Worldwide Weird: Nature's Nightmares

1. Hoia Bacui Forest, Romania

The forest gained notoriety in the 1960's when a biologist snapped some photographs of what appeared to be an alien UFO hovering above the trees. Interest in the area grew from there and the forest has become one of the world's most active paranormal hot spots in the world. There have been many accounts of ghostly activity reported by visitors to the forest, including but not limited to sightings of apparitions, inexplicable faces appearing in photographs that were not there at the time of taking, more UFO sightings, orbs and disembodied voices.

Looking back through the history of the forest, the stories are still numerous and strange. It is said that the forest itself is named after a shepherd who supposedly went missing in the forest with a flock of 200 sheep and vanished without a trace. There's also a story about a 5 year old girl who got lost in the forest and emerged 5 years later, wearing the exact same clothes, feeling like it had only been a few hours and having no recollection of what happened to her whilst in there.

2. Aokigahara Forest, Japan

At the foot of Mount Fuji stretches a vast forest of trees so thick, that from the top of the mountain they look like a rolling sea of green. That's how this forest got the nickname 'Jukai' - the sea of trees. It's hard to imagine that such a picturesque place could hide such gruesome secrets; for the beautiful Aokigahara forest in Japan has the unfortunate title of the second most favourite suicide spot in the world.

Since the 1950's, the broken people of Japan have come to the tranquil forest to end their lives, with at least 500 people walking in, never to be seen again. The alarming thing is, this estimate is nowhere near accurate, as many bodies have not been discovered and the number of suicides is increasing every year. Many people blame this on the pressures of modern life and the economy, though some Japanese Spiritualists believe that the very trees themselves have been permeated over the years by the bad energy from the huge number of suicide victims. They believe this build up of negative energy causes the forest to generate high amounts of paranormal activity, making it hard for an already vulnerable person to escape the area. Whatever the reason for so many people choosing to end their lives in this otherwise serene setting, it is both tragic and terrifying.

That's not all though, it gets ever creepier!

When people come to the forest with the intent of ending it all, they often leave traces behind them. Those who are unsure about their choice mark out the way they came should they wish to return, leaving a trail of ribbon tied in between the huge tree trunks. In some places there are dozens of these ribbon trails, crossing over each other from tree too tree like eerie decorations. Often, the ground is littered with belongings that have been long abandoned by their owners; brushes, shoes, backpacks, tents, make up and other provisions glitter from the carpet of leaves on the forest floor. Sometimes, suicide notes, hexes and other macabre items can be found nailed to the trees and accidentally stumbling across a corpse during a hike is not unheard of.

The suicide prevention team of Japan has placed signs all over the larger trails, reading: "Your life is a precious gift from your parents" and urging the reader to think of their families. There are even teams of volunteers who trek through the forest hoping to prevent a death or recovering the remains of some poor soul. The volunteers find around 70 bodies a year, many of which have to be cut down from the trees, leaving the remnants of nooses hanging down freely. But the forest is so huge and thick that some bodies are not discovered for years and there are countless numbers that have never been found. The volunteers service does not stop there though; they must then carry the corpse back through the forest to the local police station, where the bodies are kept in a room. Then they play rock, paper scissors to see who will end up sleeping with the corpse, as it is believed if the corpse is left alone it is bad for the yurei/ghost of the suicide victim and their spirits are said to scream through the night and the bodies move around on their own.

3. Snake Island, Brazil

20 miles off the coast of Brazil, Sao Paolo is a forbidden island that is the home to many species of poisonous snakes. Whereas poisonous snakes can be found world wide, this island is swarming with 4000 and is the only known home of what is considered to be the worlds deadliest snake, the Golden Lancehead Viper. These snakes pluck birds from the sky and kill them with venom that can melt human flesh, it's five times more deadly than any other venom because it has to work quickly. The island is so dangerous, travel to it has been banned by the Brazilian government. That hasn't stopped people though, as there are many stories of people going missing only to be found dead and covered with bites; such as local fishermen and the last family who lived in the lighthouse who fled in terror when snakes invaded but were later found dead.

4. Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

The Bistri/De-Na-Zin wilderness is 45,000 acres of badlands situated in San Juan county, New Mexico. It looks just like a sci-fi film setting with it's bizarre terrain filled with steep slopes, ravines, canyons, hoodoos and gullies. The landscape gets it's form from years of wind and water relentlessly battering the soft sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils in to shape. It's beautifully eroded land makes it a tourist destination for those with a penchant for hiking and trekking , though this terrain is not kind of the soft hearted traveler; hiding dangers such as labyrinthine canyons, little water and unforgiving heat. For those of you seeking scares and horror, this place only looks scary and so far I cannot find any paranormal stories linking to this place. I still wouldn't want to spend the night though!

