Geocaching is essentially a high tech treasure hunt. Those of us who play use hints and information to lead us to the right location. Not exactly “X marks the spot”, but close enough. One type of puzzle cache takes this a step further and turns finding the right coordinates into a hunt of it’s own. This treasure hunt could take place in the real world or on a screen. The information you’re searching for varies greatly, sometimes you’ll be told to go and find something that’s at a specific location, sometimes you’ll need to get your Google on to search out trivia or historical information and other times you might need to search for information within the geocaching platform itself. Either way, you will need to collect information and answer questions to get the final answer. As long as you know what information you’re looking for, this type of puzzle cache is normally not too difficult to solve, it just requires patience to seek the answers and care to make sure they’re correct.
Some examples of caches that use this skill are: the Anniversary of Geocaching series by steve4nlanguage (GC5Z0DA, GC6PYKA, GC7ARAH), Xian Gong Miao Trail by rudychung (GC6VXR6) and Little Silver by monkey_travels (GC6R003).
PUZZLE GYM SERIES
TREASURE HUNT TEASERS
THE FUTURE OF TOURISM
Long ago, travel was the preserve of the elite. Daring explorers and well-heeled adventurers ventured out into new lands and when they returned (if they returned), they would regale the inhabitants of their own towns with tales of exotic sights and far flung destinations. For people living during those days, foreign countries were lands of infinite mystery.
But then methods of transportation became both more convenient and cheaper at the same time as industrial advancements left people with more free time to peruse leisure activities, and so travel to new destinations became a possibility for many more people. Aspirational tourism expanded the demand in all areas of the tourist industry.
These days we live in an age where travel both domestic and international is almost taken for granted by large parts of the world's population. It is still a status symbol, but now the value lies in where you go, (long-haul vs staycation destinations).
But what of the future of the tourism industry? Surely some big change must be on the horizon? Not only is aviation a major source of CO2, but also the increased visitor numbers caused by expanding populations and more affordable transportation mean that delicate ecosystems and fragile historical sites are at risk of being literally trodden out of existence. Well, one possibility is that in response to these environmental concerns, limits are put on the number of visitors allowed to travel internationally - perhaps some sort of lottery system could be used to allocate each country's travel allowance. Not so long ago, this sort of limitation would have meant that anyone unable to travel would be denied the opportunity to experience new places, but that is no longer true. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet it is now possible to attend and create virtual tours of almost anywhere in the world. All it takes is a good lens, tripod and some software to stitch the panoramic images together. This cache makes use of such technology.
Online (on a well known map provider), you can find a virtual tour of Fort San Domingo, one of the more famous buildings in Tamsui. Go and explore the building to get the coordinates for this cache. (You might need to change devices if the tour doesn't work, I've heard that the second floor isn't available on iPads.)
N25 AB.CDE
E121 VW.XYZ
A. What is hidden under the white box?
B. What does the sign under the white box prohibit?
C. What is the maximum number of visitors allowed, (the top number)?
D. Which room is this? (Make sure to check the English - the Chinese is a little differernt.)
E. Whose portrait hangs above the fireplace?
V. What is this contraption on the wall?
W. What colour is the large pot on the table?
X. How many people are photographed inside the "Love Cultures" room?
Y. What are the numbers and letters on this box?
Z. What’s different about this archway?
WATCH OUT FOR SECURITY MUGGLES!
