A Few Halloween Haunts

By Bixyl Shuftan

It's late October in Second Life, which means Halloween time. As the dark comes earlier in real life, in virtual life various locations are putting up some frightfully fun places. There's too many to go to or list, but I did get a chance to visit a few.

The Return of the Nightmare Walkthrough

Satisfy your hunger for terror with the Return of the Nightmare Walkthrough. Celebrate Halloween with a fresh house of horrors and a free hunt for prizes. Face your fears, hunt for pumpkins, and get lost in the maze of terrors in this October-only event! 

 Entering this place, it's recommended you have your non-music sounds turned up, and either set the region to Midnight, or have the "Advanced Lighting Model" activated. And remove any facelights or other lightup attachments. There is a lit pumpkin available for you to take to light your way.

If you see any other pumpkins as you go through this haunt, click them, At the end, there's a place to put them, promising a prize if you've found them all.

This place didn't disappoint me. It promised a scarefest, and it delivered with plenty of thrills and chills, the environment was creepy, and the monsters often popped out at just the right time to spook you. Those wanting a more relaxed Halloween thrill might want to look elsewhere.

Paradise Fails (115/134/2195)


 ZZ Studios Madhouse

Fans of Cindy "Zig Zag" Babii were a bit saddened this year when the adult media company ZZ Studios had to leave the sim of the same name and rebuild in Erotica Island. Although a fraction of the size it was, they're still continuing their annual haunt, this year offering their Madhouse.

Taking the teleport over and entering, one faces a journey through a number of dark corridors. The first part goes through the manor, then the scenery changes to a maze of abandoned mine passages, a dark spaceship with nothing aboard but a few corpses (or is there?), even a passage that resembled going down a creature's digestive gut. Should you make it to the end, if you're with a date you might want to look behind you before you teleport back down.

I found the ride *slightly* less edgy than "Return of the Nightmare," but that shouldn't steer you away from seeing it. In my opinion, it's good for taking a date who's already been through some haunts, whom won't be so scared as to run out screaming but will be clinging to you a little tighter.

There were a number of carnival games at the entrance of the Nightmare. The prizes were not for kid avatars. Remember, the sim is rated Adult, and it's not called "Erotica Island" for nothing.

The teleport to the ZZ Studios Madhouse is at Erotica Island (66, 154, 23)


Nance Clowes' 8th Annual Haunted Sim

Welcome to Nance Clowes' 8th annual free haunted sim. There's lots more to see this year than any before. Fight your way through through zombies, explore asylums, survive haunted mansions, or just relax with item hunts and thrill rides. 

FREE four MAJOR builds - 6 story Insane Asylum  1950s Thrill Ride  ZOMBIE HUNTING  tribute Disney THE HAUNTED MANSION GCS

 Nance Clowes' haunted sim was different in that there were four haunted places to see. When you get to the arrival area, the announcer greets you, "Hello! There is a lot to find here! The GREEN area is the Haunted Mansion Tribute Ride.  RED is the Zombie Domed City, WHITE is for the Asylum, and BLACK is for Bannons Vanisher." I decided to check out the Haunted Mansion Tribute.

As a tribute to a Disney ride, this one shouldn't freak you out too much. There were some interesting sights such as the stretchable room. For much of the time, you're on a car that slowly goes down a course. Go into mouselook if you don't want a big circle in the middle of your field of vision. Don't expect too many things to leap out and scream. The ghosts here would rather give you a happy wave or a song. This is a good ride if you're with a friend with a low scare tolerance.

With three others lift, I decided to give the Bannons haunt, of which the sign at it 's front called it the "Most Dangerous Ride since 1954." This one was scarrier, though slightly laggy. I was also unable to make my way thought the course, so perhaps it was just a buggy night. I have yet to explore the Asylum and Zombie haunts there.

The landing area to Nance Clowes' Haunted Sim is at LandOurs (210, 46, 601)

These are just a few of the many haunts across Second Life. Gemma Cleanslate earlier reviewed Darkwood, and the Halloween fun at Area Pines Park. The Destination Guide has it's own section of haunted areas, so you'll have no shortage of places to go for some spook-tacular fun.