7. Blood Falls, Antartica

Taylor Glacier in Antarctica runs red with the blood of my enemies. No, wait, that's not true. Whereas this huge glacier looks like it is pouring blood, the answer is less creepier, but still pretty cool. Although this beautiful body of water looks like gushing blood, earning it the name 'Blood Falls', it's really just Mother Nature up to her tricks again. The water that sprays from the cracks and fissures in the ice is actually just heavily tainted with iron oxide. It's source lies deep under the ice, an estimated 1,300 feet down and it is said to be an ancient pocket of water that got sealed off millions of years ago from the Antarctic. When the water sprays out, the Iron Oxide reacts with the Oxygen and gives the water it's red colour.

8. Crooked Forest, Poland

In the North West of Poland, in a vast expanse of forest, there's a strange secret hiding. In one small area there are 400 trees that all have the same odd shape, their trunks are all bend in the same place, at a 90 degree angle which gives them a 'C' shape. It has baffled people for many years, is this another one of Nature's little mysteries, or man's interference? Could this be the work of aliens or fairies? No one can be entirely certain and theories have been flying around since the discovered of what is now known as 'The Crooked Forest'. From studying the shape of the trees, scientists can tell that the trees all sustained damage around 7 years after planting and that the trees were planted around 1930. The strongest theory suggests that farmer's bent the trees so they would grow this shape, with the intention of making furniture or some other product from them, but when Poland was invaded by Germany in 1939 the project was abandoned and forgotten about. Nature once again took over and left us with the wonky trees that can be seen to this day, a whimsical little treasure waiting to be found.

9. Hodge Close, UK

This is one place on this list that I can proudly say I've been to. If you are in the area I highly recommend exploring the area, it really is some of the most stunning scenery. Hodge Close is an old slate quarry nestled in Conniston in the Lake District. It caught the nation's eye in 2009 when the picture you see above, taken by photographer Peter Bardsley, hit the newspapers. Named 'The Skull of Hodge Close' the picture shows the flooded caves turned sideways too create the eerie illusion of a skull. It's ironic, since the place has claimed the lives of several divers and climbers, who have become lost, been taken by underwater currents or have fallen to their deaths. There is a large main cave which is easy to walk through and relatively safe to walk through and explore, brining you out right next to the beautiful, calm, blue water. Be careful though, they may look serene, but danger lurks just below the surface! The larger caves systems have hosted many illegal raves throughout the years, and so has sustained slight damage through graffitti, but it is still a fantastic place to have an adventure.

10. Ramree Island, Burma

This small island off the coast of Burma has a gory and truly terrifying past. During the Second World War the island was the site of a number of small military battles, but the terror did not come until 1945. On the 26th of January, British troops made towards Ramree Island, with the intention of setting up a camp and establishing a new airbase. Unfortunately the Japanese enemy combatants had already claimed the island, after a brief but bloody battle the British troops managed to drive the 1000 or so Japanese soldiers in to the dense mangrove swamps that covered around 10 miles of the island. Many of those soldiers were never seen again. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, Ramree Island was the perfect habitat for the Saltwater Crocodile and thousands of them had made there homes in the wilderness. When the panicked, bloody soldiers ran through the area, they were dragged off to their death by the gargantuan reptiles. The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest of all reptiles, reaching lengths of 22 feet and can weight up to 4400 lbs. Survivors of the night told gruesome tales of dozens of huge crocodiles bursting out from seemingly nowhere and dragging off the terrified soldiers, seeing them as prey that had wandered in to their territory. They told the media that all through the night screams cut through the air, accompanied by gunfire and the sound of the crocodiles attacking. 500 of the Japanese soldiers escaped with their lives, 20 were recaptures by British forces. The rest, some 400 or so men, were never seen again.

11. Fear Moutain, Japan

Is this not the best name ever? I wish this was my address! Many years ago, this natural oddity was thought by the locals to be a gateway to hell, and who can blame them? With the jagged black rocks and the natural sulphur laden hot springs which makes all of the water yellow, this place is definately a bit out of the ordinary. Mount Fear isnt just a nickname, its a literal translation of its Japanese name 'Osore-Zan'.

This nightmarish landscape is actually a huge volcano that has been lying dormant since its last eruption in 1787. It's charred scenery, discoloured waters and noxious fumes due to the sulphur have contributed to the history and folklore that surround the Moutain.

A small brook runs from the mountain to the nearby lake Usori and it is one of four rivers in Japan linked with The Sanzu River, or The River of three crossings. According to Buddist beliefs, when a person dies their soul must cross The Sanzu River. The difficulty of their crossing depends on whether that person has led a good life or not.

It is believed that this site is protected and watched over by an enlightened being (bodhisattva) call Jizo who watches over hell and protects children. Statues of Jizo can be found through the area, often surrounded by offerings such as stones and toys and dressed in children's clothes. Visitors leave these offerings, known as nuigurumi, in the hopes that they will help a deceased soul gain entry to heaven.

