Krisman

Beachfront of Rainbow Beach ... Just to keep you posted on the progress of Republica de Guatalaga, here is a sneak preview of the beachfront of Rainbow Beach. Hopefully there will be more to come soon, but progress is slow ;-) If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

6.000 views reward ... Well it is certainly worth mentioning: the CJ of Republica de Guatalaga has passed the 6.000 views mark ... and if you concider that this CJ hasn't been on the Simtropolis homepage (yet), it's worth a celebration! But before we show you the pictures, just a quick thank you from me to all of you who have visited Republica de Guatalaga! (and a very big thanks to everyone who commented, star-rated a post or added a +1) So your rewards are: Republica de Guatalaga National Stadium With a capacity of 45.000, the Guatalaga National Stadium is the biggest sports stadium in the country. The stadium is mainly used as a football stadium, being the home of the Baleal Bandits FC who play in the Australian Hyundai A-League. The Guatalaga National Stadium is also the home of the Republica de Guatalaga national football team. National Sports Center Indoor Arena The National Sports Center Indoor Arena has an average capacity of 8.000 (depending on the sport). The Indoor Arena is used fot a wide range of sports like Field Hockey, Judo, Volleyball and Gymnastics. The Indoor Arena is located in between the National Stadium and the Staples Conference Center. Also located on the same complex is the Sports Center Lookout which provides an specatacular view of the surroundings as well as a first class Ribeye steak. Baleal City Mirage Hotel & Casino The Mirage Hotel & Casino is an exact replica of the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The copy has been build during the 90's of the last century and is the biggest hotel in the country. The casino attracts the rich and the famous of Guatalaga ... These are the rewards for now, but there are more rewards to come when we reach the 8.000 views mark ... If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

A lonely Lighthouse... With water surrounding most of Republica de Guatalaga, warning ships for dangerous reefs and rocks is a daily task for the lighthouses in the country. And where most of the lighthouses are on shore, there is one on an island just of the coast. The Rainbow Beach lighthouse is an unique building that has survived many storms over the years ... Soon there will be more to come from Rainbow Beach, but for now: If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Flagship Stores opening in Baleal City... For now a small update all about 2 new Flagship Stores that recentlty have opened their doors in Baleal City. Both French fashion house Louis Vuitton Malletier (commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton) and C&A, an international Dutch/German chain of fashion retail clothing stores now have Flagship Stores in Republica de Guatalaga. If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Farms and more ... Well, i've already showed you a good bit from Republica de Guatalaga, but mostly all of it were buildings ... But as the good people of Guatalaga also need to eat, i'm gonna show you today some ... farms and more! Enjoy! If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

The port of Port Douglas. Well, as promised back in August ... here is finally a good look at the biggest harbour of Republica de Guatalaga: the port of Port Douglas. The city of Port Douglas itself is a suburb of Baleal City, therefore the port is also know as Baleal Port. Build after the second world war to accomodate the economic growth of the country, the port of Port Douglas is now one of the key ports in the south pacific region. A good economic relationship with the Republic of China makes Port Douglas an interesting shipping port for internation transport organisations as well as international oil companies. Below you'll find a few impressions of the port: If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Thanks TekindusT en Gugu3 for your comments. I sortof agree with what you are saying, i'm living near a big European port so i'm very familiar with the dark and smelling port water. But ROFLyoshi got it right: I am trying to create an country that you would find near the north of Australia (Paris of the Pacific :-) and waters there are more clear (ok, maybe not this clear ;-)

