonald's everywhere! The Chinese also lack social skills, they hardly ever make eye contact, have no concept of standing in line and waiting, and they will climb right over you without a word. We missed Japan!!
We lucked into a VIP upgrade for seating on the upper deck of the river cruise we did tonight. Was such a great way to admire the skyline!!
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.
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)
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.