"Life's too short, babe, time is flying..."

"...I'm lookin' for baggage that goes with mine." 

Okay, despite me now having those lyrics from Rent in my head, maybe not baggage. More a backpack, to be exact.  A week or so ago, Torley gave me this really cool backpack (see image below) that is actually a random teleporter. It allows the wearer, or anyone in the same region who clicks on it, to be teleported to a completely random spot on the grid. You can set it to find sims that are general/moderate, or general/moderate/adult. I put it on, clicked, a loud alarm went off, and local chat told me, "Random Sim Teleporter. Backpack. [Mod/Trans]: Kinnaird Resident has chosen to teleport. Please prepare for extraction :)" And off I went!

Because the backpack will port you anywhere on the grid, both to Mainland and to private sims, I had a few false starts  - one empty private sim for sale, a group of four private sims containing a planned town, one private house on Sansara with a security orb - before landing at The Haven. Looking up the parcel details, I found this description: "Set in Bordeaux's famed Haut-Medoc, The Haven celebrates the creativity of all who find a haven in SL and is a place to make and renew friendships while you explore its secrets." 

Owned by Sister (sisterbutta), and comprising most of the sim Molson on southeastern edge of Sansara, The Haven at ground level is a rambling expanse of forest, vineyards, and large buildings in the style of 18th century France. The arrival area places you right next to a fire-breathing dragon, which one can ride over the sim, although exploring by foot will let you discover a lot of fun details. Steps to the West lead up to an open-air French pavilion, with an adjacent Artist and Author's Terrace, pictured below. The crystal ball on the center of the table whispered to me, "Crystal Ball: You will partner with someone very wealthy and be given many many Lindens." /me casts a sidelong glance in Ziki's direction and grins.

"The Haven is really a big sandbox where I try things out," commented Sister when I spoke with her. "Most of the ground area I've leveled and am rebuilding. The only structure there now (pretty much) is the large house/salon. A friend in England did the build and then I furnished; it was my very first effort in SL. It is generally historically accurate; nothing is post 1786, in theory. It is not a 'palace', is is the somewhat mysterious 'hideout' for the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) during the years of suppression when the order was dissolved by Papal order." Visitors can explore the Salon here (outside of which is an awfully fun bubble rezzer) or a large exhibit covering the first 200 years of the Jesuits in a skybox here.

Continued Sister, "There are three other builds up in the sky...the Galactic Cantina (pictured below),  a bizarre halloween/day of the dead build that I can't bear to pack up (pictured above), and finally there is Lasata, a fictional small town in southeast Alabama (USA) that is the SL setting for a RL novel. It is probably the most interesting build at the Haven. It is all a hodgepodge, but I love every meter of it."

All in all, The Haven was a lovely find, and a great example of the creative use of Mainland space. Wander around, especially on ground level, where you can find an art exhibit under a canopy of trees, relax in the gardens of the French pavilion, or enjoy an outdoor meal on a small freestanding terrace. Then spend some time exploring the skybox builds, including the otherworldly landscaped area outside of the Cantina. What an impressive venue for a space-themed event! Thank you, random teleporter backpack, and thank you, Torley! 

I wonder where it will take me next?