...day 11: a mixed bag

Lost island  >>> Beppu
Sims crossed today = 7
Total sims crossed = 106

I've decided to head due east and walk part of one of the 'continents'. It's not the most direct route but I hope the scenery will make up for it. The thought of walking a few hundred more sims of beach houses, horse farms and sexbed showrooms I find a little daunting, so I'm putting a lot of faith into the mythical large landmasses to the east.  

GLD Prefab Homes (#100) is just what its name implies, houses off the shelf. It's my 100th sim! Yay! But i decide not to celebrate by buying a house.

Exceptional elegence (#101) is large showroom with some classy (and expensive) furniture.

I TP to a group of four co-joined sims. Japan Sapporo sounds good, but I am getting resigned to the 'false advertising' of sim names. It gets worse because I cant TP to any of the four sims, and I am left on the edge of the sim to the north looking out at an expanse of ocean. It's the first time I simply havent been able to access a a sim with no explanation, not even an 'invalid parcel' notification. Weird.


Ah well, looks like I must explore Tangled Paradise (#102). Ironically, there is a beautiful Japanese Garden here. It's nice to be in a nature sim again, with a large house to break into. The northern half of the sim is a no hobo zone and I'm refused entry. Bloody killjoys!

A spot of tea! Tangled Paradise

Germanius (#103) is describeD as a German Gorean RP Sim. Oh dear. I arrive in a valley surrounded by a lovely mountain range that looks like something out of Middle Earth. Nice. Entering the main game area, the auto guards strare at me, but they dont stop me. One thing I'm starting to like about Gor sims is the attention to detail, groovy sailing ships and the emphasis on nature that is obviously a large part of the whole Gor thing. They can keep the rest. There's something about keeping women in cages that I find a bit disturbing...but as John Lennon and Elton John sang, "whatever gets you through the night". As I walk along I explore a nice village, but ignore the large castle that do doubt has lots of slave balls.


Varykino Haven (#104) is Lenny and Kali Celt's Home... apparently. I've come to expect an autoboot, but it gladly doesnt eventuate. Im in a treehouse, on a small island and its all very cute. Lenny and Kali must like dancing. Wildflowers blanket the ground in this charming, nature-inspired sim.


Nobility jewellry store and samurai school (#105). Plenty of jewellry, not much samurai to be seen. Where's the blood? Where's the violence? Where's the sliced watermelons? I'm joined by Dana Luckless for a bit of her precious time. She too is dismayed by the abscence of violence.

To much art, not enough blood, Nobility

Fukuoka Yakuin (#106) is soon discovered, a snowy beach side open air club and, umm, thingy with a nice boat, more open air thingies and halloween thingy. A fairly schizophremnic place but all good fun. After a spontaneous set from DJ Bunky, Dana departs so I head to the neighbouring sim, Beppu (#107). 

DJ Bunky, in da house! Fufuoka Yakuin

Beppu place is more 'Japanese' than the previous sims. I score a nice, pink freebie, girls packpack, which will make a nice change from my hobo carpet bag. I feel like a tourist as I walk through the village market and galleries. I guess I am. This would have to be one of the more lovely sims I have been in lately, and I recommend you check it out.

The wonderful Beppu

Oh and by the way, the 'days' I travel are not necessarily done during a single SL session, let alone a single day. I often stretch it out for dramatic purposes and because I have artistic licence! :)

...a bump in the road

I may have hit a low point in my travels. All the sims I visit are starting to look the same. Movement is often difficult, with security orbs and booters who don't like me. It's a bit like going on a road trip through rural Australia. SL is starting to look impersonal, empty, cold, even hostile towards vagabonds like myself. I miss my friends. It makes my day when they come and walk a few sims with me. Without their support I'd lose my mojo, so thanks friends!

But I'm making progress! It looks like I'm half way on the map, but the sim distribution is much denser to the east, so I'm probably one quarter to one third into the trip.

I've decided to take a break from the road every now and then, to go home, have a shower and muck about with my buddies. I'll still do the trip, but it's too much to do it continuously without letting my freebie woman's hair down every once in a while.

It's incredible how much things can change when you go away. London Sims now has a changed dynamic, with many of my favourite avs having left. It's a tough gig being a greeter, but without them things turn to shit. I wish Bean, Evie and the others the very best in wherever their SL takes them.

And couples break up and noobs blossom (even green one's) and it's all rather fascinating really. A microcosm of RL where nothing stays the same and everything happens for a reason, hopefully for the right reasons.

