Savoy

I live in Rio and can help you out... I brough and released a group of coins on my last trip from the states. I'll be up again in early Dec. (in the States), and will be returning home (to brazil) 5 days latter. I can help with this if you still need it. I hope that helps! Take care, Savoy

Thanks for the link to tbe Brazilian blog spot... nice to see it "caching-on" here. I'm working on adding my share of Caches around Rio, esp. near Barra.

Actually, no. I'm living in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) now. Getting things to and from the states is a HUGE hassle. I'm not even going to try. I'm not even sure how I'm going to get my coins here when its time! The irony is, most of you will see these little guys before I do! I'll be in the States in December, but unfortunately, they wont be ready by then. It may be Feb. before I get them here (I'm actually gong 'up there' to pick them up myself). So... I'm doing this all 'sight-unseen' but I have complete confidence in CnP to watch out for me - esp. given my circumstance.

I've edited the origial post to show all three finishes. The 'new' picture of the antique Silver is 'this' one: I'm not sure which of the three finishes look the best - but we are only planning for two finishes; I like the Silver and Cooper. For those of you who like the coin, if you could only have two finishes, which would you prefer? Right now, PnC is suggesting Bronze and Silver.

Looks like I may need to ask about that one... I just went with the suggestion on the finishes from PnCs. Thank you for the suggestion, and the complement! - Sav

A beautiful coin !! Is the copper version going to be your personal version? Will you be trading? If so, please put me on your list!! OK, its confession time for me! I'm so new to the GeoCoin things, that I'm not even sure what this question means I think there is going to be a full run made of each of the styles, but I haven't designated one more 'personal' over the other, or a limited run (small number) of a different finish - like copper. Should that have been something I asked about? When my coins come and I get a chance to see how they accually do on the market, I'll set aside a number for trading. I'm happy to put you on my list Of course, I'll need to learn the netequette about that for when it comes time. All may trades have been in RL so far. Thanks!

WOW! There only a hand-full of people in the world that can say that about the Chengdu Panda Preserve Cache!! The WoLong Cache was a fun one too, but I'm sure that the biulding near that cache is totally gone by now - the cache is of course, now archived. That whole area near Wolong is in need of a few new caches, espeically now that there is more geocaching activity on the mainland! Interesting fact: Chengdu's Panda Research Center produces 90% of the world's preserved (zoo) Pandas. Nice to meet you LadeBear68. and thanks for the encouragement on the coin! (Eventually) I hope it will bring you fond memories of your time spent in Chengdu and Wolong. When we arrived in Chengdu in 2000, they were still letting people hold the baby pandas... I have to admit, I did it - a memory I'll never forget!

Thanks for the heads up! Yep, technically its, The Unity in Heaven Geocoin - in "Chinese" it has a nice 'ring' to it as well

Thanks!!!! The last word I got on that was December 15th, shipping will be just after Christmas.

Thanks... they worked REALLY hard at that effect. There was a color version that we worked on for awhile, but the over-arching idea, was to give the 'old' or 'ancient' feel. In the end, we dropped the color for the 'shadow' effect on side A, and on the text of side B. I was suprised on how technically difficult this was to pull off! yet, very happy with the end result. Again, all the credit there goes to CnPs, but it took several months to come around to the final conclusion. I'm glad you liked it!

I'm really excited about our first geocoin (I never thought I'd do one of these ), so I'm going to share a bit before they become available. I know this kind of coin isn't for everybody, but I hope some of you will enjoy it. Short name: Unity GeoCoin Offical name: Unity in Heaven GeoCoin General Description: 2" Square The die art on this one is just beautiful (thank you CnPs!) . It will be available in antique bronze and antique silver. In order below are antique, Cooper, Bronze, and Silver. THE STORY BEHIND THIS COIN: For seven years we have lived as American expatriates in Sichuan, China doing humanitarian work. While I was there, my family and I had the privilege to put some of the first (and now, oldest) geocaches in the Country. Oh, the geo-stories we could tell! As we began to make our preparations to repatriate to the United States, the devastating Sichuan Earthquake of 2007 hit our beloved city, Chengdu. Though it was a great tragedy, I was impressed with how the Chinese people, the government, and organizations around the world unified, coming together to reach out to those whose lives where forever changed in an instant. This coin commemorates the spirit that unifies the "west and east", and pays tribute the country that so blessed our lives. Side A : The Chinese Dragon and Phoenix are ancient Chinese symbols whose origins can be traced back 7000 years. Deeply rooted into the Asian culture, as seen here, the celestial creatures are centered on the sun. The dragon, being the leader and the phoenix being the helper, balance each other in unity bring in prosperity to all. The art for this side is drawn from traditional "community gate" blessing carvings seen in Sichuan, China even to this day. The art from which the die is drawn, is the authors (mine ). Side B : There is a European medieval belief in "Cathy", a place of shared belief and unity in faith where the Judeo-Christian God of the Old Testament and “Sheng Di” (God on High) of Ancient China stim from the same ideals. The text (in simplified characters) translates as follows: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” The 'track at...' message, and number are stamped on the "B" side on the top boarder.

