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.
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