And I have a new friend! Lovenica Resident is a bit of a noob, but she's fun to muck about with and can also have an intelligent conversation. That's what I want in an SL friend... oh, and long legs and nice red hair helps to ;)

...day 10: dodging arrows

DnB Nor >>> Lost Island
Sims crossed today =12
Total sims crossed =99

 

Bunky does Gor...... and fails miserably

As I near the end of the Norwegian mega-sim, it gets a bit more interesting, and some architectural oddites turn my head. A waterfront pub, (a converted boat shed) called the Drunken Viking looks like fun, if I wasn't the only one here.

Samnium (#90), a sim full of oldey worldey kinky stuff, but not in an explicit way. It feels a bit gorish too. The doors are locked. Curious (I'm part cat you know), i use my camera control peer through the walls, and click on a poseball inside (a PG rated sitting one). Surprisingly, I'm inside! But perhaps humourously, I cant get back outside! There is nothing within range outside the building that i can sit on, and I'm locked inside! They say curiosity killed the cat, so my best hope is to make my way to the roof and jump off. The upstairs doors are locked too. Send food and water!! Then I remeber I can simply TP out of there, so I do. Derrr.

Valley of dreams (#91) is a wide open green sim with a few large houses and a frilly rotunda, not much else.

Sword Death (#92) sounds like a rather violent place. It turns out to be a market in the sky, selling violent things and costumes worn by violent people. I cant find a TP to the ground for the main game, and I cant be bothered.

Another megasim lies to the east. 8 or so joined Adult sims. I arrive and immediately notice it is Gorean (!), a collection of combat sims and endless marketplaces selling ye olde kinky stuff. I have to venture though Kalana Highlands >>> Three moons valley(#93-#95). Oh dear. This should be interesting. I'll either do my best to avoid everyone, and do a runner if I'm caught, or, I might dress up and try to blend in. The profile of a nearby green dot on the radar says "IM me so we can discuss torture methods." How charming! I change into some non-authentic gorish gear (my highlander type outfit), strap on a Gorean meter and TP to "the docks".

A combat zone! I keep my head down and head NE. A man suddenly jumps out of the bushes and runs across the path. Hes being chased by a near naked man with a bow and arrow. Oh dear! This may be a gay combat sim... not that theres anythign wrong with that. Further up the hill a couple of women with slingshots shoot at other women. They seem to ignore me, which is a relief. It seems to have become a lesbian combat sim. There certainly isn't anything wrong with that.

The sims here are certainly popular. I guess running around shooting half-naked people with bows and arrows is quite appealing to some, but I don't bother trying it myself. I'd have to get a weapon from somewhere and figure it all out, but I just don't feel I have the time. Things start looking the same, so I run to the far NE corner.

Experience Italy (#96) is underwhelming. The architecture is a bit more modern than I would have liked, with big grey boxy buildings everywhere. It looks a bit like a United Nations complex. 

Menagerie Haven (#97) is a private estate and I manage to escape before I am sent home.

Salamanders Paradise (#98) is home to "The World's Largest Hotel". It's not that big, or interesting for that matter.

I'm joined by Loomy and Dana for the last bit of this leg of the journey. Lost Island (#99) has some cool beggar avs, indian style, snake charmer type stuff and a nice little workshop, where you can 'air shovel' coal and sharpen your butt cheeks on a grinding stone (as Loomy found out) but it feels a bit gorish loomy and when we tried to jump a wall to break into a fun looking house, we got booted so hard that Loomy and I both crashed. It's all getting a bit too much so if anyone needs me, I'll be in bed.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

...day 9: sore feet

Blue Dream >>> DnB Nor
Sims crossed today = 28!
Total sims crossed =89

This blog is starting to be a become of a burden. It's handy to keep a record of where I've been, but I'm gonna have to start to cut back on the details and photos, except when things are particularly interesting. Time is in short supply, and I need to quicken my pace.

Leaving Blue Dream, I TP to Venus Island (#61). A big island with an attractive beach house (Yawn).

East to Arab Leaders (#62). Considering all the trouble in Egypt right now, I'd better try to be neutral. Lovely turquoise waters and desert, I feel like I am in Dubai, without all the dust. A big marina thingy, a few bars, sunbathing decks and a club is pretty lifeless and empty, but looks modern and flash.

