Tom. You found dad 😭 THANK YOU so, so much 😭🙏 I’m in Jakarta right now and when I saw this was published about an hour ago, I had to cancel dinner plans. I have that weird stinging in my sinuses haha - where it feels like tears are incoming, but they just won’t come… it’s just sheer excitement for when I’ll be in Taiwan with time to rent a motorcycle to stand right where my father stood. It doesn’t bother me that the mountain is concealed - to be able to just stand where dad stood well before I was even born is so much more than I could’ve ever imagined possible. THANK YOU 🙏
While that is of course the correct mountain in the photo, it is _not_ Gorilla Rock. Gorilla Rock is a formation sticking out the side of the next mountain down the road, very clearly in the shape of a gorilla's head. The correct name for the mountain in the picture is Xiaojianshan. It's 128 meters high, and because it somewhat resembles a bamboo hat, it is also called Douli Mountain.
I’ve been geodetecting places from photos since before streetview / Google Earth but only for places I knew or could visit in person back then, and I’m still hooked now - and there is always a mixed feeling when you find somewhere so quickly that you thought would be tough. The relief and joy, but also a disappointment that the challenge is over so soon :) My latest thing is finding filming locations used in music videos - kinda like the one you did from old adverts. I was particularly pleased to find a spot which had been put through an AI filter to turn it into a sci fi looking city just the other day (I was fairly sure which city it had been filmed in, and there were features the AI kept returning to showing that i worked out what they were and then found the spot). Anyhow - great video that was particularly poignant - I happen to have been looking through old family photos of holidays and finding the exact spot my parents had stood, where my nan had been etc just this last week so I totally get why this would mean a lot to someone.
Was it just me that thought the satchel on Maurices pops bike was a toy horse head haha? But yeah seriously, what a touching story, I can't imagine what it's like to lose your dad, I love mine he's a legend, and I know how much this would mean to me to go see places in Tahiti he sailed to in the 60s.. Really cool of you to track this down while he's able to visit it man. Definitely subscribing
The date the road was changed was easily findable - by just entering Chinese language version of the Wikipedia article. 1994 was the opening date. And it says that it partially replaced province highway 1 with map of how the road went. Of course it's not too accurate. Just a hint for future searches.
@@fdagpigjlol i mean the takeaway is to go to the obviously more relevant language wiki page where it’ll have more info. And dates in most any language are usually all in our arabic numeral system. Plus you can hit “translate” in most browsers. Then you have much more info - and it’s back in your language.
@@fdagpigj To echo the comment above, use google translate and local language wikis often have a lot more information vs English. Sometimes there isn't even an entry in English.
I just started the video and that mountain in the background looks VERY familiar! If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's in Pingtung County, south Taiwan. I know EXACTLY where this is! I know because I've drove past it on scooter before! I even have it in a couple of my RU-vid videos! Travelling Taiwan: The Coastal Road, Day 6! Edit: Just re-watched the intro and read the description and that basically confirmed it! 6:21 Exactly! It IS a nice thing to do! 7:11 Yes! It's Yehliu Geopark. (I've made a video there too!) 13:24 That's it! 16:38 Just to let you know, Gorilla Rock is the name of a rock formation on the side of the hill. The hill's name is 車城小尖山 (Checheng Xiaojianshan)
It is interesting how much knowledge humans have collectively. Imagine if Tom did not find the rock on the map he would have probably not made this video. But if he made a 'fail' video then your comment would have provided us the answer any way.
I wouldn't be too sad about the trees. In this story, the trees are a Symbol of the renewal of life. The trees are a symbol for the son, who is growing up, becoming taller and taller.
At 20:30 you can see an article titled "Pinge highway Planting Trees Project" i wonder if those are the trees that were planted which blocked the view of the rock
Even if he can't get the exact photo with the rock in the background, he can still get a photo where his father stood and I'm sure that is the most important thing. Great work Tom.
And if he goes up the road a bit he could get a photo that nearly looks the same. So he should definitely take a photo in that spot, but if he wants to show people side by side of him and his father, then he should go up the road a couple hundred feet and take another one with the same background. I really hope he thinks of that.
geowitchcraft aside, this is truly one beautiful picture! the smile, the motorcycle, the mountain... it looks like Maurice's old man was having a truly wonderful time!
The name of the mountain is 車城小尖山 (Checheng Xiaojianshan), not Gorilla Rock (which is nearby nevertheless). It is apparently a (minor?) tourist attraction in Southern Taiwan.
Thanks Tom I love this, my father lived in and died in Spain 20 years ago I'm 37 now and I spent a lot of the past couple of years looking for where he is buried if he is buried at all. But to no joy. I hope this man can take his photo and find his solace.
