When people are looking for a spooky destination, they usually pick famous castles like Bran, Romania, where Dracula supposedly lived, or the Paris Catacombs, but there are so many other, less known creepy locations, just waiting to be discovered. Let’s take a look at 5 of them:

5. Centralia, USA

Centralia Town

Located in the state of Pennsylvania, Centralia was a small town, abandoned after a fire started burning right under it. The local authorities ignited a landfill just atop an unsealed coal-mine and thus the fire spread underground. The population was evacuated when the gas inside the gas-stations’ fuel tanks exceeded safe temperatures.

Now Centralia is one of America’s most popular ghost towns, complete with smoking cracks in the roads, the occasional explosions and disturbing silence. Just what you’d expect a town to look like after a nuclear attack.

4. The Hill of Crosses, Lithuania

The Hill of Crosses

Contrary to popular belief, the crosses placed on the hill neighboring the Lithuanian city of Siauliai, are not a symbol of death and pain, but of love and unconditional faith. Still the very sight of The Hill of Crosses can give anyone goosebumps.

First recorded in 1850, the ritual of placing crosses on this hill is believed to date from 1831 as a symbol of the rebellion against the tsarist regime. During the Soviet period, the hill of crosses were considered a harmful symbol and have been destroyed more than once. But as soon as the crosses were taken away, other appeared in their place, over night.

The peoples’ faith endured through the hard times and the number of crosses has grown from 130 recorded in 1900 to 14,387 big crosses and 41,000 small crosses, with the number constantly growing.

3. Dilmun Burial Mounds, Bahrain

Dilmun Mounds

Uncovered by a Danish archaeological team while searching the former capital of the Bronze Age, The Dilmun Burial Mound field of Bahrain, is one of the oldest necropolis on Earth. It dates back to the time of the Dilmun, a very old civilization that prospered around 3000 BC, but that ultimately faded away.

The mounds are of different sizes containing one or more chambers, bodies of the Dilmun and some of their items. The fact that it lies so close to modern settlements in Bahrain and that the tombs are not of Islamic origin, has caused a lot of controversy. Although they are a grand archaeological find, the Dilmun Mounds of Bahrain are not something the locals are proud of. They actually want to pour concrete over them and create housing.

The way the Dilmun buried their young in clay jars is very spooky to the current inhabitants of these lands.

2. Fort Riley, USA

Fort Riley

Located on the north bank of Kansas River, Fort Riley was established in the fall of 1852 and remains an active military facility today. It had a crucial role in patrolling the Santa Fe Trail and the surroundings against Indian attacks. The famous general Custer was stationed here.

Another interesting thing about Fort Riley are its many reports of haunting. Practically every part of the compound has its own ghost stories. From the Artillery Parade Field, where a woman all wrapped in chains can be noticed, to the hospital, where the alarm continues to sound even though it was disconnected by the fire marshal, or the stables where an old-fashioned dressed gentleman rides his horse then disappears, it’s all a big horror story.

1. Halstatt Ossuary, Austria

Painted Skulls

Known by many as one of the oldest settlements on the planet, with archaeological finds dating back to 5000 BC, Halstatt is also one of Europe’s most beautiful winter destinations.

But the archaeological value of this place and the fantastic scenery are not the main reason tourists visit Halstatt. The main attraction of this small mountain town is the Ossuary of Painted Skulls. Human skulls to be precise, dried in the sun, bleached and painted by the families of the deceased. This tradition began in the 12^th century, when burial places were no longer available and the remains of the dead were dug-up after a few years to make more room.

The skulls were then bleached, painted and deposited in the ossuary. These proceedings are no longer necessary but if someone requests it, they can have the skull of their relatives deposited there.

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

South America is filled with the exotic and the delightful diversity that nature has to offer in full view. The continent is blessed with thick rain forests that are still undisturbed by human activity, tall mountain ranges that present a challenge to the best climbers in the world and ancient structures like the Machu Picchu that still leave you in a mystic haze. Yet the continent holds close to its heart, delights that are still less popular, yet equally enthralling.

Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, is one such wonder that is well and truly a photographer’s delight.

Located in Southwest Bolivia, the scenic Salar de Uyuni spans an area of 10,582 square kilometers and resides in the heart of the mighty Andes, at an altitude of 3,650 meters above sea level. Salar looks stunning, with its large and never-ending flats that make the place perfect for transportation and tourism. The flats produce around 25,000 tons of salt annually from its store of 10 billion tons.

The Salar owes its present scenic beauty and its origin to a prehistoric lake called Lake Minchin that dried up to bring Salar into its present state of existence. With shallow waters, high reflective ability of the surface and the clear skies make this an ideal testing ground for Remote Sensing satellites as they are calibrated using the Salts of Salar as testing grounds. Salar though is not just a testing ground for big boys like NASA as one look at the salt flats will tell you that it is a photographer’s nirvana. The clear skies, the highly reflective surface and the perfect scenic background allow you to send home the ‘picture perfect’ postcard from your trip in South America.

Despite its commercial salt production, much of Salar de Uyuni is still untouched by modern mechanized mayhem and hence is a perfect retreat away from the hassles of civilization in nature’s beautiful abode. The vast emptiness, soothing salt water springs that rejuvenate your senses, the scenic panorama and beautiful clear skies make this ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday. If all that does not impress you, then surely the vibrant view of hundreds of South American Flamingos to light up your holiday in Salar should surely tip the scales over for any nature lover!

Images courtesy of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Matsuo Basho once wrote, “Each day is a journey, and the journey itself home.” He was a master poet and this his first entry among many in his masterpiece Oku no Hosomichi, or Narrow Road to a Far Province.

