Travels with Boyd

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Several weeks ago while in port at Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, I noticed a floater in my left eye. I had previously experienced this on a couple of occasions in the past, but they had gone away pretty quickly. This one seemed darker than the previous ones and after it remained in my vision for over a week, I started to get a little concerned. So naturally I started by quizzing ChatGPT (who never steers me wrong) and also talked to a shipmate who was a Physician’s Assistant in his former life. Both suggested it could be a retinal detachment, that if untreated, could lead to serious complications. In fact, there is another resident on board the ship who is blind in one eye as a result of retinal detachment. Armed with this knowledge and advice, I promptly panicked.

Unfortunately, when I finally decided to get it checked out there was only one day before we were heading out to sea. I was unable to line up an appointment so it would have to wait until the arrival in Hong Kong four days later. Four more days of worry… not good.

We arrived on a Saturday and as soon as I could get off the boat, I headed to a hospital (courtesy of a recommendation by ChatGPT). While I was super impressed by the efficient service provided by the staff, the ER doctor did not have the expertise or equipment to make a determination. When he asked me to come back on Monday, I told him I was back on the boat to Vietnam the next day. He then went out of his way to try and find an ophthalmologist to come in and see me. Two hours and $650 US later, I thankfully found out the floater was benign. He also convinced me to look into getting my cataracts removed, something I thought I could wait many years into the future to address.

It turns out the ship has many residents and guests who have had cataract surgery so I spent the next several days learning as much as I could. Virtually all said it was a simple procedure that left them with vastly improved vision. And it turns out that the Vietnam has one of the best combinations of low cost and high quality health care anywhere in the world. And after the Odyssey’s itinerary changed once again at the last minute, I finally decided to hop off the boat and head to Hanoi.

Day 1 – Wednesday, September 9

The Odyssey is heading out to sea for a day for maintenance operations and then returning to Ha Long Bay for a few days before a slow four-day journey to Ho Chi Minh City. This change in itinerary eliminated stops in Chan May and Nha Trang so it seemed like the time to get off the boat.

Over breakfast on the ship, I sat with an acquaintance I had met a few weeks earlier who informed me he was also heading to Hanoi. Sweet! My $60 ride for the 2 1/2 hour trip just got cut in half. Along the way, I continued to email back and forth with a representative from a website called https://medicaltourismvietnam.com/. They were doing the legwork in finding me a facility that could quickly get me in for a consultation and hopefully, the procedure shortly thereafter. With any luck, I would be able to get in for the consultation a few hours after arriving in Hanoi.

After checking into the same hotel as my travel partner, I learned that the consultation would be in the morning with the procedure to follow in the afternoon.

So, what to do? When all else fails, I look for a free walking tour. They’re not really free because you are expected to tip the tour guide. But I find in every city that I find a “free” tour, the guides are excellent because they know their performance determines their income. As usual, I had a fabulous guide and good company from the other tourists in the group – a couple from Poland and a young man from Brazil.

Before the tour, I had lunch at GAO Cafe. Outstanding meal and the waitress was so nice and friendly! She taught me how to eat Vietnamese style.

The tour was great. The weather started out very warm and muggy and then a torrential rainstorm rolled in about the time we were stepping into a coffee shop. Chris, the tour guide, is also a chef and he gave us a lengthy demonstration on how to properly prepare the cream for the famous Vietnamese egg coffee. (His secret ingredient is a dash of rum.) Chris gave us all rain ponchos and we headed out to finish the tour after the rain slowed a bit.

Chris even showed us how to bargain in one of the local markets. I got a pair of knock-off Crocs for about $6 (half of the original asking price). It was great to have some dry footwear to put on. My Hokas were soaked!

Day 2 – Thursday, September 10

I couldn’t sleep so was up well before 5 a.m. The hotel has an arrangement with a nearby restaurant where the hotel guests can eat there for free. I made the mistake of having a cup of delicious Vietnamese coffee at breakfast so my heart was racing by the time I headed for DND International Eye Hospital. I thought it best to grab a Grab (like an Uber, for you Americans). Though only about a mile away and just under $1.50, the ride took almost 15 minutes. Hanoi traffic!!!

There I was greeted by a lovely young lady name Minh. She works in the marketing department but is also called upon to use her excellent English skills and serve as translator for English-speaking patients like me. She was a delight and great company as she moved me from station to station for the comprehensive evaluation, vision screenings, eye imaging, etc. that took place before meeting with the doctor.

I had an eye surgery back in 1990 that has left me with a scarred cornea in both eyes. As a result, many of the scans performed this morning had to be repeated as many as three times. So after about two hours of testing including a blood draw and urine sample, I met with the surgeon. The news was this: the scans did not produce consistent results but there was enough information to proceed with the surgery. But it would have to wait for the next day. Friday, the right eye and Saturday, the left.

When we finally finished up around lunchtime, Minh and her boss Peter treated me to lunch and a drink in a lovely coffee house afterward. We had a great conversation while learning, as always, that though we we come from different countries with very different cultures, we are more alike than different.

After relaxing back at the hotel and letting my dilated eyes return to normal, I decided to eat Indian food at Maazi, a short walk from the hotel. Man cannot live on Pho and Banh Mi alone.

Day 3 – Friday, September 11

If you have read even a few of my blog posts, you already know I can’t sleep. Last night was no exception. I was wide awake at 2 a.m., this time thinking upon my upcoming surgeries. I finally tried to get back to sleep after doom scrolling about the Republican National Convention (talk about nightmares!), I tossed and turned for a few more hours until the alarm went off at 6.

As I stepped outside to head to breakfast, I was very pleasantly surprised to not be hit by a wall of hot, humid air. In fact, it was rather pleasant. And since it was 2 and 1/2 hours before I was expected at the eye hospital, I decided to walk this morning. Google Maps (just like ChatGPT… never steers me wrong!?!?) said it was a little over a mile and 30 minutes away.

Well, let’s just say that walking in or near the Old Quarter in Hanoi is not quite like walking a mile in Bloomington, Illinois, USA. 45 minutes later, I was sweating heavily and feeling the onset of PTSD from dodging motorbikes and cars. I stopped for a fruit smoothie to catch my breath and my composure.

I arrived about 8:30 as a bus was emptying about 20 patients in front of the hospital. It is incredible the volume of surgeries that are performed here.

Minh promptly joined me. We went through a bunch of the same examinations and scans from the previous day. Interesting, you pay as you get different services performed. Yesterday, I made three separate payments during the day. Today I paid for the surgery for one eye: 29,000,000 Vietnamese dong. ($1,116.33 US!!) I can’t believe how inexpensive this is.

After changing into some sexy pajamas and getting my forehead marked to make sure the correct eye was worked on, I was in the operating room by 10:45. The procedure was painless but disconcerting as I was fully awake (well sort of, considering how sleep-deprived I am) and given no sedative. It lasted about 10-12 minutes.

After the procedure, I came back to the recovery room where my lunch was waiting for me. Quite tasty, though I’m not exactly sure what I was eating. A few hours later, Minh helped translate the discharge paperwork and explain all the drops and meds I will be on during the next few weeks. Without her, I would have been in big trouble!

I took a Grab back to the hotel where I learned an inexpensive lesson. I had left a $5 bill (US) and some small Vietnamese bills on a counter in the room. The housekeeping staff thought this was their tip and left this note. Considering how grateful the woman in the coffee shop was this morning when I left her a 15,000 dong tip (58 cents US), I imagine the housekeepers were quite happy.

I was instructed to lay low the rest of the day and evening. I ventured out to a nearby Banh Mi stand I had visited two days ago. Popular place… it took close to 30 minutes to get my sandwich. Well worth the wait.

The blogging is going surprisingly well tonight considering my right eye is still a bit blurry. Here’s hoping for a better night’s sleep as I get ready for round two.

Day 3 – Saturday, September 12

“The best laid plans of mice and men”… I guess this describes my thoughts today.

I slept fairly well for a change and was up early. As I popped out of bed, I eagerly covered my left eye to look around the room and see how good my vision was with the new and improved (???) right eye. No bueno… the vision was no better than when I went to bed last night. So I put my glasses back on (I need them for reading anyway) and got ready to head out to breakfast and then back to the eye hospital.

The first check for visual acuity revealed that my distance vision was a good bit worse than before the surgery. Ugh! But, on the plus side, everything else checked out well. My interpreter from yesterday, Minh, was not working today so the doctor and I had to try to communicate using Google Translate. Later, another young lady came in to help translate but her English skills weren’t terribly strong. After a somewhat frustrating session, I decided it wouldn’t be very prudent to proceed with surgery on the second eye and risk a similar outcome. So I have postponed it for now.

It seems the problem could be explained one of two ways: 1) the corneal irregularities caused by my past surgery will increase the amount of time for my eye to fully stabilize and recover and the vision MAY improve over time. 2) The corneal irregularities skewed the measurement used to compute the design and specifications of the implanted lens. That means I’m still wearing glasses, probably forever.

So, now what? I decided to get a new right lens made for my current glasses so that I can see in the meantime. $61 and 4 hours later, I was back in business. Right back where I started except now there’s no cataract in my right eye. See how positive I can be?

The evening ended up being quite nice. First I had dinner at Tiệm Mỳ Tiên Sơn where I enjoyed siu mai, char siu buns, and banh bao than tre. My very cute Vietnamese server spoke very good English and introduced me to roasted rice milk tea, then showed my how to mix up the condiments like a local.

