Tag: Exploring Second Life 2023

Occupying one quarter of a Full region leveraging the private region Land Capacity bonus, lies The Last Aokigahara Souls. A highly photogenic setting cast beneath a night sky, this is a place designed primarily designed by Eddie Takeda and Clair Wolf Takeda (Kajda1610) which is open to the public, and is described as a piece of Japanese nature where visitors can relax and enjoy a good cup of tea.

The name appears to have been taken from Aokigahara, the Blue Tree Meadow (also known as the Sea of Trees); a rich forest which has grown on some 30 square kilometres of lava laid down by the last major eruption of Mount Fuji in 864 CE. Located on the volcano’s north-west flank, the forest is a popular tourist destination, and has a historical reputation as a home to yūrei, the ghosts of the dead – something which might again be perhaps reflected in the parcel’s name.

Like its namesake, The Last Aokigahara Souls is a place where volcanic rock can be found – notably in the curtain cliffs which bound this sky-based location, and in the multiple basalt columns and outcrops found throughout. Also like its namesake, this is a richly wooded setting, home to both streams and pools of water, where exploration is encouraged along paths and trails.

The landing point sits within the outer courtyard of a large traditional-styles Japanese house, a smaller guest house facing it from across the gravel floor of the courtyard. Information boards to one side avail themselves to visitors, as does the seating located within the courtyard. Access to the house is via a set of inner courtyards, and once inside, visitors can make their way through the inner courtyards to where coffee awaits thirsty folk at the back of the house, or those wishing to unwind a little more can partake of sake in one of the two side rooms of the lower floor.

There are two exits from the landing point. The first is a gravel footpath marked by a red Torii gate to one side of the main courtyard or by crossing a simply log bridge which spans the stream paralleling the courtyard beyond the screen of bamboo running alongside the guest house. This to another Torii gate on the far side of the stream and a short gravel path alive with local wildlife, which provides access to a romantic little gazebo where couple might enjoy a dance or two.

The main path, meanwhile point the way to a little outdoor eatery, complete with its own little lantern-strung courtyard eating area. Here the path splits the two arms each bordering a side of a large pond fed by low waterfalls. Pointing away from the eatery, the first arm of the path directs explorers between the pond and more bamboo to where a further Torii gate guards stone steps as they start a curving climb up a hill whose flanks are hidden under the drooping cover of the trees. The second arm of the path runs onward past the eatery to joint to be cross by another path running down from the hills via a further – and straight – stair, which is again marked at its base by the presence of a Torii gate.

Both of the paths up the hill lead to the same destination: a temple and shrine. Illuminated by lanterns and sitting within a small garden space, the temple presents visitors with the options of spending time in quiet contemplation or sitting before Buddha whilst awaiting enlightenment as the heavens turn overhead. That the two paths both lead up to and down from the temple means they offer a tidy loop around this part of the setting without the need to retrace steps.

The path at the foot of the straight stairway not only crosses the one leading outward from the landing point, it continues on to where a small red bridge arches over the stream as it is beautifully lit by floating lanterns sitting on rafts clearly anchored against the swift flow of its current. Across the bridge, the path enters a Zen garden offering multiple points of interest to explore and in which to spend time.

Within this corner of the setting can be found a further shrine, a small watermill sharing its space with a family of pandas (a typical inclusion within many Japanese-themed settings, despite the fact the panda is not native to that land – although it is beloved of Japanese people); a garden marked by the presence of a huge tree in Sakura-like bloom where a couple might enjoy cuddles under a smaller tree, watched over by both Buddha and Japanese cranes; and a gravel-floored space beyond the latter garden, which can also reached by a separate path running from the Zen garden, providing the home for a small teahouse where a rather talent kitty is available to entertain visitors.

In addition, for those passing by the watermill, a further pair of bridges cross over the water channel cut to turn the mill’s wheel and (again) over the stream. These connect with a further path running under the lee of one of the boundary cliffs, climbing a set of steps as it does so to reach a little hideaway overlooking a rounded pond. Fed on one side by falls dropping from the cliffs and with its own falls tumbling to feed both mill and stream below, the pond is home to dancing crane, koi that calmly swim under the surface and lanterns which float above, lilies and basalt outcrops completing this near-idyllic spot where tea might again be enjoyed.

Set as it is within a sky platform, The Last Aokigahara Souls is beautifully presented; the space has been wisely used to give a sense of a location larger than its actual size, allowing for plenty of exploration without immediately feeling one is simply retracing steps. There are also multiple opportunities throughout for photography, whilst the setting gives people a chance to get away from others and enjoy a little time alone and in peace.

As noted, The Last Aokigahara Souls does sit under a (quite glorious) night sky by default, but it also lends itself to other EEP settings for photography, as I hope a couple of the images here demonstrate.

Definitely a place to be visited, and my thanks to Shawn Shakespeare for pointing me to it.

