July 26, 2025

WRANGELL, ALASKA, USA

We decided to explore the sleepy town of Wrangell, Alaska  by E Bikes. I have ridden e-bikes before and these were the smoothest ride I have had to date, perhaps due to the nice wide tires. Wrangell's population is barely 2,000. The rental shop gave us a map and some suggestions for rides. First stop was Petroglyph Beach.

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Then we headed through town, down along the coastline to the far end of town and hiked into Rainbow Falls. It was a sleepy little town, very picturesque. There was a National Geographic ship also tendered in Port and they had pretty much booked up all the local excursions in advance. We were happy with our peaceful relaxing day, just biking around for a couple of hours.

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After dinner things got a little more lively as Brett and Rich along with Bosco all got picked for acting roles in resident Viv's, New Zealand version of a somewhat twisted Little Red Riding Hood tale. Brett played a dog, Rich was bad guy #2, Randy Andy and Bosco was the hero, lumberjack Jay Gay.  Sheri and I just enjoyed sitting back and watching the action unfold!

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.