After that, I headed to the famous Hanoi Water Puppet Show. It’s a one of a kind experience. Hard to describe, so enjoy some of the pictures and videos:

This was a very full day…tomorrow an excursion to Ninh Binh. and back to the eye hospital on Monday.

Originally posted on July 31, 2026… I pulled this post out of the trash now that Tex is off the boat. This is too good to leave in the draft folder!

Note: Click on any photo to make full-size. For a deeper dive, click on the hyperlinks.

This and the last post of mine are not the typical chronological recap of my travels. I will get back to that at some point and document the last few days of this trip, but this is too good to wait and I want to get it all down before I forget some of the details.

Yesterday, I returned to the ship from an enjoyable lunch with a charming local. More on that later. I saw what I believed to be a good sign.

Good. Maybe we’ll be leaving Singapore eventually.

As I got on to the ship, I ran into a very large, older man. Probably 6’4″, 260 lbs. I’ll call him Tex. (Not his real name.) I say hello and introduce myself and we start chatting… and chatting…and chatting.

Wow, this guy likes to talk as much as I do. Early in the conversation, he asked me what I had been doing and I told him about my lunch date. His eyes light up. “Where did you meet her? Is she local? Does she have a friend?…”

The he invites me to go have a drink with him at bar on the ship. “It’s happy hour”, he said. Then, “But I don’t usually drink.” He looks a bit like W.C. Fields. I highly doubt that, I think to myself.

As soon as we sit, he orders two rum and cokes, going round and round with the waiter who speaks with a heavy accent. He wants to make sure he gets the $4 drink, not the higher priced one with better liquor. This goes on for what seems an eternity. Oh my God, I think. This guy pinches pennies harder than I do. Is that even possible? Is everyone on the ship like this?

The waiter returns with two drinks – happy hour… two drinks for the price of one. He offers me one. I decline. He doesn’t argue. I think he’s glad I declined.

Now I hear his story and can see that all that penny pinching has paid of handsomely. “Tex” is on his third wife from whom he is separated. He is on the ship alone. He is 83 years old, has been on hundreds of cruises, owns a Mercedes RV that he uses extensively (driving drunk, no doubt) and has three condos in a community in Denver. The third wife lives in one, he lives in the other and the third is a rental. God knows what else he owns.

He is desperate to find wife #4. He whips out his phone as he is telling me about a woman who “friended” him out of the blue on Facebook. He shows me the picture. She is a drop-dead gorgeous, early 50’s, probably AI-enhanced knockout with perfect hair and teeth and a great rack. He then tells me about the subsequent back and forth and I have to break the news to this poor bastard: “There are bad people in the world and some of them want to steal all of your fortune.” He reacts with genuine surprise. Wow… this poor guy.

Well, now he wants a lesson on dating apps because I mentioned that is how my lunch date came about. Oh God… he’s 83 years old and has the font on his phone set so large that I can read the words from across the room.

Well, I am hardly a subject matter expert on dating apps, but I have dabbled a bit. Off we go…

I suggest he start by downloading “Tinder”. He gets out his phone and starts typing in “Pinder” in the App store. Remember, I can see anything he’s doing on his phone from a mile away. No, I say, it’s “Tinder”, you know, like a fire?” Did I mention he’s also quite hard of hearing?

My stomach is growling so I look at my watch. Mercifully, it’s dinner time so I try to excuse myself. He invites himself to join me after swallowing the last of his second drink.

I had eaten off the ship the last couple nights so this is my first time in the dining room. I’m pleasantly surprised by the menu and the food, considering the impending bankruptcy and scuttling of the Odyssey. I was expecting mac and cheese and baked beans.

I have tomato soup, the chopped Italian salad and the lamb. It’s all quite good. Meanwhile, Tex is explaining how the alcohol policy has changed since the last time he was on the ship. The wine used to be unlimited, but now you only get two free glasses. As he orders his two glasses of wine, I almost order two more so he can have four. But I don’t.

We actually have a very enjoyable conversation as he tells me many colorful stories about his past wives, girlfriends and affairs, along with tales from his many travels. He really is something.

I say goodnight and head back to my room for another less than great night of sleep. The A/C isn’t very good and I’m still adjusting to being on the other side of the world. After breakfast, I run into Tex and he tells me he’s downloaded the app, but then complains that it’s not free. Good God, man. You’re worth millions and probably have cirrhosis of the liver. You’re going to be dead soon. Spend your money!

I grab a workout in the fitness facility it’s not bad but well-worn.

Now it’s off to Medical to get my bandage changed. That’s a story for a future. post.

Tropical Storm Narra has been stalled over the Gulf of Tonkin and caused our departure to Ha Long Bay to be moved up about 24 hours. Nearly constant rain and winds would be in the weather forecast for the foreseeable future.

Thursday – August 20, 2026

Thursday was a sea day. At about 9 a.m., I played about an hour of pickleball in windy conditions before my private workout with Mark, the fitness instructor on the boat.

When I got back to my room after bobbing and weaving down the halls due to rough seas, I found this:

There would be no more pickleball due to the weather. I was able, however, to spend some time with one of my neighbors and meet her two cats. As I understand it, there may be as many as a dozen on board.

Friday – August 21, 2026

This morning we are arriving in Ha Long Bay. I was up early and headed to the front of the ship to watch the ship thread its way through dozens of tiny limestone islands.

After my morning stretch and breakfast, I decided that today would finally be the day I get my back-up phone. I asked ChatGPT to recommend a store and off I went into the light rain. My driver, who spoke not one word of English, was surprisingly adept at using Google Translate while driving. How he managed to type inquiries and drive at the same time was truly impressive, if not a bit unnerving. Through Google Translate, he suggested a different store that would be cheaper than the one recommended by ChatGPT. Why not? And off we go…

The store is certainly better than the one in Nha Trang, but not a glistening, new modern retail outlet. After a bunch of back and forth using Google Translate with the salesperson, I decided on a used Samsung Z Fold 4 for 6.5 million Vietnamese Dong (roughly $250 US). And of course, the fraud detection unit at Chase Bank was hard at work and promptly declined the credit card transaction. Shit!

Now it’s back out into the rain to find an ATM. 15 minutes or so later and my feet thorougly soaked by now, I find an ATM that limits the daily withdrawal to 5 million Dong. Shit! I’m still 1.5 million short, so we head to yet another cash machine. Here the transaction is declined. Shit!

I suggest to my driver (again agonizingly pecking words into Google Translate) that we head back to the ship. He wants to go to a third ATM. What the hell? In for a penny, in for a pound.

Mercifully, this bank happily pulls 2 million dong along with a hefty service charge out of my account. Back to the store and voila! I have accomplished my mission.

Earlier in the day one of the other residents on the boat was offering three nights in a Hanoi hotel for $50 total, starting Friday night. Why not? Even if I only stay one night, it’s a pretty good deal. So… pleased as punch with my phone purchase, I hired a driver for 1.5 million dong (roughly $58 US)to take me the 100 miles to Hanoi at 3 p.m.

For those who are used to traveling highways at well over 50 mph, it would be logical to assume the trip to Hanoi would take less than two hours. Well, the rain combined with horrific traffic Hanoi is known for on the best of days turned this into a nearly four hour ordeal.

As we start to get closer to the hotel, we turn on to a very narrow alley/street and it is absolute gridlock. It’s going to take another hour to cover the last half mile. I decided to hop out and walk the rest of the way in the rain.

This is a very gritty, working-class neighborhood in the Old Quarter but feels very safe to me. I walk past an open stall and spy a couple of barber chairs. Sweet! I can finally get that haircut. Back to Google Translate and I learn the haircut will cost me about $3 US. Wow… So, I pull off my backpack, hat, glasses, and hearing aids and set them on a bench. As I’m getting settled into the chair, I see a toddler make his way out of the back room and head right for my belongings. And, of course, the first thing he picks up are my hearing aids (replacement cost – about $4,500 US). NOOOOOOO!!!!!, I bellowed rather loudly and bound out of my chair. Thankfully, Daddy Barber snatched them from the little boy and shooed him back into the living area behind the curtain in the shop. I settled in for the haircut and he throws in a shave with a dull straight razor for no extra charge. I did tip him well, however.

The hotel was difficult to find and I arrived wet, tired and hungry. I remembered passing some little family eateries so headed back out into the rain and went into a restaurant mainly because I understood what the word “Pho” means. It’s one of about four Vietnamese words I know.

The menu on the wall listed a number of varieties – I assume chicken, seafood, beef, etc. Using Google Translate, I asked the young man taking my order for a recommendation. His reply (in spoken English): “Soup”. I laughed and said: “OK”.

You may have read a previous post where I mentioned getting a 60 minute massage for around $7 US in Nha Trang. Well, after the long day of travel and schlepping my rucksack over half a mile to the hotel, I thought a massage might just be the ticket. Using Google Maps, I located a nearby spa. The reviews looked fine, so I headed that way. It wasn’t until I was inside and going over the price list with the “concierge” that I realized this was not exactly the same kind of place I had visited in Nha Trang. While the previous massage cost 185,000 dong, this one was 2.5 MILLION dong (roughly 13 times the price). It was then that I realized that different “services” were being offered here. Thankfully, they wanted cash which gave me the perfect opportunity to say: “I’ll just find an ATM and be right back”. I excused myself and went back to the hotel.

