Vozrozhdeniya – Probably the Deadliest Former Island on Earth
Vozrozhdeniya was once an isolated island in the Aral Sea. Today, it’s a wasteland infused with tonnes of anthrax, as well as other exotic and deadly diseases. The Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest sea on planet Earth, but after the rivers that fed it were diverted by the Soviets to irrigate cotton fields, its […]
Portugal’s Anchor Cemetery – A Symbolic Memorial to a Dead Industry
The sand dunes behind Barril Beach on Portugal’s southern Algarve Coast are home to over 200 rusty anchors abandoned there almost 60 years ago by the local tuna fishing community. O Cemitério das Âncoras (The Anchor Cemetery) is one of the most iconic Sights of the Algarve Coast, yet not many people know its history […]
This Portuguese Library Relies on Bats to Preserve Old Books and Manuscripts
The Joanina Library of the University of Coimbra Alta and Sofia is one of two Portuguese libraries to house colonies of bats as natural deterrents for bugs that would otherwise feed on old books and manuscripts. As unusual as having a colony of Common pipistrelle bats living behind the bookshelves of one of the most […]
At Karen’s Diner Attitude From the Waiters Is What You’re Paying For
If your idea of a nice meal out on the town happens to include rude restaurant staff that’s actually paid to insult and ridicule you, booking a table at Karen’s Diner should be on your priorities list. “Great Food, Terrible Service” is the motto of Karen’s Diner, a new and intriguing fast-food restaurant chain that […]
Areia Prata – Brazil’s Radioactive Beach
The Areia Preta beach in the Brazilian city of Guarapari is famous for its black sand which has external radiation levels of almost 400 times the normal background radiation recorded in the US. Brazil has hundreds of miles of beaches, but none are quite like “Praia Da Areia Preta”, in Guarapari. The sand in this […]
China’s Famous ‘Strange Slope’ Appears to Defy Gravity
Strange Slope is a natural tourist attraction in China’s Liaoning Province, where a strange phenomenon causes things to roll uphill and prevents them from rolling downhill. Located at the foot of Maoshan Mountain, near the city of Shenyang, the Strange Slope scenic area is considered one of the eight natural wonders of Liaoning Province. It […]
Kjeragbolten – A Photo-Friendly Boulder Wedged Over a 3,228-Foot Deep Abyss
Kjeragbolten is one of the most instagrammable places in Norway. It’s an ancient boulder wedged in a crevasse by the edge of Kjerag mountain, in Lysefjord. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen photos of people standing on this giant boulder wedged in-between two stone walls, above this seemingly bottomless abyss. Well, […]
Russian Businessman Builds Fairytale Castle in the Middle of a Lake
Chateau Erken, in the Russian Federation’s Kabardino-Balkaria autonomous republic, looks like an extremely well-preserved medieval castle, but in reality, this architectural wonder is just over a decade old. Located in the vineyard-dominated countryside of Kabardino-Balkaria, Chateau Erken is a tourist attraction unlike any other in Russia. Not only does it mimic the fortress-like design of […]
The Crooked Bush of Saskatchewan – An Intriguing Botanical Anomaly
Saskatchewan’s Crooked Bush, a small grove of aspen trees that grew in a very unusual way, is a botanical oddity that has fascinated both tourists and scientists for years. Aspen trees don’t usually grow crooked. Like most other threes, they grow straight up, towards the sun, but not the specimens that make up the Crooked […]
Centuripe – A Small Italian Town Shaped Like a Person
Centuripe, a small town tucked in the hills of Sicily, is known as “the balcony of Sicily” for the stunning views it offers across to Mount Etna, but few know that, from the air, the town itself is quite the sight. Pio Andrea Peri, a 32-year-old local photographer, recently used his drone to capture the […]
This Mexican Restaurant Serves Your Order in Just 13.5 Seconds
Karne Garibaldi, a popular restaurant in Guadalajara, holds the Guinness record for the world’s fastest food service: 13.5 seconds from order time until the food hits the table. Usually, when visiting a popular award-winning restaurant, you expect waiting times to be on the long side, but that’s definitely not the case at Karne Garibaldi, a […]
The Trembling Rock – A 132-Tonne Boulder That Anyone Can Move
The famous Trembling Rock of Huelgoat forest, in northeastern France, is a 7-meter-long, 137-tonne block of granite that anyone can move with their own hands, as long as they know how to push it. The forest of Huelgoat is home to numerous large boulders and geological wonders, but Trembling Rock is by far the most […]
The Desert of Maine – An Unusual Tourist Attraction
The Desert of Maine, a 40-something-acre patch of sand and silt near the town of Freeport, is a geological oddity, natural wonder, and a warning of what irresponsible land use can create. The “most famous natural phenomenon in Maine” is actually the result of poor land management over several generations. Although not technically a desert […]
Sweet Fishs Café – Thailand’s Crazy Koi Fish Café
Imagine a place where you can enjoy your favorite cup of coffee in the company of dozens of koi fish as they swim through ankle-deep water that covers the entire floor. That’s Thailand’s koi fish café in a nutshell. Remember Amix Coffee, the “flooded café” of Ho Chi Minh City, where hundreds of decorative fish […]
Monkey Mia – The Australian Paradise That Dolphins Visit Daily
If you’ve ever wanted to see a dolphin up-close in its natural habitat, and, if you’re lucky, even hand feed it a tasty treat, there’s no place to do it at than Monkey Mia, the only beach in Australia that dolphins visit every day. The wild dolphins of Monkey Mia, on the coast of Western […]