Sanctuary

We've visited Satori a lot lately, but there is still so much more there to see! On the east coast of that continent, between Route 8 and the sea, you'll come across a place called Sanctuary. Spanning three sims — Afanasyav, Blue Quill, and Rideau — Sanctuary offers a variety of landscapes to explore. Let's start in Sanctuary by the Sea. One arrives on a boardwalk which serves to connect several buildings on the hillside with a series of small piers, pictured below. On each pier sits a unique structure; one is a a seaside bar, one a small cafe, and one even boasts a tiny rooftop movie theatre.

From this area, we will venture north along the coast, and then inland...but be careful! Once leaving the seaside, visitors will notice that their health meters activate (that small heart in the location bar at the top of your viewer). This means, of course, that you can be "killed" here, so watch out for snakes and 'gators in the swamp! The 'gator pictured below seems pretty harmless, but one never knows what might happen when you hear banjo music playing in a swamp...

According to owner Roxi Firanelli, "Sanctuary started out as a small piece of oceanfront therapy. Over the last six years it has grown to encompass almost three connecting regions. As I would pick up surrounding parcels, I would theme them — the forest, the swamp, the meadow, the roadside — mainly because I just liked to have different looks. Then along came my friend Darth Kline, who is a master landscaper and visionary. He took the designing to a new level, and since I'm lazy and he's good at it, I let him! He's built whole forests, farms, towns, wharfs and even replicated Dangernon...the ancient citywide build that DRD did for the Fantasy Faire. There is usually some part of the land that is in construction and we love it that way."

There are a number of beautifully furnished homes on the property, like the one pictured above, plus there are lakes, beach areas, a delightful tea house hidden among the rocks, a large open air pavilion, a school bus abandoned in a stream, and numerous other scenic spots perfect for a photo shoot. One of my favorite parts of the parcel is a small shipwreck off the coast, pictured below. It reminds me (on a much smaller scale) of the S.S. Ayerfield in Sidney, Australia — an abandoned ship, built in 1911, which is now a floating forest of mangrove trees.

According to Roxi, "There is a small community that lives here and calls this home, whether it's up on a platform or down in one of the houses.  Sanctuary has always been open to anyone, and anyone is welcome to join the group and call it home, if for no reason but to be able to open a box and get dressed in private. Darth and I are bloggers and Jarath is a profile photographer, so we set up scenes on a regular basis and sometimes like them so much we incorporate it into the land." If you enjoy your visit to Sanctuary, let Roxi, Darth and Jarath know — the guitar-playing 'gator in Rideau is also a tip jar. Have fun exploring!

Moonlight Teahouse

The Moonlight Teahouse is a peaceful Japanese teahouse perched on the edge of a high cliff on the north coast of Satori. Visitors arrive on a high parapet (see fourth picture, below), and after passing under the red arch, will soon encounter an area for Tai Chi where participants can look out over the rolling sea as they play. 

Extending from the parapets, steep stairs set into the rocky cliffside will lead you up to the teahouse and surrounding gardens. The teahouse itself is flanked by two different Zen rock gardens (see photo, above). According to The Smithsonian, "Zen rock gardens, or karesansui (translated as 'dry-mountain-water'), originated in medieval Japan and are renowned for their simplicity and serenity."

The serenity continues along paths behind the teahouse, which wander through gardens (pictured above) filled with brightly-colored flowers and over a bubbling stream before circling back around to the teahouse itself. The structure (pictured below) is from POST, and allows for repose or restful meditation while feeling the cool ocean breeze through the open windows.

Myron Byron built Moonlight Teahouse as a gift for his partner, Sara (Saraphen Resident). He states, "I've been building for years, but not many have seen my work. Nothing is on the market. I've done a lot; furniture, statues, jewelry, hair, clothes, props, machinima, poses, all kinds of buildings from baroque palaces to hangars and modern grunge, etc. Moonlight Teahouse is the first of my builds made available to the general public and, to my surprise, received a lot of traffic thanks to unexpected exposure in Destinations Editors' Picks (from late Sept to late Nov 2013). It was built with midnight (WL) setting in mind. I hope you enjoy your visit!"

You can port directly to Moonlight Teahouse, or for the more adventurous, approach it by sea. Located in the sim Tuli along the Coastal Waterway, the parcel can be reached by boat from either Nautilus or the Blake Sea, or from other points along the Satori coast. Providing a tranquil oasis along a busy coastline, the teahouse and gardens are well worth a visit.

