August 27, 2024

Meet some of my fellow Residents

I feel like I have known Basia the longest, since I have been following her Blog since last summer. Basia was part of the Life at Sea group I was signed up with previously and we had connected via text prior to that proposed sailing, discussing Blog options. I have loved reading her Blog - she takes great photos, loves nature and has taught me so much. After LAS failed to produce a ship on 11/1/23, Basia traveled South America alone and had some great adventures. She left Poland at age 9 and has been a biologist, researcher and then switched to training software applications. Her last home was in Rochester NY. She plans to be on VVR for one full tour or all 18 segments.

I shared the week in the Canary Islands with the above residents.

This gang is my immediate neighbors on my deck. David and Greg are on either side of me and the others a few doors down.

Fellow passionate pickleball friends. Michael is an excellent player and Bill & Clare just learned. We try to play regularly @ 2pm daily.

Fellow Founder Club Members. Stephen in for over $1M. The Hennesse's bought 3 cabins and are renovating into one on deck 7. Holly has great boating experience and I appreciate her insights. Becky & Jeff befriended me early on, and Becky loves shopping & took me. 

By Pat Patrick September 10, 2026
Guilin is such a pretty little town; tons of tourist seem to know it too! I really enjoyed walking around it at night! I went for a stroll, along the river, to just soak it all in. I grabbed some street food, kung pow chicken and rice for dinner, that I had back in the quiet of my hotel room and had an early night.
By Pat Patrick September 10, 2026
The Guilin area of southern China is known to have some of the most stunning karst rock formations. We took a bamboo cruise boat with a tiny electric motor, from the villages of Yangdi to Xingping this morning. The rafts are limited to 4 guest each - so I road with a Chinese family, there on vacation from the Beijing area, who was very sweet. Mom and Dad spoke no english, but their son, who is in his final year of college study environmental science, was able to converse and intrepret what the driver said to me the whole ride, about one hour.
By Pat Patrick September 10, 2026
Guilin, China is just a 3 hour,18 minute high speed train ride from Hong Kong . It is a charming city known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. In the center of town are 2 lakes, Shanhu ( cedar) and Ronghu ( banyan) that remain from a medieval era moat, that once surrounded the city. The twin pagodas, the Sun and the Moon , sit on the the shore of the Shanhu and light up the sky at night.