Shanghai City (#63) sounds tantalizing, but I'm not expecting it to be very exciting. Home of the Dark Sovereign family, its a vampire/Lycan/ RP sim/hybrid which i think i some sort of incredible hulk thing. I mee tthe owner who kindly invites me to take a look around. A nice big crypty thingy. Not really my style but it looks pretty good for what it is.

I TP off to Lag (#64). ROFL! For once I hope the sim is not like its name. More Vampires. I meet the King, who allows me to look around his new sim, but informs me that I am "in danger of losing your humaninty". Eeeek! I don't stay long. Nice castle though.

Mairie de Paris (#65) sounds nice, but it looks more like China than the City of Light...or Shanghai City (#63) for that matter. Oh, its Japan, the panda bears confused me. Its the home of Loka designs.Vegetation, t-shirts and nipple rings.

NE to Ice Ice Baby (#66). I'm loving some of these sim names. Not quite sure what this is meant to be, only there's horses (o.O) and big beach houses. I guess I'd describe it as a fairly typical sim.

Sunset Beach (#67), a giant shopping mall of fashion disasters, but they do have a pretty cool Beatles shop. Next!

Frankfurt Zoo (#68) is home of the Black Infinity Vampire Clan. I was hoping for animals of the non-ex-human variety. Jungles and more dark gothic castles. All the poseballs also suggest to me that these are hippy vampires who like kissing and snuggling in the outdoors.

North is Frankfurt west (#69) and its more horses. I don't stay long.

Frankfurt City (#70) to the east is a nice looking place with old industrial buildings and shops. I walk in on a lady who is trying on new clothes. Just as I say, "Looking good", she goes completely naked and I'm left to back track, but shes friendly, though my German in terrible... some would say non-existant.

Sunshine Tropical (#71) is apparently "Lion's home" with, you guessed it... a big beach house! Zyngo madness also. One of the houses here seems to belong to some bikie/gynaecologist. Some seriously weird pictures here. Ill spare you the details.

Its over to Outback (#72) and more bleedin horses! A large dutch windmill and an Orca are the highlights here.

To Wonderland Beach (#73) and im hoping for a bit of Alice in Wonderland fun . No, its a shop. I've actually been here before! I'ts a popular hair shop, Ali and Alli with a heap of beards upstairs.

North to the Witches Forest (#74) which is an apt description of the sim, with toadstool houses and oversize bunny rabbits. There's lots of nice multi-colour trees here too. The witches here seem to live in cosy little cabins, but I'm all alone apart from a non witch who says hi, but I'm not in the mood to pester her today.

Mandy's Mansion (#75) strip club with very little stripping going on. Friendly folk though, and a few people boogie away on the dance floor. I meet a fellow Snowbear. Good looks obviously run in the family.

Vitural Holland (#76) is pretty fun lots of stuff to see and do. Windmills are to be expected, as are canals and those cute boxy house things, but im not sure what the totem pole is there for.

The next 2 sims, Amsterdam 2 (#77) and Amsterdam 1 (#78) are fantastic. Old tall buidings and bridges and cobblestone streets. A lot of work has gone into this place and it looks great! Definately one of the highlights of my trip so far. Art gallerys with famous works, waxworks museum, and a lovely art deco cinema. I'm joined by my friend Dana Luckless. We raid  a freebie shop then move to...

...Extort (#78), which is completely empty, aside from a "For Sale" sign.

Wunder (#79) is plain boring and doesn't even rate a mention.

Realm of Muzik (#80) is a female nudist sim. As a boy person, this appeals to me in several ways, but boys aren't allowed here. So, to be safe, I switch to my more feminine alt. Much to Dana's alarm, I lose my dress, but keep my undies on to stop her blushing. A freindly female avatar tries to strike up a conversation as we realx by the pool, but I'm not in the mood to keep up the trans-gender charade.

So we head off to 'I forget the Name' (#81), not it's real name, but I forgot to make a note of it. It was a frilly, florally rental complex with classical houses and lots of trees and vines, but a tad lifeless and extremely dull.

I head to Balinor Island (#82), an adult sim, so I scout a head to see how naughty it is before I TP Dana (she's a bit blushy). I land in an 'art' gallery that is fairly explicit, but the rest of the sim is no access.

