[Editorial] Five Places to See Before You Die

Five Places to See Before You Die

Amir Kalib, Kylish Jaiyan - Galactic Geographic’s Guide for the Adventurer

1. Light of the Enkindlers, First Home, Kahje

First Home on Kahje is the historical birthplace of the hanar - scientists say it is here that the evolutionary ancestors of the hanar first swam in the deep oceans of the waterworld. At thirty thousand feet under the the surface of the ocean, it’s difficult for any non-native race to journey to without pressure suits and capsules, but the architecture surrounding the Light - a mysterious glow reflected from within a crag - is a breathtaking testament to hanar history, mythology, and Prothean enlightenment.

Complete your trip with a stay on the Aranji Archipelago, home to a small dual-surface resort and Kahjian recipes that haven’t changed in thousands of years. kaj.firsthomearanji.ex

Best Season for Travel: Spring Waning [March-April]
Cost: ኗኗኗኗ

2. City of the Lost, Ilos

The lost world of Illos was only recently rediscovered several years ago - and while it’s still not open for public visitation, go hands-on with a volunteer study team. Explore ruins and catacombs that have defied the millennia, and walk in the last steps of a great race. Home to the Conduit and the final resting place of the Protheans, this is a trip of a lifetime, with memories to match.

Volunteers must fill out an application on the Council extranet site. Travel, meals, and class credits included in price. cit.volunteerscience.ex.cogov/excavationillos

Best Season for Travel: January-May
Cost: ኗኗኗኗ

3. Amazon Rainforest, South America, Earth

One of the last great wildernesses of the human homeworld, the exotic Amazon Rainforest has resisted war, deforestation, mass extinction, and climate change since its formation, approx 65 million years ago. Thousands of unique flora and fauna species reside here, and many more have yet to be discovered, after centuries of discovery. Follow a local guide through winding trails and past wonders of beauty, discover a lost tribe, or raft down the second largest river on Earth.

For an authentic experience, spend the night in Baniwa, a historical replica village based on the native tribe of the same name, and enjoy the local legends and cuisine, courtesy of the tribe’s descendants. sol.amazonexperience.ex/Baniwa

Best time to travel: Dry season [June-December]
Cost: ኗኗኗ

4. Inbari, Southern Veris, Thessia

Inbari is the oldest still-occupied asari settlement on Thessia, believed to date between 50 and 60 thousand years ago. Today, it is a thriving merchant village, boasting some of the finest crystal and glass artisans’ guilds in Republic space, and is known for its unparalleled hospitality to visitors. Touch the colorless leaves of the oldest known zelena tree, Marrea, believed to be over nine-thousand years old, and spend the day mediating in the one of the few temples to the ancient goddess Janiri, still worshipped by some citizens of Inbari and Veris.

Travellers are often welcomed into the homes of residents as guests, but must contact their hosts prior to visiting to ensure compatible scheduling. ath.inbari.rep.ex/hosting

Best time to travel: Janiris [March-April, check local calendars]
Cost: ኗኗ

5. Thirty-Seven Pillars, Lokso, Sur’Kesh

An unequaled natural wonder, the the Thirty-Seven Pillars is the official name of a mountain range that crosses the continent of Lokso. The belt, one of the longest continental ranges in Citadel Space, extends fifteen thousand kilometers, and is made up of thousands of mountains, 37 of which rise more than 7500 meters above sea level. While summiting the thirty seven is recommended only for the most experienced of mountaineers, there are plenty of hiking trails, ski slopes, and guided climbs through the smaller mountains for the uninitiated. Readers who are experienced in technical climbs are welcome to register in one of the main cities of Sur’kesh before tackling the mountains that have claimed 516 lives, of all races. sur.37pillarslokso.ex/guide

Best time to Travel: Check local calendars.
Cost: ኗኗኗኗ

Asari, get into this thread. I've been meaning to check out your homeworld, and if I could score some nice art and beautiful ladies while I'm there, it would just be a positive. So, how friendly is Thessia to krogan?

Mm. Too bad there's never time for a vacation.

The editorial is missing out on the Salt Flats that exist on Earth, but perhaps that's merely a drell's perspective of "interesting" coming in, there.

Feh. Maybe it's because I'm not an outdoorsman, but Lokso kinda sucks. Yeah, the pillars are huge and all, but you either have to deal with the hideous pressure change or spend all your time sick in the hotel because you've got what amounts to a minor case of the bends and get stuck hugging a toilet seat for a week straight while the rest of my clan goes having the time of their lives--

Er, YOUR clan. Your clan. That didn't happen to me.

Obviously.

Since I'm not an outdoorsman.

This one sincerely wishes that it could visit Ilos and see the ruins of the Enkindlers.. though its schedule will never allow it. Too much work to do, not enough time or people.

