Following the lead of Susann DeCuir, I dropped into Xanadu, a quarter Full region held and designed by Xan Dark (Xan Darkheart) and presenting a (primarily, but not exclusively) Sino-Japanese fusion of ideas wrapped within an Adult-rated environment in which adult / sexual activities are allowed; as such, I’ll say up front that the setting may not appeal to everyone in terms of its function, but it is nevertheless visually engaging and photogenic – and during the time of my visit, it was quiet and friendly.
The landing point sits within a Zen garden located more-or-less in the middle of the setting and to which it might said – that in the manner of ancient Rome – all roads (or in this case, paths) lead; or at least depart, given it is the landing point. Watched over by a Zen master, the garden offers visitors a choice of routes to take.
To the north, the path crosses a zig-zagging walkway of modern design as it passes over an oval body of water served by waterfalls, to reach a coastal pavilion; south to where a stone bridge guarded by a Torii gate and a pair of Kirin crosses another body of water before the path climbs up to a temple in which Buddha listens to the prayers and chants of monks; west to pass a bamboo garden with it bed-enclosing tea house and onwards to where a Tibetan structure sits as a bathhouse come personal retreat.
Off to the east, the path skirts the waters crossed by the stone bridge to where a hollowed tree trunk provides the way up to another little house for adult pastimes, and then on to where a sauna hides amidst an enchanted wood before reaching ruins that would not look out of place in Medieval Europe.
And that’s just the start of things. There are in fact two pavilions looing out over the waters to the north and west of the region and the off-region mountains guarding the waters. Both provide a view across the turquoise waters to where a giant octopus ravages the wreck of a sailing ship. Or, if you turn to the right on crossing the zig-zag bridge, the trail will lead you to a wooden bridge as it reaches out to a boat-like island in the middle of the lake. Here, slung below the bough of a Sakura tree is a swing, with other places to sit and cuddle along the bank of the lake nearby. Whilst sitting at any of these, you might get a sense of being watched. If so, look up at the waterfalls that feed the lake here and you might find the reason 🙂 – and another place to have a little fun.
Then there is the lake between the landing point and the temple. Not only is it home to Koi carp and swans and herons and more, it is home to a floating deck reached by crossing a stone dragon bridge. And still this is only scratching the surface of all that might be found within Xanadu. There are dozen of little touches to be found, from the little playground for pandas to the more obvious table-top games – and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a ninja-like figure clearly up to nefarious mischief. There’s also the hidden theatre awaiting discovery and the hot tub deck, both of which add their own modern twists to what might otherwise be a ageless setting.
Nor – outside of the Kirin – had I mentioned the fantasy touches apparent throughout. Fairies await visitors wander the paths, a goblin keeps watch, whilst a wall of giant basalt columns separate the setting from the neighbouring parcels like a rocky version of G.R.R. Martin’s Wall separating Westeros from the North. Not – I hasten to add, having recently been chastised for offering personal impressions in describing another region, that this setting in anyway contains anything to do with Martin’s mythology; it’s simply what comes to mind when exploring.
As might be gathered from all of the above, Xanadu packs a lot into a quarter region – and quite beautifully so; the flora is rich and verdant, the paths set out in such a way as to give the impression one is wandering a location far larger than its 14,368 sq metres. Thus, throughout all of it there is never a sense of being overcrowded, just of being in another land where inspiration come from many sources, those from Asia reaching beyond Japan and China, and the fantasy elements offering a nice twist.
Yes, sexual activities, D/s and BDSM do form part and parcel of the overall setting, so discretion is advised for those not into these particular activities as noted; but also as noted, I didn’t encounter anything off-putting during my visit and found a delight in the overall design and my explorations.
Kudos to Xan for such a richly diverse and detailed location, and my thanks to Susann for the pointer!
SLurl Details
- Xanadu (Angel Bay, rated Adult)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 