Smokin' Safari

        It's that time of year when we are all subjected to a sort of mass hallucination that the whole world is knee deep in presents and snow, family and mistletoe. 
         That makes it refreshing, not to mention healthy, to take a minute to realize that not all cultures, lifestyles, or climates, are the same. 
         Safari began as usual on Teravus Plaza.

       
It helps if you join us here, rather than jumping ahead to the first destination, because it makes it easier for the organizers to see how many people are in the group, and it is also good way to test how your connectivity and your viewer are doing. Also it is a good way to meet people before the chaos gets going.

         First up you had a choice of two destinations which were the same destination... confused yet? Well, don't be. In an attempt to circumvent lag caused by a lot of visitors, plus the chance that one or other grid might be offline for some reason, many builders choose to hook up their servers to more than one grid. In this case, the two grids where you will find identical builds are Metropolis and OSGrid, HG Addresses as always at the end of the post.

           Snowind by Nani Ferguson and Ange Menges is such a fantastic region (or do I mean regions?) full of interesting poses, photogenic views, intriguing buildings, spooky corners, fabulous mesh and of course a heck of a lot of free gifts... 100 at the current count.

          The gifts are a great incentive, but I really enjoyed the line dancing (that is Harthelie Deux as a stylish Mrs Claus) and the skating a/o is exceptional, with a great speed skate anim if you double tap the arrow on your keyboard.  The sled ride is also excellent...

Nani Ferguson and Snowbody Cortes stand by as
Lucy Afarensis arrives at the bottom of the sled ride

           It was pretty to easy to get lost, you simply get sucked into the wonder of the sim and stop noticing where other people are. This is  Kris Elfe a new friend of the Safari, with a cute-as-all-get-out avie. 

         Definitely a destination worth visiting with friends or alone, make the most of it, this is ephimeral art, and won't be here for long!
         Our second destination was Vicky Dreams. Victoria Logan invited us to come and discover her sim, which tells the story of her homeland, Argentina through photos and 3D builds.

         This build is a lovely, fun, educational experience. One of the best things about virtual worlds is that they let you travel the globe without leaving home. Here, you'll learn about the Malvinas, about the indigenous peoples, and come to realize that Argentina has a fascinating and varied geography and history.

Joa... too hot for the holidays?

               Who better to sing a few seasonal songs, then, than Joaquin Gustav. He brought to life the vast difference between the festivities in the northern hemisphere and the south, but complaining about what a hot day it was in real life! 

Space Cadet: yay applauds
Michelle Theiss: *applause*
Cheops Forlife7: Encore!
Art Blue: well done! summer is here?
Space Cadet: lol, southern hemisphere
victoria logan: aca hace mucho calor
victoria logan (es>en): Here is very hot
victoria logan: ahora invitamos con helado y cerveza fria
victoria logan (es>en): We now welcome with ice cream and cold beer

Billy Bradshaw enjoys a ciggy and some vibrant art

        Wondering about these pictures on the walls? Some are Victoria's own fractals, and the rest...

Mal Burns, Victoria Logan and Aussie Envee explain what a fractal is

victoria logan: estamos en el museo escuela
victoria logan (es>en): We are in the school Museum

victoria logan: del pintor Benito Quinquela Martín, estas son fotos de sus cuadros, esta ubicado en Caminito, origen del tango.
victoria logan (es>en): painter Benito Quinquela Martín. These are photos of his paintings. It  is located at Caminito, birthplace of the tango.

Safari trope

        Keeping up our South American adventure, we moved on to another sim hosted by the lovely Ken Savage, Waterworld film, and while the film is not South American, the builder is.

          This incredibly detailed build is a creation of the brilliant Tina Bey. She was away on the day, so not able to join us as we took a trip around the build, which has a serious message about climate change and how we should treat one another. Tina was a little shy when approached about a safari visit, she's a very modest person, but always very approachable and interesting to talk to,and as you can see, extremely talented. Visit this build and you'll soon see the photos do not do it justice.
          Examine the transforming trimaran, and the rafts, walk around the fort, imagining yourself in the exciting scenes where the Mariner is found to be a mutant, taken prisoner and then... 

...well, I better not give away any more spoilers... maybe you'll be lucky enough to watch the film over the holidays, like Space Cadet, and then the build will truly come to life for you.

          Watch out for those smokers, it all I'm saying.

HG Addresses
Snowind by Ange Menges and Nani Ferguson
Metropolis   hypergrid.org:8002:snowind
Osgrid         hg.osgrd.org:80:snowind

Argentina showcase, by Victoria Logan
hg.osgrid.org:80:vickys dream

Waterworld build by Tina Bey
hg.osgrid.org:80:waterworld film