Air France (#83) and I TP Dana across. It's one of the stranger sims I have seen, basically an office/departure lounge in a large glass bubble in the sky. Very stylish and corporate. Also confusing, and we try to look around, only to find ourselves skydiving into the ocean or turning up in a spacey void thingy that looks like something from the Star Trek dream sequence. Frustrated by our inability to wander around freely, we go to

DnB Nor (#84-#89) is a mega sim complex made up of 14 cojoined sims. It is 'Virtual Norway', wide open spaces, a nice looking village here and there, but very corporate and minimalist. It's owned by a bank, so it is correspondingly dull and sterile. The corporate atmosphere brings out the left leanings in us, and we dance on the bankers board room table, fail in our attempt to leave a few stinky souvernirs on it, then break into a modern bungalow and smoke the world's biggest joint. The sim(s) stretches on for a long way, and a bit of forest of explored. Dana parts company and I walk to the NE corner, a bit tired and overwhelmed by this monster ode to capitalism.

...day 8: close encounters of the furry kind

Ivory Cove >>> Blue Dream
Sims crossed today = 15
Total sims crossed =60




I awake to find myself still in the Tinuvian RP sim, Ivory Cove. I'm soon joined by my London buddies Dana, Lyna and my completely bonkers sister, Lumia Van Douser. It's been a while since I've seen them and I'm grateful for their company.

Brainiac Dana with gratuitous butt-shot of Lumia

After we catch up on all the gossip, we walk northeast-ish, but the tempation iof a pub is too great so we stop for a drink. After stealing some fish (for later) we eventually make it to the centre of the medieval village, where Dana makes a coffin for my broken bunny slipper. Full lolz I can assure you.... OK, I guess you had to be there. Seeing as my compadres are on the opposite side of the planet, they crawl off to their RL beds as I make my way to the corner and then onto...


Bondi Island (#46). Sounds suspiciously Australian, where my RL avatar resides. Across an enormous expanse of sand lies a monolithic club, The Queen of Hearts Stripclub. Must be the strippers day off. I'm having trouble getting around, like I'm walking through mud, stopped by the occasional invisible barrier. Weird. I find myself in a strange corner of the sim, with 2 odd sign, a black panther, a pug and a "under construction" sign


The NE section of the sim has an enormous magnificent old stone building, the Oak Grove Asylum. Its a RP area, so I am extremely curious to see whats inside. Well the place is pretty huge, with lots to do, but most of it has rather kinky sexual overtones to it! Who would have thought!!! I can't even use the phone without the threat of being violated. But it's not a fun place to be alone. So it's time to leave the least Bondi-like sim ever.

What does this pink ball do? Oak Grove Asylum

Onyx Isle (#47) is another sim viod of human activity. I feel very lonely since my freinds left me earlier. I am on a beach (surprise surprise) looking up at a huge, ugly beach house. I strip off my clothes and enter the house, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find thats its less ugly on the inside. It's actually quite a nice place, so I have a nap in their bed, eat from their table, changes the colour of their bedsde tables and broke their toilet. All in a day's work :) I put my clothes back on and head north

Another day, another break-in

Amethyst Isle (#48) was difficult to cross as it kept BOOTING ME! without warning, but it looks pretty bog-standard anyway :P so its east to... Pearl Cove Island (#49) which sounds awfully piratey, only it isn't. It feels like I'm on a movie set. The buildings are mere shells, even the shop fronts were painted. I wander around thew surreal city streets till I realise there is nothing more to it, except the cinema which is rather nice. I grab some popcorn and depsite the absence of seating, I sit on the floor and wait for the show to start. But the curtains are painted on so I wander off like the Omega Man to...

The post-apolalyptic streets of Pearl Cove Island and it's cinema

 Lawria (#50). I find myself in a gallery like an erotic Guggenheim. Images of latex and leather clad ladies line the semi-transparent walls. I admire the architecture. A trippy castle lies ahead, the statue in the courtyard looks rather Gorish. I tread with caution. A large crocodile swims in the moat. Closer inspection reveals it to be a plesiosoaur. Oh dear. Strange things are afoot. I shuffle off to the NE. Eeek a unicorn! Run! I head up a winding path to the top of a himalayan mountain range. Another castle is here, but I'm not allowed in. Peering through the walls I spy lots of kinky Gor funrniture, so I TP to...

 

Lawria. Gor me thinks

Furry Park (#51) is a quad-sim that I assume is for furries, but you never know unless you go. The sim is fairly sparse, with lots of open desert areas. Perhaps it has seen better days? A tall chickenman in a a Star Trek outfit, Sir Behawolf Foxclaw, leads me to believe my assumption was correct. he tells me that the place is largely abaondoned now. Perhaps the  Golden Age of Furriness is over?

