What to do in Turkey, Egypt, and Thailand? Yes, there are antiquities, but we have seen all this a hundred times, at least in hundreds of photographs of relatives and friends or in pictures. Few will surprise anyone with this, and enthusiast travelers want something new, but not too complicated and not far from civilization. If you are one of such travelers, there are several cities for not boring tourism.
10 strangest places in the world
Centralia, USA
Once a small town in Pennsylvania, USA, it was an unremarkable settlement of miners. But that was until 1962 when the City Council of Centralia hired volunteer firefighters to clean up the city’s landfill. Landfills were often set on fire, and usually, it worked, but not this time. The fact is that the garbage was in an abandoned mine. As usual, the firefighters set fire to the pile, let it burn, and then extinguished it. But they did not know that the debris in the depths did not go out, and the fire gradually reached the coal.
After that, an underground fire began, which does not end to this day. It is believed that the fire will continue for about 250 more years, and today it makes the city more like Silent Hill, foggy and lifeless.
Coober Pedy, Australia
The city of Coober Pedy, located in the central part of Australia. In short, this is a small city located underground. The fact is that in this area, it is hot almost all the time, and the temperature in the shade rises to 45 degrees. Since there were no air conditioners before, few could hold out at such a temperature for a long time, and people made a wise decision – to hollow out dwellings in the rocks, where a stable temperature of 22 degrees remains.
Oil Rocks, Azerbaijan
Have you seen the movie “Water World,” where the settlements stood on the water? So, there is something similar in reality, only in a more civilized form – the city of Oil Rocks, located in the Caspian Sea.
After discovering a field 55 kilometers from Baku, the construction of an oil platform began in the Caspian Sea. After that, one by one, other platforms began to be built, gradually joining into one large one. As a result, at the peak of development, the Oil Rocks consisted of 2 thousand drilling platforms and the oil workers’ town within a radius of 30 kilometers.
Using the sunken ships as an artificial island, nine-story residential buildings, a cinema, a library, a football field, and even a garden were built. So this is a full-fledged city located in the sea far from the coast.
Gibsonton, USA
If you come to Gibsonton, Florida, USA, and do not know where you arrived, you will be surprised because many circus performers will surround you. It will seem like a festival is being held in the city, and all the circus guest performers have gathered there, but in fact, you came to visit the artists.
The truth is that Gibsonton is an unincorporated community that is a winter town for people from the carnival and circus business. They spend their off-season and are home to the largest showmen association in the United States. It also hosts the largest exhibition of the carnival industry. Therefore, if you are afraid of clowns or hate the circus, it is better not to meddle here. For everyone else, the trip to Gibsonton will be a memorable journey.
Kingdom of the Little People, China
Located in China, the fairytale village, also known as the Kingdom of the Little People, is a settlement in the suburbs of Kunming, inhabited only by dwarfs. This is a huge set, made in style somewhat reminiscent of both Disney fairy tales and the works of Tolkien.
A Chinese businessman created this place as an amusement park where dwarfs live and work. Some call it humiliation; others see it as an opportunity for people with disabilities to live outside the world, where they are subjected to ridicule and unnecessary attention. In any case, this is one of the most unusual cities on the planet.
Pyongyang, North Korea
Few locations remain unwelcome to tourists as North Korea as the globe shrinks and cultures become more homogenized. However, the very communism meant to keep the outside world away draws an increasing number of interested visitors. Expect to be guided from one strange attraction to the next, so don’t expect to do it alone.
Pyongyang defies all recognized conventions, from giant monuments of Kim Il Sung to museums showcasing presents offered to the nation (including a stuffed crocodile from Nicolae Ceausescu) to restaurants with no menus.
Whittier, USA
And again, the United States, because this country is very diverse and colorful, which is why here you can find both modern megacities and communities living in the 19th century. Whittier, Alaska, would be an unremarkable town with a population of 220, if not for one “but” – almost all people live in one 14-story building, a former army barracks built in 1956. Moreover, the house has nearly everything you need for life, from a supermarket to a police station. Some people outside the port may not leave the building for weeks.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Unlike any other city in partying, Reykjavik is wild, fierce, and infused with Nordic energy. Inhibitions go away as the night progresses at cosmopolitan bars, and booze flows freely. It seems to be a competition, and it is, in some ways, since Icelanders are trying to make up for the lost time.
Until 1990, alcohol was outlawed, and there were no booming all-night clubs. If it all sounds a little strange, consider that you’d go insane if you spent half the year in near darkness and the other half beneath the midnight sun.
Matmata, South Tunisia
Primitive people lived in cave homes, and they still do at Matmata, a tiny Berber community in southern Tunisia. Residents live underground, following in the footsteps of our forefathers, and create their dwellings out of caves. The whole town comprises cave dwellings, and people live in them as comfortably as our forefathers did.
Matmata’s peculiar topography is littered with these innovative houses burrowed into the rocky earth, demonstrating humanity’s capacity to domesticate practically anyplace.
Manshiyat Naser, Egypt
Manshiyat-Nasir, which translates as ” Garbage City,” is not a completely separate settlement but a quarter on the outskirts of Cairo in Egypt. But hardly anyone in Cairo wants to associate this place with their city. The fact is that this place is mainly inhabited by one of the national and religious minorities of Egypt, the Copts, who have been collecting and recycling garbage for many years. They were even singled out as a separate social group – the Zabbaleens.
This place is extremely specific because there is rubbish lying around and huge heaps everywhere. To find a place that will be more or less clean, you need to try. There is an unpleasant smell of garbage everywhere, and something that cannot be recycled is burning. In general, it is a very picturesque place, which you should not go to alone without the accompaniment of local guides and security.