Port Douglas Naval Base. All countries need to protect themself and their commercial interests, Republica de Guatalaga is no exception to that. Being located in the South-East asian region, the Guatalaga Navy is also in a constant battle against piracy and illegal fishing. The Guatalaga Navy (GN) is the sea branch of the Guatalaga Armed Forces. There are 2 naval bases in Republica de Guatalaga. The oldest of the 2 bases, in Baleal, is the smallest one and is located close to the old city of Baleal. The base in Port Douglas is a larger size and isolated from commercial shipping activity. The Port Douglas Naval Base is the home of the Western Fleet. Western Fleet (based in Port Douglas): F322: GNV Port Douglas (Baleal class air defence and command frigate) F101: GNV Winston Byron (Byron class multi-role frigate) F102: GNV Christoper Zeewyk (Byron class multi-role frigate) F211: GNV Grafton (Grafton class anti-air frigate) F213: GNV Newport (Grafton class anti-air frigate) P992: GNV Protector (Guard class Offshore Patrol Vessel) P993: GNV Lookout (Guard class Offshore Patrol Vessel) Also the Submarine Service of the Guatalaga Navy is located in Port Douglas. Republica de Guatalaga owns 4 Europa class Diesel/electric powered hunter-killer submarines for deep ocean operations: S881: GNV Europa S882: GNV America S883: GNV Asia S884: GNV Oceania If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Back again ... re-installed SimCity 4. Here we are, back again with a new update from Republica de Guatalaga. It's been a while since i've posted something, but to me happend what happens to all of us at some point: the game f***ing crashed ... Luckily not only Jesus saves, but i do as well ;-) ... so we can continue where i left off some time ago. Well, not exactly: i did promise to show you Port Douglas, but i'll leave that 'till next time. This time there is a sneak preview of what's to come ... If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Port Douglas Since the discovery of Republica de Guatalaga in 1606, this area has been an important harbour ... The Port Douglas area is one of the most modern harbours in the world, shipping all sort of goods all over the world. In this teaser, you see a part of the Port Douglas Oil Terminal. More details about Port Douglas in the next update! If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Port Douglas Volkswagen plant. Thanks for all the comments and likes so far! My updates are becoming a bit scares, but here is again a little update from my Republica de Guatalaga region. Today we're looking at the biggest facory in the country: the Volkswagen plant, located in Port Douglas. With easy access to the dockside, the Port Douglas Volkswagen plant is one of the biggest plants in the region. The plants produces various versions of the Golf, New Beetle and Touareg models. In the next update i'll show you more of Port Douglas. If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Back from holiday ... It's been a while since the last update, but once in a while we all need to go on holiday ;-) But as i'm now back home again, we can continue the journey through Republica de Guatalaga! Let's start of with an overview of where i'm now, so here's a shot of the whole country: (i know, i'm far from finished ...) So ... What part of the country do you want to see next? Ofcourse, as always ... If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Mosaic ... Before we leave Baleal City (and time for me to show you the rest of the country), i just give you a mosaic for an overview of the city. Enjoy! (yes, it is a large picture ...) If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

@ROFLyoshi: Indeed. Guatalaga is close to Australia and just stayed out of Japanese occupation ... @Ace: 69 years ago, the flack guns were fighting off Japanese bombers while the allies landed on the beaches of Normandy ...

D-Day tribute ... Well, today it's D-Day. The day known for the Normandy landings (actually codenamed Operation Neptune) that commenced on the 6th of June 1944. On that day 160.000 allied soldiers crossed the English Channel into occupied France. So therefore on this day, a small tribute of mine with some WWII fortifications. As D-Day happend in occupied Europe, the Republica de Guatalaga was a part of the battle in the Pacific. Although the country was never occupied during World War II, the government realised during the early 40's that the port of Baleal City could become a strategic harbour for any enemy. In order to protect the port, the government issued the build of 3 batteries along the coastline. In the years after the war 2 of the batteries were demolished, leaving only 'Battery 2' intact. This battery is situated on Lookout Point, a stretch of land that seperated the port from the ocean. During the 90's this battery and the surrounding area were restored and a walkway was build for access to the area. Today, Battery 2 is one of the main tourist attractions of the country, as the walkway leading towards it has some spectacular views. If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Some shot from the Guatalaga-Baleal International Airport from my Republica de Guatalaga City Journal:

A closeup from my Republica de Guatalaga City Journal:

WWII Fortifications ... As i'm off to Normandy (France) in a few days for a short holiday, i've decided to make a small World War II reference in Baleal City. This is just a teaser, so stay tuned for the full entry ... If you like this so far: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Southbank Central Business District (CBD) Thanks everyone for the +1 and the star ratings! As we are cruising through the Southbank area anyway (see my last Southbank Beach entry) we can also have a look at the Southbank Central Business District (CBD). The Southbank CBD is the financial heart of Republica de Guatalaga as many international banks have their regional headquarters right here. Companies that are located within the Southbank CBD include ANZ Bank, AON, JPMorganChase, AMP, Hewlett-Packard, Comalco and Aurora. The Guatalaga National Conference Centre (GNCC) is situated on the other side of the marina. And, as always, a wider shot of the area: If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Southbank Beach Again thanks for all the comments and remarks. All the feedback helps putting a new entry together ;-) And also thanks to everyone for the +1 and the star ratings. Well, as the teaser said: Let's go to the beach! Where Miami has it's South Beach and Sydney has Bondi Beach ... Baleal City has: Southbank Beach. This lovely stretch of white sand on the southside of the city is surrounded by hotels, appartments, clubs, expensive cars and even a heated pool. Southbank Beach is popular with the rich & famous and also with tourists visiting Baleal City. During the daytime lifeguards are on duty on this beach. But for now, I let the pictures do the talking: If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Let's go to the beach ... After all the positive feedback on the recent entries, i've decided to return the favour with a sunny beach! So book your tickets and fly to Baleal City, if you're quick enough you might be in the next update ;-) More beach time in the next (full) update! If you like this so far: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Congrats to Huston .... but what? i'm in at #9 ... nice :-)

