Tag: Exploring SL Archives

In May 2020 I visited a region design by Jade Koltai which – as with her work with the much-missed Serene Footman – was based on a real world location: the Hotel De Salto, Columbia. It was a fascinating visualisation of a place with an equally fascinating history, some of which I touched upon when writing about my 2020 visit.

Well, Jade’s Hotel De Salto is once again open to tourists to visit in Second Life, and as with the original, again sits above the gorge of the Salto del Tequendama, or Tequendama Falls. With the return of the build come some new elements I don’t recall from the first iteration – although they could be things I simply missed back in May 2020; either way, they provided an added bonus in re-visiting this eye-catching build.

As I noted back in my original piece, the Hotel Del Salto is located some 30 km south-west of Bogotá, Columbia’s capital city, and within an area steeped in legend. The waterfall, for example, is believed by the indigenous Muisca people (also known as the Chibcha, also the name of their language) of the Andean plateau to have been created by Bochica, the founding hero of their civilisation, who (amongst other feats of leadership) used his staff to break the rocks of the high savannah plateaus to release the waters covering them, providing the Musica with rich and fertile lands for settlement. In fact, Tequendama, an ancient settlement close to the falls, is regarded as one of Colombia’s earliest permanent settlements.

Measuring 132 metres in their main height, the actual falls are an impressive sight, and the location of another Musica /  Chibcha people’s legend, being the place where it is said that in order to escape the Spanish conquest and its violently enforced evangelization of the Americas, the indigenous people of the area would leap from the falls, becoming eagles able to fly to their freedom.

The story of the hotel commenced in 1923, and became wrapped in its own semi-tragic legend. Designed and built by Carlos Arturo Tapias at the behest of the 11th President of the present-day Republic of Columbia, Pedro Nel Ospina Vázquez, the building reflected French architectural lines. Its original purpose was to be a private mansion where the elite of Bogotá could gather and celebrate their wealth and elegance in a setting of supreme beauty and breath-taking views  – the building built against the very lip of the gorge carved by the nearby waterfall.

By 1928, the building had become a more formalised hotel, opening its doors to visitors from around the world, a role it was to perform for around 50 years. With its spectacular views of the falls, available from both the rooms and suites on the gorge side of the hotel and – especially – from the broad dining and tea terrace extending from the rear of the hotel to the edge of the gorge, the hotel did attract many. However, not all of them were happy visitors, with the hotel gaining a reputation for attracting the broken-hearted who would – perhaps as a result of the ancient Chibcha legend of people throwing themselves from the nearby falls to escape the terror of the conquistadors – throw themselves to their deaths from the nearby cliffs. These tragedies further enhanced the Hotel’s reputation, as it was said the cries of those taking their own lives could be heard from within the hotel, leading to claims that it was also haunted.

However, in the 1970s, the Hotel’s fortunes entered a decline. Bogotá has undergone expansion at a pace that far outstripped its supporting infrastructure. As a result, the river serving the Tequendama Falls and following through the gorge below the hotel has become the city’s primary sewer. This became so bad that the falls gained the dubious distinction of becoming “the largest wastewater falls in the world”, and the river regarded as one of the most contaminated in the world, with its stench rising to the level of the hotel. A dam built across the river above Bogotá further restricted the flow of water reaching the falls whilst conversely increasing the among of raw sewerage it contained, and by the 1990s, Hotel Del Salto had closed its doors and was simply left to nature and to rot.

It is in this state that Jade has again chosen to represent the Hotel: an empty, mouldering shell. Rooms lay deserted, vines and creepers scale walls and hang from rafters, the branches of bushes and trees intrude through windows that have long since lost their glazing; paint fades on walls and doorways gape slack-jawed onto balconies, their doors also long-since vanished.

However, within its empty bulk, there are still reminders of the hotel’s glorious past, together with echoes of the ancient history of the Tequendama area and of the Musica / Chibcha.

For example, one of the broad terraces offers a parasol-shaded lounger from which to appreciate the full glory of Salto del Tequendama, here depicted long before any upriver dam stemmed the full spate of the the river. Directly behind the Hotel, another terrace presents an ornate cast-iron table and chairs set for tea offering, again offering a view of the falls and one down the lush gash of the gorge, humming birds and a parakeet adding to the exotic sense of indulgence.

