subject: The World's Strange Places [print this page] The world is an amazingly and brilliantly odd and eccentric place, and just when you think you have got a handle on everything it is common to come across a scene or a site that makes you realise how unusual the world is and that give you a new respect for its majesty and it is oddness. Putting the world in this kind of perspective can be a really great way to expand your horizons and your view of the world, so it is a good thing to seek out these strange and odd places, and it can make for some fascinating trips that you will never forget. The seven wonders of the worlds are unfortunately largely no longer in existence, but there are certainly some very strange places left. Here are just a few:
Stonehenge: In Wiltshire UK, Stonehenge is one of the strangest sites you could hope to come across. Essentially a pile of rocks the question is not only how an ancient pagan culture would manage to lift the stones, but also why. Many stories point to Merlin as being responsible, while others describe the stones as being some kind of giant sun dial or star map. Regardless of the how or the why of Stonehenge, this large pile of rocks that has been seemingly assembled for no reason is without a doubt: odd.
Las Vegas: Las vegas is an anomaly on this list for being not only man-made, but modern. However it is nevertheless undoubtedly strange. Here almost every famous landmark has been recreated at huge albeit scaled down size, the sheer number of lights and the range of things going on also create a feeling of sensory overload and incredible awe. So strange is it that on your first visit you are likely to simply wonder around mesmerised and with no idea of what to do first. When you think about what actually goes on there then it is pretty strange too.
Rippleys: In Florida or in LA, Rippleys is a house of the strange. In itself it is not (that) strange, but rather features a very comprehensive collection of the odd and the unusual from around the world.
The Blue Hole: Dean's Blue Hole is the deepest known underwater sinkhole in the world at 663ft. From above it looks like an unexplained, perfectly round, dark blue patch in the sea.
Mount Tiede: Mount Tiede is a dormant volcano in Tenerife. Here the oddness comes from the volcanic ash and rock that makes up the majority of the scenery. Genuinely it looks like an alien terrain and is incredibly desolate, reminiscent of footage sent back from Mars. So peculiar is it that it was chosen as the location where they filmed Planet of the Apes.
Plain of Nazca: This otherwise unremarkable plain in Peru is made remarkable by the huge markings made across its surface. These create images, some of which appear humanoid, when viewed from miles above. They are thought to be dated to times before flight however, and interestingly seem to look similar to the markets on an airport landing strip. This is one of the many oddities that lead Erich Von Daniken to write his book Chariot of the Gods, wherein he suggests that we have been visited throughout our history by aliens.
The Abyss: The abyss, and the even deeper hadal zone, should probably take the prize for the most unusual place on Earth, if only because we have yet to explore it. This term refers to all areas of water below a certain depth (13,000 foot and deeper). Interestingly the pressure here is far too strong for us to send any equipment down without it being crushed and certainly is unreachable for manned exploration. However science has taught us time and again not to rule out the existence of life which can thrive in all kinds of amazing circumstances. This may well be the home for example of the dwelling of the huge giant squids and colossal squids, the largest of which are thought to extend beyond 13 metres and which have never been seen in their entirety; and perhaps the Gigantic Octopus which may or may not exist and explain the existence of stories about Kraken and sea monsters. In one experiment carried out by scientists an incredibly thick steel pole was inserted into the bottom of the abyss only for it to be snapped by an unknown force of incredible strength. The creatures that are known to live there are some of the most bizarre and alien on Earth including jellyfish, viperfish, sea cucumbers and tube worms.
Grand Canyon: The grand canyon is one of the better known natural wonders of the world and has been seen by many. However its sheer size, scale and magnitude make it no less strange and breathtaking for it. Highlights include Eagle Point where you can view the rock formation that looks like an eagle, and the nearby 'skywalk' which is a man-made glass balcony that allows you to look down over the canyon.
Kolmanskop: Kolmanskop in Namibia, is a ghost town (meaning abandoned it is not quite that odd) which is made all the more eerie and unusual by the fact that it was flooded by sand. What remains can only be described as the 'top half' of the town poking up through the sands.
Easter Island: Easter Island is in itself quite an unusual island, but what really takes the biscuit are the very unusual heads that have been sculpted there. These things are not only giant raising the questions of how the early Easter Island culture would have built them but also oddly inhuman looking very much like we might imagine alien heads to look. Adding to its curiosities, Easter Island also had its very own form of writing which is one of the few that is yet to be deciphered.
Cueva de los Cistales: This cave in Mexico is instantly fascinating through just being a cave, but what makes it unique is the abundance of huge crystals (some of the largest known natural crystals) large enough to walk on and towering over those who enter. This makes I almost like a real life Fortress of Solitude and certainly one of the world's strangest places.
San Zhi: Now this really is like something from an unusual movie specifically the genre of which would have to be some kind of post apocalyptic horror probably with zombies or aliens. The place, situated in North Taiwan, was designed to be a luxury vacation retreat made up of 'pods' that looked highly futuristic. What makes it dystopian however is that it was never finished and was abandoned making it doubly odd at once a ghost town and a highly futuristic vision.
