There is a certain enjoyment in being completely confused. It's a reason some of us travel, to baffled, to be surprised, to be shocked. To look around at our foreign surroundings and have absolutely no idea what's going on.
The weirdness that you notice while on the road comes in different guises. It can be quirks of culture, or it can be unique attractions, it can be natural, or it can be man-made. In some cases, it can be a complete mystery to even those who claim it as their own. These places are really weird. And they're definitely worth seeing for yourself.
Mount Roraima
If you want me to summarize this whole place in short, I would say a completely different world. It has everything to be called so.
Besides the enormous flat-top mountain, it has a unique ecosystem that includes various unusual species of plants and animals along with the waterfalls that are counted amongst the highest of their kinds in the world. Moreover, the mountain is considered to be around 2 billion years old. This beautiful landscape of Mount Roraima has also inspired movies and novels. 2009 Pixar film Up and 1912 Conan Doyle's novel The Lost World are the popular names amongst them. Indeed one of the most mysterious spots for daring.
Ram Setu
Ram Setu or Rama's bridge is a causeway that is created across the sea connecting Pemba Island in Tamil Nadu to Minar Island in Sri Lanka.
Scientific studies have determined that the Palk Strait is a natural bridge formed by limestone shoals. However, according to Hindu mythology, it was built by Lord Rama with the help of Vanara, a monkey army.
He had to construct this bridge to reach Sri Lanka as his wife Sita was kidnapped and was imprisoned there. Surprisingly, the time of Ramayana 5000 BCE and urban dating analysis of the bridge sink properly. This causeway is vi=sible from an aerial view even to this day. The whole issue of Ram Setu is mysterious and that makes us talk about it even more. It is said that Rama's bridge was above sea level, even some historical records suggest that it was walkable until the 15th century. Even the estimated depth is around 3 to 30 feet in the area of this causeway. Even though Rama's bridge is inside the water, the ship cannot sail on it. The water here is shallow with the level of depth varying on certain points. Hence ships from India have to take another roundabout route to reach Sri Lanka. Ramayana mentions that the Setu was constructed with floating stones. Surprisingly, such floating stones are scattered across Rama swaram even to this day.
Moving Mountain
Mountains aren't supposed to move but a towering mountain of sand is doing just that. Traveling at a pace of 20 meters to 66 feet each year. It's not just the massive dunes that move either. According to Tanzania's former President Jakaya Kikwete, a handful of the mountain sand continued to move even after he transferred it to his car.
Standing 10 meters, 33 feet tall by 100 meters, 33 feet wide, the crescent-shaped mountain of sand changes shape and direction every decade. It once even split in two and traveled in directions. It's believed to be a product of a volcanic eruption. The N'Goro Goro Conservation Area Authority uses beacons to track and predict the movement of the mountains.
Magnetic Hill
Whether you are an avid traveler or a hardcore writer who loves to explore new trails on a bike. Ladakh in India is the name you will be familiar with and since this tourist destination has a distinct hype amongst travelers, you must have also heard about the magnetic hills known to pull the vehicles.
This magnificent hill lies on the way from Srinagar to Lai highway. Believe it or not, this small stretch of magnetic hill perfectly defines the phenomenon of gravity. To confirm the fact, you can turn off your car, and while on neutral, you will realize that your car is moving without your efforts at the speed of 12.5 miles per hour. However, there are many stories related to the magnetic hill. Some are superstitious.
Sea Splits Into Two
Kerala faced a really tough time in 2019as the city witnessed the heaviest rains which almost submerged the entire city underwater, taking the lives of thousands of people and making them homeless. After the water from the recent flood receded, something amazing happened in one of the cities of Kerala which took everyone by surprise.
The locals of Punani in Kerala's Malappuram witnessed a new island-like structure surfacing along their beach. The narrow sand strip which is well over half a kilometer long has literally split the sea into two. This is indeed a natural phenomenon and everyone was surprised to see it. This has really gained a lot of attraction among the locals as well as the tourist and people actually visit here to take a long walk on the sand strip. While tourists continue to flock to catch a glimpse of it, authorities have warned that the sand strip could be washed away in the case of a high tide. Even though it was not immediately clear what was behind the formation of the unusual structure, people are still wondering how did it happen?
Blood Falls
Imagine a snowy mountain having a blood bath in between sound like something unnatural right?
Well, here you have the blood-red waterfall staining the white Taylor glacier. The Blood Falls of Antarctica may have been a mystery for quite a while but is not anymore. Thanks to the researchers and glaciologists who said that this occurrence was due to iron oxide, basically rust, which was present in the water.
The water which flows from the lake creates this red hue and making it look as if blood flowing out into the water.
Kelimutu, Indonesia
In the island of Flores in Indonesia, Mount Kelimutu is the set of three pristine lakes in the national park of the same name. These lakes are the result of volcanic eruption and all different colors, blue, turquoise, and even black.
These are some of those colors in which you can expect to see these lakes. Sometimes the color even changes to white or red because of the proximity of each lake to the underlying volcano. However, the change of their hue is unpredictable. Tourists have also seen one of these lakes in dark brown color. Unbelievable, right?
Floating Islands
Loktak Lake is not the only largest freshwater lake in north-east India, it is also home to unique floating islands called Phumdis.
These circular landmasses are made of vegetation, soil, and organic matter that have been thickened into a solid form. The islands have a spongy surface that feels like a trampoline. Like an iceberg, most of the mass of the Phumdis lies below the water surface. During the dry season when the water level drops off, the living roots of the island can reach the lake bed and absorb nutrients. Speckled across this Loktak lake the several thousand foodies and its surrounding waters are vital irrigation, drinking water, and food supplies. Thus, the lake has been referred to as the lifeline of Manipur State. Thousands of fishermen make their livelihood in the waters caching about 1,500 tons or 6.6 million pounds of fish every year. Children and illiterate adults also attend a school located on one of the floating islands.
Superstition Mountain
Some places have long been thought to be simply no good, cursed, tainted, whatever you want to call it. Out in the remote Badlands of the US State of Arizona just to the east of the Phoenix Metropolitan area lies a sun-scorched, dried up moonscape of twisted Peaks and sprawling expansive badlands called the Superstition Mountains.
Legend of this place has it a man named Jacob Waltz discovered a giant gold mine in these mountains back in the 19th century. He took the secret location with him to his grave although there's speculation he may have told one other person on his death bed. Since then many expeditions to find the Lost Dutchman's gold mine have been launched but all have proven deadly. Explorers have gone in and never come back out.
Some Native Americans also believe that the mountains hold the entrance to hell.
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell
The Darvaza crater of Turkmenistan better known as the Gates of Hell
This eerie cavern in the Karakum Desert has been on fire for more than 40 years. It was discovered in 1971 by Soviet geologists when the ground beneath their drilling rigs suddenly collapsed, leaving a 230-foot wide hole. As the huge crater is filled with potentially poisonous natural gas, the decision was made to set it alight.
Scientists expected it to burn itself out within a few days but it didn't. It's been more than 40 years ago and the fire is still as fierce today as it ever was.
Thank you for reading! If you were amazed by what you have read, please feel free to leave a comment below!
photos and information source; Google
This is a good selection. I have something like this as well. This is a cool piece you have lady.