Yep, I'm having the same trouble... oakcoins and their coinclub say its not theirs. Any ideas on who 'really' made this coin?

I'm new to the whole geocoin part of the community, but at the end of the summer we're headed to Brasil (from the US)... I'd love to have one of these guys with us. I could work a trade (very small collection so far), etc. Very nice!! - Sav

EasyGPS is a great to start, but if you're serious about GPS'anything' you are going to want ExperGPS or the version specifically for Geocaching, GeoBuddy (http://www.geobuddy.com/). I've been using ExperGPS for A LONG time and have been using it for work and GeoCaching. LOV'E"N it! This version of Expert GPS specifically for GeoCaching is called GeoBuddy, I haven't used GeoBuddy (I'm very happy with the ExpertGPS Geocaching experience)... but you should definitely check it out. AS with most TopoGrafix software, you can try before you buy (same with Swiss Knife). The ONLY negative I have (and its the same for GSK, ExpertGPS, and most likely GeoBuddy) is map and name support outside of the states (especially with coverage in Asia). For the new Colorado users out there, use with ExpertGPS+ has been fantastic! I hope some of that helps... take care and safe GCing out there! - Sav

Got it, love it. There is a thread out there about those who like their Colorado's (any why)... it would be a good read for you. Take care! Savoy

I've been a Magellan user for some time... first with the 350, the Pro'map' series and most recently the explorer (600). I ordered my 400t right off of Amazon while I was in the states and fell in love with it right away. I used it side by side with my eXploer 600 for a day of caching around Atlanta and just had a blast - especially enjoying the paperless features. I live in Asia and travel widely, so the 'profile' feature is just right for me as I slip into and out of geocaching mode. My experience with accuracy and use for various 'modes of use' has been VERY positive. I'd argue my 400t is the best all purpose unit I know of. It handled the road work, trails, and city with ease... I was very comfortable with it once I got my confidence navigating through the features and menus. Not EVERYTHING is intuitive but it took me all of a day to get comfortable with finding all the FX and features I needed to get to... but that hasn't stopped me from REALLY appreciating the unit. I'm using the device in SE Asia (I'm sure you've all seen the news lately about the quake)... and its performing every bit as well as the other units from Garmin. I haven't interfaced with with our mapping, GIS systems yet... but I'm expecting that to go well from what I've seen so far; I'll be sure to drop a note in here that that turns out not to be the case. Take care! Savoy

You'll be fine in China as long as you 'can' be in the area you are travelling. There are not that many sites in China yet, so quick search by country will bring the sites. If you have questions about a particular area, feel free to ask... I've been out here for about four years and I get around a bit. I'd be happy to try and help if I can. Take care! Savoy

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this thread! Just in case anyone else is interested in this one I'll answer any... Its not likely anyone will care. I've carried my GPS all over the mainland without a problem. (I'm not that tall for a American, but tall for China... and I still get crouds interested in what I'm up to all the time.)Quite the contrary, the GPS has been an invaluable tool just getting around (and back). Even in Taxies, pedicabs... all around town its been helpful. In the Capitol near the state biuldings and other famous places... no problem. Most people think it is either a different type of 'cell phone' or radio. Anyone who understands what it 'is' just seem think its just down right cool! So, unless your walking perimeters sensitive areas you should be just fine! Take care! - Sav