More surprises there…

Monday – August 17, 2026 (Independence Day in Indonesia)

I’m establishing a wonderful routine here on the Odyssey. Multiple trips to the bathroom each night because I’m drinking more liquids than at any other time in my life to avoid dehydration. Every day in Vietnam this time of year, the heat index is well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Another solution might be to stop playing pickleball in the heat. Nope, that’s not happening. Too much fun.

I wake up and check the location of the boat on the CruiseMapper app, then I make my way to the front of the ship for a cappuccino and a view of the sunrise.

Then I’m off to grab a little breakfast before the 8:00 a.m. stretch class with Mark, the fitness trainer on board. I am really making progress with my flexibility though I’m still finding it hard to put my body in some of the positions that Mark and most of the others can. And my straining, groaning and grunting seem to be a bit off-putting to some of those near me. Don’t like it? Move somewhere else.

At 8:30 is the the high intensity ab/core workout. This one is rough but I manage to survive. I like Mark a little less than I did before this workout started.

Then my private training session with Mark starts… and it’s leg day. I know I’m in trouble before we even begin because I am a notorious slacker when it comes to leg workouts with weights. I mistakenly think that long walks/hikes and time on the elliptical is enough to keep my legs from shriveling into bean poles. Have you seen my legs? Clearly, it’s not working.

The workout is in a word: brutal. Squats, legs extensions, leg curls, lunges, dead lifts, hip thrusts…. is this workout never going to end? No, not until you do your sumo squats. Sumo squats? What the hell is a sumo squat? Now, I really don’t like you at all, Mark.

After the workout, Mark stretches me out and massages some of the lactic acid out of my burning legs. Aaaahhhhh….. I’m starting to like him again. Then he graciously agrees to get up extra early for my personal training session in the morning. The ship is arriving in Chan May and I have an excursion I have to get to.

Even though Mark probably has something diabolical planned for tomorrow, for now he is back in my good graces.

I made some new friends again today. Their cabin is just a few down the hall from me. We had a lovely lunch and conversation together. I left my phone in my cabin on purpose so I wasn’t able to take a picture of the wonderful meal I had. Borscht for an appetizer and brisket for the entree. I rarely get good brisket anywhere outside of Texas, USA. This was very good.

I got an interesting compliment from Rae. She used to be a nurse and was admiring the veins in my arms. Apparently, I am a dream come true for nurses should I ever need an IV or blood transfusion. So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice…

This evening’s sunset was even more beautiful than this morning’s sunrise.

Thanks to Mark destroying me this morning, I fell asleep about 8 p.m. while trying to read. Then I woke up at 10:30 p.m. coughing. I have had a nagging cough since arriving in Singapore over two weeks ago.

I heard the faint sound of dance music outside my window. The rooms are well insulated from noise but the distinctive thumping of heavy bass was unmistakable. Then I remembered that there was a dance party up on deck for the crew and the residents/guests tonight because on August 17, 1945 Indonesia proclaimed their independence from the Netherlands. That also explains why we had an Indonesian themed meal at dinner tonight. It was excellent, particularly the chicken satay. Sorry, no pictures of that either.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day with a group excursion to Hoi An.

More about that in the next post. Good night.

Sunday – August 16, 2026

If you would have asked me a year ago if that lovely pint of Guinness was half full or half empty, I most assuredly would have opted for the latter. I’m not proud to admit it now, but I used to relish wallowing in my persistent negativity. I would call it being “realistic” or “pragmatic”. But really, I was just a grouchy old man with a shitty attitude and outlook on life.

Almost exactly a year ago, I signed the divorce papers ending over 26 years of marriage. A sad day, indeed, but it needed to happen. I needed a new life. She needed a new life, freed from that miserable, pessimistic husband of hers who thought the glass was always half empty.

I would like to think I’m changing for the better. For example, I am on a ship in the waters off Vietnam and it is literally swimming (pun intended) in rumors that, if true, would mean I could be stranded somewhere on this side of the world in some remote port in the middle of nowhere. Am I stressed? Am I worried? Am I angry? Those are emotions I am intimately familiar with. And no, I am none of the above.

In some ways, the last couple of weeks have been some of the best of my life and certainly the best since I moved to Malta in November, 2025 and began gallivanting around the world, mostly by myself. I have traveled to some amazing places by myself. But it’s so much better when you have a community to travel with, to laugh with, and to share your stories with. I feel certain that some of the people I have met since arriving in Singapore will be in my life for a long time, and if I’m really lucky… forever.

This morning, I caught myself “looking on the bright side” when I arrived to play pickleball. Yes, the weather was hot and humid. Yes, the wind was stronger than usual and would probably affect the way ball moved and bounced and maybe too much to contend with. Yes, I was still a bit worn out from the last few days.

But, here is what I thought: The wind makes it much more comfortable than yesterday and has brought in some clouds, so I will get the occasional break from the blazing sun. It will be fun to see how the ball moves in the wind. Maybe some of my errant shots will get blown back onto the court. Some early morning exercise will undoubtedly make me feel better. And… the best part, I get to hang out with some of my new pickleball friends for a couple of hours. And that’s when it dawned on me that perhaps I’m making some progress in my journey.

I find myself thinking again and again over the last few days that a new life on the Odyssey may be just what I’m looking for. We shall see…

Saturday – August 15, 2026

Readers and sports fans of a certain age may associate this Spanish phrase with Roberto Durán, who famously uttered “no more” in his native tongue before quitting a World Championship welterweight boxing match in 1980.

This morning, I uttered “No más!”

Good judgment I sometimes lack. It was on full display as I headed to the upper deck to play pickleball in this soul-crushing heat and humidity. But even more surprising than my lack of good judgment is there were three others already there waiting for a fourth to arrive. After 40 minutes (and only 20 minutes of court time), I felt what I believed to be the early signs of heat exhaustion. I quit and headed inside to the air conditioning where I will spend the rest of the day. Three consecutive days in the steam bath otherwise known as Nha Trang was awesome but draining.

My day started out well. I slept better that most nights, probably aided by the several beers I consumed after getting back from town yesterday afternoon. I don’t drink that often or in the amounts I once did, but the thought of a cold beer while I was melting yesterday afternoon on the tender returning to the ship was too much to resist. And I have some difficulty stopping after that first one.

One of my new German friends on the boat joined me at breakfast and actually kept me from talking for over 30 minutes as she regaled me with some of the most fascinating travel stories (India, Nepal, Indonesia, Italy, Switzerland…) that I have ever heard… how her travels serendipitously led her to meet and spend significant time with the Tibetan master Lama Gangchen Ripoche. And she has hundreds of them! We will be spending a lot of time together, I hope.

And then stretch class at 8 (Thanks, Mark!) followed by more coffee and another fantastic conversation with another couple I met a few days ago. I simply can’t keep up with it all and can’t possibly document all the fabulous experiences I am having.

Quick detour… this came up in my old photos feed and was taken 9 years ago.

I spent my afternoon relaxing in my cabin and then made my way to the Observatory where I ran into my Doppelganger. This time I had my phone with me. Tom graciously agreed to a photo that would end up here in my blog. You be the judge. I can certainly see the resemblance once I see us next to each other in a photo. Although our birthdates are years apart, we were both born in April just four days apart.

I made my way up to deck 9 after dinner to watch us depart from Nha Trang. It’s the highest part of the boat… and you know how much I like heights. Despite a bit of uneasiness, it was magic. Enjoy:

Next stop is Chan May… another place I have never heard of prior to this trip. I expect it will be just as good or better than Nha Trang.

Friday – August 14, 2026

Having had two really enjoyable days of sightseeing in Nha Trang, I decided today would be less about touring and more focused. I want to buy a back-up phone and get a haircut. I have always enjoyed the experience of haircuts in foreign lands. Some particularly memorable ones were in Thessaloniki in Greece, Dubai in the UAE and Bastogne in Belgium.

I am hoping to spend more time in air-conditioned comfort today because I am feeling the effects of the last two days spent predominantly outdoors. So I ask ChatGPT (who NEVER steers me wrong) for a recommendation and he suggests I go to a nice, modern indoor mall. Sounds good.

I get on the 11:00 a.m. tender and grab a Grab. $6 later, I am at the mall. It’s nice. It’s cool. Only two problems: no phone store and no barber. Shit. Now it’s back out into the heat.

I get on Google Maps to find a nearby place that has phones. I make my way a few blocks and when Google says: “You’ve arrived”, I haven’t. I search for 10 minutes the surrounding area and this is not the place. Shit. It’s too f***ing hot. This can wait. What about a haircut? This time Google Maps doesn’t let me down, except… the shop is Russian. Russian barbers, Russian clients, Russian prices. Нет, спасибо.(“No thank you” in Russian. See what I did there?)

I’m getting hungry so I pop into a little restaurant across the street from the Ruskies. Fantastic meal. Unbelievable prices.

Walking back to the mall, I pass at least a dozen places offering spa services and massages. The only two massages I’ve paid for in my life were in the last 6 months. $80 NZ (New Zealand) for a Thai Massage in Auckland, about $50 US for one in Dubai and… wait for it…

Less than $7.00 US for an hour here in Nha Trang!! It was wonderful.

