Stage One – The Fun Exercise
The puzzle starts with identifying the languages given below in ‘Full Description’. It is just one sentence in 17 different Languages. IDENTIFY THE LANGUAGE - COUNTRY OF ORIGIN - CAPITAL OF THAT COUNTRY - MAIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OF THE CAPITAL - MAIN BUILDING ON THE AIRPORT - CREATE A PLACE MARK ON THE BUILDING - OBTAIN THE COORDINATES.
Repeat to Obtain the coordinates for all the 17 Languages, add them together, find out the mean coordinate, give latitude average S sign and Longitude average W sign. This is your ‘Found Location’, check the distance between Damodar Pole (S 41.816557, W 30.374539) and your ‘Found Location’. If it is within 25km radius then log it as"write note" as given in Full Description and NOT as "Found" since you have not yet found the hidden container yet. Later when you find the container log it as 'Found'. However, in your 'Write Note' you can still have the credits of solving the puzzle at every step and enjoy the fun
Stage Two - LOCATION OF CONTAINER
Latitude = A + (+60.33658), where A = Latitude of ‘Damodar Pole’
Longitude = B + (+104.19563), where B = Longitude of ‘Damodar Pole’
The container is camouflaged. It is a big hard shell fruit cut and emptied from one side and the cache is inside.
ENJOY!
FULL DESCRIPTION
STEP ONE : Select the First Language from the following list (START HERE)
01. नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?
02. Tere, kuidas läheb?
03. Sveiki, kā jums klājas?
04. Helo, sut wyt ti?
05. Hello, hoe is jy?
06. Buna ziua, ce mai faci?
07. העלא, ווי זענען איר?
08. ہیلو، آپ کیسے ہیں؟
09. Halló, hvernig ert þú?
10. สวัสดีคุณเป็นอย่างไรบ้าง
11. Здраво, како си?
12. Hei, hvordan har du det?
13. 你好，你怎么样？
14. Hej, hvordan har du det?
15. Bonjour, comment allez-vous?
16. Ola, como vai vostede?
17. SALVE, UT SUNT VOBIS?
A Teaser for you, you may guess a clue, or just solve it and enjoy or just leave it.
Hel _ _ , _ _ w ar _ y _ u?
It _ s _ n _ c _ d _ _ f _ _ G _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
L _ _ _ _ _ _ .
Step Two : Now recognize the first Language (How). Use your knowledge, ask your friends or search on internet.
Step Three : Find out the Name of the Country where this Language is used (or has its origin). (Strategy)
The Language could be the main (could be official but not necessarily) language of the country OR spoken somewhere within it (if so, select the country name and not the area i.e. not the county, state or districts etc. which are the parts of that country BUT select the country, republic or kingdom etc.).
If the language is spoken in more than one country then choose the country of origin and from which language originally it is derived from (choose the country of originally having traces to this language).
Step Four : Then find out the Capital of that Country. (Easy)
Step Five : Then find out the Main Airport for that Capital City. (Which One)
This Airport should be the first largest for international flights nearer to the Capital city, and not necessarily the largest and busiest in the country. Select the Airport which is nearest or in the Capital city, Airport which is international, which might be main airport or might not be the main because there is one more bigger than this.
Step Six : Now see the imagery of this Airport on your computer screen (Now What).
Then select the most tallest/biggest building on the airport and in the centre of it create a place mark.
Step Seven : Now note down the coordinates of this place-mark. This is your first coordinate. (Congratulations!)
Step 8 : Likewise find out the coordinates from all the 17-Languages. THIS WAY YOU FIND OUT THE COORDINATES FOR ALL the 17 LANGUAGES. (Great!)
Step 9 : Now you have Seventeen Latitudes, some are from North and some from South; also you have Seventeen Longitudes some from East and some from West. (Different formats)
Now add all the Latitudes together and divide it by 17, also add all the Longitudes together and divide it by 17. Thus we have a mean average coordinates.