Meanwhile, a balcony serving one of the long-since deserted suites of the hotel offers both a comfortable bed for use as a latter-day chaise lounge, a gramophone on the floor for those requiring music perhaps reflective of the hotel’s early years. Watched over by a cockatoo, this balcony carries some of the echoes of the ancient past in the form of painted skulls displayed on the parapet guarding its edge.

A further suggestion of the region’s ancient heritage might be found by descending the stairs which cling to the stone walls of Jade’s built as they support the Hotel from the rocks below, offering a route down to the water’s edge facing the foot of the falls. Here Jade has taken a little artistic liberty, turning the river into an enclosed body of water, allowing her to present evidence of ancient structures which help acknowledge the rich history of Tequendama, as well as providing a further retreat for those who wish to tarry for a while within the region.

Another place in which to pass the time can be found on the steps of the north face of the gorge. This takes the form of a sturdy, if rusting tower topped by plants and places for couples and individuals to sit. Reaching it, however, does require a sense of adventure and a trip along one of Cube Republic’s excellent rope climbs!

For the last 14 years, the original Hotel Del Salto has been undergoing restoration, initially as project undertaken by the National University of Colombia’s Institute of Natural Sciences. This was part of a broader (and on-going) effort “to recover the region and make it free, clean, and surrounded by a healthy ecosystem.” Initial exhibitions at the Hotel under the Institute’s umbrella commenced in 2013, with the museum officially opening to the public in 2016.

However, according to several reviews of the restored building, much of this work involved a complete abandonment of its original interior décor, settling instead for a modern, clinical white plaster finish, leaving the building’s interior a faint shadow of its former self. Similarly, much of the exterior of the building has been whitewashed, possibly in an effort to  protect the stone and brickwork against the ravages of the local climate, although visitors have again critiqued this as eliminating much of the building’s splendour.

But however one might find the original Hotel Del Salto – should one opt to visit Columbia! – there can be little doubt that Jade’s interpretation is a welcome returnee to Second Life, and represents a vision of what might actually be the most evocative era of the real Hotel’s history, and does so in a manner that both pays homage to the broader historical context of the Tequendama area whilst perfectly fitting the constraints of a Second Life region.

SLurl Details

• Hotel Del Salto (Overland Hills, rated Moderate)

Life has been pretty hectic over the last few months for me in the physical world, with much of it coming to a head over March 2024 (hence the lack of blogging most recently). Fortunately, things are now getting back to normal, so it’s time to resume my SL travels once more – and where better to start than my annual springtime trip to Luane’s World and the always picturesque Le Monde Perdu (The Lost World), the public Full region designed by LuaneMeo and Gorba McMahon.

Sitting at the southern extreme of the six private residential regions of Luane’s World, Le Monde Perdu always offers a sense of openness and nature’s warm embrace to visitors. A Full private region boasting the additional Land Capacity afforded such regions, Le Monde Perdu is open to visitors from across Second Life as well as those who opt to live within the estate’s rental regions.

For this iteration, the landing point sits well to the north-east, close to where the region connects to the rest of the estate via a wooden footbridge. Note that visitors are free to wander the paths and tracks of the rental regions, but as asked not to trespass onto the actual homes and gardens therein.

The landing point sits on a shady, grassy knoll overlooking the footbridge to one side, and which is home to a greenhouse converted into an information kiosk on the estate’s available rentals. Two clearly marked paths descend from the knoll, one to the footbridge and the other, longer path gently riding the slope down to the southern half of the region. Both paths have horse rezzers located close to their respective ends, offering visitors the chance to hitch a ride around the setting if they prefer not to walk.

A third route away from the landing point takes the form of a boardwalk stepping down the hill on its west side, presenting visitors with a choice of route onwards as they reach its lower half. One of these leads by way of a clematis-draped wall, to the shaded banks of the region’s lake, which can be easily circumnavigated on foot, with various waypoints on the route around it taking the form of various places to sit and pass the time. These include a little boat out on the water itself, a deck extending out over the waters and a charming little shoreline cottage. A deck adjacent to the latter provides access to a swan boat pedalo rezzer for those who fancy a little ride out on the water under their own power.