Happy Halloween

Bixyl Shuftan

The International Space Museum

By Wesley Regenbogen

Spaceflight in real life has been a thing where many people have been wondering about and are interested in it. So am I. So I found this place in Second Life called the “International Spaceflight Museum.” It was created in September 2005, according to their Facebook page, and they provide full-scale models of spacecraft of 12 different countries, not just from America and the Russians. You can compare a 360-meter tall Saturn V Moon rocket with the Mercury-Atlas, which is sitting next to each other.

You can also ride on a rocket and orbit the Earth and walk the platforms around it. When you walk around on the platform you will see the other planets and just right-click them and then just select “Teleport” and you will be teleported to the planet in question. When you go to the planet Mars, you can even teleport to the ( virtual ) Mars surface and look around there, it’s a small area, but you can walk and see the rovers and get more information about them.

This museum isn't sponsored by NASA or the U.S. government, but cared for by volunteers. It’s operated by the ISMuseum, a Texas non-profit corporation.Any donations you give will help keep it running.

They also have a Wiki page available with more information about the place itself : http://www.ismuseum.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page. I didn't see future events listed on the wiki, although there was the Space Week recently. The nearby Spinthrift sim hosts music performances every Sunday at 8PM, and the National Space Society holds weekly meetings every Monday at 3PM at their sim.

In my personal opinion, I think this is the best space museum in Second Life. It’s really amazing that you can really fly with a rocket into space here. It’s also quite amazing that they actually recreated it all so realistically. There are a lot of things to see, too many to list here. I suggest you check them out when you visit the place yourself.

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You can find the location in Second Life at :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Bravo/25/80/23

Wesley Regenbogen

Aero Pines Harvest Festival and Halloween Trail

From Gemma Cleanslate

Found another great Halloween place to visit ! It is also in one of my favorite set of sims and will be another place to wander following the Halloween Trails. It is in the Aero Pines Park and is great fun. The annual Harvest Festival and Halloween Trails is going on with loads of games to enjoy and right next to it a wonderful Haunted House. 

”Welcome To Morgan Mansion ! When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers,‘tis near Halloween. Gemma Cleanslate” was the greeting to me offered by Julianna, one of the Morgan chilren as I neared the mansion.  Not only can you wander through the house but you are invited to log in as a character in the family and become a part of the home. Outside the home are some fun rides and games to enjoy. Hop on the Carousel or the Sky Swatter or get dizzy on the Spider Ride. Whack a Mole , Zombie Meltdown and Ghost Busters are just a few of the games at the fair. I stopped in the Greifer Processing Center and disobeyed the rules not to touch anyone which is definitely scary. 

The trail begins nearby and will take you to various sites . The first I visited was the Witches Camp and made some potions while there .At the Spider Grove I nearly became spider food as the webs entangled me . I passed a man-eating plant by the side of the road  rapidly after that experience. The ghosts in the Haunted Prison were not friendly either. The crowd at the Guillotine was after blood .Down the road it in a field it was fun to watch a shortened version of The Birds,  the Alfred Hitchcock film, while surrounded by screaming gulls and crows. My last stop was at the pumpkin patch where I wandered through the  Corn Maze bumping into the walls for a while. As usual the entire park is full of lovely foliage of  the season which makes the visit there more of a delight. I often go there to take a horse ride when I have time. Seasons change in this Park.

Take a bike or ride a horse along the roads littered with falling leaves seeking out the Halloween sites but enjoying the always lovely terrain. There are more games to play and sites to visit than I have mentioned so plan on visiting for a while. There is a cute jack-o-lantern ride you can rezz for your tour. Watch for it.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Equus/15/207/23 Pick up the map and Landmarks here and in the folder you will find the special Halloween Trails notecard with landmarks for some scary places . All will remain until early November according to Cindy Bolero , the owner of the regions. 

Gemma Cleanslate

Darkwood

By Gemma Cleanslate

The eerily beautiful Darkwood is now open at Calas Galadhon Park sims, one of my favorite places to visit especially when the seasons change. Darkwood is a very different Halloween area with many surprises as you wander through the sim. To get an overview of the region when I arrived  I took the cuddleboat ride. It not only takes you along the waterways where you can view the woods from the edge but takes off into the sky among the vultures that soar overhead. As you hover above the Pavilion and see dragons poised you experience the surreal feeling of being back in the Hobbit’s world upon which the sim is based.  