Isgyvenimo Drama: In Lithuania you can 'relive' communism, by being entered into a two and a half hour re-enactment in which you will wear gas masks and learn communist anthems. You even get to experience a concentration camp and medical exam. Not only is this bizarre itself, but also a representation of a time even more odd.
Fantastic Pit: Actually called fantastic pit, this suggests just how impressive the pit is. This is the largest cave pit in the US at 586 foot deep. This means you can fit the entire Washington Monument in it (and then some) and takes a stone 8 seconds to hit the bottom. Amazingly you can rappel down the inside.
Hell's Door: Hell's Door (AKA 'The Door to Hell') in Derweze is a whole in the ground filled with natural gas coming potentially from deep inside the Earth's core. Some claim that the gas was set alight by geologists who discovered it in 1971, while others say it is a completely natural formation. Either way, this is simply a hole in the ground that burns constantly and at night glows orange from a distance as a result and truly does look like a gateway to hell.
The Plain of Jars: The plain of jars is as it sounds a landscape in Laos that is filled with stone jars of all sizes some huge and some miniscule. This is another mystery in that the jars would have been incredibly difficult to make with the limited technology of the time, and that their purpose is unknown. The area is unfortunately covered in landmines which makes it incredibly difficult to study.
Taklamakan: Taklamakan in Central Asia is incredibly unusual being your typical sandy desert covered in dunes and shapes apart from one major difference it is also covered in snow.
The Dead Sea: Many things make the Dead Sea in Jordan fascinating and unique. First of all its surrounding area offers the lowest elevation of Earth's surface on dry land and includes the world's lowest road. The shores are 422 meters below sea level. The other interesting aspect of the area is that it is high in salinity (salt content). This results in large salt formations, and also means you can float on the water with no need to swim and be buoyed up. No known life can survive in the sea however for the same reason giving it its dramatic name.
Red Sea Star Restaurant: If you want to try out something different then why not try a restaurant situated underwater? With dcor befitting the strange aquatic theme this is a great novelty and highly strange.
Chillout: This Middle Eastern bar made entirely of ice is only one example of an ice bar. Each of them features walls and seats made from solid ice, lethal cocktails, and large winter coats that must be worn to keep you warm at the freezing temperatures. Even the glasses and seats are made from ice!
Salar: Salar in Bolivia is another desert, but rather than being made from sand, this desert is made form salt. This salt is reflective and looks almost crystalline and so reflects the sky. The lakes are strange colours due to the deposit of minerals and there are also large salt sculptures that have natural formed around the area.
Tristan de Cunha: Technically a part of the UK, this tiny island is bizarre for being the most remote inhabited island. 2,000 miles from the nearest continent and with only 272 people with just 8 surnames between them. Online purchases take a very long time to arrive.
Angel Falls: Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest waterfall anywhere in the world. Falls are 3230 feet high and this creates as you might imagine a fantastic sight and sound.
Hobbit House: Hobbit house is a bar staffed entirely by little people inspired by JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit.
Nocti Vagus: This is a restaurant in Berlin that is strange for one reason it is constantly in complete darkness. The idea here then is that without the sensation of sight you will get to enjoy an increased sense of taste, and will go about eating your food in a different way picking it up and smelling it. The restaurant is staffed by blind waiters and waitresses, who need to escort customers to their seats, the exit and the toilet and use an air lock type system to maintain the complete darkness.
Love Land: Love Land in Korea is an undoubtedly unusual place and is again one of the man-made entries to this list. This is a theme park about sex which features giant phallic statues and allows you to walk around inside large reproductive organs. Originally created as an art exhibition it is more 'trippy' than it is erotic for most.
Socotra: Socotra is a particularly unusual island off of mainland Africa. Like the Galapagos islands it developed in isolation resulting in the development of highly unique wildlife and fauna. The most striking of the unusual sights here are the trees which look like disks or UFOs and are eerily green, as well as the large plants that grow out of the sides of rocks and appear to have no roots like growths. The colours are all strangely bright and closest description is to say it looks like a scene from a Dr Seuss book.
The Pyramids: The pyramids are certainly strange and are the only surviving 'official' wonder of the world. Their sheer size is what makes them so incredible, as well as the large amount of mystery surrounding them. These were built as tombs (and translate literally as 'stairway to the house of the Sun God'), but how precisely they went about erecting such huge and structurally difficult monuments remains largely a mystery. Inside they are adorned with artwork and gold, and it is thought that they still contain many interior passageways that are yet to be discovered. The three largest and most impressive pyramids are located in Giza.
Karnak Temple: Also in Egypt, Karnak temple seems o be a largely underappreciated wonder of the ancient world. Just as large and impressive as the great pyramid in Giza, it features huge perfectly cylindrical pillars and hundreds of statues. It is sheer size and the number of ruined temples make it almost more impressive in scale than the pyramids as do the incredibly detailed hieroglyphics on every surface. Again this makes a strong argument for Anctient Egypt being built by aliens. http://hardofhearring.blogspot.com
