i used to play geoguessr for hours every day during covid.
through streetview, i developed a fascination with the world around us. i don't want to live one-dimensionally, not knowing what exists beyond the scope of the life i happened to grow up in.
curiosity, for me, is a refusal to be bounded by circumstance. in unfamiliar places, i have one eye on my live location in maps, and the other out the window. the art of noticing.
in my free time, i learn about countries, memorize capital cities, and indulge in their history. i still occasionally play a civilization vi game & geoguessr round (25k canada is my go to). it's an imagination beyond the small slice of life i was handed by default. i will travel the world one day.
here, i hope to add interesting locations that i've come across that make you wonder:
what would life be like if i spawned here?
aomori prefecture; a quiet fishing village on the edge of the world. the coverage makes me feel reminiscent of something. unsure of what it is. natsukashii (懐かしい) — a bittersweet feeling triggered by something that reminds you of a place you've never actually been. yoshie shiratori, infamous prison break artist, was born in aomori prefecture. lake towada is super neat. on my bucket list.
villages deeply nestled in the mountainside in rural portugal. zoom in, it's surreal. these are the schist villages of northern portugal, pulled straight from the ground beneath them. similar to the italian ghost towns, most of these portugese towns were abandoned as people left for cities. the kind of place that almost disappeared but survived.
dornod, the easternmost province of mongolia. mongolia is the least densely populated country on earth (dornod is one of the emptiest corners of it). the eastern steppe is also one of the last great unbroken grasslands left on the planet. nothing to interrupt the horizon.
narrow road on lake close to isparta, a leading global producer of rose oil. in the actual city, fields of damask roses can be seen covering the hillsides during spring. the city has been conquered and renamed so many times, byzantine, seljuk, ottoman, now isparta. been passed between civilizations for 3,000 years and still just quietly grows roses. there's something about the streetview here that feels so authentic, makes me want to embark on a road trip.
misty villages built on the slopes of mount merbabu, "mountain of ash" in central java, indonesia. crazy how mount merapi is a walkable distance away and still erupts every few years. the long history and traditions keep locals here, and the culture shows even in ~1 hr of life captured in streetview. i encourage you to move around and notice the intricate details; this place should honestly be frozen in time and preserved in some living museum. every structure is different, in architecture and coloring, can genuinely explore for hours. timeless and should be kept that way.
atlantic canada; quaint village in newfoundland, a world apart from industrial cities. atlantic canada in general has such a distinctive character, life looks so slow. been around once, the environment seems to restore you in a sense. you know how when you reminisce positive memories from your childhood, and how there's a distinctive sunshine? maybe it's just me.
villages on the andes' foothills, the province of mendoza produces ~70% of argentina's wine. there's a melancholy here, people are leaving for the cities. feels like we're in its last chapter, reminds you of the forgotten villages you'd find deep in rural russia or central asia. disappearing. the andes loom in the background. a wall at the edge of the world. maybe there's hope somewhere behind those clouds.
northern edge of northern ireland, overlooking the north atlantic. the troubles feel distant here. just wind, sheep, and endless gray sky meeting gray sea. i just love how rural coastlines villages look in the uk, especially in scotland / northern ireland overlooking the north atlantic, there could've been a kingdom here once upon a time.
historic old city of chiang mai, northern thailand. the old city is still surrounded by a moat and remnants of ancient walls. chiang mai has become a digital nomad hub in recent years. cheap rent, good wifi, temples everywhere. strange mix of ancient and modern. attention to detail; the more you move and look around, the more you absorb. the power lines are crazy, go a bit west down the street and take a look.
nordland; a lonely house by the shore in the lofoten archipelago, above the arctic circle. imagine living here. so detached from the big cities. imagine how much history this shack holds.