Hi, do you live in Spain too or have contacts there who can help you? Why do you have doubts about him being buried if is not much to ask? Maybe I can help somehow, I'm from Spain actually, and my dad works as a manager in a funeral parlour. We aren't probably from the same region in Spain as your father, but if you don't have anyone here maybe I can give you some kind of useful info idk, let me know if you need it.
@@lucyorwell that is so nice of you thank you. I live in England near to London and my dad lived in Albox, Andalusia I believe he was murdered by my stepmother but the death certificate says he died with a stomach ulcer. It’s a longgggg story. I have a death certificate and I’ve spoken to albox town hall and the incineration place in Albox they said that if nobody claims the remains then the Spanish pay for incineration which is what happened. But that was in 2005 so there’s no trace of where the remains went. Hopefully he is in the cemetery of La Hoya but every grave stone would have to be checked. I say La Hoya because Albox said he wasn’t there
@mitchellhiggon547 I'm so so sorry. So cruel. Even if it was just about denying him a proper burial site and for his family a place to visit she is already a terrible human being for that reason, that's such a lack of respect and empathy that your doubts about his cause of death are honestly justified. If I understood correctly no one claimed his body? Or it was just the remains after cremation that weren't claimed? Because as far as I know there's different procedures, I'm guessing no one claimed him at all from the beginning. In any case the info about the burial site should be in the certificate, and I'm not sure about the legality of not having that information available. Not sure about for how long they have to keep records at the funeral place neither, but I'm shocked at the lack of information/help at the town hall. I'm from the north of Spain, so there may be some differences, but is weird nonetheless. Anyways I'm just speculating at the moment, I will ask my father tomorrow until which degree this is normal or legal, but I don't think they can get away with that many missing info. If it's not much to ask, do you know if he passed at a healthcare facility or it was anywhere else? If you prefer to speak about it in private I can maybe give you my socials or email. But I will let you know what I get from my dad tomorrow anyway.
@@Dohnjoe5940 Albox are claiming that he 100% will be buried as nobody claimed the ashes but they deny he’s in Albox. They say there’s no record of what happened to the ashes I fear the worst tbh.
ROFL when I realized you got tasked with finding that mount in Taiwan. From that picture. ROFL. Jaw dropped when you stumbled across it like a boss. WHAT?!? Unbelievable find.
He could stand in the spot , but send a drone up to get a photograph but from a different angle. One that includes Gorilla rock and him standing where his father did, just from a different perspective.
Just want to point out the mountain is not called Gorilla Rock, that's just a rock formation on the side of this mountain. The mountain is called 車城小尖山 (Checheng Xiaojianshan).
17:28 the shadows are a PERFECT match on the left side of the mountain. that right there is the exact location of the photo. it pained me that he was like ok now to just find the exact location.... haha you've already found it brother! Great video and you've done Maurice a wonderful service Tom.
yeah I disagree as well. The smaller hill on the right side in front of the pointy mountain is higher in the photo, indicating it was taken closer to the hill than compared to the google street view position you're referring to.
@@lisveLooks right to me. The difference might be the foliage and everything. That place has changed a lot. It looks even more different now on Google Maps. The hill to the right looks different, but... Well, it's different. In the photo it's a bit rocky and uneven. In the newer image it's smooth. Also, everything between the man and the hill has changed. The sharpness of the mountain might also be because of foliage. I'm no expert, but it's what I see.
Well done, sir! When I saw the preview thumb on my YT home page, I knew it was Taiwan, so I clicked on it. I have lived here for 23+ years, and immediately assumed the photo was taken in the south, as I have traveled that stretch of road countless times. I couldn't have said exactly where it was, but as you drew closer to your conclusion, I was super chuffed to find out my basic instinct was correct. I actually teach geography here at the middle school level, so I geek out about this kind of thing. So cool you found it, and so quickly! Kudos to you, and I hope that Maurice has a great time reconstructing things. Indeed, it is a very cool world we live in, despite all the challenges.
How on god green earth do you keep managing to find these 1 in a billion locations literally 4 seconds after you commence your arduous search. It's absolutely maddening!
He walks us through his reasoning, which is built on years of knowledge and a ton of intuition from his years of exploring maps and playing geoguessr. He knew it was Taiwan, his geoguessr intuition told him it felt southern and coastal, and the road trip part was good reasoning on top of that. This crazy lucky in this one was mainly the 50/50 he chose clockwise that spared him who knows how long, and a bit of luck that it was pretty damn far south close to his starting area!
@@Michael-kp4bd I would say geoguessr only accounts for a small percentage of his skill on GeoDetective. The Geoguessrs might nail down the country, but Tom's skill comes from experience in the field, especially when he plans out his missions. It's translating maps into real world locations, especially regarding topography and architecture in a way geoguessr players aren't doing.