The tender ride back to the ship is brutal. It feels like 140 degrees heat index and takes seemingly forever. I start hallucinating and fantasizing about taking an ice plunge in a gigantic beer cooler.

It’s happy hour (2 for 1) so… well, why not?

Now it’s time for dinner at the Stammtisch and a chance to make some new German-speaking friends. So much fun! Plus my German speaking ability increases dramatically (or so I think) after a couple of beers. Dinner was great. The company was better. Then someone mentioned that this is Karaoke night…

And because it’s a German Stammtisch, naturally I had another bier (sic). Vielleicht zwei? Karaoke, you say? It just so happens my Lieblingsband (favorite band) is German. Santiano is their name.

I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I don’t swim. I don’t do a lot of things that I am now considering as I reinvent myself.

Next thing I know, I’m singing not one, not two, but three different songs at Karaoke night. Two were “auf Deutsch” (in German) because they were songs from Santiano. Thankfully, there were only about five of us attending tonight. Apparently, the attendance at Karaoke night ranges from almost no one to a couple of dozen. This was a slow night.

There is video proof of this but I’m not ready to post it just yet. The singing is bad and the outfit is even worse as I went full-on German this evening including wearing socks with my Oofos slides.

Maybe some time after many beers, I’ll edit this post and add the video.

More to come??????

Thursday – August 13, 2026

On this journey through Southeast Asia and my on-going journey of self-discovery, I am constantly learning.

Today I learned how to say “thank you” in Vietnamese: Cảm ơn. The reason I titled this post “Cảm ơn Nha Trang is that I want to express gratitude for another really, really great day, most of which was spent there. That’s something I’ve not been very good a in my life. A number of memorable experiences (including one that produced quite an adrenaline rush) and several kindnesses shown me left me feeling exhilarated, exhausted, at times emotional and profoundly grateful that I am here today sitting on a boat in Vietnam, of all places. Until a couple of weeks ago, I had never even heard of this wonderful city.

One person in particular was very kind to me today. You know who you are. I hope you read this. Cảm ơn.

I also learned that being mentioned by name in my blog is not necessarily flattering even though my intent is (most of the time) to cast people in a positive light. In the future, I will ask permission first and you can assume that all names used here are fictional unless otherwise noted.

I also learned that the scale in the fitness center is quite inaccurate when weighing yourself on a boat bobbing in rough water. I weighed myself a few days ago when we were out to sea and was quite surprised to see I had gained 4 pounds. But of course the narrative that has run through my head since I was a chubby pre-teen is that I was and always will be a fata$$. Today I learned that I have lost 3 pounds despite eating very well and often. I’m having dessert tonight!!

Do you remember the shipmate of mine who told me I have a doppelganger onboard? Well, she introduced me to him and you know what? I can see where someone might say we look a good bit alike. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone with me. With his permission…. I will get a photo of us together and post it later.

Back to the adrenaline rush…

I learned (after the fact) how to get across a busy road in Vietnam without getting killed. Rule #1: Hesitation is bad. I was on the quest for a backup smartphone after hearing some stories about Odyssey residents getting mugged or pickpocketed at different spots around the world and losing their phones. Well, the thought of somehow getting permanently separated from my phone while on this side of the world keeps me up at night. That, and my aging bladder.

After successfully dodging motorbikes and cars and getting to the other side of the ride, my mind suddenly went to the old video game “Frogger”. Readers of a certain age will remember it.

The best part, however, was walking into an open shop selling second and third hand phones. I spent the next 30 minutes sweating profusely trying to communicate using Google Translate with a local who speaks not one word of English. And this poor chap has to sit and watch me type with one finger: “I would like an inexpensive smartphone that is e-sim compatible.” And miraculously, Google translated that to Vietnamese!

How I wish this had been videoed. We went round and round with him showing me phones with cracked screens, vertical lines on the display, chipped edges and each one needed the settings to be changed from Vietnamese to English. I finally gave up after half an hour because I needed to catch up with my tour group. But I loved every minute of it. From dodging cars and motorbikes to haggling using Google Translate, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Let’s start from the top. I booked a half day tour through Viator with one other person from the boat and through the magic of WhatsApp Community groups, it grew to include about 15. To get off the ship, one must get past these Vietnamese border control agents.

As sometimes happens when groups get this large, we had a bit of a snafu that resulted in me missing the tour bus and having to catch up with them by grabbing a Grab (pun intended – Grab is like Uber in the U.S.) and paying the outrageous sum of about $5 US to get to the Institute of Oceanography Quite interesting but mostly outside in the heat. It was here that I had my first iced coffee ever as I stubbornly believe that coffee should be served hot. The Vietnamese variety is quite nice – sweetened condensed milk and very strong coffee. What’s not to like?

Next stop was Long Son Pagoda. Like some of the mosques I visited in the UAE, certain body parts must be covered up when entering this holy place. So for the outrageous price (they really like to stick it to the tourists!) of $0.50 US, I rented a wrap that was designed to cover bare knees. Climbing 152 steps to the top in the heat was the highlight. No, the highlight was the amazing history and ornate beauty of the place.

Lunch followed. Our tour guide showed us the proper way to make a pork spring roll and the vegetarians in the group had what looked like a very tasty noodle dish. Another thing I learned – if you accidentally make a spring roll with two or three sheets of the rice paper, it becomes virtually impossible to bite through.

After lunch, we headed to the temple I had visited the previous day so I took the opportunity to separate from the group and go phone hunting. My final Google Translate message to the proprietor of the phone shop:

The last stop of the day was Hon Chong Promontory.

A fantastic day in Nha Trang, but I didn’t get my phone. And I need a haircut. There’s always tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 12

I’m not going to lie… I’m a bit freaked out right now. After a wonderful start to my day with a cappuccino and land sighting from the front of the ship and a quick workout consisting of 78 pull-ups in about 7 minutes (impressive, aren’t I?), I grabbed some breakfast.

At the breakfast table where 8 of us were crammed in a space meant for 6, the discussion turned to dengue fever (also known as breakbone fever) and Ellie, who has contracted it twice described the excruciating ways in which it can kill you. Yes, there are mosquitoes in this part of the world whose bite can kill you.

Now thoroughly terrorized, I excused myself and quickly headed to see the onboard doctor. He talked me off the ledge and convinced that my chances are dying from a mosquito bite in Vietnam are quite slim. Nonetheless, I will be bathing in insect repellant before getting off the boat. I don’t have to hole up in my cabin for the next 50 days after all.

My dance partner from yesterday was at the same table. I ran into her last evening to work out some details of an excursion we’re going on tomorrow. Apparently, I’ve gone back in time to junior high school. It seems that the scuttlebutt on ship is that we are now a couple.

Now Renee is 20 or more years younger than me with a gorgeous smile and better personality. And normally, if it weren’t so funny, I might be a little hurt. As she recalled her conversation with the shipmate suggesting the she and I were hooking up, the look on her face of utter disgust was priceless. Never in my life have I been rejected in such a matter of fact manner.

It’s time for my mosquito repellant bath now.

The forecast is for a heat index of 109 Fahrenheit today. Thank you again to Ross for the electrolyte powder. Gonna need it…

On my way to the tender, I run into Kerry (not her real name… I’m making fun of her). Last night at dinner she stopped by my table to tell me my doppelganger was on the boat. Well, I haven’t seen anyone yet who looks much like me, but it’s possible I guess.

She sees me in the hallway near my cabin and stops and does a double take. She asks me my name. She’s not sure if I’m doppelganger 1 or 2. I answer “Fred”. Now she’s really confused thinking there are three of us on the boat who look alike. I keep up the pretense for a minute or two before I start to crack up. I don’t think that she thinks that I am as funny as I think I am.

The weatherman was wrong. The heat index is not 109. It’s 175. Stepping off the boat onto the tender was like stepping into a steam bath. The spa on the boat charges extra to use the sauna. Why bother? The tender is free.

I start talking with Jim and Kathie who I met when I first walked onto the ship in Singapore. Lovely people. They are sitting with Diane, who I had dinner with the other night. They graciously agree to let me tag along with them.

We order a Grab (think Uber) after being swarmed by locals trying to coax us into their vehicle or sell us a tour. The 15 or 20 minute ride costs about $2.86.

Our first stop is the Po Nagar Cham Towers.

Next stop: an ATM. A few minutes later, I am a millionaire twice over. I withdraw 2,000,000 Vietnamese Dong (the local currency). It’s actually worth about $78 US.

Now we’re hungry. We ask a local for a recommendation and directions.

The four of us find a little lunch spot. We’re the only ones there except the staff. Jim runs across the street to grab some beers from a little kiosk. The prices here are incredibly low! Food for all us… 97,000 dong ($3.72 US). 8 beers from across the street… 192,000 dong ($7.37 US). My super cool new hat… 100,000 dong ($3.84 US – I give her my 5 Euro note, the only cash on me at that time).

Back to the tender launch and we just miss it by a few minutes. Darn the luck… now we have about 45 minutes to kill with an air-conditioned spot nearby selling beers for the outrageous price of $2 each. We dig deep in our wallets and have another. After all, it’s 160 degrees by now.

Back on the ship, I take a nice cool shower to get all the sunscreen and insect repellant off of me. After a thorough examination of my body, no mosquito bites are detected. Whew!!!

