January 15, 2025

AREQUIPA, PERU - The White City

The route back from Machu Picchu to the ship had us flying from CUSCO to AREQUIPA, PERU as the closest airport to the Port of MATARANI. While sitting on the runway at the airport we found out that CUSCO airport is in the top 4 toughest airports in the World to land and takeoff, due to the extreme altitude and narrow mountain pass. Yikes! All went smoothly and we landed in under an hour. We asked the tour company we hired to drive 13 of us back to the port to first spend some time in the city of AREQUIPA, since it is known as the white city. Can't say it was as dazzling as the Blue City in Morocco, but the brief time we spent in the central square was nice.  

Group from left to right - Sue & Ed, Hiedi & Gordon, Bob, Sheri,Ellie, Cris & her daughter Alexa, Wade, Starr, Me and Calvin.

After we left the square, we had roughly a 3-hour drive to the Port through the desert. Almost every major city in South America has a version of the Christ the Redeemer Statue - all supposedly facing the original in Rio. The Desert is covered in salt, the salt in the soil is from Volcanic deposits and what gives them the unique building product called sillar to build the White City.  It swirls like snow, but clings to the lower levels versus the peaks. Arequipa is surrounded by 3 volcanoes, but it was too hazy to get clear pictures of them in the skyline.

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.