Behind the little lakeside cottage, the land rises to a broad, flat-topped hill, home to a much more substantial house that offers itself as a faux watermill. If the wheel once drove any machinery, it’s long been removed and the room it occupied converted for more modern living than a place of work, whilst the water channel the wheel dips itself into looks to be now more decorative than functional, running as it does around three sides of the house. Which is not to say the structure is not in any way graceful or delightful – it most assuredly is, thanks to both the décor and its inherent multi-level design within its two main floors.

Whilst the house is raised above both the lake to its north and curving beach to its west and south, it is not sitting on the highest point within the region; that honour goes to a little greenhouse and garden area located on the flat head of the island’s almost central plateau, which rises above the shoulder of land on which the house sits. It is easily reached from the house on foot, the greenhouse and garden looking as if they are intended for little spring / summer time soirees, once the heat of the day has dissipated a little.

The path leading to the little plateau also offers access to the region’s south-eastern headland by way of a broad, stout bridge. The lighthouse on the headland appears justified, given the bleached bones of a wrecked ship lying of the shoreline below, whilst the placement of the bridge and the small size of the lighthouse in turn suggest whoever lives at the big house has a responsibility for maintaining the latter.

The bridge is required as the lighthouse is separated from the house by a narrow, sheer-sided gorge which forms one end of a finger-like inlet pointing inland almost as far as the southern path down from the landing point. Here again, the water’s edge is marked by multiple places to sit and pass the time, whilst a little canoe presents the opportunity to sit out on the water and enjoy the peace and quiet.

In fact, if there is one thing that this iteration of Le Monde Perdu is not short of, it is in places to sit and tarry – and rightfully so. They are scattered across the setting with a care that ensures they do not feel they are trying to crowd one another out, but to rather encourage people who visit to spend a little time decompressing and just enjoying the natural lie of the land and watch to local wildlife (and the various cats and dogs waiting to be found!). In fact, such is the bucolic peace evoked within the setting, you might spot one or two of the wildlife citizens of the region also chilling out and catching a few Zees!

Finished with a subtle sound scape and offering multiple opportunities for photography, Le Monde Perdu remains one of the must-see / re-visit regions within Second Life. And don’t forget, there’s also Le Monde Magique – Magical World – sitting overhead and wating to be explored as well! I’ll be heading there once more in the near future.

But for now, given all the hustle and strife of the last few weeks in the physical world, Le Monde Perdu is exactly what the doctor ordered by way of recuperation and a return to my SL explorations 🙂 .

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• Le Monde Perdu (rated Moderate)

I’ve always enjoyed visiting Bella’s Lullaby, the homestead region design series by Bella (BellaSwan Blackheart), and have featured many of the various pastoral and rural locations it presents in the pages of this blog. So I was a little surprised to realise recently that I’d actually not visited at all throughout 2023; I thereafter set out a few days ago to put matters to right.

Now occupying a new location, the current iteration of the setting presents something of a windswept island with – to me at least – and feel of it belonging to northern latitudes; perhaps a place off the coast of Scotland or along Europe’s Wadden or Baltic Sea coastlines. Low-lying, it has a dearth of trees, but does has what seems to be rich, loamy soil in which wild grasses and flowers have taken root – and where humanity has inevitably settled, although not burdensomely so.

The main habitation appears to be a little farm, or perhaps it is the local lighthouse keeper’s home. The lighthouse itself is a short distance offshore, sitting on a little nub of an islet. however, it is hardly of the size to provide accommodation – assuming it is not fully automated.

Whichever way, the two cabins of the farm / home preside over the island, fence-lined tracks running from them and past outbuildings to reach the further parts of the landscape to the east, north and south. In the case of the latter two, this means running down to the water’s edge on one side and a little pier on the other, with the track then running back up the second of the two low hills of the island. Its end is marked by the rear half of an old pick-up truck, once converted into a trailer and now again converted into a stable (or horsebox, if mobile), the residence of the local donkey.

