You can remove a monkey from the forest but you can never remove the forest out the monkey, goes an old saying.
In other words, you can change one's outer environment, but you can hardly do the same with their mindsets, thinking and other aspects of their internal environment unless the person(s) in question willingly decides to effect it themselves.
On the same note, you find that despite the existence of better alternatives to give directions and identify places in many rural areas, majority of the rural folk will still use those ancient ways while explaining the same to you.
Below are some of the classical homegrown 'Google Maps' used while giving directions and identifying places in rural areas.
1. Stinking Latrines
A stinking pit latrine is easily identifiable from miles away whatever it is that makes it 'behave' that way. Woe unto you if you happen to live around that area or you are actually the owner of that latrine because the towering and unmistakable foul smell of that latrine will serve the role of Google Maps in that locality than anything else around it.
2. Fierce dogs
While it is common to find many homesteads that rear dogs, it is rare to find one that has fierce dog(s) that would have you soil your pants by a mere bark.
Many dogs that many villagers keep are the malnourished type of 'mbwakokos' that are only meant to serve the very role that scarecrows play to birds and wild animals.
Fierce dogs are only to be found in few homes and you will rarely spot them loitering around the village. They are, therefore, good identifiers of the places they are found owing to their limited distribution.
3. Old Motorcars
Some conservative old and oftenly rich 'wazees' in the rural will not listen to anyone at any cost who comes telling them to change their 19th century model for a newer one.
They are so attached to the rickety unroadworthy automobile than anything else in life. And since there are only few homes where you are to find such old motorcars, these vehicles serve the Google Maps role than they render services to their respective owners.
4. Personalities
This is another common way of identifying particular areas in the rural by citing a well known personality traits of a certain resident. Such traits are mostly the negative ones. For instance, if one resident shares the same proposition with Hitler, that place is likely to be known and identified with the traits of that person.