He is perhaps Japan’s most revered poet and these words echo along the 1,200 mile route he followed through his homeland in 1689. Joined by his friend and disciple Sora, carrying nothing more than a backpack, writing materials, and extra clothing, Basho conquered the extensive trail, a man moving without direction.

His journey lasted a total of five months, moving through uplands and lowlands and along the shore of the Sea of Japan. Basho was a Buddhist and this journey a spiritual one. Leaving behind all his worldly possessions, he cast his fate to the winds and provided the world with a vivid portrait of Japan through his masterwork, Narrow Road to a Far Province.

Though time has changed many of the stops along Basho’s 1,200 mile journey, the natural wonders encompassing them remain pure. Sharing a trail with the master of the haiku and walking amongst the numerous Buddhist temples which line its extensive length would be an epic journey, a pilgrimage. Basho was the hyohakusha–”one who moves without direction.”

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There we did begin,

Cloistered in the waterfall,

Our summer discipline.

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Sadly, I part from you;

Like a clam torn from its shell,

I go, and autumn too.

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Listen! a frog

Jumping into the stillness

Of an ancient pond!

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Lonely silence,

a single cicada’s cry

sinking into stone.

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This ruined temple

Should have its sad tale told only

By a clam digger.

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Crossing half the sky,

On my way to the capital,

Big clouds promise snow

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To get a delivery from one end of the City to another, Fed Ex simply won’t do. Bike Messengers are a critical part of the economy in NYC. They are the best option to get through the busy streets of the city in a hurry. Bike Messengers get paid on the weight and speed of the delivery so every second counts for them. They have to be able to weave in and out of cars, and pedestrians, and have lightning fast reflexes to avoid the dreaded opening car door! Check out a NYC Bike Messenger race and get a peek into the daily life of a Bike Messenger:

The Mfuwe Lodge, located in Zambia, is an entirely unique vacation experience. Situated in the South Luangwa National Park, the lodge boasts an impressive number of luxury en-suite thatched chalets, each with its very own private decking area overlooking a lagoon populated with a mélange of Africa’s most recognized wildlife.
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African cuisine has never been very popular worldwide and after seeing what some people consider delicacies there, I can understand why. Poverty and drought push people to find new ways of sustaining themselves and in some places insects are the most nutritious meal available. After discovering Asian “delicacies”, here are 7 African foods that can easily turn your stomach inside out:

7. Mopane Caterpillar

Cooked Mopane Worms

The Mopane is a species of moth found in Southern Africa, whose caterpillars are considered a delicacy. They are handpicked by women and children in the wild and either dried in the sun or smoked to give them extra flavor. After they are picked, the worms are pinched at the back and squeezed to get rid of the slimy insides.

The dried Mopane caterpillars are either eaten raw as a nice, crispy snack, or rehydrated and cooked with vegetables and spices. The caterpillars have a yellow color and a taste similar to green tea leaves.

6. Weevil Larvae

Weevil Beetle

The Weevil is a family of African beetles found in many areas of the Black Continent. In countries like Nigeria Weevil larvae are a popular delicacy also known as sago grubs. These disgusting critters grow to be four inches long and 2 inches wide and they are high in fat.

The locals will tell you are the most delicious thing you’ll ever try but before putting one in your mouth, make sure it was picked from a Sago palm-tree. Sago grubs are sometimes collected from compost pits, gutted, washed and fried, but I still wouldn’t eat them.

Some Nigerians eat Weevil Larvae raw.

5. Fried Locusts

Fried Locusts

The swarms of locusts that frequently destroy vast crops are seen as a curse and blessing at the same time. They may compromise hundreds of thousand hectares of fertile land but they sure are crunchy. That’s what Nigerians say, anyway.

Every time a swarm of locusts hits Niger, you can see people everywhere munching on fried locusts like popcorn. Some say that when you see people eating fried locusts, it’s not a sign of famine, for them it’s like eating caviar. The wings are removed, sautéed in a pan, sprinkled with spices and left in the sun, to make them crunchy.

4. Bushmeat

Bushmeat

What started as a way to fight famine, has slowly become a new cuisine in countries like Kenya, The Ivory Coast or Guinea. Bushmeat is basically fried, grilled or boiled wild animal meat served both in established restaurants and households.

You can find crocodiles, snakes, rodents, great apes and even cats and dogs on the Bushmeat menu. The situation is becoming truly desperate for many wild animals in the countries where Bushmeat is popular, as poaching becomes a very profitable business.

3. Termites

Termites

There are many ways of trapping and cooking termites in Africa. In Uganda, they are collected by playing a weird drum song that attracts them out of their lair and in other areas a tent made out of twigs and leaves is placed on the main termite mound-hole and the other holes plugged.

Termites are cooked in different ways across Africa; in Maragoli they are fried in their own fat and seasoned with salt, in Nigeria they are roasted on a grill of hot coals or fried, roasted salted and grounded into flour.

2. Cow Blood

Cow Blood

A popular meal in the Masai tribe, cow blood is often mixed with milk, as it is believed that it makes the men stronger. The blood is collected by puncturing the cow’s jugular with an arrow and the hole plugged after enough blood has poured. This can be done once every month, without harming the animal.

The blood clots are separated and the pure blood is mixed with fresh milk and consumed raw. Other cultures mix the cow blood with fresh or sour milk and cook it on an open flame until it thickens, resembling scrambled eggs.

1. Goat Head

Goat Head

Goat head is served in many upscale restaurants in Nigeria, Southern Africa. After the goat is beheaded, its head is shaved and burned to remove any stray hairs. It is then chopped in fragmented pieces with an ax and boiled with onions, garlic, tomatoes, ginger, chilies and other seasoning.

People brave enough to try this dish can enjoy traditionally cooked brains, tongue, ears and eyes. The goat’s eyes are usually reserved for the guests of honor, so if you’re lucky enough to find them on your plate…enjoy!

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7