Bella’s Lullaby is the perfect spot for some quiet moments, drenched in sunshine and warmed by gentle breezes. A place where you can find calmness and peace, with plenty of photogenic and hangout spots to discover. .

– Bella’s Lullaby About Land description

A converted greenhouse lies en route to the pier, offering both and artist’s retreat and an outdoor seating area. Along the path running north is an old shelter, a book sitting on stool within its lee offering a map of the Florida Keys. Perhaps this is to suggest another place where this island might reside, although its demeanour seems to be too temperate to be the case. The shelter is apparently the abode of the local watchman – or at least, watch-cat; but like most domestic felines, he’s not allowing the demands of work interfere with a comfortable nap!

The island is home to a number of animals, both domesticated and semi-domesticated. Cows graze peacefully, dogs and cats are scattered here and there, and chickens cluck their way around. However, the most numerous inhabitants appear to be the local geese who might have something to say about interlopers clomping around, as the sign at the landing point (alongside the shelter noted above) makes clear!

Birds are also much in evidence, notably those from the TLC brand by Lautlos and True Redrose, and from the Grizzly Creek brand by Morgan Garret. Both of these brands have offered excellent birds to the SL public, many of which I have myself – notably from Grizzly Creek; and it is a shame that Morgan has apparently departed SL – or at least ceased trading as Grizzly Creek.

Also to be found scattered through the setting are various places to sit, making a stay on the island that little be extra engaging. In addition, considerable care has been taken with the local environment setting, such that the sky is one of the most realising I’ve seen of late in any region. It frames the setting perfectly, offering a further sense of pastoral serenity with just a sprinkling of darkness in the clouds to suggest rain might be lurking around. The soundscape also adds considerable depth to the setting, Bella opting to let the local birds speak for themselves and avoid sound makers dotted all over the setting.

Simple, engaging and utterly photogenic, in this iteration Bella’s Lullaby once again captures the eye and lens.

SLurl Details

• Bella’s Lullaby (Forks, rated Moderate)

It’s been almost a year since my last visit to Vivian Ewing’s Where Our Journey Begins. At the time of that visit, the region was dressed for winter 2022, and I wanted to catch it before the autumnal setting vanished in favour of something more in keeping with the turn of the year – and in the process adding autumn to my previous posts on the region, I will have now covered all four seasons at the region.

For autumn, Vivian has turned to a palette of hues and colours common to the time of year – yellows, browns, splashes of greens, reds and so on, which extend into the environment settings for the region as well, the sky cast in bronze on the horizons, darkening as it moves overhead before brightening once more, the clouds a patina of orange and yellow, dark underbellies hinting at the prospect of rain.

And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep, and autumn was awakened. Immerse yourself in a world full of autumnal colours and peace.

– Where Our Journey Begins, autumn 2023

To the north the lands are raised, curtain walls of cliffs helping to both separate them and bind them with the off-region surround to east and west. A tramway bursts forth from the western cliffs, exiting a tunnel mouth to pass between the tall arms of a grand wrought-iron bridge raised on tall stone-faced plinths as they across the river splitting the land in two from north to south, in the process spanning a shallow valley as it cups the waters in its arms.

Across this bridge – which is joined in spanning the river valley by an equally wide boardwalk on its own row of footings as it forms a pleasant place on which to stroll and watch the activities on the water below – sits a small borough fashioned around a central square. The modern 2- and 3-storey buildings arranged around three sides of the square suggest that this is part of a larger township even whilst it stands alone. The square itself is given over to a very pleasant café with seating indoors our under its broad awning. With the local clock tower standing guard alongside the café and the screen of surrounding trees illuminated by strings of lights winding through their boughs with leave turned to rust, it the square has a certain sense of romance about it.

Facing the café is a brick-built rich providing access to a shoulder of hill sitting above the river. The arch provides access to a path as it meanders around the hilltop, providing a suitable walk for lovers complete with a romantic folly presiding over things at the top of a raised thumb of rock. Those taking the path with find it circles half-way around the folly on its proud seat, then descends down towards the river.