Ty Tenk & Truck Meredith, the owners of the Park sims, as usual go all out to create an atmosphere that delights the visitors who wander through. “We took a few liberties …  some could say more than a few (grin) as we usually do with a story. But hopefully you’ll find our take with it’s mix of beauty, terror and an enjoyable one.” 

Back at the entrance after my peaceful ride, I walked into the woods with trepidation and immediately was surrounded by huge spiders. As I ran from that area, I fell through the ground to an underground pool of  water filled with hands reaching up to grab me. I could see the entwined bodies, dead I think, clinging to  vines . Making my way out of that scene I found myself surrounded by trolls that looked very like Smeagol ... Smaug. 

I kept taking routes off the path marked by lamps, so it took me a while to find the Barrel Ride that took me far into the interior, and down into underground lakes populated by bats and strange creatures that looked hungry and through beautiful iridescent foliage. After I left the barrel ride, I made my way up to the ghostly Elven Ruins, and then up the winding stone steps through the rocky overhangs to the Pavilion, which is very lovely. I sat in an elven chair to rest from the climb and gazed out over the whole scene from the comfortable overlook, believing I might be in the Hobbit lands of yore. Some of the visiting avatars blended into the scenery as if they lived there. 

At the base of the steps, I stopped to wander into Elven ruins inhabited by ghosts and more bats. I stopped to rest at one of the campfire circles and listen to the sounds of the woods.  There is so much to see and experience in the Darkwoods, it may take a month to discover all the secrets. At the entrance pick up the Lamp and set your graphics to Region windlight and have a wonderful time exploring  Stop at some of    There will be events at the Pavilion during the month . You are invited to join the group. All the Calas sims are wonderful to visit. There are pumpkins throughout the sim if you can leave a donation.  Begin your journey here at the entrance near the cuddleboat ride. I may see you there as I continue to find secrets I missed.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Breakfree/246/240/22 ( I can’t wait til Winter !)

Gemma Cleanslate

The Star Trek Museum

By Wesley Regenbogen

 Ever since the first episode of Star Trek was aired on television many people have watched the series and became a fan of the science fiction story about Captain Kirk and his crew wandering around in the Universe, “to boldly go where no man has gone before”.

After the original series ended, many other series were made and a few spin-offs too. I wasn’t a real fan myself, but the episodes that I watched were amazingly well made and you really felt like you were also in space with Captain Piccard and his crew in the “The Next Generation” series, which were aired in the 90s.

Now, in Second Life there is a Star Trek Museum in which you can all learn about the different species and also get to know more about the series and get background information as well. The Museum was created and developed by SL STARFLEET, which is the counterpart to the real life organization STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. This unique organization has over 240 chapters worldwide, which links up to 4000 members around the world.

Within the Star Trek Museum you have different areas to vist, there are too many to list here. But there is a database on the official website of Star Trek : http://www.startrek.com/database_article_navigator. There you can find more information about the characters and the crew of Star Trek and much more.

The current curators of the Star Trek Museum in Second Life are  Sabri Piccard and Wabisabi Matahari.

There are many locations you can visit : Embassies, Visitor Center ( start location ), Science Museum, and much, much , much more. There is even a balloon tour available. There are too many places to list them all here. More information about all the locations can be found on this website : http://www.sabrizain.org/startrek/

On their Facebook page I found this quote regarding the places you can visit in the Star Trek Museum “SL's best collection of Everything Star Trek - Full size USS Enterprise, dine on gagh, fly in a shuttle, visit a Vulcan town, a Klingon home, Science Museum, swim with George and Gracie. Visit: http://slurl.com/secondlife/New%20Eridani/133/80/36.

In my personal opinion the Star Trek Museum is the place for Trekkies or Trekkers to visit and enjoy their stay in the museum. It’s nice to actually wander around in the Star Trek history and get to know more about the series itself.

You can find the place in Second Life at this location :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/New%20Eridani/133/77/36

Wesley Regenbogen

Xoph: A Shop of the Bizarre and Macabre

by Fritter Enzyme

Xoph is not your typical jewelry store in Second Life.  The skulls, upside down crosses and pentagrams give that away very quickly.  The real fun begins once you find the hidden passages that take you to many new places filled with the Halloween type fun.  Not just for Halloween, I would think this is the norm for this place.

Tentacles seem to be the supreme nuisance here, a box of free ones are in the store. You can buy tentacle tails, tongues, spine attachments, and more.  Many things attack you with them.  Want exploding sheep or doves, this is the place.  Snow machines too, with flakes, skulls, pentagrams, and, the best, paw prints.  There are different ways to find the hidden areas, but you will succeed in finding them yourselves.