SLurl Details

• The Last Aokigahara Souls (Lam, rated Moderate)

It is said that as his government faced the Sterling Crisis of 1964, former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson quipped, “A week is a long time in politics”. Whether he did in fact say anything of the sort is a subject for debate by those so inclined. However, it does give me the opportunity to offer something of a corollary of sorts: a month is a long time in Second Life.

I say this because within a month of my writing about Monica Mercury’s Burrow Wood County, originally located within a quarter-region parcel of a Full private region, had closed and elements from within it relocated to an expanded set of parcels occupying fully half of another Full private region. Here they sit within a setting of two halves: Burrow Wood – Road to Nowhere and Burrow Wood by the Sea, and Monica recently and kindly invited me over to pay a visit and update my records.

Once again designed for Monica by Teagan Lefevre of Le’eaf & Co fame, there is much about the this location that is mindful of Burrow Wood County: the same dusty roads, the presence of a run-down motel, the auto shop / garage, the trailer par, and so on. But so too is there much that is new within the expanded landscape, making a further visit worthwhile, even if you did drop into Burrow Wood County just before it closed. That said, a little care might be required with explorations this time around, as the setting now includes a number of rental properties available as private residences, so trespass is to be avoided.

Each part of the location has its own landing point; however, for the sake of convenience, I’m starting my description from the Road to Nowhere landing point, given it sits towards the back of the setting, below the curtain of cliffs which separate Burrow Wood from the neighbouring parcel occupying the region. I also opted to use my personal “travelling” EEP settings when taking the pictures seen in this piece.

As with the former incarnation of Burrow Wood, this landing point sits at a bus stop, giving visitors the impression they’ve just been dropped off by said transport. Across the road is a lumber yard, and next door to that the familiar motel, facing a slightly upbeat diner as the track runs arrow-straight to the auto shop / garage and splits, one arm sweeping into the little trailer park, the other pointing due south. As it does so, it passes over a familiar old railway bridge, giving the suggestion the track from the landing point may have once been the bed of the railway line. Beyond the bridge, the track runs parallel to a water channel cutting through this part of the setting, passing one of the rental homes before diving trough another tunnel to arrive at the gated access to Burrow Wood by the Sea (passing the latter’s bus stop landing point in the process).

Here the channel the track has been accompanying is given the look of a canal, the banks built over with retaining walls supporting pedestrian-only sidewalks serving. These serve the shop on either side of the channel before dipping down to become / serve small wharves where larger boats moor moor. Two bridges span the channel, each elevated enough to allow smaller boats to pass under them and possibly moor at the floating pier with its gas pump. Sitting between the channel and a small shingle beach is another familiar location: the local oyster house from Burrow Wood County, now offering more outdoor space for diners – and possibly the local seagulls if people aren’t careful!

A single track runs outwards from the town to the west, forming a broad alley between the local bookshop and café. Unpaved and with dirt compacted down from years of use, it runs uphill to where a third tunnel sits,  as the track leads up to another tunnel, this one apparently closed to traffic for whatever reason. Either side of the track is tree-shaded grasslands offer a sense of open wilderness. To one side, this land is cut through by a fast-flowing stream as it tumbles away from the falls which give it life, before it dives into what is presumably a natural bore hole which drops the water down under Burrow Wood by the Sea’s café and into that main waterway.

The falls feeding the stream drop from an arm of rock reaching out from the western curtain of cliffs to neatly split the landscape in two as it steps its way down to meet the main water channel. Tucked under this arm of rock and reached by a makeshift bridge spanning the tumbling stream, is a small cobble-floored terrace and wooden pergola offering visitors a place to sit. Across the stream from it and a little more down slope can be found a shaded picnic spot caught in the loop of a public footpath and, beyond that, another rental property.

Across the dividing wall of rock the landscape is equally rich and varied as it reaches back towards the building of Road to Nowhere. A wild garden, open to the public can be found on the slopes as they drop down from cliffs to water channel. A round gazebo, well shaded by trees sits within this garden, and both garden and gazebo might at first glance easily be taken to be extensions of the rental home sitting at the top of the slope as it climbs towards the backdrop of cliffs. However, this is not the case, as the fence marking the boundary of the rental property makes clear.

A large and deep pool of water makes up a good part of the landscape here, crossed towards one end by an old wood-framed, covered bridge; what appears to be a relic of a bygone era. A rutted track curves up from one side of the bridge and under the lee of the cliffs, suggesting that perhaps this was once a main right-of-way for carts and wagons – perhaps back in the day when the main track was still home to a railway track. However, across its span, the rest of this rutted route has in part been lost, leaving only a sign alongside at the back of the auto shop to note it is now “road closed”.