@@ApathyBM in addition to everything that's already been said, I'll add persistence and dedication. I can't imagine having the patience and care to embark on a search through all of Taiwan for a single mountain, even for a great cause like this, but Tom is up for the challenge.
0:06 - of all the online geography-based detective series in which GeoWizard attempts to locate the exact whereabouts of a subject in a photograph (from all the towns in all the world) - this is indeed my favourite.
I have a lot of bad stuff in my life right now and often feel hopeless but your videos always makes me feel better for a while at least. Just want to say thank you for making these videos.
Just leaving a comment from a different country, so the algorithm gets confused. Greetings from Germany. Will keep watching all Videos till the end of this chanel. And the classics will be rewatched for years. Like Home alone in Christmas.
For this one he actually used the real first name, check the pinned comment. He said it's not "quite" the real name because it's the real first name but a made up last name.
Beautiful. Most people drive by this spot without a second thought but Maurice has such a deep connection to it. Really makes you stop and appreciate the world around you.
Beautiful video! Thanks for the Plonk It Guide shoutout. Even though it didn't mention the agava plants, glad to see it could still be at least of some help, confirming the thought about the photo looking tropical (and therefore south). Kind regards from the Plonk It guide editors :)
BY FAR, your most incredible episode. Hopefully, Maurice can experience some form of peace during his visit - traveling alongside his father, albeit a few decades later. Great work, Tom.
Amazing work Tom, your brain never ceases to amaze me. Love a story like this too, my sympathy to Maurice but this is a really poetic way to follow in his father's footsteps, literally. Using the internet to piece together these stories and help people, even in somewhat trivial ways. It's truly incredible. So glad you found it, and so quickly too.
As soon as Tom found the rock shape i knew the photo wouldn't be possible to imitate. It feels like time has erased this moment. I don't know why this makes me so sad.
Since some of us spend our entire lives to leave a legacy behind us, I guess it’s kinda natural feel like that, I would feel bad if I knew my legacy would be snuffed out by time, but I guess it’s only natural.
I get that feeling when looking around my local area on Google maps. I'm only 31 but there's been such immense change around here even in that time that some places are unrecognisable. I know it's the steady march of time and things have to move on, it's just sad seeing quaint English countryside turn into dual carriageways, industrial estates and houses.
I know you likely figured this out towards the end of the clip, but the new road has the power lines to the left from your view. The old road which we cannot get to via street view would be power lines to the right which is how it shows in the original photo. Stunning work! I just found this channel as we recently moved to Oregon and are starting to do some geocaching.
Tom, just wanted you to know that Great Aunt's Painting was of Pont Neuf, Paris and was VERY accurate! Hopefully you can update your spreadsheet (and perhaps revisit it in an update video?). Great work on this one! Can't believe you just immediately got it.
@@ReyNicoHere's hoping! I was playing along with him on the Great Aunt video and eventually found the similar looking square at the end of the Pont Neuf bridge. Messing with the year allowed me to see just how good the painting was. I was impressed! Hoping he returns to update it, because it is interesting.
To get a photo that's "close enough", Maurice could stand roughly where the little dirt road loops to the left. there he'll at least see the mountain in the back
Welcome to the club. Patreon is linked somewhere and is 100% worth supporting. Like I am not even joking. Tom is one of the few creators that actually makes posts on patreon frequently and getting early access to most videos is super nice.
This was awesome to watch!! Congrats on helping Maurice. On a side note, power lines rarely every move. Sometimes powerlines will get abandoned in place. If power lines get upgraded the path usually stays the same.
Taiwanese here, my hunch is also around the southern tip of Taiwan! Glad you were able to find the spot. It would have been a much more strenuous search if you did counter-clockwise😅 The road layout looks pretty much the same since 1985 based on an online map archive I found, but there's limited info since the area is quite rural. For most people, the only reason to be on that road would be en route to Kenting, which is a major tourist destination. It's possible that Maurice's father took this picture during a break on his road trip to Kenting!
When doing these, it's good to remember that road trips are often to distant locations, where photos are taken with distinct local features. If this hill was right near the capital city, it probably would not be photographed because people see it everyday. Also the family members would recognize common features that they saw all the time, so the fact the relatives didn't recognize it probably means it's a remote, scenic location. In this case, it's about as far away from where most all the population live in the north as possible.
I did this one with you and paused the video when you started doing new methods and tried applying myself first before seeing what you did next. I learned a lot from this video about features I wasn't even aware of, awesome content and amazing work!