A Guided Tour - Day 2 I start again with thanks for all the positive feedback! So thanks to NMUSpidey, Hazani Pratama, ggamgus, Huston, Schulmanator, Jedahdiah and agunter999 for the comments on the last entry. And also thanks to everyone for the +1 and the star ratings. Today it's our second day of the guided tour through the historical part of Baleal City, the capital of Republica de Guatalaga. We start with a short walk along the quayside towards one of the biggest buildings in Baleal City: Le Musee National. This historical landmark used to be a massive warehouse containing all the goods that passed through the port of Baleal City. As the port graduatly moved toward deeper water, the warehouse became vacant. At that point it was decided to turn it into a museum where you can see everything about the history of Republica de Guatalaga. An interesting fact is that this building is located at the exact location of the first settlement (in 1606). After our visit to the museum, it's time for a good lunch! And what better place than the famous O'Charley's restaurant on the quayside. Behind the restaurant you'll find one of the many small city parks. When we walk through the park, we end up dat the Odeon Theatre. Next to the theatre is the City Hall. Today, we're goning to end with probably the most famous building in Republica de Guatalaga: Monastere du Government. But first, in front of the massive building there is the Victory Arc. This arc was build to commemorate the independance of our country. Interesting fact: when widening the road, the arc became to small for all lanes to pass through. Therefore the new avenue is now passing underneath the arc. And then ... the biggest building in the country: Monastere du Government. Originally build as a monastery, it's now houses the gouvernment and parliament of the Republic de Guatalaga. Most of the building is closed off for the public. But the courtyard and grand church are accessible: have a look inside! This is the end of the tour today, but for everyone at Simtropolis and not walking through the streets of Baleal City, here is an overview of a part of Baleal City we've covered today: If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

A Guided Tour - Day 1 First of all, thanks to agunter999, ggamgus and Hazani Pratama for the comments on the last entry. And also thanks to everyone for the +1 and the star ratings. Hi, my name is Krisman. I'll be your tour guide for the next few days, showing you the best parts of Baleal City. First of all, the building you're sleeping in: The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Although this hotel is located in the old part of town, it is fairly new. This part of town used to be the fisherman's wharf and 30/40 years ago the quayside here were full of fishing ships unloading there catch of the day. We've just walked a few block from you hotel and here we are at one of the meeting points for the people in Baleal: The Baleal Food Market. This market used to be a fish market only, but in recent years it has been converted in a location where you can find the best fresh food in the country. So if you want a great lunch or just a bite of the local cuisine: this is the place to go. On the other side of the street you see the Duomo de Pecheur, which used to be a small church for all the family members of the local fisherman to pray for their safe return. Ok. Let's have a short walk uptown ... Here we are at Samaritaine Square, one of the many small square in the old part of town. The square is named after a large shopping mall which you can see on the left side. Walking around the Samaritaine Shopping Mall, we get to Market Square. This is another small square but on this square is on every tuesday and thursday a market selling everything from clothing to local produce. Across the square you see a newer style appartment building, here the expansion of Baleal City started ... Here we are at Presidential Square. On October 5th 1879, this is the place where Sir Winston Byron gave his independance speech, the Declaration of the Lords of Byron. From that moment the Republica de Guatalaga became independant from the United Kingdom. Winston Byron became the first president, moving into the Presidential Palace. In the middle of the square you see the Eyndthoven memorial. This memorial is build to remember the first Dutch settlers who founded this city in 1606. All the original settlers were murdered, but i'll tell you more about that tomorrow when we go to see the location of the original settlement. Walking around the palace, we get to the Presidential Garden. This garden is a green patch in the city where a lot of the local people go to enjoy the sun and life in general. This is the last stop of our tour today, so now we head back to the hotel. On Day 2 of the tour i'll take you through the other side of the old town. For everyone at Simtropolis and not walking through the streets of Baleal City, here is an overview of a part of Baleal City we've covered today: If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)

Welcome in Republica de Guatalaga! First of all, thanks to ggamgus, Luiz P. Romanini, k50, NMUSpidey, Ying Blanc, Mayorjacks, Huston and the one and only Schulmanator for all the positive comments on the sneak preview! Hope you all like this entry as well. Before you grab a taxi and head to your hotel, we have quick look at Guatalaga-Baleal International Aiport. Some facts: - The airport is named after the country (Republica de Guatalaga) and the capital (Baleal City). - Dispite the name, the airport is actually located near the town of Haymarket. - It takes about 30/45 minutes to get to Baleal City by taxi. - The Airport Express takes you from the airport to trainstations in Baleal City, Port Douglas, Breakwater Bay and Rainbow Beach. - The airport has 10 gates, 2 of them are suitable for (max) Boeing 747-8. - The airport cannot handle the Airbus A380. - Most flights from and to the airport are regional (south-east asia / oceania). - Main airlines are: Qantas, Virgin, JAL, Air China and China Southern Airlines. - Intercontinental destinations include: Amsterdam, Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Madrid and Moscow. - There are 3 hotels near the airport. Ok. That is enough for now. You must be tired from your flight. Time to take the taxi and head for Baleal City. You have a reservation in the Oriental Mandarin Hotel. If you like it: comment and/or hit the +1 button ;-)