Here the waters appear to have narrowed rapidly after passing beneath the bridge to the north, the ground lush with grass, the water a narrow ribbon running between banks. However, looks can be deceptive – as the slender boardwalk running out from behind a riverside  deck and hot tub quickly reveals. Rather than growing along the eastern bank of the river, the grass in fact marks the presence of a lush, shallow wetland extending out into the main channel of the river, a wetland which continues south, trees rising from its waters and its actual edge marked by a drystone wall as it borders the track running south from the foot of the folly’s hill.

A second narrow boardwalk spans the river towards its southern end, where the lowlands spread outwards to east and west, looking like golden pastures while again actually being a mix of solid ground and wetland under the carpeting of grass. To the west, the lowlands flow past another raised shoulder of land bordered on two of its remaining side by the aforementioned stream (itself crossed by a very sturdy wooden bridge which has seen much use / repair over the years). This triangle of land is home to a small ranch / farm, complete with a horse rezzer for those wishing to take a ride.

Those who do might try their hand at herding the cattle wandering along the local track – or perhaps head south and east to see if they can persuade the cows grazing out on the grass of the lowlands that it is perhaps time to come home! If such an exercise does not appeal, then a walk / ride along the dirt road running east will bring visitors to a low-slung bridge spanning the narrow neck of an inlet cutting into the land. With an old wooden gazebo and a hut-like tent offering places of retreat, this is again perhaps a location for those with a romantic heart.

With a modest farmer’s market (with a touch of quirkiness in it – those staffing the stalls appear to be some of the local deer and squirrel populace!) also sitting along the track leading to the inlet, these is much more to be found along the southern side of the region than might initially appear to be the case. As always, Vivian has certainly created a rich, photogenic setting ripe for exploration and spending time within – so enjoy it before winter steps in!

SLurl Details

• Where Our Journey Begins (Ilha Ipanema, rated Moderate)

In May 2022, I visited Tilheyra, a Full region leveraging the private region land capacity bonus and designed by Teagan Lefevre as a means to showcase her TL Designs brand. It’s a place blogged about here – but that was spring 16 months ago; time has marched on, and those of us in the northern hemisphere are watching autumn stride towards us, and Second Life being what it is, Tilheyra has also marched forward.

I was recently made aware of this by Teagan herself, who invited me to re-visit the region and view its latest redressing. In particular, the estate has been extended with the additional of a Homestead region, which Teagan and her team have called Kuulua. It has been combined with Tilheyra to form a continuous landscape modelled after US swamplands.

Fall unfurls its colours in such splendour, we are but forced to take notice of it. Tilheyra, welcomes you to wade through the everglades, tour the swamps by foot or by boat, and taste the delicious flavours that autumn in the bayou brings.

– Tilheyra About Land

Given this description, and as one would expect, both of the regions present a low-lying landscape rich in trees and cut through with water as it forms natural channels and pools. Some of the latter are open, others increasingly choked by reeds and wetlands grasses, the greenery providing – if any were needed – perfect cover for local alligators as they prowl the shallows.

Sitting solidly towards the centre of this setting is a town. It is a place of indeterminate age; some of the buildings within it have the appearance of belonging to a grander setting whilst others – well, perhaps not so much; however all are showing signs of being past their prime. Roads, tracks and trails spread outward from the town, some of them crossing the water by means of bridges, all of variable designs and solidity – including one which started life as railway carriage! It a network of trails and paths which might be seen as a web spreading out through the swamplands, the town being the spider so often at the heart of a web; only rather than waiting for prey, the town awaits visitors to get caught in the unusual beauty of the landscape and itself.

During my May 2022 visit to Tilheyra I noted that while most of the region was open to the public, it also presented a number of rental properties. This is still the case with this latest iteration, with houseboats and cabins available for rent. All are clearly signed as private, so the risk of trespass should be minimised.

Those wanting to explore will find a lot to see, from places to eat to hangouts for passing the time – there’s even a corner memorial to pets that have passed on, tucked away in a corner. For the more adventurous, there’s a small dock on the shoreline of Kuulua, offering rowing boats and little Culprit speed boats for those who wish to explore the waterways.