[09:12 PM]  Bunky Snowbear: are you always a furry?
[09:12 PM]  SirBehawolf Foxclaw: normally I am a wolf but I do have avain AV
[09:12 PM]  Bunky Snowbear: oh
[09:12 PM]  SirBehawolf Foxclaw: yes, and prowd of it :)
[09:12 PM]  Bunky Snowbear: hows the furry scene these days?
[09:13 PM]  Bunky Snowbear: still going strong?
[09:13 PM]  SirBehawolf Foxclaw: still discriminated but not as bad and yes I think so especialy on SL
[09:13 PM]  Bunky Snowbear: where else are there furries than SL?

He then 'Shooped' me, eyes bulging out of his head and a great beam of force coming out his mouth. He informs me it is meant to boot me home, but it wasn't working for some reason. What a strange person.

Close encounters of the furry kind

Fursong is the adjacent sim to the north. i havent been counting co-joined sims as seperate entities, but perhaps I should? Anyway, Fursong (#52) is a continuation of Furry Park and consists of an open air club and a few shops. A little way up the path a snow leopard in pink latex, Karma Wolfhunter, hangs out. We chat for a bit and she educates me on the furry art sceneand takes interest in my journey. Nice lass.

 

Karma Wolfhunter and I

Bored now, I head to Maven island (#53) bed shop. What I want to know is, how come it's so hard to find a bed that you can actually sleep on? The other shops here fail to inspire me, so its across to Maven shores (#54), separate sims but likely related. Maven Shores, home of the Golden Spur Saloon. A dozen or more folk are lined up dancing in sync. Not sure if it's my scene, but everyone seems to be having fun. Not much talking going on though. I bid everyone a farewell and head out the door.

Blue Lagoon Beach (#55) is a shopping sim with a lovely asian style landscaping. The gardens and beach really look good. I m not sure what the non-shop area are meant to be, other than look nice. I guess it would be a ncie place to hang out, but theres noone here but me. The shops here sell furry avs, grass, trees and shoutcast streams for dj's. Theres some nice overwater cabanas here for rent too. Hmmm. maybe one day when I settle down I'll rent one\, but it would feel like I live in a shopping mall

Maory Island (#56) is under construction, but a few images show it may be modelled on the most magnificent of Pacific atolls, Bora Bora and/or Mangareva. Being a Pacific nut, I'll definately come back here at a later date to check it out. Conchobar Oran and Anx Xevion are the builders from italy. I commend them on their plans.

Lover Island to the north is sadly closed for business. Who said romance wasnt dead? So I head to Buenos Aries (?) island (#57), either a South American zodiac or SL's biggest typo? A fairly eclectic place, it reminds me of a lesser quality sim #55 with a flashy digital TV showroom. But many green dots congregate on my radar so i head over to check it out. Must be a party in the sky and I'm not invited.


Jakarta City (#58) is not like the RL one, unfortunately. It is home to some very rude men who told me to leave, then as I was leaving, booted me. What? People don't like vagrants breaking into their houses? I'm surprised this is the first time this has happened. Sure I've had lots of auto-bot bootings, but never a booting from an avatar. I got banned from my first sim! Yay! Frankie Radikal, you are the biggest douchebag I have met on SL, and I've met a lot of people. Ah well, 1 in 60 sims aint bad.

Phoenix Bedazzled (#59) is another beachy place (surprise!). I'm starting to get de ja vu when I see a bunch of palm trees and sand now. Kind of a market on the beach, looks like this place never really kicked off.

Blue dream (#60) is home to the Lost Yard RP group. Looks  bit vampirish. Do I have to wear a observer tag, awwww. I'd better respect the rules. This banning bunky thing might get out of hand if I dont. The two residents here ignore me. Seems harmless enough, a bit grungy and anarchistic though. Meh.

Tired now, so it's ZZZZZZZZZZ.

...day 7: Second Life is a beach

London Sims >>> Ivory Coast
Sims crossed today = 10
Total sims crossed =45


After a 3 week holiday from SL involving a hammer, a sore thumb, a crying baby and 4 days of non-stop torrential rain, I have dusted off my slipper and am ready to leave London (#36) where I have had fun as usual, and friend Mayzee Moloko gave me some duct tape for emergencys. My next stop, Diddler Island, seems like a million miles away...

...it is.