With its richly diverse landings, good use of ambient locals sounds, and the careful, natural dividing of the overall setting into a number of distinct areas, Burrow Wood offers photographer, explorers and casual visitors a lot to see and appreciate, and perfectly expands upon Burrow Wood County. My thanks to Monica for the invite to visit!

SLurl Details

All of Burrow Wood is rated Adult.

• Burrow Wood: Road to Nowhere
• Burrow Wood by the Sea

Held by Aloriana Shadowstar (Aloriana77) and designed Marie Nova, Nederlanse Bergee is a Homestead region currently open to the public and offering, in the words of the About Land description:

A beautiful island, ideal to get away from everything. A place to explore, to discover, to enjoy, to relax.

The region sits as three islands – two relatively large, and the third much smaller. Of the two larger islands, one forms a ribbon running from the south-west corner of the region and around to the north, separated from the second by a narrow channel which broadens into a bay as it and the ribbon island run north and then east. The third, small, island sits to the north-east.

The ribbon island is home to the region’s landing point. Ruggedly wild, the island offers a mix of temperate and tropical trees, little beaches, and cosy retreats. The latter range from a beachfront coffee house, passing by way of a little retreat and a small café to a parade of coastal shops tucked behind the island’s high northern peaks.

Somewhat incongruously, this island includes a small tram station. Quite where the trams used to run to / from is unclear; however, none seem to have been running for a good while, and the one that is present at the station has long since been converted into a little diner.

The channel between the two main islands is spanned at a single point by a wood and rope bridge, well towards its southern end. Footpaths on the far side of the bridge in turn lead to a gazebo sitting on a small promontory in the south-east corner of the region or to a second  little parade of shops which have, perhaps, more of a European lean to them compared to those in the north, which have a holiday island feel to them.

Dominated by a large flat-topped hill, this second island is also home to numerous places where visitors might spend time. These range from an outdoor gathering place that looks like it might be the home of the poetry reading events periodically held in the region (at the time of writing, the next is scheduled for April 28th), through to a coastal holiday home, the aforementioned gazebo and, within the northern bay, a little wharf against which a little boat with Bimini raised sits.

The smallest of the island might be tucked in close to the ribbon island, but, save for flying, appears to be the hardest to reach; none of the boats scattered around the region appear to be available for use by visitors, and the channels separating the little island from the others are deep. However, it offers a quite retreat in and of itself, with a summer house, wild flowers and a hammock under the shade of trees.

When seen under its default environment settings, Nederlanse Bergee has some of a painting’s look and feel about it; something that increases the Dutch tone evoked by the region’s name. However, the setting also lends itself to a wide range of EEP setting for those who are so inclined to experiment; for once, I stayed with the local EEP for the photos here.

Restful, a touch romantic and very photogenic, Nederlanse Bergee makes for a gentle, easy-going visit. My thanks to Shawn Shakespeare for the pointer!

SLurl Details

• Nederlanse Bergee (Lochdale, rated Moderate)

Situated as the southernmost municipality of the county of Møre og Romsdal in north-west Norway, Sunnmøre (or South-Møre, if you prefer) – as with the county as a whole – is regarded as a region of outstanding natural beauty, its rugged and varied landscape being home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Geiranger Fjord.

While one of three districts within Møre og Romsdal, Sunnmøre accounts for over 50% of the county’s population – although this doesn’t mean it is exactly going to feel crowded; the total population for Møre is under 200,000, with the majority living within coastal towns like Ålesund (popn approx 53,000). This means that much of the county  – and a lot of Sunnmøre is open countryside – is a place where people are free to enjoy friluftsliv.

Pronounced (I’ve ben informed) free-loofts-liv, the terms translates as “open-air living”. Originally popularised by the Norwegian playwright and poet, Henrik Ibsen during the mid-1800s,  friluftsliv was initially used to describe the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing.

Today, the phrase is used more broadly by Scandinavians as a whole to cover just about everything from runs in the forest or riding a bicycle through the countryside, to joining friends at a lakeside sauna (often followed by a chilly dip in the water), to simply relaxing in a mountain hut or participating in a little glamping, through to more vigorous activities such as rock-climbing or cross-country skiing when the snow permits, and so on. It also still encompasses the ideas of wellbeing and health, and is closely linked to allmansrätten, the right to roam.

Within Second Life, Emm Vintner (Emm Evergarden), of The Nature Collective fame, has brought a touch of Norwegian friluftsliv and a stylised touch of Sunnmøre to life with a Homestead Region design called – quite appropriately – Sunnmøre, which thanks to a pointer from Shawn Shakespeare, I recently enjoyed visiting.

Sitting as a clutch of islands protected within the mouth of a fjord opening out into the sea, Sunnmøre offers a setting rich in activities one might reasonably expect to enjoy whilst participating in a spot of friluftsliv. There are tracks and trails to walk / ride along (horses can be rezzed from the one hitched near the landing point ferry), kayaks are available for paddling through the channels and around the waters surrounding the islands, together with motorboats and inflatables – all of which ensure dry feet when trying to reach the smaller islands! For the more energetic / daring zip-line rides might be had from the top of the main island’s peak.