12. Boiling Lake, Dominica

Sometimes, weird places are given weird metaphorical names based on how they look or the history and folklore attached to them. Boiling Lake in Dominica however, has been named literally.

In 1870, two English chaps who were working in the area stumbled across this roiling blue lake, which led to a scientific investigation. At the waters edge, the temperature was recorded at 82-92 degrees. Needless to say, they couldn't get to the centre of the lake where the water is actively boiling.

Its suggested that the high water temperature is due to underground volcanic activity, the water is heated up by subterranean lava streams. Not only that, but the water levels of the lake rise and fall rapidly, turning the lake in to a fountain and some steam, back in to a full, deep lake again over the course of a few years.

It goes without saying that the surround area is very hot and humid. Just a tiny splash of jet of steam could leave severe scalds on bare skin and I bet there must be hundreds of people who have left this Domincan Heritage spot with scaled ankles!

13. Socotra Island

When my daughter saw the pictures I had found of Socotra Island, the first thing she said is "Oh look! It's Dr Suess Land!"

Anyone who's looked at a book by the famous children's author would probably agree with her, almost all of the natural scenery is an odd shape, which makes me think this island must be home to every whimsically shaped tree in the world.

In fact, this isolated island which has been voted the most alien looking place in the world, had many forms of plant life that cannot be found anywhere else on the world. It's estimated that over a third of the islands vegetation is exclusive to this single island.

Unfortunately, over the years this place has become a check point and hide out for Somalian Pirates.

14. Blood Pond Hell, Japan

It would seem that Japan has an awful lot of gateways to Hell, so many in fact that it would take an entirely separate post just to explore them all. Many of these places are natural hot springs that have vividly coloured water. Blood Pond is one of these places, it's bright red hot water earning not only a badass name, but making it a popular spa resort. The water gets its colouration from the high amount of iron it contains, making it highly photogenic and one of the most popular of the Beppu Hell areas.

15. Black Desert, Egypt

Egypt is an exotic land, filled with beautiful, exciting treasures just waiting to be discovered by an unsuspecting traveller. Farafar is once of these such places, being home to two very distinct deserts; The White Desert and The Black Desert.

Thousands of years ago this massive volcanic area spewed forth large amounts of Japser and Iron, which discoloured the sand and rocks around the area. The vast quantity of black rock formations give The Black Desert the unique look that we can see today.

It is recommended that visitors to Farafar find a knowledge guide if they want to enter the desert, as it can be very easy to get lost under the scorching sun. Both of the deserts are currently being made in to protected areas by the Egyptian government as many ancient dinosaur fossils have been uncovered in this area

16. Deadvlei Forest, Nambia

The Dead Marsh is a graveyard of tree skeletons which protrude from the rusty red landscape and reach up to the sky with their charred, dead branches. What makes this forest dead trees particularly interesting is that they are in the middle of a scorching hot Namib Desert. Surrounded by towers sand dunes, the remnants of these trees are are all the remains of what was once a lush landscape with a flowing river.

Around 900 years ago the climate dried up, draining the river and becoming so arid that the trees couldn't even decompose. Their dead wood just became scorched over the years, leaving just the eerie blackened forms you can see today, a monument to their own destruction.

17. Dean's Blue Hole, Bahamas

This is the first place on the list that genuinely terrifies me! A blue hole is the name given to a water filled sinkhole that's entrance is below the water level. This enormous hole has a diameter of 35 meters and a depth of 202 meters, making it the biggest known blue hole and a possible home for cthulu!

There are plenty of people willng to explore it's murky depths though, like the guy in the video below. Whereas I think this is a great video, I would like to point out that I am very sceptical that it was all filmed in one breath. That's because I researched the various World Records for deepest free divers and not a single one has gone that deep on one breath and still be able to exert the energy needed to climb back up and release the amount of oxygen he did. It all seems a bit fishy to me; terrible pun intended! Even so, it is an extremely awesome video. If you disagree with my reasoning and know more than me about free diving, please leave a comment below.

18. Devil's Golf Course, Death Valley

In 1934, the Death Valley National Park Service guide book stated that 'Only the Devil could play golf' on this large salt pan that stretches out ver the floor of Death Valley. Now that sounds like a challenge to me, game of golf anyone? This weird looking terrain is a popular spot for visitors, but be warned: Death Valley is considered the hottest place in North America. I guess it has to be to keep The Devil comfortable whilst he's putting!

It's hardly surprising that the name stuck, but what do you expect from a place that can be found in the ominous sounding Death Valley. Am I the only person who is currently thinking of all the street names and areas in my own town, comparing them with this list and thinking "why the hell don't we have cool names for places?"