I wish I had been so lucky with that bug bite in Singapore. Oh, yeah. I still need to post about Singapore.

Days 3 and 4 – Monday and Tuesday, August 10 & 11

It’s 11:20 a.m. on Monday and I’m already exhausted… but in a good way. Yes, I had another crap night of sleep, but my room is cooler and the bed is plenty comfortable. I just don’t sleep well anymore. And that damn aging bladder of mine…

I’m so tired because I just finished playing pickleball for over two hours… not continuously because we have a lot of players. I’m getting to know them and they are all great people and much better at the game than I am. Yet, they put up with my missed shots and serves without so much as a grimace.

One of our regulars is a 19 year-old from South Africa who is on the ship with his mother. I don’t like him because he is so much better than I am. Just kidding…. he is a really nice young man. He’s doing some online coursework and some of the pickleballers help out by proctoring his exams. This is such an amazing community. I’m told his personality has changed noticeably for the better since first arriving. More outgoing, more confident, more mature. How could he not? He’s surrounded by some of the best adult role models you could find anywhere.

Ever since landing on Gozo in November, 2025 my life and my racing mind have been going 100 miles an hour. I’m always trying to figure out a new routine, a new comfort zone in my life while forcing myself out of that same zone. I haven’t found it…yet.

I may have found it here. After just a few days on the sea, I have a rhythm: I get up early after a crappy night of sleep and make my way way out on to the deck for a cup of cappuccino. It’s out of a machine, so it’s not the best, but the view is breathtaking.

Today, I did my pullups right after coffee and made the 8:00 stretching session again. I have been meaning to start stretching for years but never have. After just little over a week, I can already feel the difference. One of the nice things is that I am surrounded by people with varying levels of flexibility. Some are nearly as tight-jointed as I am so I don’t feel so self-conscious.

And on the stretching mat with calming music in the background or on the pickleball court, I am fully present, fully “in the moment”. It’s a nice change.

Back from lunch. I was starving so I had salad, soup, fish and sides. It’s so easy to eat healthy here as long as you make good choices. As I look around the dining area, I see some are making better choices than others.

It’s raining this afternoon so, although I probably wouldn’t have played anyway, no pickleball. What to do? Sit in my room? There’s always something going on on this ship. I decide to head to the fitness center for another group workout.

There is a group fitness class scheduled but I’m the only one who shows up. Does Mark, the best trainer I have ever worked with, cancel? No! He works me out individually and then stretches me after. Great workout. Great stretches. This guy is good…

I wandered around the ship after the workout and ended up in the library where I saw a bunch of books on display. Upon closer inspection, I see that all of the books were written by Odyssey residents. Of course… this is the brightest, most accomplished group of people I’ve ever been around.

Tuesday morning at about 4:30 a.m. I awakened by something banging outside my cabin window. It sounds like something has come loose on the of the lifeboats and is being blown around by the wind. Out of sheer exhaustion, I was actually having a pretty good night sleeping with only one trip to the head. So now I’m up for the day. I think a nap is in order this afternoon.

The wind is blowing hard and the ship is really rolling. Good thing I’m not prone to seasickness. I was in the Palms (the name of one of the dining rooms) at 6 a.m. when they opened. Someone suggested I go up to the front of the ship for a really nice view. It is… spectacular! Added bonus – a made to order cappuccino that is much better than the ones that come out of the machine in the Palms.

Off to stretching and then breakfast. My new go-to order is four eggs over easy and muesli. I need my protein what with all these workouts.

Next up… ballroom dance class. I don’t dance. I have no rhythm and two left feet. My ex was a good dancer and would have loved for me to have taken classes and gone dancing with her occasionally. I wish I had a do-over on that. So many wishes for do-overs in my life, particularly many things that happened or didn’t happen during my marriage. But this is not the time or place for dwelling on the past. Full steam ahead!!

I have had conversations recently with friends from the States, Europe, and a new special friend I met in Singapore. I’ve told them all the same thing. I am having the time of my life and I think this is the place that was meant for me and the time this was supposed to happen. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Who would have thought? I absolutely loved my first dance lesson. Turns out the Michael, one of the pickleball players and my next door neighbor, is helping the others on board learn to dance. He does not like to be called the instructor or the leader. We started with the merengue. It was just Renee (who came on the ship in Singapore, like me), Michael and yours truly. My balance isn’t great to begin with and with the boat also dancing on the waves, it was even more challenging. But I managed to avoid hurting Renee and laughed throughout. Who knew dancing was so much fun?

For those of you who have known me for a long time, I encourage to sit down before reading about the next activity of my day. I don’t want to be responsible for you getting injured after you faint or hurt yourself laughing.

I went to a late afternoon belly dancing class. That’s right. A belly dancing class. And you know what else? It was great and I had a lot of fun. And no, even if by some miracle I improve to the point that I no longer look like Elaine on “Seinfeld”, you will NEVER get a chance to watch.

This was followed by another nice dinner followed by live entertainment comprised of a series of mini-skits written and performed by the residents. A really great day. Tomorrow morning we arrive in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Day 2 – Sunday, August 9

I woke up again in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep… maybe 6 hours total. I noticed lying in bed that every so often the entire room would shudder for a few moments. I later learned that this is perfectly normal and the result of waves hitting the ship at a 90 degree angle to our path.

So… I was there as the breakfast area opened at 6:00 for my cappuccino. At 7:00, the staff starts preparing some of the made-to-order items. I think I’ve lost some weight since coming on board so I decided a few extra calories wouldn’t hurt. The French toast was outstanding.

Today I made the 8:00 stretching session in the fitness center but skipped out on the ab workout and went back for another cappuccino (decaf this time) and some eggs. I sat next to a wonderful couple from Canada I had met a couple days ago. Mike and Bianca are French Canadians and have the most charming accents. Mike was looking at an app on his phone that charts the location of our ship. Cool! I quickly downloaded it.

Bianca mentioned an absolutely brilliant idea to me that may lead to something life changing for me. That’s all I’m saying on that right now.

After a long phone call with a friend, I was off to play pickleball only to arrive as most were leaving. Ali, a very funny and charming lass from Ireland stuck around to bat it around with me for a bit. We then lunched together. She’s great, though I can barely understand anything she says due to her lovely Irish brogue.

At 4:00 p.m. there was a meet and greet happy hour where I once again met more interesting, friendly people. One of the highlights for me was trying to converse with Helga and Brigitte from Germany in their native tongue. They were so kind in that that made a special effort to speak slowly and use common words so that I could understand them.

The group moved to the dining room where we continued to have great conversation about all their travels. These people are so accomplished, so worldly (the Canadian has been to over 140 countries), so interesting, and just so nice. And they can’t stop talking about how the best part of being here is the community they have developed.

In spite of all the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Odyssey, I can really see myself here for the long haul at some point in the future.

Day 1 – Saturday, August 8

I woke up in the middle of the night for my one, sometimes two, occasionally three nightly trip(s) to the bathroom. Oh, the joys of an aging bladder. As I made the short trip (the room is 140 square feet, for heaven’s sake), I felt like I was drunk. Wait a minute… I didn’t have any alcohol yesterday. And then I realized the ship was moving. My first time on the open ocean. Huh… this will take a bit of getting used to.

I was awakened about 7:00 a.m. (or was it 6:00? – I think we’re changing time zones… this is going to complicate things…). Anyway, I was awakened by a horrible cramp in my leg. Clearly, I’m dehydrated after spending time playing pickleball yesterday in 105 degree heat index caused by VERY high humidity. After seeing the bright yellow shade of my pee, the diagnosis was confirmed.

I made my way to breakfast and then to the fitness center. I missed the 8:00 stretching session. I’ll be there tomorrow. I was excited to use the newly discovered pull-up bar because that is my favorite exercise. You may have already heard me brag about how many I can do. (25) The reason I didn’t discover it earlier is that it is outside. So now I’m exercising in 105 degree heat instead of the just slightly cooler fitness center.

As I’m exercising I hear a group of breakfast diners on the deck below me laughing like crazy. I decide to make my way down there and invite myself to join. They happily accept. Seems I’ve come into a group going around the table sharing past stories involving recreational drug experimentation … peyote, mushrooms, blotter (????). The stories have me spellbound but I’m thinking “dammmit!!!!”, I don’t have any stories. My illegal drug use history is extremely limited and it will only embarrass me if I tell one. But along the way, someone mentions something about a blizzard. Eureka! I have a fantastic story about the time I almost died in a blizzard when I was driving for Uber in late 2024. Another time, dear readers.

After my story, all but one get up and leave. Coincidence? No way. My story was fantastic! So now it’s just Ric and I. I will use real names when I’m saying nice things but change names when making fun of people (which I unfortunately do often.)

Ric met on this ship and later married his second wife, Ellie. They are so in love and it is a pleasure to hear his story. After an hour or so, I know that I have a new friend. Great guy!

Then it’s off for more pickleball in the heat. There I see one of the two Karens who are regular pickleballers and she remembers the conversation we had yesterday about the bandage on my leg (sorry, haven’t posted about that yet.) This dear lady has brought me bandages! How sweet.

Later, I’m telling Ross (who I’ve just met) about my cramps. It’s my turn to play pickleball and when I return to my chair after being soundly defeated, there is a box of electrolyte powder packets sitting next to my water bottle. Ross has just gifted me an entire box. Are you kidding me? I have just been on the receiving end of two incredibly kind gestures and made a new friend or two and it’ s not even lunchtime. Wow, these people are awesome and I am so glad to be on board the Odyssey!

