Shareta Osumai Tea Garden

In my recent blog post about bridges, I featured Molly Linden's elegant bridge, which connects two Japanese-styled Linden homes areas near Hoshigarei. If you cross that bridge, and wander West, you'll arrive at the the bright red gates of the Shareta Osumai Tea Garden. A strikingly lovely LDPW build, the garden comprises an entire sim; two if you count the connecting infohub directly to the North. Let's enter through the shoji gates and spend a pleasant afternoon looking around, shall we?

Perhaps the most striking feature of the garden is the five-story tea house, pictured above. Nearby, you can catch a (very slow) rickshaw pulled by a mole for a leisurely ride, or wander the many paths through the garden on foot. You might spot the hedge dragon, pictured below, or sit and meditate at the edge of the Zen rock garden. See how many different mole statues you can find among the plantings, and you might even find three mole coins just waiting for a lucky toss into a nearby pond!

Once you are finished visiting the garden, follow the river North, and climb a series of winding wooden staircases up to a group of five large buildings perched at the top of a mountain (pictured below). These buildings are all part of the Shareta Osumai Infohub, and contain a number of freebies, including parasols, fans, cricket cages, eleven different decorative masks, and boxes containing textures for use in Japanese-themed Linden homes. Make sure to spend some time exploring each of the five buildings, as they all contain different surprises. The mole temple (last photo, below) was my very favorite.
 

What I found really fascinating about this location (and thanks to Gem Preiz for the original tip!) is that there are at least two duplicates. According to the Second Life wiki, there are four premium Linden Homes continents: Premium East (also known as Nascera), and Premium South 1, 2 and 3. The Gardens and Infohub I have described above exist in Premium East, the same continent where you can find Cape Ekim, Racer's Gulch, and the Wilderness Sims. However, you can also find the very same Shareta Osumai Tea Garden on Premium South 2 and on Premium South 3, with related Infohubs to the North of each. Similarly, Molly Linden's wonderful bridge is duplicated on both Premium South 2 and 3 as well. Choose any of these three expansive gardens, and you're sure to enjoy your visit. Let me know if you found those lucky coins!

The Temple Of The Prim

Route 11 begins (or terminates?) on the southern shore of Corsica, as a narrow wooden walkway clinging to the side of a mountain (pictured below). Here, at the Kwaito Rez Zone, rather than following the walkway to see what treasures that route has in store, we will venture off the road and up a steep mountain path to seek the mystical and mythic Temple of the Prim.

Shigeko Tachikawa has taken an excellent photo of the mountain path, which switchbacks up the stone mountain to a fortress on the top (photo below). Venture through the drawbridge and up the stone stairs until you reach the courtyard (first photo, above). From within, a mysterious glow beckons you forward. 

Once inside, you'll find an ancient map of the world, along with three glowing, winged figures, each holding up a prim. Investigations reveal that these are "Ancient Prim Guardian Statues", created by a mole with a really great name, Mouldy Mole. Further explorations will show an empty, dusty room below this, and a subterranean river below that. But no other clues. What was this place? What led the moles to create it, here on this remote mountainside? And why, oh why, is there so much glow?

Some things, it seems, will remain forever a mystery. ;)

The Interview - Patch Linden

Hot off his Yearbook Challenge adventures with Ms. Strawberry Singh, please welcome Patch Linden, here to talk about five of his favorite Mainland destinations! As the Senior Product Manager for Land and Accounts in Second Life, Patch is responsible for the features and daily operations of each. He is also responsible for the Moles/LDPW and SL's new user experiences, such as Learning Island and Social Island. He commented, "The Mainland is my team’s product responsibility and has been for years. You could say for over a decade now considering that Guy Linden has been working on it longer than that and has been on my team for the majority of that time. So if you want history, you’ve got the right person and team who can give it to you. :D"

Patch is shown here in a photo by Frost Mole on the rigging platform at ANWR, which he features in his list of favorites. He states, "I love what I do and I enjoy confidently being able to say I do it with the viewpoint of our Residents in mind, every day. Patch also has a terrific "What Second Life Means To Me" video in which he speaks about his love for the Mainland. Check it out here!

There are some great Mainland destinations featured below, including ANWR (while there, pick up the free sailboats by Michael Linden, and peek underwater to check out the pipe that carries prims from Sansara to Heterocera), and Bay City, just in time for our exciting 8th Anniversary Celebration!  And now, on to the interview!

Kinn: Patch, thank you so much for agreeing to do this! Please name five of your favorite Mainland destinations, and tell us a bit about them and why you enjoy them.

Patch: I must profess, I found this extremely limiting as I have so many favorite places from which to choose!  


In no particular order, here you go:

1) Meauxle Bureaux (think Mole burrow)

This is the mainland home of the Moles. This very talented group of Resident contributors creates a lot of the fun experiences that the Linden Lab Land Operations team manages under the LDPW (Linden Department of Public Works) moniker. A lot of the infrastructure on the mainland, ranging from roads to fully immersive gaming experiences, is created for all Residents to enjoy. In this region you can get a glimpse into what it’s like to live like a Mole. (Meauxle Bureaux was first featured on this blog here.)

2) The Ivory Tower of Primitives in Natoma

This long time staple and institution of knowledge built by Lumiere Noir is what I usually credit with my fondness for content creation. As a Resident, it was one of the first places I visited and initially fell in love with what Second Life empowers us in as Residents.

3) Luskwood

As one of the founding non-humanoid communities in Second Life, early on I developed a deep appreciation for the diversity that Second Life represents. This is another institution for a long standing community of Residents who have made Second Life a home; is accepting and welcoming to everyone interested in seeking help, meeting new people, socializing and exploring.