Go out the door of the main store and try the Princess pose balls, including Heroin Princess and Crack Princess.  Then out on the strangest of balconies where you will have fun with the props there.  The bizarre and macabre await you in statues, pose balls and traps everywhere you venture.  This is not like typical Second Life haunted houses, this does not try to pull that off and fail, as most of them do.  It is fun, silly and an adventure to go through.  There are tubes to fall through, walls to walk through, dropping you to new places to see.

Many of the devices are for sale, save the LL banned George Bush Tentacle Interrogator, my favorite.  When you think you have seen it all, you probably haven’t.  Click on things and see what they do.  Shoot containers of toxic waste with prim babies as ammunition.  A unique twisted treat for the mind and senses, like you have never seen before.  Pick up some of the fun to take home back at the main store.

Have a happy Second Life Halloween and skip the usual, go see Xoph.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Annapurna/200/224/777

Fritter Enzyme 

Editors Note:  At the entrance, there's a pigeon that explodes when touched, and a sign that lists just one rule, "there are no other rules." The sim is rated "Mature" and not "Adult," but do you really want to trust those tentacles?

The Scoutlounge Beach Club

By Wesley Regenbogen

ScoutLounge is a Second Life beach club that was showcased by Linden Labs in May 2008 in the category “Music” in the Destination Guide. Before that in February 2007, Lexx Runo founded “MEC Trendscouts” to develop the possibilities in virtual worlds like Second Life.

In September 2011 the Second Life club reopened and introduced their weekly TV broadcast at USTREAM.TV. In December 2012 they redesigned their website, which can be found at http://www.scoutlounge.net .

The music that is played in the club and also live stream on their website is : house music, but other music as well. In the past DJs were tied to their DJ booth at the club they were playing. Nowadays, Second Life offers new possibilities. DJs nowadays can get “live” in contact with their fans in the Second Life environment. 50 DJs from around the world play LIVE DJ SETS to please a huge community of music lovers.

The club is nicely decorated and if your avatar is tired of dancing, just take a seat in the club’s lounge seats and relax for a while, while enjoying the music further, of course.

One of the benefits of this club is that you can listen to the live stream on the web too at http://www.scoutlounge.net. So when you leave the club in Second Life, you can tune into the website and listen further online. You can watch the live broadcast through one of their partners Digital Broadcast Channel (DBC).

There is a group in Second Life called “ScoutLounge” where you can be held up-to-date about events and live DJ sets and much more. It’s free to join this group, so I suggest you can do it to keep up-to-date for events. They also have a presence at different social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr.

If you want to know what’s happening, you can login into Second Life every Thursday night and visit the club in-world.

In my personal opinion, this is one of the best clubs in Second Life, aside the other ones that I reviewed a long while ago. It’s nice to see that the radiostation merged real life and virtual life in one place, either the website or the club in-world.

So, it’s one of the largest music community out there.

Check it out in Second Life !

You can find the place at this location in Second Life :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Suisse/160/102/23

Wesley Regenbogen

Basilique Town and Performing Arts Company

By Wesley Regenbogen

Basilique Town is a small Italian city recreated within Second Life! The town was created and decorated in January 2013 by Canary Beck and Harvey Crabsticks. The place is nicely decorated and you really have the feeling that you are in the real life Italian city Basilique. It’s really amazing how they actually recreated the whole town.

 I found the music a nice touch. In the chapel and Bathouse, 1930s tunes are played. House music is played at the modern bar. There are both parties in the Baththouse for members, and DJs performing for crowds at the Modern. There are also chat salons where a dozen members discuss a planned topic for over 2 hours.

Then there is the Basilique Performing Arts Company. Their performances are over for the year, though there are future productions coming in 2015. But up to September 21, they were doing performances of a Second Life version of "Paradise Lost," and "Romeo and Juliet 2.0"

This sweeping story features 43 characters, took over 1000 hours of development and a budget of more than L$250,000 to produce. You will come away saying that this is one of the most amazing things you have seen in Second Life. Don’t miss this unbelievable opportunity. Book now. Tickets are available on the Second Life Marketplace. Second Life’s most ambitious performing arts company presents an adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Following their “masterful adaptation” of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Basilique Performing Arts Company returns to tell the story of humankind’s original sin. Choreographed and set to the fourteen movements of Mozart’s Requiem, this is the story of humankind’s creation by God, temptation by Satan, and expulsion from Paradise.