Later in the day, I learn that one of the residents is getting rid of some stuff so I stop by just to meet some new people. She is desperate to get rid of this stuff and talks me into taking a shirt. It’s… orange. But I kind of like it. As I’m heading back to my room, I run into Ric and proudly show off my shirt. “What do you think?”, I ask expectantly. He says after a long pause: “It’s…….. orange”. Maybe he’s not my friend after all.

Maybe he’s feeling guilty, but not long after he sends me a message asking if I want to join him and Ellie for dinner. We have a nice dinner (the lamb was excellent) with wonderful conversation telling our stories. You know what? I think Ric is going to be a good friend. Ellie, too.

A week ago, the readership of my blog consisted of perhaps a couple of dozen of my friends, acquaintances and family. And because of a poor decision on my part, it is now being viewed often by an entirely different audience, most of whom have an interest in matters pertaining to the Odyssey.

This blog has two purposes for me: the first is to document my trips so that friends and family can vicariously enjoy my travels. The second is to give me a creative outlet in which I can demonstrate how clever, witty, good-looking and special I am. Because it is my personal blog, I am allowed to take licence with the truth and exaggerate, stretch, and misremember the actual events that I experience during my travels in order to create what I think are memorable and interesting blog posts.

My intent in coming onboard the Odyssey was not to create controversy and become embroiled in what I am learning is a very polarizing situation. My intent was to have the most adventurous and memorable 60 days of my life and experience temporarily a lifestyle that only a few very lucky people can even dream of, let alone actually experience. And more importantly, to meet and hang out with some of the most interesting people on the planet who share my love for travel and adventure. And better yet, have some of those meetings develop into life-long friendships.

My heart breaks for everyone who is being impacted by this uncertainty in ways that immeasurably outnumber my own. And to the extent that my decision to post information about the Odyssey, factual or otherwise, added fuel to whatever fires are burning around this topic, I am genuinely and truly sorry.

It has come to my attention that the information I shared in my last update about  the Odyssey was incorrect. I realize, in hindsight, that I pieced together bits of information based off of assumptions that I made. I apologize sincerely to my sources for the misrepresentation of their words.

Note: Click on any photo to make full-size. For a deeper dive, click on the hyperlinks.

While trying to come up with a clever title for this post about my trip to South Africa, this is the best I could come up with. It’s from “The Wizard of Oz”.

What make this even more ridiculous is that there are no tigers or bears in Africa. But I did see a LOT of wild animals, including a couple of lions.

A little background is needed about this trip. While I have been thoroughly enjoying gallivanting around the world, I was getting into a bit of a rut. Going to the main city of a country (usually the capital), then walking tours, museums, ruins, churches, castles, etc. So, I decided it was time to do something different.

One day I was doom scrolling on Instagram, and saw a video of someone bottle feeding a baby rhino. I watched. I clicked. I was hooked.

The post was from an organization called goeco.org. They connect travelers interested in doing volunteer work abroad with organizations all over the world. Next thing I know, I was headed to South Africa to volunteer for two weeks at a place called Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary.

This place exists because of the on-going problem of wild rhinos being killed by poachers for their horns.

Day 1 – Sunday, June 21

As usual on a travel day (and unfortunately most other days), I don’t sleep well. I’m up at 5:30 a.m. One consolation is the magnificent sunrise over Marsalforn Bay that I am awake to see.

My flight from Malta to Frankfurt is delayed an hour due to thunderstorms in central Europe. I arrived about 8:50 p.m. which made for a short layover, particularly because departure Gate Z69 was probably the furthest gate from where I deplaned earlier – about a 25 to 30 minute walk. I decided to splurge on a business class ticket for the long haul to Johannesburg.

Day 2 – Monday, June 22

Monday started about 38,000 feet in the air. I got about 6 hours of sleep on the plane, thanks to the lie flat seats in business class. I cannot sleep more that 15 minutes at a time sitting up. The flight was about 11 hours.

I checked into the hotel attached to airport about 10 a.m. and grabbed a shower, then had lunch in the hotel restaurant. Had a very nice salmon salad for about $9. Too early for wine, but tempting since an entire bottle cost about $11.

I decided to go to Apartheid museum and hopped into an Uber. While in the car, I discovered the museum was closed on Mondays as I looked to purchase an online ticket. I tell the driver to take me back to the airport. $51 later, I am back at the airport bumming around the numerous shops and kiosks in the terminal. I am not going wandering in Johannesburg. I’ve heard too many horror stories about the rampant crime there.

Day 3 – Tuesday, June 23

I am up at 6:15 (no jet lag! I’m in the same time zone as Malta). I have a nice breakfast in the airport lounge and then get on a short flight to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.

I am met by a driver and about an hour later, we turn off the main road to an unmarked dirt road and stop at the gate of a barbed wire fence manned by a young man in military fatigues. There our hands and feet are sanitized (to avoid bringing anything into the sanctuary that might infect the animals) and we bounce around horrendously narrow roads for another 45 minutes before reaching the area in the sanctuary where I will be staying.

This place is literally and figuratively off the grid. The location is a guarded secret because of the illegal poaching that creates the need for such a place. All electricity is solar-generated on site and the water comes from a nearby river. The cabin I will be staying in is… rustic. No heat and no A/C. There is absolutely no insulation so the outside temperature quickly becomes the inside temperature. It is winter here so the the range of temps during my stay will be low 40’s to high 70’s.

I had lunch and met some of the other volunteers, then an orientation. It gets dark around 5:30 p.m. and very quiet… except for the nearby lion roaring throughout the night and some nocturnal tree climbers landing on my roof several times each night.

Day 4 – Wednesday, June 24

My first day of work… up at 5:30 a.m. and then a cup of instant coffee before a brief meeting at 6:30 with the staff to discuss the day’s agenda. A 5-star luxury resort, this is not.

We arrive at the quarantine boma a half hour later. There I learned how to mix rhino milk and what teff grass is. I think this technical knowledge is going to be invaluable to me once I’m done here. Then, the first of a number experiences of a lifetime I would be enjoying on this trip… bottle feeding a rhino.

Later, I shoveled teff grass, and hand fed rhino pellets to some of the others. Very important lesson: white rhinos have no front teeth so you can put your hand in their mouths and not lose any fingers. Black rhinos are a different story. A novice may not easily distinguish between the two. Luckily, I didn’t make that mistake and ended the trip with all my digits intact.

One of the more interesting things I learned was how to make a “shit shake”. It seems that in the wild, baby rhinos start feeding on their mother’s poop for several months prior to being weaned to ingest some of the bacteria in a healthy gut that will help them to properly digest their food once they are fully weaned. Orphaned rhinos who are in quarantine get these bacteria from poop harvested from healthy mothers outside the quarantine. Essentially, the harvested poop is squeezed to release liquid that is added to the prepared rhino milk mixture. Thankfully, I observed rather than participated in the poop squeezing.

Day 5 – Thursday, June 25

Today I get to feed Willem the wildebeest. He is another rescue along with a goat named Sally who have become companion animals for some of the rhinos in quarantine. I also learn how to make fish balls (my skillset is growing daily) and fed RiRi, the black rhino. I am keenly aware that RiRi is NOT a white rhino. Here I’m feeding Willem and Sally:

I am starting to figure out the routine. Instant coffee between 6 and 6:30. Meet with staff. To the boma by 7. A couple of hours of work, then breakfast. A few more hours of work, then lunch. After lunch, more activities. Today, an interesting lecture all about rhino nutrition which helps me to understand some of the things I have been doing in the bomas.

It’s a gorgeous day in the low 70’s. After all, it’s winter here in South Africa. I can’t imagine what working here would be like in the middle of their summer. We typically ride out on the grounds of the sanctuary where the rest of the rhinos roam for health checks and supplemental feeding of some of the nursing moms. It’s amazing to see these enormous animals up close.

Day 6 – Friday, June 26

I am getting to know my fellow volunteers quite well. It’s like the United Nations here. They all have interesting stories as to how they arrived here and are all quite a bit younger than me. There’s Amy from Australia , Mariela from Austria, Christine from Switzerland, Stephanie from Denmark, Amanda from the Washington DC area, Marijka from Cape Town, South Africa and Natalie from Utah.

I got my first taste of “cleaning the bomas” this morning. It means scooping rhino poop. It’s not as bad as you might think. It mainly smells like wet grass.

In the afternoon, we volunteers (called “vollies” by the staff) helped deliver cut up butternut squash as a special treat to the rhinos outside the boma. An added bonus was seeing giraffes and zebras roaming the sanctuary grounds.

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Day 7 – Saturday, June 27

The weekend arrives and a nice break from the boma cleaning and other chores. We have arranged two day trips – one today and one tomorrow. Today, we are headed for Blyde River Canyon. I have to get up at 5:20 for a 6 a.m. departure. Ugh. It’s a guided tour and it takes four hours to get there including a 30 minute coffee stop where our guide, Brandon was bragging about how great coffee is in South Africa. You know what? Coffee is fantastic in South Africa!