As for the Light of the Enkindlers, it is a breathtaking sight, and it is as though the sea itself sings around it. Though this one believes that the experience would most likely be muted by wearing a pressure suit.

Ah, GalGeo. It's good to see them put out more new issues.

My boss at the UNAWM has a huge collection of old issues of Galactic Geographic, and some from WAY back when the magazine was called National Geographic.

no kraangh valley? dis list's shit

Where's Kraangh Valley? Tuchanka?

Not much of a traveler, especially to forests or mountains or ..ruins. How does the Kahjian food taste?

uh, duh

You want to see something absolutely amazing without traveling to another corner of the universe? Get a hardsuit that's certified for vacuumm, get certified yourself, or at least a partner who is, and go for a spacewalk.

I just spent a good chunk of the last month alone learning how to incorporate my previous training in vacuum, along with the basic instructions on maneuverability and keeping you and your comrades safe in space. Most of this training takes place in simulators, naturally, but once they were satisfied we wouldn't hurdle ourselves into atmo, we got the real deal.

Its... beyond simple words. Its not like looking out a window or up at the sky, its not a flat image that cuts you off from the real thing. Because you're there in SPACE, the whole universe around you, with Earth, Citadel, and all our ships winking in and out. At once, I feel like that I'm a tiny piece of something greater, a civilization that is itself tiny compared the vast cosmos. I could only stare in awe.

...Then my D.I. kicked my ass into gear for goldbricking (what does that even mean?) and we went back to training exercises. But I got to tell you, once I'm done with basic, I'm applying for advanced EVA training. I'd like to have a reason to keep going out there.

Well, three out of five so far ain't bad. :) I have to admit Ilos is tempting, I had no idea there were positions open to members of the public. Still, no rush - it's waited fifty thousand years, I'm sure it can survive without me for a couple more centuries. (Plus what the heck, we just filmed on our Ilos sets a couple of weeks back - holographic replicas, sure, but still, quite a sight.)

As friendly as the krogan, I'd say. You may find some of the experiences a bit communal - local transport vehicles, skybuses and the like, aren't really built with krogan territorial instincts in mind - but we've had plenty of experience with non-asari visitors, krogan included, I'm sure you'll find people accomodating any time you need to take some space.

The title was five places to see before dying, not five places to die in you lardlizard.

That would depend entirely on what one specifies as 'Kahjian' food. Food for hanar is for a different physiology than most species. Due to our requirement of eating via osmosis, most of our food resembles soup or is very flaky. It is also entirely seafood. However, thanks to the drell, there is a style of Kahjian food that is more relatable to those with jaws. Styles vary from dome to dome, but this one has it on good authority that drell have adapted very well to artfully perparing the many arthropods the homeworld has to offer.

As for the revelation that the Light of the Enkindlers has reached the top spot on this list, it would be lying if it said it was not pleased. As opposed to the Palace of Mount Vassla, which is a city in itself and all the things that brings, First Home is a very sedate place. And Emaleus is correct, the Light is truly and utterly beautiful. All hanar should strive to see it in their lifetimes.

Five Places to Die before you See:

1. Cartagena Station
2. Earth (with particular nods to both Afghanistan and the Great Lakes area of North America)
3. Omega, Gatexx Arcology
4. Invictus
5. ...I want to put Dying Slowly, for obvious reasons, but keeping this list to shitholes I've actually had the misfortune of visiting myself, I'm going to put Knight-Templar Acheron Colony. I'm not sure what they're calling it these days; they seem to think renaming it is going to shake the place of the unfortunate fact that it is a hell hole and flashing beacon for pirates. Plus, cold as the fifth hell.

Seriously, North Solregit doesn't make the list? Where's your patriotism gone?

As for the real list...yeah, I get that a lot of the major population centres were blown to hell, but why no cities? I want music and nightlife, not damp trees. I get that the author wouldn't look that well-travelled if he just said "Go to the Citadel already".

Heh. Read carefully, Kayana: five places to die before you see. Just a little graveyard humour.

North Solregit's a place I'd like to live long enough to see again.

Even if a lot of people do think it's a hell hole.

Has anyone ever told you that worrying about Sundowners is exhausting and frustrating?

I'd poke fun at you if I didn't want to go on pilgrimage to Rakhana.

Actually, I will, because I'm smart enough that I don't want to live on Rakhana

I can confirm the Amazon. If you're a creature of comfort, stay in a hotel in Rio (near my home) and take a day shuttle out. Even if not, it's a good place to find a guide or someone who knows someone in a town there.

As for the Pillars of Sur'Kesh, I'm thinking about stopping by on my upcoming leave just for that, if possible. I'm not a mountain climber, thought - any suggestions for a nice valley campsite in that area?