Category: Reviews

Summer Edge, June 2019 – click any image for full size

Update: Summer Edge has closed and the region is now under private ownership. SLurl have therefore been removed from this article.

Funky Banana (FunkyBananas) is back with another new Homestead region design, Summer Edge. This is a wonderfully simple design, one that doesn’t need much in the way of description, and is delightfully restful to explore. As Funky himself states, the region offers:

A remote island with no inhabitants, perfect for an escape from everyday life. Beaches, cliffs and fields.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Set with a north-south orientation, the island sits between two beaches, the one to the east including the landing point, the one to the west broader and offering marvellous views out over the ocean that are ideal for romantic sunsets. A single solid structure sits above the island’s low cliffs, brick-built and with its roof broken, it resembles an old lighthouse that at some point was re-purposed, a wooden dome replacing the lantern that might have sit on it.

Cinder paths cross the island’s top, providing easy access to the tower, to the beaches and to the wooden platforms that have been built out from the cliffs. These latter provide places to sit and relax, while others might be found on the sands or along the cliff-tops.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Funky has resisted the possible temptation to scatter sheep or deer on the island – although there are gulls are on the wing. This absence of animals gives the island even more of a natural look and feel. Why would sheep be grazing on an island that’s clearly not inhabited? Similarly, how would animals survive more than a few generations?

Instead, what we’re left with is a small, wild rising of rock, grass and hardy trees that all have a feel about them of north northerly latitudes and a definite untamed feeling. Wandering it, I felt like I was exploring a small island off the coast of Scotland, protected from the mainland by the unpredictable swells of the North Sea.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Funky has a reputation for region designs that captivate (see The sands of Banana Bay in Second Life, A Butterfly Beach in Second Life and A Wild Edge in Second Life), and this is no exception. Summer Edge is a beautifully natural design that is highly photogenic.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Our thanks to Shawn for the pointer!

56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785, June 2019 – click any image for full size

Zoos can often generate mixed reactions. On the one hand, there are questions of proper animal husbandry and welfare; on the other, there’s the fact that some zoos and zoological parks can play a role in helping with matters of conservation, research, breeding, and the re-introduction of animals into the wild.

I admit to having mixed feelings on the subject myself, although it is not unreasonable to say that – while there are still significant issues around holding wild animals in captivity in multiple places around the globe – the presentation of zoos has changed in many parts of the world in the last 50 years, with the old “cage and hay” approach long since replaced by larger spaces for housing animals that are more reflective of their natural habitat, with much improved care and encouragement to live and breed more naturally.

56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785, June 2019

Update: the zoological gardens have closed, and the host region repurposed, possibly not for public use. SLurls hve therefore been removed from this article.

The unusually named 56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785 is something of a reflection of this more modern approach to zoological gardens. Occupying a sky platform above a Full region (and utilising the additional 10K land capacity available to full private regions) this is a group build, led by Sergio Castellanos Sr. (Seriouslly) that we were pointed towards by Shawn and Max, and one that makes for an interesting visit, even for that pricking of the conscience that may be felt should thoughts of animal welfare tickle the back of the mind.

The layout comes across as something of a cross between a zoological garden and theme park, comprising an entrance area, complete with turnstiles, ticket booths, and aviary, car park and refreshments, and three major zoological areas: Asia, Africa and a “sea world” style of environment.

56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785, June 2019

Sitting with these are two “islands” – Fantasy Island and Discovery Island, which give the setting that theme park feel. The former is home to creatures one would not normally expect to find in a zoological garden: mermaids, unicorns and dragons; but this is Second Life after all, and it’s not as if these creatures are unknown to us here! Discovery island, meanwhile, presents a children’s petting zoo, a learning centre that appears to be for special events (unfortunately, the connected information page for it sits behind the Facebook log-in so I couldn’t take a peek to see how frequent events might be, or their nature), and children’s rides.

All of these areas are connected by paved footpaths radiating out from the main entrance, and also by wooden walkways, while cliff-like walls help break up the setting, giving it a more natural as well as helping to very naturally divide it into the various “theme” areas without anything feeling remotely forced.

56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785, June 2019

The wildlife within the “zoo” areas of the park might be as expected: tiger and pandas leading the way in the Asian section, both with large enclosures reflective of their habitat, while wild boar and flamingos occupy smaller enclosures  before Asia folds its way into Fantasy Island. For those interested in the animals and creatures, information boards alongside each enclosure are ready to provide note cards.

Africa, meanwhile – and also as might be expected – offers open-air enclosures for elephants and rhinos, giraffe and zebra, and lions, all built around the park’s main café, sitting on a little rocky plateau. Also to be found here are the enclosed primate areas and walkways leading up to the upper level of the “sea world” area, home to dolphins and Orca. This area is split on two levels – the lower accessed by way of the children’s corner and petting zoo (and passing by way of a little Jurassic display),  and providing and “underwater” view of the dolphins and Orca. I admit that this area particularly left me with a slight feeling of discomfiture, as I am uneasy around attractions where creatures are expected to perform, no matter how “happy” they may appear to be.

