Geocaching in China - Legal?

     Different countries have different laws.  Traveling abroad require learning the laws that may apply to us.  Right?  Geocachers may have a little more to think about then the average tourist or visitor. 

     Let's take China as an example.  This post from All Squared Up in 2011, has a lot of information to offer.  Check it out.

Is Geocaching in China Legal?

Geocaching in China?

No GPS allowed.
The Geocaching site is blocked.
No caches are allowed to be placed.

Legal, schmegal we did it anyway. And it got us off the beaten track and into a couple fun adventures, if not any successful finds.

Geocaching is something we discovered a few years ago. It is a fun way to get out and about to some places you normally might not. In a nutshell, a cache is a hidden container, usually containing a small log book and some little trinkets to give and take. The general location is found using a GPS, but then good old fashioned hunting comes into play. They are all over the place; you probably pass by them all the time in your jaunts around your town.

We have geocached in Texas, New York, Connecticut, Philidelphia, Seattle and all over California. We are disappointed when someone's idea of a good place leads us to an ugly patch of dirt in some parking lot, but when it is good it is good. Here are some of our more memorable ones:

• On a mountain overlooking the Hudson River Valley with my brother and his wife
• In the Reading Terminal Market in Philly with my sister, mom and friend Debbie. That was a clever one.
• Soon after Ernst's heart attack, overlooking Lake Tahoe with a group of about 15 wonderful friends. Life is grand!
• At the pier in Ventura, after Aaron and Becky's beach wedding, still in our dress clothes
• Ernst and his friend Jason, finding an underwater cache in October in Lake Tahoe, brrrr
• Any cache with our old dog Kodie, who thought we finally understood what a decent walk was all about: a little walking, lots of stopping, sniffing around and digging

 
What sign?

 
Just a little nibble before we put it back

 So of course we wanted to try this in China, we wouldn't let a little law stop us. It's a free country, right? Oh, yeah, not so much, but we were determined. So with our hosts looking the other way, as in going to do something totally more worthwhile that day, we set off. Because you can't use a GPS there, or rather it is illegal to use one, we just had some sketchy maps from the Internet. There was a long subway and bus ride, and then lots of walking. We were in a very westerny area with lots of expats. There was a big park and fancy new apartment buildings. Toto, are we still in China?


We walked and walked and walked, trying to figure out some really bad instructions. Or maybe my husband just copied them down wrong? We were trying to look so nonchalant as we snooped around the entrances to these fancy compounds. There were guards and gates and lots of construction going on. We lifted up many rocks and bricks and pieces of wood, but we knew the trail was cold. We pretended to be looking at the planted landscaping, so rare there. There was something in the instructions about a lion, and I was convinced it was near an apartment called Lion's Gate. How many times, though, can you walk past a guard, peering into the ground cover and not appear suspicious? If only we had a dog, it would have been so much more natural looking. It occured to me after awhile - this is illegal, we don't speak Chinese and what would I tell my mother if we got in trouble?

Geocaching in China with no GPS

Enough of that one, on to the next. This one was on some hill near a pagoda, near the Forbidden City. Again, more endless walking. We passed by the Forbidden City, not at all interested in entering, intent on finding this unnamed hill on another badly drawn map from the Internet. We walked down one street and were immediately stopped by some police officers, but we just acted lost. We're really good at appearing to be lost tourists, we have so much experience.


It finally occurred to us, we must give up on this one too or we will be terribly late for our dinner with our friend Mr. Pitt from the States. We got on a hilariously crowded bus, missed our stop and ended up getting a quick walking view of Tiennamen Square, a nice bonus. We were late for dinner, but full of images of parts of Beijing we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

 
 up to no good

 If you want to try it, bring your most comfortable walking shoes, really clear maps, sunglasses to hide where you are staring and a sense of adventure. If you get in trouble, don't call us. Geocaching in China? Who would do such a thing?


     Thanks to All Squared Up for this great article.  I think, just maybe, I would like to go caching in China with them. 

Unique Florida Event

     Another sleepless night led me to discover this article about an event that happened last week; and event hosted by the Manatee Natural Resources.  I have yet to find any follow up information but I will be searching and sharing.

     This is the article I found.

Manatee Natural Resources Hosts Geocache Hunt at Preserves

Participants may take GPS-enabled devices to find geo-treasures at 10 locations across Manatee

Published Monday, August 13, 2012

by Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County Natural Resources Department will launch new Taking Flight GeoTour through Manatee County’s preserve system Monday, Aug. 20.

Participants will use their GPS devices to find hidden “geocaches” throughout Manatee County’s publicly owned preserves. Each geocache location has an educational focus and the entire tour itself is themed around birds, their habits, and habitats. Melissa Cain Nell, NRD Volunteer and Education Division Manager, described the tour as a high-tech treasure hunt in some of Manatee County’s most beautiful locations.

“As trail trekkers travel to each point on the tour they will learn about Manatee County’s unique feathered creatures and discover different aspects of bird life such as migration and nesting,” Cain Nell said. “The GeoTour spans all of Manatee County, from the beach on Anna Maria Island all the way east to Duette Preserve. In between, geocachers can find caches at 10 different conservation properties, three of which are currently undergoing restoration.”

The geotour is free and easy. All you’ll need is a GPS locator or GPS-enabled device like a smart phone. You’ll also need a copy of a free Taking Flight GeoTour Passport available at the NRD office at 415 10th St. W., Bradenton. The passports are also available on the county website at http://www.mymanatee.org/takingflightgeotour.