Goodbye London...again

I head NE down the lonely streets of Mayfair until I can go no further. Christopher Columbus-like I stare out into the vast blue unknown. Diddler lies roughly northeast, but I'm considering travelling east for a while so I can walk at least one of the 'continents'. I've only heard good things about them, and while it will make my long trip considerably longer, I'm sure it will be worth it.

To the north of London I spy a sim called 'LondonMet' (#37). My curious neko senses kick in and I'm there, albeit with a soggy landing.

 

Splashdown!

I soon realise this is the sim for the London Metropolitan University. A sparse sim that looks it could do with an update, though I do love the old fashioned transport, suspended 1000ft high by hot air and 3mm fabric. Wheeee!

 I can see my house from up here!

Nice wind (#38) is next and the poster of two men kissing passioantely on a beach leads me to belive I have just landed in my first gay sim... not that there's anything wrong with that. And here I was thinking it would be about farting. Boxing rings, hotted up cars and gay porn. Hmmm. As Joe Jackson sang "All the gays are macho, can't you see their leather shine". Cool lunar module though.

The danger noobs face

Nice Wind's gay lunar module

As I cross the grid I have a bit of choice as to which sim I choose to travel via, as long as they are in the same rough direction. To my east lies "Negative Idea' (#39). If I like the name, I will generally check it out. Negative Idea proves to be a disappointment. It should have been called "No Idea". Next!

Davenport Beach (#40) seems rather popular however. There are at least 2 dozen avatars on my radar. outise is like a black and white film. inside however is a pumping nightclub. I stop by to say hello, but all the pretty young things are too busy groovin to notice the homeless neko that has entered the room.

As I walk NE across Davenport Beach, I meet Kadiyah, owner of new club Cardinal Sins which is set to open the next day. She gives me a tour of the club and the bedrooms where guests ummm... sleep, and she tells me that she is yet to satff the place. Apparently DJ's are easy to come by, but dancers and naughty ladies of the night are not. I tell her about my adventures and she catches up via this blog. It's nice when people take interest in my travels.

 

Bunky and Kadiyah

She says that I may wash in her waterfall and offers me a warm bed in which to rest my weary legs. I strip down and dive into the waters fora frolick with some dolphins and a good ole scrub. But I cant lie idle in her bed while the grid awaits me! Besides, the bed doesn't have any sleep animations, but plenty of the more energetic bed animation variety.

 Kadiyah's exfoliating waterfall

I thank her for her hospitality and head east.


Hunters Point (#41) , Home of the Bravehearts! Could be dangerous, or perhaps the sim of a baseball team? I wander around alone and find myself in someone's house again. The photos on the walls and cute kids bedrooms lead me to think this is a family place. I creep into a child's bedroom, and take a photo of myself, a dishevelled, hairy itinerant in a kid's room. I've never looked so dodgy. I realise I can rezz stuff here, so I rezz a photo of the strange man in their child's room and stick it on their wall. I'm also thinking about stripping naked when I break ito someone's house. It would highten the surprise if they come home. I love drama.

As I wander out I see a sign that reads "Touch this to join the coolest group ever!" Oooh it's very tempting, but not today. If I accepted every invitation I've received so far, my computer would explode.

So I TP to New York Bay (#42). I'm just starting to have fun on a playground when I am told I have 30 seconds to leave. Bloody killjoys! I leave that section just in time and just as I'm about to have fun with a horse that I found, I'm told to leave again :( and before I know it, I'm 'Home'. Home is still set as my old USLC sim, and I figure I'll end up home whenever I get booted, so I'm thinking about setting Home to London. But it goes against my rules of the road so I think I might set my boot destination to "the nearest available sim".

Anyway, this New York Bay owner 'Charlotte' really doesnt want me here, so being a stubborn pussycat, I return for another try and find myself in front of a group of horses, which kinda scares me, but at least these ones look a bit more normal. It seems I've found a corner of the sim that is more welcome. I break into the nearest house, the highlight of which is the furniture and a framed slideshow of fake photos of Megan Fox in compromising positions. At least they are good fakes. I commend the owner by sending her an IM "Bunky Snowbear: I'm walking across the SL grid and I passed through your place. Nice pad! I particularly like the wicker furniture and the naughty Megan Fox photos. Sorry to invade your private space, but its my job :)"

Hunts Point Beach (43). I seem to have stumbled into the beach zone. Things are becoming awfully beachy. SL is a beach. Hunts Point has one of those, ancient roman/modern beachhouse/scottish castle things going on. Castle? Do I smell Gor? I have a sneaky peek throught he walls and it looks safe, quite magnificent in fact, but I must press on! I cant go exploring every freakin castle i see or I'll have to update to Windows 17 before I finish. I spy a green dot on the radar and decide to go and have a chat. Eeek! Creepy horse farm!!! Each to their own, but I'm outta here!

