December 23, 2024

PANAMA CITY - Day 1 - HoHo Bus ( hop on, hop off)

Panama City is such a huge place we thought the best way to get the overview would be the Hop On Hop Off bus. The down side was they only had 2 buses running the 16 stop route and there was a ton of traffic everywhere due to the holidays and the wait time at spots was really long with an app that did not give accurate info. Regardless a lot of other fellow residents had the same idea - so our core group of 8 was constantly fluctuating. 

View more

Scott & I jumped off bus at Panama Canal Museum. They had an excellent IMAX movie on the history of the Canal narrated by Morgan Freeman - we had a lot of laughs, as we tried to see IMAX over 3 intervals - last 1/2 - first 1/3 then somewhere in middle - whille we tried to catch the next buses on route. After 2 failed attempts we took a taxi to Old City. We did get a nice Air Conditioning break, restrooms and cold beverages. Did I say it was stinking HOT with really uncomfortable seats on the HOHO Bus!?!

Old City was quaint with 7 churches all connected by underground tunnels, cobblestone streets, and lots of quaint shops, restaurants and hotels.

View more

One of the churches had the most unique Cresh / Nativity Setups I have ever seen.

KOMODO ISLAND, INDONESIA

By Pat Patrick • May 2, 2026
KOMODO ISLAND NATIONAL PARK in Indonesia was an unexpected rare twist on this voyage. We had no idea that we would be able to anchor right in the heart of this National Park for 3 days. The National Park is comprised of 3 major islands & 26 smaller ones and is home to the legendary Komodo Dragons! We were suppose to anchor at the coastal town of Labuan Bajo and shuttle into the Park. But hours before docking, the Port Agents directed us to anchor right in the heart of the Park. Captain Val made it possible for our tour vendors, to pull right up to the Odyssey , so we had super easy access to our tours saving us lots of logistics and time.

DILI, TIMOR LESTE

By Pat Patrick • April 23, 2026
We met up with the Ship in Timor Leste or East Timor, one of the youngest countries in the World . This sovereign state just gained their independence on May 20, 2002 from prior Portuguese rule (1515 until 1975) and Indonesian occupation (1975 until 1999). The Ship was anchored off the coastal town of Dili, the capital city with a population of roughly 1.4 million.

FAREWELL TO YEBEN ISLANDS, RAJA AMPAT, INDONESIA

By Pat Patrick • April 23, 2026
I know people laugh when I say we took a vacation from the Ship , they view this whole amazing voyage as a vacation! But the reality is the Ship is my home now, and almost everybody loves a vacation away from home, to unwind and recharge! So my life on the Odyssey, is not that different. I really appreciated my two weeks away at Eco Cove Resort , on Yeben Island in Raja Ampat, Indonesia !