For those seeking something more restful, opportunities are available for a little fishing, taking to the air in hot air balloons, or simply sitting and watching the world go by. And, of course, there are plenty of opportunities for photography, with lots of local wildlife to be found – and some rather acrobatic sheep! Signage at the landing point offers some instant directions to points of interest, and the ferry-as-a-landing-point gives a nice feel for having literally just arrived from somewhere on the mainland when visitors teleport in.

Environmental consciousness is very apparent within the island – hardly surprising, as Scandinavia tends to lead with way when it comes to the likes of wind and solar power and thing like ground- and air-source heat pump systems for heating. A trio of wind turbines look like they provide power to the islands – and probably the local lighthouse, whilst the research centre located on the largest island utilises solar power. Of course, this being a design by Emm, bees are also in evidence, although the chance of some fresh honey has drawn an inquisitive bear cub to them!

If you want to extend their Nordic experience after exploring Sunnmøre can avail themselves of the signboard advertising Moon Lair Taste of Norway, located as it is alongside the Sunnmøre Tourist Centre. Doing so while spirit you away to Moon Lair – but I’ll leave that to a future visit and possible blog post!

As always with Emm’s work, Sunnmøre is well presented, and makes for an engaging and photogenic visit.

SLurl Details

• Sunnmøre (Wylda, rated Moderate)

 

 

 

I’m starting this piece with an apology. In early March, Kika Yongho dropped me a note card about her new parcel Photo Café, which had just opened at that time. With all that’s been going on in the past month, the note card slipped down my “to visit” list to the point where I didn’t get around to popping along until Easter, a month after I’d received the invitation to visit.

Occupying a little under a quarter of a Full region utilising the private region Land Capacity bonus, Photo Café is defined as a place where Second Life photographers can socialise and participate in moderated text chat about all things related to photography and photographic art in Second Life. The location – and its related group ~ Photo Café – Photographers ~ is operated by Kika Yongho, Duraya Resident, Kapaan Resident and DaneAlbion Resident.

The setting is open to all to visit, with visits commencing on a sky platform where acceptance of the local Experience is required to progress. It sits as a disused railway cutting arcing between two tunnels in what might be a rain forest style of environment and with the second of the tunnels forming the teleport point to the ground on attempting to walk through it after accepting the local Experience.

The teleport leads to the “mouth” of the tunnel at ground level. Primarily designed by Violette Rembrandt and SL partner Lucifer Morningstar – the couple behind the Wonderland 2.0, a place I wrote about in November 2022 – the setting continues the tropical / rain forest theme whilst folding into it a sense of fantasy and other-worldliness in which strange giant fungi and floating islands vie with tall trees, tumbling falls, all watched over by a full Moon and a ringed planet under a blue, star-spangled sky.

Central to the setting is a huge and ornate gazebo – the unmistakable work of Elicio Ember – which serves as the focal point for meetings  and discussions, its floor area circled by chairs and sofas, the rule of debate / discussion mounted on boards. A small art garden forms the centrepiece to the gazebo whilst the columns and upper reaches are draped in vines and plants, helping it to blend into the surrounding landscape.

Within this space is a little secret, one that continues the fantasy theme. It’s not entirely obvious in nature. In fact when I cammed around the meeting area and saw what lay under it, I anticipated the teleport would lead down to it; so I was intrigued when I found myself high up in the sky, standing within one of Desert Blossom’s Void Dreamscape scene rezzing environments and a choice of over 40 scenes waiting to be rezzed. Getting back to ground level from the Dreamscape also had me a little mystified, as I didn’t spot any obvious teleport (although I did find the Flower Gate leading outside), so resorted to using Firestorm’s Teleport History to drop back down to the ground.

Oh? What’s that? How do you find the way to the Dreamscape? I’ll let you find that for yourself. All I’ll say is, ladders that appear to go down through holes may in fact go up. Also, remember, teleports here are experience enabled, so you may want to try walking on / through the ladder, rather than trying to touch-teleport (I had to bump into it a couple of times for it to work). How the scenes might be used is a matter of choice – but they do make interesting photography backdrops.

As well as the gazebo, with its curtain of waterfalls backing it, the location offers other places to sit and relax, including a beach house and – sitting high-and-dry on the rocks – an aged submarine.

I gather discussion groups are held every two weeks, on Saturdays at a noon SLT, with the most recent having been on April 8th. More information on the location and the group can also be found at the Photo Café website, where information on events and transcripts of past discussions can also be found by those interested in joining the group.

Once again, apologies to Kika for not writing about Photo Café any sooner.

SLurl Details

• Photo Café (Midnight Party, rated Adult)