“The first 300 people complete at least 12 of the 15 caches on the passport will receive a free trackable geotag that they can then place in another cache and track as it travels around the world,” Cain Nell said. “Once you answer the questions on your passport, turn it in or mail it in to the office to receive your tracking tag.”

Participants can also just hunt for the caches without completing the activities by looking them up on Geocaching.com, but they won’t receive a tracking tag.

The trail’s Grand Opening will take place on Monday, Aug. 20, when the cache sites will go “live” on the Geocaching.com and will officially be available for people to find. The caches themselves can be looked up on geocacing.org or can be seen on the official County webpage at http://www.mymanatee.org/takingflightgeotour

The County page also features an interactive Google map with all of the cache coordinates, downloadable copies of the passport, basic geocaching information, and news and updates about the new project.

The Taking Flight GeoTour is sponsored by Manatee County Natural Resources Department, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Tampa Bay Estuary
and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program.

For more information on Manatee County’s Natural Resources Department call (941) 748-4501, ext. 4605 or visit www.mymanatee.org/naturalresources

     This sounds so SUPER!    
 Needless to say, I have already emailed my Florida connections and am anxiously awaiting a response from someone who attended and will share their experiences and photos.

Stay tuned for a followup. 

Joshua Johnson At The Zoo

     Everybody has those favorite things in life.  One of mine is zoos.  Something that I've enjoyed lately is the videos that Joshua Johnson makes about Geocaching.   What a fun combination this is.

     So here is his latest posted on Facebook.  You're gonna see a couple of neat animals and something else.  You will see how much his kids have grown lately.  Amazing and oh so cute.

Cooling Off with NAG

   This weekend is Pow Wow in the Pines, in the Flagstaff Arizona area.  This area is beautiful with tall pines and cool breezes all day long.  And don't forget the sweater.  The nights cool off a lot.

     My niece, SchanuzerQueen is heading that way so I am sure that I will get some pics to share soon.  If you are lucky enough to spend the weekend in that area, there is plenty to do.  Here is just a few -

     Bearizona - Experience animal wildlife the way it was meant to be, in a natural environment, all from the comfort and safety of your own vehicle. Your family will enjoy our wide variety of wildlife, from majestic bison and nimble big horn sheep to stealthy wolves and adorable bear cubs.
     

     Museum of Northern Arizona - Join artists, musicians, dancers, and cultural interpreters from the Navajo Nations as they gather at the Museum of Northern Arizona for the Navajo  Visitors will hear the Navajo language, see pots of clay being formed, and watch weavers create detailed designs on traditional looms. There are also opportunities to meet silversmiths, folk carvers, and painters. They will enjoy the pageantry of Navajo social dances and delight in centuries-old musical traditions. And they will be able to sample traditional foods—red and green chili stew, roasted sweet corn, and the ever-favorite Navajo tacos with frybread.

     Arizona Snowbowl -  While much of Arizona is living up to its hot, dry reputation with triple digit heat, Arizona Snowbowl is offering cool temperatures and cool views with the return of the Sunset Skyride! This Friday, June 8, and every second Friday of the month through October, the Sunset Skyride will run from 3 to 6 p.m. A free barbecue dinner comes with the purchase of a Sunset Skyride ticket and live music!

      The Lowell Observatory - features several large telescopes to explore the skies. Evening programs followed by sky viewing are offered throughout the year.

     Live web cam from Heritage Square - this is a lot of fun to watch.  Save this site for those great snowy winter days.  Actually, the entire site is great.


     As for myself - I would sit under a great big pine tree and read a book while waiting for the monsoon rains to hit.

Yuma Event #10 Date Scheduled !

     As the temperature today in Yuma Arizona soared to 109 degrees today, most people may be thinking it would be crazy to plan a trip to such a desert.  But please remember that it is a dry heat and in February the weather is perfect.  When the blizzards are blowing in Minnesota and those in Wyoming are attempting to find a way to get their frozen car doors open,  Yuma is living up to it’s reputation of being the ‘Sunniest City in the United States’.  

     Perfect location is all that can be said for the Yuma Event #10; a geocachers dream weekend.      

     Before I talk about the event, just let me tell you about the caching world that surrounds Yuma.  First – Yuma has over 2000 caches within a 50 mile radius.  There is something for everyone including night, desert, water, mountain, puzzle and the biggest TB Hotel you have ever seen.  

Accommodations - There are a ton of RV parks in the area for those who travel in their home away from home.  Yuma has a more than adequate number of reasonable priced hotels.  

Recreation – besides the caching you can keep yourself occupied and out of trouble with water sports on the river, quick trip across the border to Los Algodones  for some great Mexican food (don’t forget the required passport to return home) and historic sights galore. 

If you haven’t been to Yuma in the past, you now know a few little tid bits about the city.  

For the Event !  We’ll talk basics for now so you can all put it on your calendar.  Then watch for weekly reports covering more details right here on SwagHunter.  

Date -  February  8th to 10th, 2013

Time – 9 a.m.

Location - Gateway Park in Historical Old Town Yuma  (that is the location for the Main Event)  Other Satellite Events will be held on Friday and Saturday at various locations around Yuma

Need to bring – chair, plenty of beverage,  sunscreen, thinking cap and your basic cacher’s tool box. 

Other events  that we will cover later – Poker Derby, Geo-Bingo, 50/50 Draw, Door Prizes, Travel Bug viewing and the famous Tri-Tip BBQ lunch

 

This is just beginning.  Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available or beware of the repercussions.