Hit 18:10 - he's still questioning - but when he throws the pictures up side by side - it;s like everything else, people see what they see - I see Dr Doom's Mask under his hood exactly matching both pictures - in the mountain. This is a great video
Amazing find and story, I hope Maurice can find some solace in his trip. I will also say, it seemed like just around the bend, the view of 小霸尖山 was quite a bit clearer. A photo in the exact location, and then a photo down the road (or from the side road or something), that evokes a greater similarity to the background from the original, would be very sweet.
18:02 : Warning ! you are forgetting how the different cameras used (google 360° cam vs old (probably film) camera) may drastically change the appearance of objects in terms of shape because of their f ratio. Aside : damn, this is really impressive and I found a great series I am going to follow
This is my first video of yours to have watched. I work on environmental investigations and I want to recommend some resources we use for “detective” work. Some cost money but they are helpful! Nearmap; historical typos from USGS; sanborn maps; RealQuest; gis tax parcel maps/land records viewers; EDR (definitely not cheap but gives you sanborn maps, aerials, topos, groundwater flow direction…)
It has to be the right mountain, but somehow the direction he is facing the sun doesn't add up for me with the road orientation and length of the shadows. So maybe the road was not only widened but also straightened since the photo was made. In that case the historical road would have been facing a bit more towards an east - west direction, which would also explain the difference in how the two hills match up.
This is absolutely insane! The level of skill and sheer luck combined on this one made for one of the most impressive finds in geodetective history honestly! I was so convinced it would take you days to find it looking at how big Taiwan is but jeez this is beyond impressive :D
Wow mate, long time follower myself. What a guy are for taking the time to do this for a follower of yours. Kudos! Just what I needed to restore my faith in humanity!
I don't plan on watching this, but thank you so much for helping these people. It was very nice. I literally cake here just say a nice thing in return to you, and to boost the algorithm and click a few like-buttons.
I think the logical assumption is that the road was widened from a two lane road to the divided roadway we see now. What a stroke of luck to start where you did and find it so fast!
viewer from Taiwan here, lovely to see this island is explored (havent the foggiest where that photo is taken myself)! looking forward to the upcoming adventures!
I think the actual location is on that dirt track lay-by to the left of the road. If you look at the pylons in the photo, they could be following the side of the main road, as they do in google maps.
Absolutely wonderful! Isn't it amazing how seeing you find place, from a picture of a bloke I have never met and obviously do not know, could be so emotional. He looks like a lovely chap too.
wait, is that the guy I think it is? (japanese dude who plays pachinko friends with tiny appartment tokio youtuber ? ) if so the interwebs are a small place , no matter what they say
I've never noticed that you say "Telegraph Poles" before now! Growing up here in the states, we always referenced to them as "Telephone poles", though these days I think of them as "power lines". Was interesting to me is all lol. Good job on this, amazingly fast!
How amazing and moving that you can use your exceptional geographical talent to do something so meaningful and poignant for someone. Brilliant work Tom, and all the best to Maurice in travelling to the spot your dad once stood in ☺️🙏🏻
Really expected a Fraggle Rock reference at 16:50 there Tom. You're letting the side down missing educational opportunities like this slip through the fingers.
My bf sent me this vid, I am Taiwanese, my hometown is Taitung, and I am aboriginal people in Taiwan too! I shared this to my dad, told him just looked at the old pic of Maurice’s dad, he answered the name of the road immediately lol And then I continued the vid, I found out oh my god that is the road we always have to passing through from Taitung to my mom’s hometown Kaohsiung, and my dad is always driving…. No wonder he can recognized right away…. So happy for you Maurice, have a lovely one in finding the trace! p.s. my dad went to Louvre 24 years ago, cus I am currently living in paris, so I did the same imitation picture too on Father’s Day then sent him the pic! So I can feel Maurice why you wanted to do this! It’s so amazing and such meaningful!
Fantastic work. I was going to counter you on the pin because I was convinced the electrical poles on the East side of the road (the shot is facing South) were the same one's to the West of Maurice's father. However, I found a pole in a 2009 street view, further up to that building, between it an the mound, facing West, that seems very likely to be remnant of that sequence of poles in the photo. That pole is just behind the mound, and the electrical wires no longer continue North, but now turn towards the street view car, that is to the East of the pole. There is also a pole on the West side of the road, a little further back in the North, that is plausibly a remnant in that sequence that runs close to the west side of that road. I have a connection to Taiwan, so loved this. Again, great work.
By the way, Dulan is the famous exotic town for foreign expats --- a quiet coastal town just 20 km north of Taitung City.There is no public transportation to Dulan other than by bus, so do not expect large crowds.
Wow can’t wait to see the Isle of Man video. In June I’m running four marathons in four days around the island fundraising for the British Heart Foundation! (Shameless plug who cares). So really looking forward to the scenery and maybe some ideas of what I’ll be up against ☺️