56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785, June 2019

I’ll also admit to having one or two niggles with the size / re-sizing of some of the animals and with the slight alpha issues the tigers can exhibit under some windlight settings (which suggest they might fair better if they were to be switched to Alpha Mask if they are Modify). However, these weren’t enough to put me off appreciating how well the gardens have been put together, and the care taken to give them a logical structure.  While “56578 Go Wild Blvd, Watery Cove, IS 245785” might be a handful to type, there is no denying it has more than enough to keep visitors engaged (particularly around Discovery Island), marking it as an interesting and diverting visit.

Lotus Bay, June 2019 – click any image for full size

Update: Lotus Bay may no longer be open to public access.

Lotus Bay is a new homestead region design by the combined talents of Maria Kobaiernen (Dreamy Lebed) and Aydenn Palazzo (Aaydenn29) that recently slipped into the Destination Guide, and in doing so caught our attention.

Described as “a luxurious tropical island with a hedonistic resort vibe”, this is a quite marvellous design rich in content and detail. Admittedly, the amount of mesh and texture present can take something of a toll on a computer if you happen to like running with a lot of the viewer’s options active; however, this does not mean Lotus Bay should be avoided by the keen SL traveller, as doing so would rick missing out on seeing a very special place.

Lotus Bay, June 2019

Rising from the sea with beaches to the west and east offering a buffer between land and water, Lotus Bay sits atop a magnificent table of rock. Sheer cliffs on all sides seem at first to rebuff visitors. However, the stone steps carefully cut into them just a short walk from the landing point give the lie to this.

Winding upwards and slightly inland from the beach, these steps lead the way to a lush plateau, rich in foliage and colour, and home to a large, whitewashed house with a distinctly colonial look to it.  Old and with its walls patched and the home to strands of vines, it is nonetheless furnished inside, witnessing its occupancy while the presence of the piano in the wooden-floored courtyard perhaps gives an indication that the rainy season here is very predictable.

Lotus Bay, June 2019

While open to visitors, this house nevertheless raises questions: is it a primary residence or a holiday home? Certainly the nature of the island suggests it was never the centre of something like a working plantation. The log marked trails that extend away from the house at various points to make their way through the foliage and between rocks, suggest that the house is a vacation retreat, a Second Life Necker Island, if you will.

These paths, running snake-like and often branching to offer choices of route, provide access to swimming pools and  open-air decks where people can relax and sit or dance. They offer the way to other steps leading back down to the golden sands of the beaches below, or to where a hot tub sits under the shade of rocks and palms. However, all of these little touches, each beautifully executed and presented, also speak to the idea that this is a resort more than a private location; a secret getaway for the well-informed.

Lotus Bay, June 2019

This feeling of paradise delight is furthered down on the sweep of the east-side beach, where a deck awaits those wishing to partake of a Second Life wedding. There is also a little cluster of cabins built over the water, each one offered for rent by those wishing to extend their stay on the island as a vacation away from the rest of SL. Rates for both cabins and weddings can, I understand, be obtained by contacting Maria.

The care put into the design of Lotus Bay is evident throughout. The use of space, the placement of rocks, trees, paths, buildings, and so on has a perfectly natural feel that greatly enhances the sense of immersion; Lotus Bay feels like a place in which the building and structures have been placed to both take advantage of the landscape and utilise available spaces, rather than the landscape feeling it has been designed to fit around the buildings and locations within it.

Lotus Bay, June 2019

The landscaping itself also has a wonderful eclectic feel to it: temperate shrubs and bushes mix with Junipers and cacti and palm trees in a glorious mix that gives Lotus Bay no fixed location, but the ability for it to be anywhere we might wish to imagine it – off the coast of central America, or an Indonesian island, or somewhere sitting off the coast of Vietnam or China, and so on.

For me, and despite the differences in local plant life, I was put in mind of the forests in Dambulla region of Sri Lanka and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve further to the south of that country. While there is nothing specific to the landscape at Lotus Bay to align it with Sri Lanka, I was nevertheless put in mind of walking through forest trails there, and reminded of the care with which some resort spaces in those places have been blended into their surroundings.

Lotus Bay, June 2019

But wherever you might wish to place this setting, the important thing is that you go and see it, because it is a true delight for the eyes. Photographers can obtain rezzing rights for props by joining the local group. Photographs themselves can also be submitted to the region’s Flickr group.

SLurl Details

• Lotus Bay (Lotus Bay, rated Adult)