Laurel’s Places To Go – Great Wall

I was out and about sightseeing in Second Life last evening and decided to pay the Great Wall a visit.  The Wall winds it’s way around a whole sim and is connected to three other Asian themed sims to make for even more exploration fun! 

I even brought Jose (American Mustang horse pictured below – who was a gift from my ex SL husband Del) out for a ride to enjoy the scenery on horseback and to give him a bit of exercise.  The Great Wall in Second Life is a really nice place to go to do some relaxing sightseeing, take some pictures, ride your horse or visit the surrounding sims for still more to see or to completely outfit your Asian style home. 

It is Hosoi Design that makes this fantastic sim available to the Second Life Public.  Hosoi Design shops are on the 3 other sims for your shopping pleasure and are also very scenic as they are set up in a village setting.  So to support this fine sim you but need to take some trinket back home with you.  There are fine furnishings of all kinds, bonsai trees and even komonos for men and women available from Hosoi Design.  Definately a must see!

Nitram, my SL partner/fiance has been feeling under the weather in RL so I hope he feels better real soon.  While he has been away I have been keeping busy with projects and sightseeing is also a good way to pass the time.  Get well soon, love!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mao/131/15/24

Laurel’s Places to Go – Forest Feast

Nitram went off to RL work after his morning coffee and kiss, I went for a bit of a walk at Forest Feast.  Give it a chance to rez at the teleport point so you don’t take a fall. There is also a map there which will show you the layout of the gardens.  You can buy much of what you see on the sim from the shops near the teleport point to decorate your own home in SL  It’s a lovely large garden with so much to see and such a relaxing environment.  Lovely scenery and I saw several people rez aircraft or boats so you can explore that way too.  There are japanese gardens, rose gardens, fantasy gardens and fields of flowers to find.  I got lost for awhile in a tall field of grass but followed the sound of water to an amazing beach to watch a sail boat breeze by.  A nice place to relax and sight-see, do play a visit! 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/feast/131/128/31

Laurel’s Places to Go – Midnight Reflections

Yes, I know I already reviewed this place recently but I was there again in the early AM to dance a bit and enjoy the music.  Can you believe there were people on the dance floor at 2AM SLT?  This is the Nightclub dancing area, surrounded by those beautiful blue waterfalls.  It’s a big sim with lots to see and do as a couple or single as I am this AM.   That’s me in the white pants suit.

If you are looking for some music and a place to dance that isn’t totally deserted at those odd times.  Try Midnight Reflections!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Midnight%20Reflections/65/125/25/

Laurel’s Picks of Places to Go – Healing Planetarium

Mr. Mystery strikes again with another interesting place to visit in Second Life.  He’s being so helpful!  The Healing Planetarium is a different place to go sit and talk while enjoying a wonderous display of stars.  The ambient music isn’t distracting and you can just enjoy each other’s company.  There are both chairs and couches available so fine to take a friend with you too.   The scene above rotates so it isn’t a constant scene to get bored of easily. 

I thought it was a unique place to go and it was fun to sit a bit there while we talked.   The teleport takes you to an entrance way..click on the doors below the white text that says “Entrance” and select teleport to go in.  Once inside you can tp someone else in easily.  A tip from me…try holding hands with the emote “threads my fingers through yours and squeezes your hand in mine” then later “softly caresses your hand in mine, enjoying this moment of  closeness with you.”   Both men and women enjoy extra special attention so give it a try.    Yeah me and my emotes.  *winks*

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ueno/208/110/22/

Laurel’s Picks of Places to Go – Midnight Reflections

Looking for a perfect spot for that romantic evening?  My beloved Mr. Mystery knows of a wonderful place.  We were out and about together last evening and the place he took me to was just incredible! 

Midnight Reflections is a large park within Second Life with relaxing music and lots of romantic places to explore with your someone special. 

We are shown here talking on a platform surrounded by brilliant blue waterfalls and emerald foliage.  There are places to dance, picnic and even a secret cottege where you can snuggle in front of a roaring fireplace.  Just stroll around and see which places you like best. 

 The scenery is just gorgous here and I don’t think you need to be part of a couple to relax here.  I was approached by a gentleman when I went back to get the landmark for the blog, so at least one single likes to relax there too.  I have someone very special for the romance in my Second Life so didn’t stay.  *smiles*

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Midnight%20Reflections/65/125/25/

Laurel’s Picks of Places to Go – The Cloud Chateau

I was out and about in Second Life last night with a friend and he showed me a great place to see.  It’s called the Cloud Chateau, there is music to listen to while you sit and enjoy the light show or ever varying particle effects.  There are convient chairs you can sit in as you relax and enjoy the show. The music here is ambient in theme.   I had a great time, the company was as wonderful as the light show was. 

A balloon ride just through the tunnel can take you to other great locations through this sim.  Nice to explore and a different place to take a date.  I was impressed at least! 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hina/13/34/746/

Laurel’s Picks of Places to Go – Venice Island

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Venice%20Island/154/146/22/

Looking to do some Second Life Sightseeing?  Take a gander at Venice Island from a romantic gondola ride.  Take one of the tandem bicycles for a ride or share a tender moment on the kiss balls by the fountain.  Dance on the platform in the center of the square or browse shops in the Venice themed buildings.  Venice Island is a relaxing atmosphere with much to see and do.  Bring along your date or enjoy a nice tour solitude. 

Scuba Duba

The Costa Rica scuba diving area has been moved and completely redone to be even more impressive than before. You don’t have to be a resident to enjoy the beauty of the new reef. New wreaks, fish and other marine life have been added to the area to explore and enjoy. Do be cautious tho as a really big shark has been spotted patroling the area. Did I mention Costa Rica’s version of JAWS is deadly?  Enter at your own risk!

