Virtual Treasure Hunt 2

It's that time again folks, time for another virtual treasure hunt using a movie and Google Earth. If you'd like to play this time the movie you'll get to watch is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Wait, don't click away to Facebook just yet, just hear me out on this.

I remember seeing CCBB as a young kid but I'm not quite sure if I saw it in the theater or on TV. Until seeing it again a couple of days ago I didn't remember much of the story, only that it made a big impact on me when I saw it as a child.

When I watched it again a few days ago it struck me how different it is from movies that come out these days. The two main kids in the movie especially were quite a shock. Instead of the eye rolling, know it all, wiser than every adult, ungrateful, cynical and sarcastic brats that inhabit every screen these days, the kids in CCBB are respectful and sweet. I kept waiting for them to produce some attitude but they never did. I can't say why exactly but that one aspect was just so nice and refreshing to see I had to share it with you.

Overall it's a very fun film, kind of a James Bond caper for kids. This is not surprising as the original story is by Ian Fleming the author of the Bond stories. There is some singing but it all fits in nicely with the story and the songs are mostly good and fun. One more refreshing part about CCBB is that it's not based on any cartoon or video game characters so you can actually show it to your kids without worrying about going out after and buying them all the officially licensed merchandise or McToys.

At 145 minutes it's a bit long but I recommend it highly. There is one particular character in it called the Child Catcher who, you guessed it, catches children. He is nothing but funny to adults but kids may find him genuinely creepy in the kind of way political correctness and social engineering have mostly eliminated from modern movies. Kids raised on Barny and Dora might find him quite scary. On that note, on to the game we go.

If you played along last time this will all be familiar to you. Below you will find twelve questions. The answers to the questions can be found in the movie. The answers will appear in the same order as the questions so there is no need to look for more than one answer at a time. Each answer will be a single digit number. The twelve questions will be lettered A through L. The answers when entered into the following format will become the latitude and longitude coordinates to a certain spot on the earth.

AB°CD'EF" North
GH°IJ'KL" East

You can then use Google Earth to locate the spot and find out what is there. You will need to have the "geographic web" layers selected/checked (at least the panoramio option) and then click on any of the little blue squares that appear at the location to find out just what is there. I don't have any prizes to give out this time so it will be just for the fun of playing. Please tell me the coordinates you come up with and what you find in the location by leaving a comment. Of course since the answer will appear there make sure you don't look at the comments until you are finished the game and/or are ready to check.

Here are the twelve questions:

A - How many sails/blades are there on the Potts' windmill? (Just to be clear, assume each sail ends at the center hub. In other words, you should count separately sails directly opposite each other extending out from the center on the same line.)

B - How many vertical wooden bars are there in the chair back of the chair Mr. Potts is sitting in when Edison first whistles through a candy?

C - How many kinds of treasure do Jeremy and Jemima have in their treasure chest?

D - How many pence was Caractacus charging for a haircut?

E - How many "change room" tents do they set up on the beach where they have their picnic?

F - Subtract 2 from the number of stones Truly steps on when she crosses the pond.

G - When the two spies meet grandpa Potts how many medals is he wearing on his chest?

H - Subtract 1 from the number of pockets on the billiard table seen when grandpa enters the castle.

I - How many "Jack-in-the-Boxes" does the Child Catcher open in the Toy Maker's basement?

J - When the Baron opens the trapdoor how many lit candles are there in the candle stand in the background?

K - When Chitty lifts off and leaves the castle how many people are in the car?

L - Add 3 to the number of buttons on the vest Lord Scrumptious is wearing in the Potts' home?

Good luck with the game, mostly though I hope you enjoy the movie. I'm so glad I rediscovered it after all these years. If you don't have a copy you can borrow mine if you're close enough. It's definitely worth renting or even buying. I think HMV has the full screen version going for $6 right now.