September 13, 2026

When we arrived at the Zhangjiajie train station, we had a driver meet us to take us all the way to the little village just outside the North Gate of the Zhangjiajie National Forest, which was about a 2 hour ride.This put us in a great position to get right into the Park early the next morning before the large crowds and access to the top section of the park, in lieu of the more crowded routes, coming in from the base of the mountains from downtown. We stayed at an older resort called Stilt Paradise and the place had a rustic charm as did the whole one street village. It was close to 7:30 pm when we arrived.  We went in search of dinner, which commenced a session of pointing at photo's on their billboard and piecing together an order with google translate, to get the basic dumplings and noodles.

The hotel had some beautiful carved wood details.

The town was just one road, and about 4 streets long, with a mix of hotels, houses and small shops. We went to a neighboring hotel's restaurant, because they were open and had photos of about 10 items in the window.

The next morning we awoke to 3 rounds of fireworks, going off at 7 am (we never got a straight answer why ? They were loud & bold  - chat said maybe for a local wedding or funeral). Regardless, we were up, had a quick hotel breakfast, and off to the Forest Entrance by 8:00 am. Once inside the Park, we took a series of buses to get to all the scenic overlooks. It was lots of climbing up and down stairs and path and the crowds were still heavy. This is most visited landmark in all of China right now.

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Besides the scenery, what i found impressive was the variety of food available in the remote Forest! Like the yummy dumplings, we all smelled and quickly indulged, when we came around a corner viewing spot, with the above ladies. Also the age, determination and will power of some of the visitors who did not let their afflictions deter their quest of seeing the sights! Admirable!  


I also thought the view from the bottom of the mountains was more impressive, than our morning views from the top. 

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At the base of the Bailong Elevator they have a giant TV screen that plays scenes from the Avatar Movie, with identify notes on which part of the Forest was the backdrop for the scene. I found watching the Movie, was way more dramatic in viewing the mountains, because of the way they were sweeping up and down, the heights and depths, on the backs of the flying dino/birds?

Pattaya, Thailand - My healthcare

By Pat Patrick • October 23, 2026
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

By Pat Patrick • October 20, 2026
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.

NONG NOOCH TROPICAL GARDENS, Pattaya, Thailand

By Pat Patrick • October 20, 2026
We were up for breakfast at 7 and then hired a private small tram to take us around the gardens, for an overview, because it came with a guide. Problem was, guide barely spoke English, so we had a hard time figuring out the history of this crazy place. Even with translate app his answers were questionable. Did it start as gardens? What's with all the statues? Is there a master plan? It seems to be growing with no real connections, that we could make out. Web & Chat GPT seem vague on details too! We had fun with it, finding more and more absurd things, until the heat won out!