December 7, 2024

TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands

We arrived in Tortola around 2pm Saturday November 30th. The port was hoping with 2 other big ships in dock. The top attraction is the Baths on Virgin Gorda, need to go by ferry or private boat. There was no ferry on Sunday out of our port Road Town, but there was the option to cab to end of island and catch ferry from Beef Island. We took this option because there were no other ships in port with us Sunday but Monday 2 huge ones were coming in and we didn't want to compete with them. So glad we did this!! Was a lot of logistics and web searches but it so paid off! Cathy & Rod and I were walking to cabs through port shop area where we ran into Bosco who was at loose ends and decided to join us! Bosco is tons of fun, sooo smart and entertaining. He has traveled far and wide and so open to new adventures. Loves to play all sorts of games, board, video, role playing, cards etc.  and brings so much enthusiasm and really good at teaching and making you as excited as he is about life!  He has taught me 2 games to date and many more I want to learn!

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, THE BATHS National Park

One of the coolest excursions I have done to date! The images are so great in my memory and these photos show me things I didn't even take in, when I was there! Loved spending the day with Bosco and my cousin Cathy & Rod! We ran into Eddie and Angel from ship, when they were leaving, and they recommended getting a guide to take you through caves because there were so many unique pathways. None were available when we asked, but we convince ticket taker at park entry, to be our guide on his lunch break! It was a blast! He showed us all kinds of nooks and crannies to climb into, under and through! And we practically had the place to ourselves! Typically you only need a little over an hour there to walk thru the bulk of the circular path they have established. We spent 2 to 3 and then swam in cove for awhile. Was over on the 11 am shuttle, had lunch and then went with guide from 2 to 4 and swam till 5. Had some drinks and watched sunset, while waiting for 630 ferry back to Tortola. Our cab driver from a.m. met us back at port and took us back to ship. Ride back in dark was much slower, tons of cars on road also coming back from Lobster Fest. We made dinner by 8 pm on ship! Was a great day!


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.
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 !
By Pat Patrick April 19, 2026
I got to do 14 dives and 5 snorkel trips over our two weeks at Eco Cove Resort. I feel much more confident and comfortable diving, practice does truly help! Eco has these t-shirts that list all their Resort excursions - we made a nice dent in all of them and it's hard to pick a favorite!