Kicking off in Canada and Japan

Finally, a true Safari! Earlier this year, on Season One, we had ten whole weeks of trips around the hyperverse without crashing a single sim or having any unexpected hiccups, in the main. That's disappointing, in a way, because for me, the Motto of OpenSim is Liberty, Variety, Instability. 

You've got to have a bit of danger, be kicked off a few sims, freeze, swap avatars, regroup at the clubhouse a bit. That's what adds to the fun, and the sense of group, the best bit of all in a Safari. That said, if you crashed or couldn't get into the two destinations this week, everyone who was able to do the tour will tell you they are both amazing builds, and merit a visit whenever you have the time. Both are huge, and give you the sense of the Great Outdoors, Indoors. Our hosts were Dabici Straulino and Kelso Uxlay on Creanovale and Yan Lauria on JOG, the Japan Open Grid. It shows class when the hosts of the two grids visit the  other destination, a bit like a musician staying for the next set, and these hosts are extremely classy. 

Many grids have that generic Plaza look at their main landing point. Creanovale has a very interesting tent that serves as an arrival area with lots of messages and notecards and information boards. It's completely in keeping with the look of the rest of the region, you step out and find yourself in a lush landscape. 

Humbletim metaverse had hands down the best avie for the event, as you can see!

You can take a walk, or rez a horse, or choose, as we did, to go on the Dandelion ride. Just click on the flower and off you go! The ride swings you up into the air and over hilltops, before swooping down into pastureland and finally reaching Oster Valley, in the heart of the region

Nara Nook: that was amazing, and I love the yoga frogs
Thirza Ember: just beautiful, brilliant Dabici
Sun Tzu: Very trippy
Beth Ghostraven: that was SO MUCH FUN!!!
Dabici Straulino: Here we are in the Ancient Oster Valley. 

Nara Nook: My woods kind of look like this right now, rain and green, very much spring

Dabici Straulino: there is a nice fantasy style pond ambiance at the bottom but specially many small houses each of them are mini conservatories where a colony of very nice rabbits maintain collections of the old traditional forms to create chocolate animals for easter.

Somehow, though, we got sidetracked and before we got to the rabbits, we ended up jumping on these leaf-carriages, pulled by a butterfly, and headed off once again into the woods, which, since time was limited, worked out quite well.

These are some of the loveliest rides we've ever experienced, flying in an arc across the sky and landing in the Maple Syrup part of the build.

 The sugar shack is full of all the traditional equipment, and there is a fascinating slideshow that explains the process of making maple syrup, which Dabici presented to us in Voice - intriguing and hungry making! We learned about the cultural history of the process, and something of the botany, economy, and science that goes into making this unique sweetener. It is all a delicate balance of timing and temperature, the right weather makes the sap rise, and there is only a small window in which the tree tappers can harvest the sap, which is boiled down to only 10% of the original volume. All quite reminiscent of the features of going on Safari, if you think about it.

Kelso Uxlay: The sugaring season is a traditional festive period which from many angles compares to grape harvesting in wine production.   Facilities and production can be family based or done commercially in large scale facilities.    

Kelso Uxlay: Many producers also offer seasonal sugaring off family outdoors activities including the traditional fresh maple taffy on snow, and reception rooms at the Sugar House of Shack for family group brunch.   

Kelso Uxlay: Maple syrup is used as a condiment or as an ingredient of every item on the traditional meal offered at the Sugar Shack.  Not indicated at all to diabetes. It includes:

 -    Ham, bacon, sausages and pork rinds lacked with maple syrup; 

 -    Oreilles de crisse (deep-fried salted fatback)

 -    Baked Beans

 -    Scrambled eggs, French Toast, Pancakes, Waffles all served with Maple Syrup

 -    Maple sugar Pies, cookies, taffy, and candies

Nara Nook: Now I'm hungry. It looks so good I can smell the food

Thirza Ember: I'll have one of EVERYTHING

Sun Tzu: Pass the pancakes

Mal Burns: remember to bring yr insulin

Beth Ghostraven is munching on maple sugar in RL

Wizardoz Chrome: it's so good maple syrup, above everything else

Due to our time constraints, we missed a fair few parts of the region, including the Pretzel Mill shown here and, well, there is so much more, we can't recommend Creanovale enough.  Sweet!

