Geocaching all over the world

 

drew this in my Bujo as a remembrance of the fun!

I cannot remember how I first came across this concept of Geocaching. Probably it was one of the things recommended to do in your home country when the world was on lock-down. But who made the recommendation? *shrug shoulders* Anyway, I was immediately taken with the idea and promptly downloaded the app. 

The very first cache I found was with the kiddos when I gatecrashed their staycation in the Civic District. There are many in the area! As we strolled around the area, I steered them towards this particular one titled Momentum which is located right in the corner of a road junction. It was rather strange to be looking blindly around the bushes. We did not even know what it looked like. But being with children made anything less suspicious/conspicuous. Hahaha.... 

The joy and excitement of eventually finding it was indescribable! The children doubled that dosage with their squeals of delight. We were initially dismayed that we did not have a pen to log in our find but when there is a will, there is a way: we went to the office building nearby and borrowed one from a security guard. 💪

the little missus holding the cache container

That was back in October 2020. Despite the successful first attempt, I was not so lucky tracking down the many others available in Singapore for a long long time. There was one near home in Bukit Panjang but the hubby and I were not successful in finding it. He even got hurt looking high and low under a flyover. I had even wanted to create and hide my own Geocache, thinking of ideas for the container and the location. But a whole year passed without another find.

Early 2022, my BFF sent me a text "I learnt of a game today that I think you will like!!!" Of course she was right! Her success in finding two in a single day spurred me back on the Geocaching trail again. Promptly found two located near my workplace in the central area. As I was alone this time, it really felt odd to be probing into shrubs and structures in open public places. I always feel like I need to pretend to be doing something 🤣 As another Geocacher wrote in the notes, you will be "shooting awkward smiles at the muggles walking by".

BFF and my logs on the same logsheet

Now that the world is not in lock-down mode, I always open the app to see what I can find in my vicinity. Sadly, I was unable to log any finds in ulu Uruguay or terrific Turkey when I was in those parts of the world. However, here in Germany, I had already found three! As the description of the Geocaches are in Deutsch, I have the added load of deciphering the text (or I should see it as a way to practise my Deutsch!) before I can begin my search. Again, one that was along a busy main road had me pretending to tie my shoelaces while I was writing the log. Ha!

     

Just last week when C brought us to check out the interesting town of Baarle, I whipped out the app again and we found this one right on one border. And she got hooked! I was already really enjoying this re-found (not really newfound) hobby on my own but it is so much more fun to go Geocaching with a buddy!! She got to practise her Dutch deciphering the descriptions. Haha.. Spent quite a bit of my visit cycling around to search for hidden tokens in Belgium which apparently is really big on Geocaching.

this one had such a lovely back story to why a mill in this location

 

It should be big everywhere... it is fun, interesting and a great way to make a simple walk that much more exciting. Some Geocaches include background information of its location or its origin so you may even learn something new as you log your find. I can't wait to log more here in Germany before I return to Singapore and conquer the rest! Wanna join?