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In my personal opinion, it’s a nice town that has been recreated within the Second Life environment. This is a very nice place that you can visit if you want to relax a bit and just have a look around.

If you want to know more about this place you can find more information on and also about events, you can also find more information about Canary Beck and Baslilque Town on these links :

about.me/canarybeck

http://canarybeck.com/ (Blog)

https://www.facebook.com/canary.beck (Facebook)

https://twitter.com/canarybeck (Twitter)

http://bit.ly/X7NOxJ (YouTube)

http://bit.ly/QS0bwd (Google+)

http://bit.ly/RnK8pZ (Flickr)

http://soundcloud.com/canary-beck (SoundCloud)

https://my.secondlife.com/canary.beck

 

Wesley Regenbogen

Reader Submitted: The Koto Project

By Fritter Enzyme

The Koto Project is one of the most beautiful sims you can find.  Japanese ones are known for their detail and quality.  This is one that takes out the overkill and makes a place that is superb, in the plants, and the open spaces.   The trees here are like something out of a Japanese painting.  Half the sim is a walled city, the other is a wooded park.   


 It is a RP community, but the website states it is a human community.  Yet I have spoken with the owner, in the fur, and have not been asked to leave.  I have been there many times and had furry friends along to see it.  I can’t apply to be a character in the RP group, but I still seem welcome to enjoy the environment they have created.


The walled city is Edo era, and things sold there fit that theme.  A horse and buggy await at the gate to take you for a ride through the city and back out again.  The woods outside the wall are worth spending time mulling throughout for the views and hangouts.  The sim surround is wonderful; the water front has a boat with reflections that lends itself to photography with ease.  In the city you will find shops, temples, tea houses, restaurants, a bath house, a Zen garden, and if you join the RP group, even a Geisha house. 

They also have many rental homes of different sizes.  There is an animated work area with props are in the back of the residents homes.  Pick apples, chop wood, or feed the chickens.  And a meditation stand at the waterfall makes for a nice resting place for the whole Zen experience.  Some shops have yet to open.  Click on the food in the restaurant and sit to eat while you play a game on the wall.  Put on your kimono and get in the spirit of Koto!  If you don’t have one, some of the best I have seen are sold there.  Koto Project.  A surprisingly sweet place to be. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kyoudai/130/49/22

Fritter Enzyme

Reader Submitted: Blue Hole

By Fritter Enzyme

In my wanders through our virtual world I look for places that are stimulating, fun, exciting and inclusive.  Inclusive because I am furry.  It is nice when a club mentions that all are welcome in a notecard. Or even a sign out in front of the club (E.G., Phat Cats Jazz Club).  But it is good enough, sometimes, if I just don’t get kicked out.  I seek these places and let other know where they can go.  Nothing is guaranteed, of course, if not stated in the club rules.  Certain host will react different than other will.  I have been kicked out of clubs that demand human avatars, but allow fairies, with wings and all.  I do refuse to leave and end up banned.  I do not recommend this action, it is my choice, as I feel it is discrimination.  Think of how real life would be, right now, if certain groups were “kept in their place.”  Not going where you are not wanted makes sense to some, but not to me.  So I search and I explore, and I report on what I find.

In a recent outing I came upon furry scuba equipment.   The place is called The Blue Hole.  It is a virtual Blue Hole like the one that exists in Belize.  Not totally accurate, but very nice to play in.  And they sell the furry scuba outfit with the others so furs are welcome there.  The land has the usually trimmings, beaches, beach houses, a club for events, a light house, plenty to explore.  And of course, a store with the scuba supplies.  And the water, many places to float and hangout as well as the Blue Hole.  Not a vertical walled tube as the real one is, but enjoyable to spend time in.  Great for photography, deep enough to make the equipment fun to use as well.  It is very colorful, stocked with different life at varying levels to add to the realism and fun.  This is a place I will be returning to, and bringing friends of all kinds.  I know they will enjoy it, and I know they will be welcomed to stay.