Simply use decimal degrees format (Convert Here http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/DDDMMSS-decimal.html). Again you have –ve signs before some numbers to indicate South Latitude and West Longitude. While adding them together let the –ve sign be there with the number so that they will get subtracted automatically.
Step 10 : Now you have two numbers, first the mean average latitude and second the mean average longitude. Most of the airports are in North and towards East. Let us give those mean average numbers (both) a –ve sign and so that our numbers are now a Legitimate coordinate in exactly opposite direction. (‘Damodar Pole’)
Thus we have created a totally new location now; call it a “Damodar Pole”. In Sanskrit Language Dam means rope and Udhar means belly. Damodar is a combination of these two words meaning a ‘belly rope’. In India there is a small myth. Lord Krishna in his childhood was very mischievous; he along with his friends used to steal butter from the earthen pots hanging from the ceilings, and then they enjoyed the feast. Once his mother caught him and decided to punish. She tied him to a pole with the rope. So he is also called as ‘Damodar’, and the name is very common in India. Now the Paradox is that this ‘Damodar Pole’ is an imaginary name but the Location actually exists on our planet earth in South Atlantic Ocean.
This location is our first destination and stage one, and is giving clue to the actual real Geocache.
Step 11 : Finally you have the coordinates of First Destination; the ‘Damodar Pole’ (Found it!).
Enter ‘Your Found Coordinates’ into your GPS, select ‘go-to’ Geocache function. Now your GPS indicates the bearing, heading, altitude and the distance from your Home location to ‘Damodar Pole’. Read it, note it, log it (Write Note) and you have FOUND ‘Damodar Pole’, but………….
But the whole purpose of this GPS Maize is not just to create a Location but the Area around it. And this is how it is going to happen…..
The final answer to the puzzle for every Geocacher will differ; but the ‘Found Location’ and ’Damodar Pole’ should be the same provided my place-marks on the airport buildings and your place-marks on the airport buildings are same, but will they ever be?
As you can see everyone is going to create his/her own place marks (waypoints) on the buildings of all the 17 Airports; they all will be different and countless, ultimately everyone is creating a new ‘Found location’. Well that is exactly what is expected to happen. Thus, all those new ‘Found Locations’ will be falling all around the ‘Damodar Pole’. After calculating all the possibilities of those ‘Found Locations’ (I tried 85 different points, 5 each on every airport) I have fixed a radius of 25kms around ‘Damodar Pole’. Thus we are now creating a Logging Area.
And from here we enter into our new world of Area Geocaching, you know where the ‘Damodar Pole’ is and where ‘your Found Location’ is, put them both on the map and see the distance between them. If you are within 25kms circle (50km dia/1,964sq.kms area) from Damodar Pole you have found it correctly, or else if you are out of 25kms radius boundary just give it a another try, move in a bit closer. Well if there are no rules the sport and the adventure game will lose its charm.
(In Map Source Garmin software you have this facility to create a circle on the Map. Enter ‘Damodar Pole’ and your ‘Found Location’ in New Map Source file - open the properties of - ‘Damodar Pole’ – Uncheck Unknown for Proximity box and entre 25 km in it – click ‘show on map’ - click ‘OK’. Now it will show a circle of 25km around the ‘Damodar Pole’ and you can see if your ‘Found Location’ is within the boundaries or not. The other option is to use the ruler tool from the tool-bar).
THIS 1964 Sq. Km Area (‘Damodar Pole’ as Centre, 25km radius/50kms dia) will be our Airport let us call it “Dave - Mike International Airport” (Don’t ask me who, Don’t ask me why). Hope all Geocachers together will make this the busiest airport in the world. : )
Logging (Write Note) for First Stage : To give you an example this is my log; you create yours in the following format…….
My ‘FOUND’ Location: S41.81656 W30.37454
My logging Location: At Parking Lot, Vetal Hill, Pune, India (N18.52088 E73.82201)
My Bearing 232degT My Heading 274deg T My Elevation was 674mtrs.