Freshwater Springs (44) is a sim filled with nice, large, modern beachhouses for rent, but nobody home and nobody renting by the looks of it. No access to the eastern part of the sim so time to go.

Damian Island (45) is another beach sim with a large purple open-air club. A few folk boogie away in tight ripped jeans. There is a pagan feel about the place, with some choppers thrown in . They welcome me to stay for the upcoming biker party, I thank them but must go. I don't feel like dancing today. I wander to the NE corner through lovely tropical beach gardens that remind me of Bali. I pass an enormous mansion near the end.

I find myself in a little wooden house at Ivory Coast (#46), a Tinuvian RP sim. I'm asked to collect my HUD, read the rules and fill out my character info. Hmmm, "Bunky, Wanderer, looks a bit like a young Gandalf". As I have alook around, I think that the fighter jet/spaceship looks a bit out of place in a medieval RP sim, but whatever. I walk into a cave a spy a portaly votexy thingy which takes me to the main game. I arrive in some woods, a little underwhelmed and call up into a furry ball and go to sleep. To be continued...

Ivory Coast's Vortex of Mystery!

...day 6: london calling

Jamaica Cove >>> London Sims
Sims crossed today = 2
Total sims crossed = 35

Nothing to see here. Move along.

I put on my bunny slipper for a another day on the road and enter the world of Jamaica Cove. I envisage pirates and cane fields, drinking rum on the beach to the tunes of Bob Marley and svelte babes dancing around an open fire through the haze of ganja smoke. Instead I find a series of small, square islands with a few monstruous beachouses. This place lacks soul and character. I jump in my inflatable boat and coast along to the NE corner. As I near the exit I am unexpectedly booted. I am not disapponted by this development.

Awwww. Neko lovers have the best houses to break into.

I find myself in Tokyo Mainland. This should be interesting, in perhaps a Lost in Translation way. I've always been fascinated with Japanese culture, particularly pop culture. My little green friend Dana Luckless gives me a call and I ask if she wants to join me. "Sure" she says in her enthusiastic way. It starts well, as I enter someone's and find myself surrounded by neko paraphenalia. Cute. I always feel safe in a cat lover's house. As we wander about outside, I've never seen so many atms and money exchange machines before. The place abounds with odd looking teleporters and endless skytop aboretums up long flights of stairs, hatshops, shops selling random things from dancepoles to ants. I pass a store selling something called "Tanima shock -Real Valley of the Chest, Real and Sexy Breast to You!" Hmmm, whatever.

Noob riding, Tokyo Mainland

RL gets in the way of Dana's visit and she leaves me as suddenly as she arrives. As U2 would say, she moves in mysterious ways. As I near the NE corner I open map to see where I'm headed. I soon realise that I have almost completely missed London! If I had of continued NE I would have walked straight past the London Sims. What a goose!

I happily teleport west where I am warned to leave immediately. I guess this area of the sim is a place of private apartments. Either that or the fact I havent had a bath for four days. I jump to the other end of the sim where I may be more welcome and explore Northcliffe House in the Kensington Office Suites, but its largely uninhabited and the suites are for rent. I take an elevator tot he upper floors and walk around the empty corridors. As I walk in silence I get the feeling that this place is testiment to the well publicised failure of RL commerce to kick off through SL. SL commerce is evidently thriving in SL.

Northcliffe House, Ghost town

A walk around streets lined with lovely terraces, but I'm itching to get to Hyde Park, and I'm not talking about fleas. Hyde, the Hub in particular, is my regular hangout, and I have many friends and acquaintences there whom I haven't seen for too lomg. I walk into the Hub and find two strangers shuffling their feet in the corners. Dang! It's early morning European time, notoriously quiet in the London Sims. But it's good to be sort of  'home' after a long trip. I plan on spending a few weeks here. I guess it's part homesickness, part sim fatigue. Over the next few days I catch up with friends, and engage in the usual funny buggers. Ahhh, 'tis good to be home!

She's not the messiah! She's just a very naughty girl!