Oddly enough a direct landmark to that area doesn’t seem to work so I’ll landmark the dive shack nearby and you can swim around there to see the sights and perhaps encounter the big shark.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pacifico%20Central%201/203/251/21/

Horseback Riding in Costa Rica

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Volcan%20Arenal/216/20/21/

I spent some time today trying out the horseback riding in the Costa Rica sims.  I arrived at the horse barn to be greeted with a chorus of friendly neighs from the horses there.  It was kind of a pick me..pick me..kind of situation with the demo horses.  I finally settled upon the black and white spotted one, clicked the demo sign and got a horse to ride (well wear in order to ride). 

After some butterfly chasing around the fence, I felt confident enough to take to the trails.  First, I circled the volcano for a good close look then crossed the bridge to take in the scenery on the mountain trails. I wasn’t quite dressed for riding having come from a float in our pool while doing some work in another window. Lots of scenic overlooks along the mountain trails as well as views of the beautiful Costa Rican houses below. The demo horse, I didn’t name him as he was only meant to be temporary, didn’t give me any trouble while I gawked around the trails. I’m thinking about getting a permanent horse now and since I can keep one at the horse barn to save prims on our property….it’s very tempting.  *smiles*

After Del arrived we took a ride in the new speed boat he bought for us to cruise around our new home in. We cruised all over the Costa Rica sims enjoying all that open water. The new boat is super fast! We only found a few sandbars to get stuck on. 

It’s lovely how even the houses on these islands blend with the scenery so it was good to see them too.  Del had his hands full with mastering the new boat which left me to navigate so we didn’t need to stop to ask directions.  He’s better with the helicopter but he’s had much more practice with that. Getting back to our island was a bit more tricky than just wandering about was but we did manage it together.  I love spending time with my handsome SL husband!

Laurel’s Picks of Places to Go – Costa Rica

Tonight I got a chance to tour breath taking Costa Rica with the CEO Mr. Giancarlo Takacs who is also a RL Costa Rica resident. Costa Rica has so much to see and do that it will take you several trips to see and do it all. Just some of the things to do in Costa Rica are whale watching, surfing, fishing, shopping, horseback riding, swiming, sunbathing, scuba diving, white water rafting, boating, canoeing, jetskiing, hot air balloon rides and hiking to see the volcano and rainforest. 

There is a must see introductory movie at http://www.costaricasims.com/webhome/
The Costa Rica sims were designed as residential sims to mimic Mr. Takacs’ RL home, there is much attention to detail here and there is little wonder it has been called one of the most beautiful places in Second Life. I am told sightseers are also welcome as long as they do respect the residents of the island. That means not to approach houses too closely and try to stick to the public areas of these sims as much as possible. Costa Rica allows a horse to be kept by residents in their horse barn and have one of the longest riding trails in Second Life. You can try a demo horse at the barn and explore the horse trails. 

 There is an airport where residents are allowed to keep an aircraft for free. Residents also have access to a clubhouse and romantic yacht for their own use or to host parties. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Costa Rica has a fantastic shopping district with many of the big names in the Second Life fashion industry for both men and women.

 

 

 

  

 You can sightsee or whale watch by taking a hovercraft ride or the hot air ballon ride.  Why not try both? I spotted alligators in the water by the dock. That would be a bad place to swim but there are other nice beaches for swiming even a nude beach for the adventurous.

  

 

 

 

I took this picture on the whale watching tour.  Can you see the whale?  Another came up on the left side of the boat almost close enough to pet.  This was my first time seeing simulated Humpback Whales in their Second Life environment. They do look very much like their real life counterparts.

 

 

 

 

The Romantic Yacht available for residents use.  It’s very nice below deck too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the surfing beach with waves developed for the Weather Channel sim and found in only 4 places in all of Second Life.

Mr. Takacs had this to say, “We would like to thank you for your time here in Costa Rica. We have created this project with a lot of love, not only we want to share the beauty of Costa Rica with others, but we want to make this a place where residents and visitors understand the importance of living in harmony with nature. This planet gave us the opportunity to evolve as a thinking species and with evolution comes responsibilities. The biggest one is taking care of all the other living forms and of the planet that gave us this incredible opportunity in the first place, because in the end, we all depend on each other.”

Love & Light,

Giancarlo Takacs
CEO & Owner of The Costa Rica Sims

Del and I are now proud Costa Rica residents so we were sold on the whole Costa Rica living. It’s nice to be part of a community rather then just have a square lot on some square island as we had before.  Our lot in Costa Rica is so gorgous and we look forward to many happy days in our new home.

Places to visit in Costa Rica :

Shopping District – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Laguna%20Arenal/157/41/23/

Volcano and Horse Barn – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Volcan%20Arenal/197/21/22/

Clubhouse (Dancing and Fine Dining) – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Alajuela/71/5/22/

Rafting – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Guanacaste/255/71/23/

Motorboats and Jetskiis (Free Rides) - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isla%20Venado/254/41/20/

Ballonride and Hovercraft tours (Whale-watching) - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Guanacaste/9/14/21/

Nude Beach – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pacifico%20Central/212/67/21/

Subadiving – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pacifico%20Central/200/17/21/

Surfing – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pacifico%20Central%201/242/64/21/

Kriscar’s Fun Island – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isla%20Venado/123/207/22/

Rainforest, Fishing, Canoeing and Hang Gliding - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Volcan%20Tenorio/173/36/22/

Travel Agency & Airport – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Guanacaste%20Norte/59/105/22/

Northern Surfing – http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pacifico%20Norte%201/236/157/19/