April 17, 2025

ST. VINCENT and the GRENADINES - BEQUIA ISLAND

One of our fellow residents, has been living here off and on, and said spend one of the best things to do here is go over to the beach on BEQUIA ISLAND. So at breakfast I convince Scott we should take the Ferry over. We got off our ship at 10:28 and boogied through the crowded terminal to make the last morning Ferry at 10:30 AM! Gotta Love Island time!  Turns out 5 others from our SHIP, did the same thing. When we landed in BEQUIA,  45 minutes later, I had us organized that we all wanted to spend about an hour touring the island and then spend the balance of the day on a beach, until we took the 4:30 pm return ferry. A bunch of tour operators approached us as we exited the terminal, and I quickly negotiated a great rate for 7 of us to do a scenic overlook tour, for about two hours. We got to see the island from many vantage points. The driver entertained us with stories of Murder & Suspicion on the Island. We spent the afternoon on Princess Margaret Beach, lounging, swimming and relaxing in the sunshine.

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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.