Next up was JOG. Japan Open Grid is a wonderfully eclectic place, sometimes overlooked because on this darn round planet, it's the middle of the night when it's evening in Europe, and that makes it tricky to organize hosted events. Luckily, Yan Lauria the Curator of Abyss Laboratory was willing to get up super early and show us around.

Yan Lauria, with Dabici and Mal

 Yan Lauria: Welcome to Abyss Observatory @ JOGrid! Here is Heliport of Ultra Deep Science Drillship “Chikyu” Chikyu means Earth. 

Photo by Wizardoz Chrome

Yan Lauria: First, a brief history of Abyss. “Abyss Observatory” was opened 12 years ago in respect to “Abyss Museum of Ocean Science and Art” which was closed 13 years ago. First host was NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) , but transferred to JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology), and current hosts are Veritas Raymaker (National Institute of Education, Singapore) in SL and JOGrid (Tokyo University of Information Science) here. That is to say, Abyss experienced ”Closed” many times and survived until now. Then Pls look at these 12 teleport boards. Upper left is My HyperGrid TelePortal for Education. I visited YOUR Teleport Hub at HG-Safari yesterday. I’m very glad to know lots of destinations! 2 climate research, 2 geology, 3 underwater, 1 Earth evolution and 2 Art museums in Abyss.

The Earth Evolution build on JOG

Yan Lauria: then, let's start from drill ship, come on pls. Pls remember drilling is using drill pipes and rizer pipes. Rizer pipes are used for recovery of cuttings. 

Beth Ghostraven: Yan, what would a ship like this drill for? core samples?

Yan Lauria: Drill ship recover core sample

The ship is just part of a very complex build, above it you can see in this photograph by Wizardoz Chrome, The Wind Observatory, another scientific exhibit.

Photo by WizardOz Chrome

We ran around the ship taking in all the incredible detail, doors, railings, passages, and equipment.

Sun Tzu: " I like big ships and I can't deny "

Thirza Ember: this is an amazing piece of building so much detail. Yan did you build this ship?

Yan Lauria: Yes, I enjoyed.

Dabici Straulino: kudos

Nara Nook: It must have taken a couple of years to build

Yan Lauria: Here is the top of Derick, Please look down.

Beth Ghostraven: yikes, don't look down

Sun Tzu  looks down in defiance

Nara Nook:   Incredible view. Glad I am in virtual for this

Beth Ghostraven: me too Nara, I feel a little dizzy

Kelso Uxlay: quite a place

Sun Tzu: Nose bleed section

Dabici Straulino: wow, very impressive.  I may have miss it in the introduction, I believe there was an Abyss region in SL in 2010

Yan Lauria: there are traveling block and top drive.

Yan Lauria : You can see Chikyu keeps a position in the ocean current.

Nebby Newman: good for a <very> high dive!

Dabici Straulino: strange feeling the height effect here as well

Sun Tzu: Now I know how Jimmy Stewart felt in Vertigo

Yan Lauria: Chikyu can keep position in 10km/h of ocean current. Nankai seismic zone is under Kuroshio Current

After going to the heights we headed down to the depths, to see where the drill ship meets the dirt.

 

Yan Lauria: Here is the ‘Moon Pool Area’. Riser Pipe is hanging by Riser Tensioners in the Moon Pool. Let’s go to the undersea. Pls touch the pink cone.

Kelso Uxlay: hold your breath

Yan Lauria: Here is Drilling Well. 3000m depth

Nebby Newman : wow, we float!

Yan Lauria: Riser pipe is connected to the sea bottom by Blowout Preventer.

Kelso Uxlay: we will need hours of decompression chamber

Nara Nook: lol

Yan Lauria: In emergency, Drill Pipes are disconnected like this

Kelso Uxlay: I was drilled

Dabici Straulino: and tapped

Thirza Ember: LOL like a maple tree

Dabici Straulino: sort of

 We set off for the next part of the build, a fascinating exhibit showing the height of the waves and the damage they did during the tsunami of 2011

That's when the region crashed. A hilarious and interesting trip around the metaverse this week, and more coming up in following weeks, with maybe a few crashes, but certainly music, celebrations, interviews and lots of laughs... Join us if you can!

Addresses:

Dabici and Kelso's grid     login.creanovale.ca:8052:NOVALE

The Drill ship and other science exhibits    jogrid.net:8002:Abyss Observatory