We had a 90 minute boat ride. Amazing views of both the landscape and the wild creatures:

Day 8 – Sunday, June 28

After such a great day on Saturday, it’s hard to believe that Sunday was even better. To get the best chance of seeing certain animals, the plan was to arrive at Kruger National Park just after sunrise. That meant getting up at 4:20 a.m.

We were rewarded for the effort by seeing a rare sable antelope right away, but it ran off before I got a picture. The highlight may have been watching a female lion with her two cubs stalking a herd of impalas. We watched for about 20-30 minutes before moving on. Our guide said the lioness may wait patiently for hours before making a charge or may abandon the chase altogether after a long while. We weren’t that patient.

Days 9, 10, 11, 12 – Monday, June 29 to Thursday, July 2

Week two started to feel a bit like Groundhog Day. But the staff did a good job of mixing things up a bit for the vollies with different activities and experiences to break up some of the monotony of rhino food preparation, poop scooping, and routine cleaning. round hog day. For example, one day we took inventory of the supplies in the animal medical center, helped out with some outreach programs for local school children, toured the operations center where the grounds are monitored 24/7 for animal movement and welfare, fence incursions (poachers), and water and electric supplies.

One day, we were out among the rhinos when one of the staff (named Ryno, funnily) approached one of the rhinos on foot to apply some ointment to a cut. The injured rhino was calm enough, but an aggressive male rammed this rhino from behind knocking him directly into Ryno. He was knocked down and almost stepped on. He could have been seriously injured but thankfully avoided a catastrophe.

The evenings were quite dull but I found and finished two great books from their lending library. I highly recommend The Elephant Whisperer and The Last Rhinos, both written by Lawrence Anthony.

One evening, I played cribbage with a new vollie from Colorado named Maddigan who had just finished her freshman year at the University of Montana. An 18-year old girl traveling in South Africa by herself – pretty impressive young lass, she is.

On Thursday, we shoveled oranges donated by a local farmer at various feeding spots around the sanctuary and rode along with Ryno as he attempted to administer medicine to a giraffe with an abscess by shooting it with a dart syringe from a rifle. He missed and spooked the target so that would have to wait for another day. There are two hippos kept at the sanctuary and I got to help with their feeding.

Day 13 – Friday, July 3

By Friday, most of the other volunteers have departed so it is just I’m going with Amanda, Maddigan, and our guide. Another 5 a.m. departure. Ugh. This ride is miserably cold and I’m wrapped in three blankets but still shivering for nearly the three hours it takes to arrive back to Kruger.

This time, we got very near a male lion and his girlfriend. Everyone but me got a good look at a cheetah – a real rare sighting, I was told.

Day 14 – Saturday, July 4

On weekends we get to sleep in a little. It was very cold overnight (low 40’s) so I woke up in a very cold cabin. Ryno was nice enough to lend me a warm jacket at breakfast. A new chore today: we get to help groom the horses used by the rangers to patrol the grounds. After lovingly brush a particularly disagreeable horse named Peggy for 10 minutes, she wheeled around and bit me on the back as I walked away. Her way of saying “thank you”???

Day 15 – Sunday, July 5

The highlight of Sunday was a demonstration by the resident dog handler who showed off their obedience and drug-sniffing skills. But sadly, the skill they are primarily trained for is attacking and taking down poachers.

Day 16 – Monday, July 6

My last day at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary and to be honest, I’m ready to go. The rustic accommodations and manual labor were a fun novelty for a while, but two weeks of this was a bit much. That night I watched a documentary called “The Last Horns of Africa“ that prominently features Petronel Nieuwoudt, who founded the sanctuary. She is amazing and I was so glad I had the opportunity to meet her.

The film is a deep dive into the rhino horn powder black market. If you have even the slightest interest in animal conservation, please watch. And have your tissues ready.

Day 17 and 18 – Tuesday and Wednesday, July 6-7

I’m headed back to Malta. I still can’t bring myself to call it “home”… yet. My driver arrives to pick me up at 7:30 a.m. There’s a nice lounge where I have the best breakfast I’ve had in two weeks.

From the time the wheels are up until they touch the runway in Johannesburg, it takes 37 minutes. I will spend the next seven hours (ugh) in a nice lounge there.

My 11 hour flight (ugh) to Frankfurt, Germany lands at 5:00 a.m. and I have a four hour layover there.

31 and 1/2 hours after being picked up at from Care for Wild, my Bolt (think Uber) driver drops me off at my apartment in Gozo. This time, I’m not locked out.

Wednesday evening…

Clearly, the the jet lag, time zone changes, and lack of sleep have affected me. In my last post, I said we were leaving on Thursday. That’s incorrect. It’s Friday afternoon, so I will have another day tomorrow in Singapore.

Today, I ventured off the ship in the morning and visited a nice coffee shop and was back on the ship later to find that the Wi-Fi wasn’t working. As of 8:40 p.m. tonight, it still isn’t working.

I worked out in a very warm fitness facility and then headed out to play Pickleball in weather with a 104° heat index. I was so wiped out that I laid down for an hour before dinner. So… I’ve completely screwed myself for another good night’s sleep.

Lots of talk about the future of the Odyssey at the dinner table and it’s not overly upbeat. But everyone who has been experiencing this lifestyle for more than a few months is absolutely in love with it and will do whatever they can to make sure that the ship keeps sailing.

No news is good news, I guess. As far as I know, we are still scheduled to depart Singapore on Thursday afternoon. I bought a one-way ticket here, so I’m along for the ride until such time as I want to get off.

In the meantime, I am continuing to enjoy Singapore which I will document in an upcoming post. I’m also almost done with my post on my recent trip to South Africa and I hope to have that online by the time we set sail on Thursday.

It’s been a bit of challenge communicating with anyone back in the States. Just for reference, it is currently about 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, while it is 10:00 p.m. on Monday back in the Central Time Zone of the U.S.

For those of you who read my Facebook posts, you already know that I am in Singapore aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey. A very appropriate name, indeed.

I’m still suffering from jet lag following my 18 hour journey from Malta a couple of days ago, so not sleeping well. I was up in the wee hours and read an email with an update on the journey. In part, it reads:

“Odyssey currently needs approximately 650 metric tons of fuel. Under normal market conditions, that fuel would cost approximately $450,000. At today’s prices, the cost is nearly double… we must make immediate and creative operational decisions to preserve the voyage… The current recommendation is to remain alongside until August 7 and then set sail at a slower, more economical speed to Na Trang for our scheduled arrival on August 12.”

Uh…. wow! In other words, they are having a financial crisis and the future of the Odyssey is unknown. But it doesn’t sound good. Special thanks to my “friend” in Washington who continues to disrupt the lives of people around the planet.

When I decided to take this journey a few weeks ago, the next destination was Vung Tau in Vietnam. When I boarded two days ago, I learned we would be heading to Brunei instead. Now, we’ll be sitting in Singapore for 7 more days. Interestingly, I was just telling someone last evening that I wish I had a few more days in Singapore. It’s an amazing place to visit.

So, I have a decision to make. I can decide to bail and head back to Malta soon and bake under the blazing Mediterranean sun for the rest of the summer, or I can fly somewhere else here in Asia (where I get both the heat and the added bonus of high humidity) and continue my trip. Or I can go along for the ride and see how this “Odyssey” turns out.

For those few of you who look forward to my posts, I will be posting much more regularly. Perhaps every day for a while.

Oh, and I promise to get caught up with posts from my recent trips to Germany, Switzerland, Albania, South Africa and Poland. Stay tuned, it should be interesting reading…

So… “why Luxembourg?”, you might be thinking. Aside from it being a country I have yet to visit, it also happens to have a direct flight from Malta and is just a couple hours away from Kaiserslautern in Germany. And why would I be headed to Kaiserslautern? You will have to wait until the next post to find that out.

The added bonus, however, was figuring out the historic town of Bastogne in Belgium lies just about 40 miles away from Luxembourg City. As a huge WWII history buff, this city is a must see.

Day 1 – Monday, April 20

The direct flight from Malta was uneventful and I landed about 7:30 p.m and stepped off the airplane into chilly weather of about 50 degrees Inside the terminal, I was pleased to see this sign:

All public transportation in Luxembourg is free and all the buses are 100% electric and appear to be almost all brand-new. The trip to the Airbnb where I was staying would require 3 buses. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate the third bus (the stop had been moved due to construction) so I ended up in a taxi for the last leg. I was in bed by 10:30.

Day 2 – Tuesday, April 21

Happy birthday to me. A year ago, I certainly would have predicted that I would be waking up in Luxembourg, but here I am. I decided to head to Bastogne today. It’s a bit of complicated trip on public transportation but after a couple of hours on a bus, train, and another bus, I arrive. One interesting note: you don’t need a ticket to get on the train in Luxembourg, but as soon as it crosses the border, a ticket checker magically appears out of nowhere to make sure you have a ticket for the Belgian portion of the trip. I did.

I headed straightaway to the Bastogne War Museum, where I spent several hours. The self-guided audio tour was excellent. The only disappointment was that the Bois Jacques, the forested area where U.S. forces dug in and endured the Battle of the Bulge (you may have heard of this from watching Band of Brothers), was a 45 minute walk from the museum and no shuttle was provided. It was late in the afternoon and I wasn’t really dressed for a long walk in the cold so I didn’t see it. I will next time.