(Queen) of the Road

As I mentioned in my last post, the road network on Satori is unusual, to say the least. From the Satori wiki page: "Originally the roads were supposed to connect, but due to mistakes when the land was divided as the regions were brought online many of the routes end in abrupt dead ends. A system of false tunnels and billboards at dead ends will offer teleports when touched to allow travelers to easily keep exploring the road network without having to backtrack or search the map for where the road picks up again." I'm just going to highlight a few of the fun and interesting things you'll find on a road trip through Satori, going in no logical order. And off we go!

Let's start with the tunnels. Every once in awhile, you'll come across a dead end disguised as a tunnel. The one pictured above is located in Bietschhorn, and if you click on the lights on either side of the entrance, it will transport you to a corresponding tunnel in Finsteraarhorn, skipping the sim in between. Only problem is that you'll lose your car during the port, but since you'll land in a rez zone, it really isn't a big deal.

Billboards, like those pictured above, are another device used by the fabulous LDPW moles as a way out of a dead end. These two are located outside of the Dead End Diner in Ellingson, and offer to take travelers to either a tunnel in Aragonese, or to the charmingly rustic Old Wagon Road, which is only two sims in length.

In several locations, the road ends near water. There is a beautifully landscaped Japanese dance area in Davros, located at the junction of Route 8 and Route 8C. From there, if you choose to travel on Route 8C, you'll shortly arrive at a body of water where you'll see a boat launch and a free sailboat rezzer. If you sail across the water to the other end of the road in Valeyard, you'll spy a ramshackle structure (pictured above) where a large hole gives evidence to the notion that someone didn't notice that the road was ending!

If, however, you set out at the Japanese dance area and continue on down Route 8, you'll start to notice a series of signs warning you that the bridge ahead is out. (Along with the bridge made of light in the Sansara Snowlands, this is probably one of my favorite areas on any Mainland road.) As you approach the missing bridge, you'll spy a Road Closed sign which offers "Alternate Transportation." Click on that sign, and a huge bullseye appears, along with instructions on how to position your vehicle to have it catapulted across the water. Are you brave enough to try it? Just remember that you are also being thrown across a sim crossing, so anything could happen!

The subtle, playful humor of the LDPW moles can be found at every dead end on Satori. Above, "competing" billboards at the end of the Old Wagon Road in Sababurg send you either to Ogilvie, or back to the Dead End Diner in Ellingson. You can find a list of all of Satori's rez zones here. No matter where you start, or whether you travel by foot, bike, or car, you'll have fun exploring the roads — and the dead ends — on the continent. Take a trip through Satori, and be King (or Queen!) of the Road!

 

 

Road Trip Through Richfield

Forgive me, dear readers, for it's been a long time since my last blog post. Both my First and Second Lives have been way too busy, so I figured it was high time to grab my girl, pack a quick bag or two, and go on a ROAD TRIP! Today, travel with us to Satori, also called Maebaleia, or the Japanese Continent. The main road is Route 8 (pictured below with its interesting topiary-styled trees) which breaks off onto 8A, 8B, and 8C. There is also a very small stretch of road in the middle of the continent called the Old Wagon Road. There are rez zones (listed here) all along the road where you can rez a vehicle; Ziki and I started near the southern end of Satori, in Richfield.

Venturing south, we found ourselves at a small carnival, pictured below, and got out to explore.The owner of the carnival, Gracie Dotterkelch, was nearby, and stopped to speak to us as we peered into the haunted house and tried out the carnival games. When we mentioned that we'd arrived by car, she said, "I'm on a new exploration; the mainland is a whole new adventure for me. Roads and water that actually go somewhere! I'm learning to drive after all these years and seeing if I can find my way home!" She laughed and continued, "I think in that regard, I'm a noob again. I didn't ever before really experience the mainland and its charm."

Gracie showed us the haunted forest next to the carnival (pictured below), which is a great find for spooky October adventures! But visit soon, because Gracie mentioned that after Halloween, she will "dabble with making it a winter park." Ziki and I waved goodbye, then headed back north on Route 8 to investigate some woodlands we had passed.