Distance between My Location and Damodar Pole: my eTrex failed to show, probably out of range; but on my Map Source (Garmin Software) it showed 12,523 km.
Date and time: 2010.04.05/6.05pm.
Step 12 : Since you have completed the first Stage (the Puzzle, which is just a fun part of it) and have found the ‘Damodar Pole’ (almost) do a simple addition given below to find the Hidden Container to complete the final stage. (Thank You!)
Location of container
= Latitude of container, Longitude of container
Latitude = *A + (+60.33658), where A = Latitude of ‘Damodar Pole’
Longitude = *B + (+104.19563), where B = Longitude of ‘Damodar Pole’
* Remember that these are –ve numbers so do the additions with the –ve signs.
The container is camouflaged. It is a big hard shell fruit cut and emptied from one side and the cache is inside. Log it as usual with little bit of your experience to share with others.
Want to try? : Create a new cache (Optional). Yes now it is your turn to build a new maze and create a imaginary or even real cache around this Airport and teach us something new that will help us Geocaching more wisely. For example you can create a one km wide ring road around the airport area and if any one lands there he has found it, or may be some amusement-park, some hotel, tennis court, swimming pool, golf club, towering building or anything that occupies area; declare your ‘area of found’ in your gps-maze, discover some new idea. The area available is infinite and sky is the limit for your imagination. However, Geocaching using GPS and its usage must be at heart, the gps knowledge and usage should be the priority. I know the task is much more difficult than mine but I believe in the Geocaching-community for their creativity. Just keep the distance of your virtual area beyond 26kms from Damodar Pole, everyone keeps a distance of at least one km from each other, specify your boundaries and give it your favorite name.
Why this exercise?
First, while finding Geocaches of others and while seeing other people trying to attempt my Geocaches I came to know the importance of homework needed before trying to reach the actual location. And then I had to go thru many stages of learning every time. I wish to share this with you. I have tried to accommodate the minimum skills required in the puzzle as a practice exercise.
Secondly this cache is not just about finding a location but to create the whole area to log around it, and then have the fun at every step. These sure will catch-up when you experience the fun and do it yourself. Also this will be a fun for the kids and for those who cannot go out for Geocaching for health or some other reason.
Don’t Be Crazy: Well if you can go out there to Damodar Pole (in South Atlantic Ocean) with your GPS and show that the place actually exists you are crazy (may be while flying over the area or travelling in a boat, I don’t know). Then rate it yourself T____, D____. You are the “BOSS”. (BOSS… T__ D__). Finally this is a Paradox, going actually into a imaginary world, so you are not just a Geocacher but you are “THE GEOCACHER” : )
CREDITS : After Successful Completion at Every Step, Credit Yourself As Follows (Just For the Fun of It, Please Do).
Step 1 & 2 : After identifying all the Languages ‘Kindergarten’
Step 3 & 4 : After identifying all the countries and capitals ‘Junior KG’
Step 5 : After deciding all the desired Airports ‘Senior KG’
Step 6, 7, 8 : After finding out all the 17 coordinates required ‘Junior School’
Step 9 & 10 : After conversions and additions and generating the final location ‘High School’
Step 11 & 12: After doing your field work and logging as found ‘Degree’
Step 13 : Create a similar cache around the Airport ‘Masters’
Step 14 : If at all you attempt it “THE GEOCACHER”
FTF and Accuracy RINGS : There are total 25 FTFs, One FTF for every kilometer width, starting from Damodar Pole (0km to 1km, 1km to 2km…………………………………….24km to 25km)
There are total 6 special Credit rings as below……..
Between ‘Damodar Pole’ and up to 1km Diamond Ring
Between 1km and 5km Gold Ring
Between 5km and 10km Platinum Ring
Between 10km and 15km Silver Ring
Between 15km and 20km Palladium Ring
Between 20km to 25km Rhodium Ring
(Example: suppose if your ‘Found location’ is in between 8km and 9km from the ‘Damodar Pole’ you are honored with Platimun-4 Ring.)
ENJOY!