Caught under the reds, greens and golds of autumn and framed by a sky in which both the Sun and the Moon might be found, the Tilheyra wetlands avoids the clichés often found within swamp-themed regions (such as an over-abundance of alligators or a “haunted” cabin or two), and instead presents an engaging and very natural setting, available for those seeking a home, and a destination for explorers and photographers.

My thanks to Teagan for the invite!

SLurl Details

• Tilheyra (rated Moderate)

In February 2002, I visited Buddha Garden, a “paradise of pleasure” put together by Gian (GiaArt Clip) and Havih. As I noted at the time, it was tucked into the north-west quadrant of a Full region and formed a place deserving of its description, as I noted in A Buddha Garden in Second Life.

So when co-creator of that iteration of the setting, Gian, dropped me a line to say that Buddha Garden has relocated to a Homestead region, I knew I’d have to hop over an take a look for myself. Now working with the assistance of Ella (Shaye Suki), Gian has produce a setting that builds on the original, keeping much of what made it a pleasure to visit back in early 2022 whilst offering an entirely new take on the original vision.

The main part of the setting retains its highlands feel in the form of a west-facing arc of cliffs from which great falls tumble into a round lagoon embraced within the arms if low sand banks and rocky outliers. The landing point for the region sits on the southern of these arms, alongside little wood-built café-cum-teahouse. Japanese in tone, this sits across open waters from a small island which is home to a small Onsen style bathhouse and accompanying cabin reached via  a ridge of sand sitting just under the waves.

Follow the sand of the beach towards the cliffs, and you’ll find a pool sitting at the base of alone waterfall. Steps on either side of it respectively offer paths up to a hideaway overlooking the pool and also up around the east side of the main island. Here a further set of falls drops through a series of natural steps linking rocks and pools guarded by carved statues of Buddha sitting in quiet meditation despite the roar of water.

Two further pools set at the base of this falls, one clearly man-made and with a hideaway behind it (and another cooled by a curtain of water sitting above it and reached by its own steps); the second pool forming a natural body of water bordering the inland side of a grassy field. A paved path marks the outer edge of the field, passing a garden camp site warmed by a blazing fire and an old fence separating the garden from the field,

More fence posts march out into the open waters. They mark another submerged path, this one leading to another off-shore island topped by a stone tower. This is the home of the Khin Tower Art Gallery, offered by Gian as a place for artists to display their work free-of charge for between a week and four weeks total.

2D SL images digital art, paintings and illustrations are welcome (but no nudity), and there is some potential for 3D pieces to be displayed. Those interested should contact Gian in-world for further details (the sign at the foot of the path leading up to the island also offers information on the gallery).

Back on the island proper, the stone bridge arches over a small stream fed by a low-lying waterfall issuing from under the crossed legs of one of the cliff-side Buddhas. Beyond the bridge, the path passes onwards through a copse of trees to a clearing where a monk in the traditional orange robes signifying peace sits reverently in meditation before a further, aged, statue of Buddha, watched over by young wolves.

A horseshoe pool sits beyond the clearing and trees, fed by yet another waterfall tumbling from the lip of an out-thrust of rock mid-way up the side of the main cliffs. This high lip is home to another location carried over from the original Buddha Garden; a retreat reached only by ascending the wooden steps climbing the face of the sheer rocks on the far side of the wide pool.

The base of these stairs and platforms also points to where people can pass by way of makeshift bridges, sandy beach and tall rock arch to the second arm of the west-facing lagoon. At their top, meanwhile, the stairs only provide the means to reach the retreat, but also to way further up the cliffs past the butterfly cave from the original build, and on up by way of more platforms to where an ancient ruin stands in wait of visitors and lovers of tai chi.

All of the above still only scratches all that is available within Buddha Garden; within its expanded beauty are multiple places to sit and relax or engage in meditation and / or enjoy the company of a close friend or loved one. There are hidden details I’ve intentionally not mentioned here – they deserve to be found by the keen-eyed and focused explorer. As such, I’ll leave it to you to explore the island for yourself – you won’t be disappointed!

My thanks to Gian for the invitation to re-visit.

SLurl Details

• Buddha Garden (Ahimsa, rated Moderate)