Airborne in Second Life

For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.

Leonardo da Vinci

This story will be a little different from my usual fare.

Or, maybe, it just goes back to my roots when I began wandering about in Second Life (SL) a rosy cheeked noob, wandering about, looking in awe about myself.

We begin when Tera Trenchcoat, my friend and Research Assistant (RA), (Wait, I didn’t tell you that I have an RA now? Well, I have a lot of stories and projects to juggle, and Tera met the three basic requirements for the job. She likes my writing, has a keen sense of adventure, and is willing to work for nothing. I suspect there is a certain amount of curiosity about what I’ll mess up next but that’s another story. I believe Significant Other has similar motivations.) IM’d me recently after I’d rezzed inworld and asked me to join her. She’d found something exciting.

Tera has a very good sense of what’s worthwhile and what’s not in SL, so I joined her.

Did I mention that Tera also has a real knack for understatement?

I say this because when I joined her, I was taken aback by what awaited me. (How’s this for building suspense?)

I’d arrived in Da Vinci Gardens in Kalepa. Actually, Tera was lost in the bowels of a Pharaonic pyramid. It was when we extricated ourselves and came to the main landing zone that I was amazed.

What we saw was a land of beauty and fantasy. Towers, causeways, winding staircases leading into mountains surrounded us. The sea stretched far off to the horizon. The sun shone on us and great beasts flew in the skies. We walked upon beautiful mosaics. Trees and flowers were everywhere. High in a tower built upon a peak, an observatory with a large telescope scanned the skies. And, of course, no world of fantasy would be complete without distant ruins hinting of great events in a long forgotten past.

I’ve seen a lot inworld as readers of my stories know but Kalepa is something entirely different. A board offers to teleport visitors to the different corners of this sim. Tera and I were both impressed.

There is much to explore and write about here in Kalepa. Then there’s Felix Shepherd, the creator behind all of this, whom I hope to interview about all his work. But, what this story will be about will be flying in this sim because, at least for me, this is the most fantastic aspect of Kalepa.

Yes, I know, we can fly like the birds in SL. What’s the big deal about heavier than air flight inworld then?

Well, let me tell you about that.

Maybe I can soar, and I sometimes do inworld, like a bird but to be able to fly in Da Vinci’s “aerial screw” like I did with Tera is something I couldn’t do in Real Life (RL). Nor could I sit on a feather and float across the skies as I did at Kalepa. And, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the dragon.

Then there’s the view. The rides in Kalepa take one on a breathtaking aerial ride across the sim. Da Vinci’s aerial screw (Actually more of a cross between Da Vinci and steampunk when I take a closer look.) is the most breathtaking giving a bird’s eye view of the sim.

Below us are castles, islands, volcanoes, and ships at dock. Around us soar large birds. The styles of architecture are varied across the sim and my brief flight only whets my appetite to return and see more.

When I land, Tera and I promptly switch to the Feather Tour which takes us on enormous feathers for a flight much closer to the ground. We fly under arches and bridges. See prehistoric paintings on cave walls as we fly through subterranean caverns. Birds of all types surround us either in flight like us or standing on the ground.

We return to our departure area and RL commitments require us to leave. But, Tera and I will return to Kalepa. There is much to see and do. On this trip and a subsequent one I took back for photos, a good number of visitors always seem to be about.

Our trip through Kalepa has been a marvelous experience. The sim shows considerable care in its design and layout with much attention to detain. Felix can be very proud of his work.

Expect to hear more from me about Kalepa!

I’d like to thank Tera for finding Kalepa and leading me there. I’d also like to thank her for all her efforts supporting my writing and explorations across the Grid!

I’ve included several pictures documenting our trip. But, as always, pictures especially mine can only hint at what’s there. I encourage all to visit Kalepa, you won’t be disappointed!

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com .

If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1 Kalepa Landing Zone

Photo No. 2 Teleporter Board

Photo No. 3 Skyline View

Photo No. 4 DaVinci’s Helicopter

Photo No. 5 Dragon

Photo No. 6 Flying Feather

Photo No. 7 Observatory with Telescope

Photo No. 8 Distant Ruins

Photo No. 9 Ready for Takeoff!

Photo No. 10 The Journey Begins…

Photo No. 11 Airborne Scenery I

Photo No. 12 Airborne Scenery II