The scuba equipment comes in two packages, for furries, a basic one at 590L and a premium at 790L.  Not that big of a price difference so I went with the premium setup.  For humans, 420L for the basic and you add on what you want after that purchase.  Sea plants, and ship wrecks for sale too.  Come see the Blue Hole, a place worth spending some time at:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BLUE%20HOLE/183/213/51

Thanks for looking,

Fritter Enzyme

NekoZone Central : A Futuristic City Within Second Life

By Wesley Regenbogen

NekoZone Central is based on the future version of Los Angeles out of the sci-fi movie “Blade Runner." The sim was created and founded by Fox Daviau and was created in the year 2007. He came up with the idea and created it all by himself.

 The sci-fi themed sim is set at the end of the 21^st Century, where Earth has become a place where destruction, overcrowded cities and flying cars are found in every city. But flying cars could become a reality in the near future, that’s what Fox Daviau thinks, at least.

When you wander around in the city you get the feeling you are actually in the Blade Runner movie itself. Bring your umbrella with you, because it can be rainy there most of the time. In my opinion this place is well made and really gives you the feeling you are in a futuristic city and you see the flying cars in the air all over the place.  

There are numerous shops, but also many free spaces for shops as well sadly. They also offer apartment rentals starting from L$ 200/week for a place with around 50 prims or so. The urban life style may take getting used to, but if you are into sci-fi, you have found the place to wander around and explore it further. There are “camping” places where avatars are standing and hoping to get free L$ while camping there. In the center of the teleport area there is a fountain, a relaxing place, to relax when you want to escape the chaos of NekoZone Central West. When you take the escalator upstairs there are even more shops and places to visit.

There’s a dance club called InFuzion, which is open 24/7 offering music all the time. If you are a dancer or a DJ you can apply for a job at the sign you see in the club or just outside the club. Their events are listed on the Second Life Events website.

All things considered, this place is cool when you are into sci-fi and want to get a feel of it in Second Life. If you are not into sci-fi, you can wander around and see what this sim has to offer for you. Either way, it’s a nice and cool place to wander and explore, in a late 21^st Century scenery.

You can find the place at :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/FireStorm/113/127/30

 Wesley Regenbogen

Aloha Beach

By Wesley Regenbogen

 Every once in a while we all have the need to go to a place to relax in Second Life. Although there are many places to relax around Second Life, some of those get crowded to often, because many avatars find their way to that place. The only solution : finding another place. That’s not too difficult, but if you want to relax and like a beach, check out Aloha Beach.

Aloha Beach is a tropical beach where you can relax and sit down and just enjoy the view of the beach and the waves coming towards you. There is also a place where you can play basketball, although that didn’t seem to work for me, and you can also dance to the music. There are many chairs that you can sit on, so choose one and right-click it and choose “Sit here” and there will be a pop-up message that asks you which sitting pose you want to take on the chair.

 You can even take an ice cream at the ice cream stand. You then get an object named “ 1 scoop” v1 or v2 or v3, depending on which one you choose. You then need to go to your inventory and look into the “Objects” folder and search for the name of the object mentioned above. You can then choose to “wear” it and then you will see that you are holding an ice cream in your hand. So, then you can relax sitting on a chair with an ice cream. Virtual life can be simple and easy, don’t you agree?

The place is owned by Ikapono Catnap. It was claimed by him on the 23rd of June,2013. But since he only understands Japanese, I wasn’t able to ask him any questions about the place. I don’t speak Japanese.

The music in the background really makes you want to relax and enjoy it and the environment itself. There are a few shops around, but I didn’t buy anything. There’s a bird sitting on a stick and when you right-click it and choose “Touch” the bird takes off and flies around for a round and then it returns to his stick. The waves in the water are really amazing to watch, they are so beautiful you can watch it for hours. Even the water itself is amazingly beautiful too.

So, if you like beaches in Second Life, this is the place to be.

Relax and enjoy the environment and the music, and maybe one day we can meet up there.

You can find this place at :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Veil%20ofthe%20Moon/20/150/21

Wesley Regenbogen

The Jungle

By Gemma Cleanslate

Do you  enjoy looking film or videos or pictures displaying  the lushness of a tropical jungle?Make sure you visit The Jungle region. When you arrive, you are invited to teleport to the many sites recommended to visit.  The owners of the Jungle, Perry Krell and Leigh Elton Krell opened this region in May and already have had almost 15,000 visitors. It is now on the Destination Guide. 