At the junction of Routes 8 and 8A, we found a lovely, wooded parcel called "The Back 40." We wandered in the lane, past two garden gnomes with strong opinions, and discovered a peaceful oasis filled with wildlife, a rocky waterfall, a pond, a camping area, and a beautiful carpet of bluebells. Owner Dick Spad welcomed us, and mentioned that he had tried to make the parcel into a little roadside park. "Since then," he commented, "I was inspired to create a full sim that looked like this, and I called it Countryside. But I still love this, my very first parcel of land, and I hope people will visit, relax and enjoy themselves here."

Ziki and I took advantage of that invitation to camp out under the stars, enjoying the crisp Fall air, the smell of wood smoke and the sounds of the forest. In the morning, we drove northeast to the other end of Route 8A and stopped for breakfast at the Dead End Diner, pictured below. The dead ends of Satori (and how the LDPW moles worked around them!) are worth a post of their own, and we also spotted an interesting sim behind the diner, so our travels through Satori will continue! Until next time, my friends!

The Phoenix - Rising From The Ashes

High above the sim Gurshi on the continent of Satori spins the impressive five-level Phoenix Space Station, pictured below. The station's levels include dance clubs, living and sleeping quarters, and even a hangar with five different rezzable spaceships (second photo, below), each of which can be flown. Similar to those on the LDPW's Mos Ainsley Space Base, about which I wrote here, the spaceships will autoreturn to the station when you stand.

I wandered around the station for a bit, taking the center elevator to explore each level. This would be a great place for a photo shoot, or to host a space-themed party. Unlike at Mos Ainsley, I didn't spot any aliens, so I think partygoers would be safe. ;) Sim owners Sven Homewood and Sauly Saulio (Saul Winkler) mentioned that anyone wishing to host a party on the station can contact either of them for group membership, which includes rezzing rights. After I was finished looking around, I jumped off the station and tumbled the long way down to earth, curious as to what was below.

With rez dates one month apart in 2007, Sven and Saul have owned the land below the space station for over nine years. "I remember we got the land four weeks after I joined," commented Sven (pictured below). "We were the first people here. We didn't know each other then but we talked a lot and then found out that our plans are pretty similar about how things should look and feel." Sven built the space station and the pub; Saul said "I mostly buy and place things around."

According to Saul, The Phoenix Hangout, comprised of two connected parcels spanning about 16k of land, was created because he and Sven "wanted to make a non-commercial place for folks to kick back and hang out, play games and listen to music." He continued, "We call the place The Phoenix because I basically destroyed it once with the click of a button. Everything poofed off the land. Sven was a little miffed. When we (mostly he) rebuilt it, we renamed it The Phoenix, because it was rising from the ashes."

When I asked them what their favorite parts of the land were, Sven mentioned the pub — The Sleeping Dog — which was named after an ancient dog sleeping by the fireplace inside (pictured above, far left). Saul said his favorite part was the fishing pond outside of the pub (pictured above, far right). There is a 7Seas fishing vendor located right next to the pond.

The Phoenix Hangout is filled with places to, well, hang out. There are hobbit houses to explore (pictured behind our mushroom perch, above), playground-type rides, places to rest or snuggle, and games scattered both inside the pub and throughout the grounds. "People come to play the many free games," remarked Saul. "We welcome all types of avatars here: furry, child, petite, whatever. Just no griefers! There are also free to copy items scattered throughout the parcel. We've been tweaking the place for nine years now, and we like how it has developed." Come on by, hang out a bit, or take a ride on a spaceship and tour the surrounding area. If you enjoy your visit, there is a tip jar located just inside the entrance to the pub.

Little Yoshiwara

Explorers traveling on the eastern coast of Satori, the Japanese continent, might happen upon a tranquil Japanese community called Little Yoshiwara. Xuemei Yiyuan, the owner of the sim, commented, "I founded Little Yoshiwara in July of 2007. Starting out as a Geisha tea house and Shinto shrine on a 2048m block in the Milarepa sim, it has grown into an Edo Period (1603-1868 AD) Japanese town covering the entire region, as well as a substantial portion of the adjoining Ribush sim. The growth of the town would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of past and present group members Shashe Neva, Faye Kawabata, and Soresu Romano." While this lovely and well-designed area was created for role-play, Xuemei told me that her primary aim is to have a place to celebrate traditional Japanese culture. "While those involved in the social groups do role-play on site," she said, "our general group members and visitors are not expected to role-play unless they wish to do so. In addition, visitors may dress any way they want, as long as it doesn't infringe upon the PG nature of the sim." 