4)    The Bay City Amusement Park, Bay City (aka Hairy Hippo Fun Land)

As another LDPW / Mole inspired and managed project, the mainland area known as Bay City offers a uniquely themed region of the mainland that also incorporates a vibrantly run community.  Exploring the entire city and discovering the hidden jewels of content, the airport and associated Info Hubs, as well as riding the rides in the amusement park is fun! (Hairy Hippo Fun Land was first featured on this blog here.)

5)    ANWR

Have you ever wondered where the “prims” come from in Second Life?  Wonder no more.  Those cute little plywood cubes that we affectionately proclaim “It all starts with a cube” are sourced from this very location for the entire Second Life grid.  Come witness the prim drilling rig in its operational glory.

Kinn: And now question number two - Why does Mainland matter to you?

Patch: Overall the Mainland represents the foundation for everything that Second Life evolved into.  It was core to the revolutionary vision of its founder and essential for providing the base that launched the first socialization, communities and areas to congregate in Second Life.  Without it, or even the concept of what we refer to as “Land” in Second Life, you have to ask yourself the following questions: Would you have a place to stand around and chat with your friends?  Dress up and show off your latest avatar?  Play the games or participate in the experiences you do today?  Listen to music, go to events, or live shows?  It all comes down to the core idealism of having a massively explore-able, contiguous space that started it all. All of my respect and fondness for the Mainland comes from that ideology and continues to drive my commitment to Second Life today.

Meauxle Bureaux

A good number of the destinations I've featured on this blog are creations by the "moles" of the Linden Department of Public Works, private residents who are expert builders, scripters and artists who have become contract workers for Linden Lab, tasked with creating Mainland infrastructure and community builds. At Meauxle Bureaux, the moles at last have their own homes, but not, as you might suspect, in dark burrows in the ground. Instead (pictured below) they have nested in an expansive medieval walled town on a large island in the Coastal Waterway...and it is open for the public to explore!

There is a fixed landing point, which will deposit you in the middle of a large town square full of market stalls. Currently, this square is still decorated with Valentine's balloons and messages...perhaps the moles have been too busy working to notice it is Spring! In any case, looking to the East, you'll spot a large castle-type building that serves as a community hall. Inside, you can pick up some winter gifts, enjoy a Mad Tea Party and other fun pose props, examine the portrait gallery on the second floor and try to guess which mole is which, and click the various posters which line the walls to receive LMs to other mole builds around the grid. A guestbook is located by the front door if you wish to leave the moles a message before wandering outside to explore the charming cobbled streets that wind through the town (photo below).

As you walk through the town, you'll notice that some moles share storefronts on the main roads (photo, below right), some have small duplexes just outside of the town, and at least one, Abnor Mole, runs a bar (first photo on the left, below). At "Ye Olde Abnor Mole Pub", visitors can play pool, enjoy a lively round of Cards Against Humanity, drink beer or espresso, or just relax and read. There are some other fun things to spot around town as well; try to find Ancient Mole's animated cave...inside one of the storefronts!

On the North and West sides of the island are docks where you can enter the town if approaching via the Coastal Waterway by boat or Yavascript Pod. The  Maebaleia North M1 pod route serves both sides of the island. (Meauxle Bureaux is located off the Northeastern coast of Satori - sometimes called Maebaleia - just south of the Blake Sea.) On the larger set of docks in the North (see the very first picture in this post) you will find a rez zone so you can use your own boat to go exploring, or pick up a free sailboat or kayak near the Mole Marina in that same area. A sign near the free boats will tell you how to use them.

In first life, I will be traveling to the Republic of Ireland this summer, and the colorful houses of Meauxle Bureaux (pictured above) reminded me of the town of Cobh, which I plan to visit while there. I do hope that you take some time to explore the homes and shops in Meauxle Bureaux, and take a moment to celebrate the SL residents who, as LPDW moles, use their creativity, talent and humor to make the Mainland more beautiful, and more fun!

"Red Hot Mama, You're The One I Need"

In the center of the Volcanic Island Sims of Sansara sits the towering peak of Mt. G'al, the largest of the many volcanos in the area, and the one I've often heard referred to as the "fickle, palindromic goddess of Second Life". Before visiting, know that this volcano is deadly, and jumping into it will "kill" you and send you home. The landmark I've provided places you high on the outer cone (you can see me standing there in the photo below) but be careful not to lose your footing after you land!

However, for those adventurous sorts among you, there is a way to enter the volcano and not die. Scan down into the lava until you spot the white platform and clear tube pictured below, and port onto the platform. Walk through the tube, and into the opening in the rock wall. Take a deep breath, be brave, and step into the large hole in front of you.

After falling, you will land in a cave filled with curious machinery (see photo below). Are the moles of the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) using the volcano as a hidden power source? Crazy Mole seems to have left a few clues behind...

The area surrounding the volcano contains a number of strange and interesting builds, including three iconic floating islands tethered by great chains to the earth, an ancient infohub, a giant Atlas-like figure holding up a palace, a large fairy forest surrounded by waterfalls, a space shuttle crashed into the mountainside, lava goddesses (see photo below), an extremely fun UFO rezzing platform, and the Temple of L'ag ("FOR it is written in the lava, "Lag is Life" and so lag shall we"). Unsurprisingly, the region is very laggy, but still well worth a visit.

Historically, it appears, avatars have been sacrificed to this volcano goddess in order to reduce lag and other grid-wide issues. Some have even taken to sacrificing themselves! So, what do you think? Will you do your part for the health of the Grid? Of course you will. Be brave, stand strong, then take a flying leap into Mt. G'al!

"I've got a girl, a wonderful girl
She's the sweetest one in town
You can search for miles around
But no one can be found like this one

Red Hot Mama, you're the one I need!" 

"Red Hot Mama" by the Brox Sisters, 1924