Actually, Perry told me he built the teleport because he was getting lost all the time. Or, you can take the walking entrance which is the Lion’s Mouth and wander off on the stone paths I spotted a pride of lions as I set off. Immediately you meet a whole elephant herd lazing in the sun, enjoying the pools of water to drink or bathing . The experience of being surrounded by vibrant flowers that glow, the massive trees, and the thick vines that hang from the trees, and buzzing insects will give you the feeling of being in the real jungle. I felt dwarfed by the foliage, some of which appeared  ready to eat me, but their  loveliness made me pause to look. Sweet bird songs, along with roars and howls of the animals surround you as you meander through the trees.   

I climbed one of the vines and rode a zip line to the ground. I took a boat ride down the river and viewed wild animals  along the edge of the land feeding or taking a drink of water. There is a cannibal village where the ferocious cannibals look like they are ready to go hunting for food....wild animals I hope. Waterfalls abound in the jungle and along the river. I spied 7seas fishing along the river and think there will be contests there soon. 

And who did I run into in this jungle? Breezes Babii, my dear friend And you recall her stories here in the paper too. She is a guide and a lion in the jungle!  

I visited the Art Gallery that has some relaxation areas to dance or just relax and cuddle. This is a sim to visit alone or with friends and every time I go there are people moving among the animals of just relaxing in one of the sites planned just for that. I asked Leigh what gave them the idea and she said,”We love the jungle and wanted a place of peace for avatars to be able to come to for relaxation.  The beauty of this jungle is among the best in Second life. The reality of the animals and the things than take place all over the jungle is amazing.  If you are in a hurry you will miss the point of the visit to The Jungle ; it takes time to explore and to enjoy!”

One thing I came across was a plane that had crashed where hyenas were rummaging in the area and Leigh told me that starting in the fall there will be a game connected with that called Plane Crash Survivors. That should be interesting. 

There are activities and entertainment going on at the social venues that you might enjoy so join the group for notices. Kudos to the builders ! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//1/160/27

 Gemma Cleanslate

AERO Golf Club

By Wesley Regenbogen

Golfing, it must be the coolest sport around the world!

The AERO Golf Club was created by Kaja Ashland and Marcus Bremser, who are also the owners of the club, and the opened in November 2013. Although this isn’t the first golf club within the Second Life environment, it’s a cool and nicely created club.

The number of visitors depends on which time of the day and which day of the week you there. But actual numbers on how much visitors were not given. But they have large club of golfers that come in and play regularly.

How to golf in AERO Golf Club :

To play golf, you must first join their group, and then you get a “Golf HUD” and a “Golf Club” handed to you. You must accept it to go further. This is done to keep order on the golf terrain and to keep it’s landscape nice. Another reason is that they want to avoid everyone using the golf club as a sandbox. So, only group members can rez the golf ball and other things to start playing. You need to wear both the HUD and the club in order to play golf.

Then you must move your avatar to the first hole, which are indicated by the red-white indicators. On your Golf HUD there are three words : “Putter”, “Wedge” and “Driver”. Those are the type of clubs to make your tee get towards the hole. Physics do have an effect on gameplay, so natural effects like wind, weather conditions and the golf ball also reacts to ground shape and other objects on the track.

Once you putted a hole, you can move on to the next tee, which is clearly indicated with arrows with “ Next tee”. Before you start to try to push your golf ball towards the hole, you can adjust the direction of your throw by using your arrow keys. More precise targeting is done by holding down the Shift-key and the arrow keys on your keyboard.

On screen there is always the wind speed in mph. Once you are ready to golf, just click on “Driver” and then you can hold down the left mouse button until the speed indicator from green towards red, allowing you to adjust the speed of your throw.

To hit your golf ball, you can release the left mouse button. Your avatar now shows an animation of a golfer hitting his golf ball towards the hole. Once your golf ball has landed somewhere on the course, it will show a marker where the ball is. To teleport towards the golf ball, you need to click on the marker, your avatar will teleport there instantly.

There are 18 holes to complete before finishing the game. I haven’t completed a game of 18 holes myself yet.

There are basic and advanced tutorials, which are available at tee number 1 under the white tent.

In my personal opinion : this is the coolest golf club that I have visited in Second Life so far. But I have only visited one golf club in Second Life, haha ….

You can find AERO Golf Club at this location :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lavender/128/86/28

Wesley Regenbogen