According to Xuemei, "Within the town are a number of social groups which not only role-play those social roles, but learn about those social roles in classes held at the 'group schools' in their home buildings or training areas. Each of the schools uses traditional ranking systems and conduct regular classes and training in the chosen role. These schools include: Yoshiwara Okiya group for Geisha; Yoshiwara Uji Dojo group for Samurai; Yoshiwara Jingu Association group for Shinto Priests and Miko; the Ichimura-za Kabuki Troupe group for those interested in performing traditional Kabuki and Noh plays; the Doujoji Zen Temple group for Buddhists; and the Yoshiwara Yokai group for those choosing a super-natural (or non-human) role. The sim also welcomes anyone wishing to establish any new group schools (e.g. Sumo, Ninja, Yakuza) provided they are prepared to put in the time and energy needed to train their members and provide classes."

The town features sitting and picnic areas, a dance area with modern music, hot baths (onsen) for bathing, and rooms for playing the game 'Go'. Visitors are welcome to enter role-play group areas, such as the tea house (ochaya) run by the Geisha, the Samurai training areas, including the traditional archery range (kyuudo), the Zen Buddhist Temple (Zendo), and any of the 8 large and small shrines belonging to the Shinto group (these include our Grand Amaterasu Shrine in Ribush region, and smaller shrines for Tsukuyomi, Susano-o, Uzume, Izanagi, Inari, Hachiman, and Takemikazuchi). There are some home rentals on site (clearly marked and locked), and visitors are asked to respect the privacy of those areas. Otherwise, wandering throughout the town is welcomed. You might even stumble across a haunted forest and abandoned execution ground! The sim-wide teleport system is located in pillows scattered throughout the grounds.

Xuemei concluded by stating, "Little Yoshiwara welcomes, and is happy to provide the venues for, anyone wishing to hold events or seminars about any aspect of Japanese culture, which will be facilitated and advertised by our Admin team. The sim also has a gallery for art or photographic exhibitions. We invite everyone in Second Life to freely attend our cultural events and classes, and enjoy the amenities of the town and its general relaxing ambience." 

Every time I encounter a place like this gorgeously landscaped town which has been home to a number of active and vibrant groups since 2007, I am reminded again that the Mainland is a place of hidden beauty and tight-knit communities. Take a trip to visit Little Yoshiwara, and find out for yourself how true this is!

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!

But why is the rum gone?

At the far Northwest corner of Satori (also called Maebaleia, or The Japanese Continent) is a small island called Pirate's Cove. It is easily reachable by boat or Yavascript Pod; in fact, the N1 Yavascript route stops there on its way around the coastline. Go to the Yavascript station at Basilisk and choose the N1 route (several routes leave from there) for Southern Nautilus and the NW Maebaleia Islands. If you've never ridden a pod, this is one of the more interesting routes, and a great place to start. But be sure to hop off at the island with the large pirate ship and huge, grinning skull. 
 

This crescent-shaped island is another mole creation; you can find a great number of interesting mole builds dotting the small islands which surround each continent. On this one you can explore a pirate ship, warm yourself by a campfire, or grab some whiskey from several bottles scattered around the island. If you look carefully, you might even find the pirate treasure, and take away a sapphire crown and a gleaming sword complete with built-in pirate attitude (see picture below). The only thing conspicuously missing was rum.

But the best part of this island might well be the discovery that we all own the large, gleaming skull that dominates the landscape. Created by resident Locke Cardway, you can find a copy in your inventory! Look under:  Library >> Objects >> Sculpt Prims - Examples, and it is called Skullpty2. It is mod/copy/transfer, so you can make it as large or small as you want, for use as a pirate cave or a Shakespearean prop. Alas, poor Yorick, all the rum is gone.

After moving on from Pirate's Cove, the Yavapod tour passes by a number of interesting builds, including Rte. 14 (home to Dead Mole's Curve and the Seven Chicken Bridge), and the impressive remains of the Leviathan on Ahab's Haunt (see below). Created by resident Yavanna Llanfair, Yavascript pod tours cover most of the Linden roads and waterways on the Mainland, and are a great way to see the sights. Not always in the shape of a pod, they also turn into train cars, boats, balloons, or even snowmobiles, depending on the landscape. The main pod station at Durango also houses the pod information centre, where you can find information about the tour commentary and catch a pod through some of the most historic areas of the grid.  

So ahoy, mateys! Choose a route, hop on, tour the Mainland by pod...and plunder some pirate treasure along the way! Just be sure to bring your own rum.