I decided to spend the night in Bastogne and treated myself to a nice dinner at Wagon-Leo Brasserie where I tried a local delicacy, civet de marcassin stew. Yes, wild boar stew. And no, probably wouldn’t order it again.

Day 3, Wednesday, April 22

I was up early and was back in Luxembourg city before 9 a.m. I got the most expensive workout ever after paying 30 Euros (about $34) for a one day pass. Was it worth it? Hard to say, but I like to see the maximum number of pull-ups I can do every year on my birthday to see how I compare from one year to the next. I did 23, which is a couple fewer than last year. Not bad for 64 years old, if I say so myself. Don’t believe me? Here’s a video from a few days ago.

Later that afternoon, I went on an E-bike tour. It was a very enjoyable excursion and we covered almost 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) . Besides our guide, Malik, I was joined by two other couples, one from Minneapolis and the other from Australia. They were great company.

After the tour, I headed back to a charming area called Grund and then tried mafe and fufu at a nearby African fusion restaurant called Odum .The hostess was very gracious in showing me how to properly eat my dinner with my hands.

Day 4, Thursday, April 23

On my last day in Luxembourg, I decided to go on a long hike. I took a bus to nearby Rumelange and started 7.3 mile trek ending up in the town of Kayl near the Luxembourg-France border. It was a gorgeous day with even more beautiful country side. I happened upon a restaurant in Kayl where I enjoyed some really good sushi and spring rolls.

After lunch, I decided to head to Germany. Just as the bus I was on crossed over the border, we were pulled over by the police who boarded the bus and checked everyone’s identification. Interesting considering we were crossing over an unprotected border within the EU.

After checking into a hotel in Saarbrucken (which means “bridge over the Saar”), I enjoyed a nice Turkish dinner at a restaurant overlooking the… you guessed it… Saar River.

Day 5, Friday, April 24

I was up early for a bit of sightseeing in Saarbrucken.

After lunch, I got on a train for Kaiserslautern. Unfortunately, I got on wrong train but at least it was going in the right direction. There was a very nice older woman sitting near me who apparently noticed my concern when I realized what I had done. Though she spoke no English, I was able to make out most of what she was saying and got off two stops later at St. Ingbert, waited for about 15 minutes and got on the right train. On this train as we stopped at a station 3 or 4 stops from my destination, soccer fans wearing the bright red colors of the Kaiserslautern soccer team started streaming on board. One sat next to me, two beers in hand. By the next stop, he had helped me to buy a ticket online for my first ever Bundesliga 2 match. A nice surprise, but not the reason I was heading there. More about that in my next post.

Note: Click on any photo to make full size. For a deeper dive, click on the hyperlinks.

This trip came about as a result of a visit to Colorado last September to visit an old friend. I have known John since Kindergarten where we both attended Lincoln Elementary. I didn’t like him much, so it was just as well that we attended different grade schools. But years later, when we were in high school, we became close friends. After I finished college, I moved to Colorado for about a year and a half and John and I lived together in Denver for a brief time. Some time after that, we lost touch (my fault – sorry, John).

After a long hiatus from social media, I set out to reconnect with old friends and John was at the top of the list. During my visit to see John and his wife, Cathy, they told me of a trip they were planning to Europe in April, 2026. And so I invited myself to join them.

Day 1 – Friday, April 10

I figured out this morning that I needed a visa to travel through London, thanks to Brexit. 20 minutes and 40 Euros later, I’m good to go. At the airport, I find out the flight to London is oversold but somehow I got my boarding pass while other passengers around me are fuming. Some days, it’s good to be me. My good fortune to that point ended abruptly. I sat on the plane for two solid hours before we finally took off.

I sat next to a Brit named Justin – fascinating and worldly gentlemen who could talk intelligently on just about any topic. We had a wonderful conversation for almost the entire flight, so it flew by. When he found out I was American, guess what he wanted to talk about?

The flight to Seville was less pleasant. I got to listen to this for the entire flight:

I landed at midnight, then had to stand in a long queue for a taxi. Got to bed about 1:00 a.m.

Day 2 – Saturday, April 11

My stay in Seville lasted about 7 hours. John and Cathy had arrived a couple of days earlier and were staying at a different hotel. They picked me up in their rental car about 7:30 a.m. and off we went to Gibraltar.

After getting John and Cathy checked in to their hotel (I was staying in a nearby airbnb), we had breakfast. For those of you not familiar, this is a “full English breakfast”. And yes, those are baked beans and mushrooms.

With enough calories ingested to last us for a couple of days, off we went sightseeing

Rather than climb the Rock, we opted for a tour van. That turned out to be a wise decision – it is a long and steep hike to the top. Among the highlights were the Pillars of Hercules ,the Barbary macaques, St. Michael’s Cave, the Great Siege Tunnels, and the WWII Tunnels Experience.

We decided to walk back down instead of ride in the van. Not the best decision of the day.

Back in the city center, we had a drink at the Lord Nelson, a cool British pub where John befriended the owner who told us the only place in Tanger (tomorrow’s destination) where we might get a drink. Later we enjoyed a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Day 3 – Sunday, April 12

Another early wake up call. I met John and Cathy at their hotel – a five minute walk and we headed to the ferry to go to Tanger. Unfortunately, we drove to the wrong ferry terminal at Algeciras, so had to ride a bus to Terifa for 30 minutes to get to the correct one. Luckily, we were able to still catch the ferry. It was an interesting process to go through airport-style security to get on the ferry and then stand in line for 45 minutes to get through the passport control – while the ship was moving. Do they throw you overboard if you don’t have the right passport or visa? It was a very bumpy ride of about 45 minutes on the ferry – you definitely needed to hold on to something if you were up and about.

Despite the mid-afternoon start, we saw a lot of sights while being driven around by a taxi driver who waited for as much as 30 minutes at each stop. Cathy got her wish for a camel ride; John reluctantly joined her and I was the photographer. I had my camel ride in Dubai several weeks ago and didn’t feel the need for another.

We returned to the hotel, where we had a private tour guide lead us on a walk for the better part of three hours.

Exhausted, we returned to the hotel and ate a late dinner in their restaurant. We tried several Moroccan specialties including Tagine.

Day 4 – Monday, April 13

Despite the exhaustion, I had another lousy night of sleep. I could hear voices outside the hotel in the nearby narrow alleys until all hours and then the call to prayer at 5:05 a.m. I did not answer it.

We took a short taxi ride back to the ferry terminal. You should have seen the look on the driver’s face when John gave the taxi driver a 100% tip for the $5 ride. You would have thought he won the lottery. $5 goes a long way in Morocco.

Now we are headed back to Spain. Security getting on the ferry boat for the ride back was laughable. Everyone is setting off the metal detector but the “security guards” don’t even look up. I could have brought an IED on board if I was so inclined. I didn’t.

We got back to the rental car at Algeciras about 1:00pm . We stopped for lunch in stopped for lunch Manilva. We continued on to Ronda while enjoying a wonderfully picturesque view along the way.

When John and I get together, he occasionally reverts to the mischievous (and somewhat obnoxious) little boy who I came to know, avoid, and eventually love so many years ago. This is a perfect example: that’s my suitcase that John just chucked across the parking deck. Why? Because John thinks it’s funny.

Despite very breezy and chilly conditions, we set out for a walk and saw some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. This part of Spain is absolutely breathtaking.

Later we had a fabulous meal at Restaurante Pedro Romero . Both John and I were in rare form, enjoying belly laughs throughout the evening as poor, embarrassed Cathy tried to quiet us down, to no avail. She didn’t stand a chance.

Day 5 – Tuesday, April 14

After one night in Ronda, we were off again. First stop – Setenil de las Bodegas. We walked a bit and found a little place to stop for a cappuccino.

The next stop was Caminito del Rey This was the most amazing hike I have ever done and I can’t imagine another one better! It is not for the faint of heart – two solid hours with fairly steep ascents and descents at times and, due to my fear of heights, had my heart racing at times. Thankfully, the weather was perfect. This would be brutal on a hot day.

This was a full day. Now we’re headed to Malaga where we will stay at the Hotel Benalma.

Day 6 – Wednesday, April 15

At the outset of this trip, my return plans were up in the air. I woke up this morning and decided I had officially hit the wall. I booked a flight back to Malta for Thursday.

I had the morning to myself so I enjoyed the breakfast buffet, grabbed a workout and took a walk on the beach.

I met up with John and Cathy early in the afternoon and we headed to the city center for some sightseeing and a late lunch. The Cathedral of Malaga was particularly impressive.

Day 7 – Thursday, April 16

I was up early for my flight and left the hotel about 6:30. I flew a couple of discount airlines for the first time: easyJet and jet2.com. Not very comfortable, but you get what you pay for and the price was reasonable considering I had booked the flights only a day earlier.

I have this amazing superpower. I attract screaming kids on almost every flight I am on. I got to enjoy this all way from London to Malta:

I landed about 7 p.m. in Malta. Thanks once again to Brexit, I have to stand in line for close to an hour to clear passport control because I’m returning from a non-EU country. And guess who was just a few feet behind me the entire time…

After finally getting through passport control, I opted for the longer ride to the ferry at Cirkewwa on the north of the island. This way I am sure to get a seat as those “damn tourists” are starting to fill the ferries. I arrived at the terminal at 8:30 and back to the apartment about 10 p.m. Another long day of travel and I have just a few days back in Gozo until my next trip. Stay tuned.