Federation of Damanhur: Italy's Living Laboratory

45°25'45.29"N 7°45'15.06"E

(from Wikimedia Commons ) 

   If you drive 30 kilometers north of Turin, you'll eventually end up in a road-side hamlet. Pramarzo has roughly 30 inhabitants and not much to do except for long hikes in the mountains or next to the lake, yet, in the town center you will find an otherworldly spot. Lined by impressive columns and statues, this outdoor temple is only the antechamber of the Federation of Damanhur, a self-proclaimed independent utopia, self-sustaining eco-village and spiritual community known for hosting the largest complex of underground temples in the world. 

Fly Ranch Geyser: Nevada's Colorful Geyser Made By Human Accident

40°51'34.02"N 119°19'54.73"W

(from Wikimedia Commons) 

   Covered in a rainbow-colored irregular structure, the singular Fly Ranch Geyser constantly spits boiling water on the visitor masses, who are stunned by this masterpiece that until recently couldn’t be accessed. This is so, given that it was a private property for decades, until the non-profit organization Burning Man would purchase it and open it for the public, following their established goals. Although maybe the most striking fact about Fly Ranch Geyser is that it is man-made. Today in Weird Wonders, the formation of this alien spot and a quick insight on the equally interesting Burning Man corporation .

Manshiyat Naser: Egypt's Coptic Catholic Garbage Collectors

 30°02'10.51"N 31°16'41.60"E

(from Wikimedia Commons)

   Piles of rubbish bags and decayed objects give the streets of Manshiyat Naser a smelly atmosphere that attracts rodents and cockroaches; however, the poorest neighborhood in Cairo is actually a major recycling hub. That is the case because the inhabitants of this slum, the Zabbaleen (Arabic for "Garbage People"), have been separating trash for decades with a well-planned system that is statistically four times more effective than European recycling companies. Additionally, this Catholic minority considers the nearby mound sacred because of a Biblical legend involving a saint. This recycling mentality and catholic devotion in a Muslim country, give Garbage City a special flair.

Longwa: The Split Village Of India's Last Headhunters

 26°39'44.13"N 95°13'11.54"E

(from Wikimedia Commons )

   Located in Nagaland's lush green hills, Longwa seems an ordinary little village at first sight. However, it actually serves as a popular destination among adventurers due to its position as an opium paradise and its past headhunting culture. But probably the biggest popularity booster here is the fact that the Indian-Burmese border runs right through it. Yet, in the future, this geographic uniqueness could bring big problems to the village.

Lençóis Maranhenses: Brazil's Otherworldly White "Desert" Of Turquoise Lakes

 2°31'41.56"S 43°01'33.68" W

(from Pexels) 

  Stretching 80 kilometers along Brazil's northeastern coast, the national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lençóis Maranhenses is unquestionably one of a kind. Spanning 1,550 square kilometers, the region is composed entirely of vast white sand dunes and turquoise lagoons that create jaw-dropping natural beauty. But there is more to this landscape than its looks: all types of secrets are hidden on and under the sandbanks. Yet, the biggest riddle of all is probably the park itself.

Naica Crystal Cave: Mexico's Cocoon Cavern Of Giant Crystals

 27°51'03.07"N 105°29'47.05"W

(from Wikimedia Commons)

   Buried a good thousand meters below the Naica mountain in the Mexican province of Chihuahua, the cave of crystals is a chef d'oeuvre built by geology. This cavity contains some of the world's largest natural stones, measuring up to 10 meters (34 feet) and weighing up to 55 tons, and indeed some of the most beautiful ones. However, along with this shining beauty, the spot is inhospitable for human living due to extremely high temperatures and a humidity rounding 100% ---yet, science has localized a bunch of microbial residents.

Slab City: California's Off-The-Grid Counterculture Haven

 33°15'28.75"N 115°27'44.23"W

(from Wikimedia Commons) 

   It is hard to imagine the world without rules and without authorities. But even if it sounds pure fiction, so is day-to-day life in Slab City, an off-the-grid shantytown in the southern Californian desert where taxes and police don't exist. People simply enjoy life in a bohemian hippie style, something that has awarded Slab City the famous nickname: "The Last Free Place on Earth". However, even freedom has a cost.

Tristan Da Cunha: The Remotest Inhabited Island On Earth

 37°04'05.30"S 12°18'37.31"W

( from Wikimedia Commons) 

   Throughout this blog we have investigated and will investigate many detached wonders, but nothing quite compares to the one we have in front of us today. Tristan da Cunha is widely considered the world's most remote inhabited island, with its roughly 250 citizens living 2400 kilometers (1500 miles) apart from South Africa, the nearest part of the mainland. But beyond this world record, Tristan also features multiple kinky facts together with a rather absurd history. Let's dive in.

Hill Of Crosses: Lithuania's Sacred Mound Of Hundred Thousand Crosses

 56°00'55.18"N 23°24'58.77"E

(from Wikimedia Commons )

   Northern Lithuania is called "The Highlands", although this can sound ironic and confusing at the same time, because in reality it is formed by a vast agricultural landscape with the nearest equivalent of a mountain being some dispersed hummocks. Besides and most importantly, it differs from the rest of the country because of its singular language, its iconic folk singing and the cross-crafting tradition, which has been designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. This practice is perfectly reflected on today's wonder, the Hill of Crosses (Kryžių Kalnas); a remote little hill which contains over 100 000 handcrafted Christian crosses of diverse sizes. And the number keeps growing.

Barhout Pit: Yemen's Pitch-Black Bottomless Sinkhole

 17°20'25.35"N 52°26'37.96"E

(original file from Open Aerial View)

   No wonder Barhout is nicknamed "Well of Hell" or "Prison of Demons". This remote, massive, dark sinkhole in Yemen is home to many curses and legends the locals fear. This has kept not only the locals from coming near it, but also explorers, transforming Barhout into one of the few unexplored places on Earth. Although that would change in 2021, when the Omani Cave Exploration Team reached the bottom and unveiled the mysteries it contained.

Longyearbyen: World's Northernmost City, Where Dying Is Forbidden

 78°13'31.16"N 15°37'32.29"E

(from Wikimedia Commons ) 

   The photo from above shows one of the many typical idyllic "Christmas villages" spread around Scandinavia. However, Longyearbyen is in false disguise. Firstly, it isn't a village; it is the northernmost city in the world, second, it isn't idyllic; as it is the remains of a dirty coal mining town, third, it is not typical; the residents have adapted to the isolation and the extreme conditions developing an unique culture and creating unusual laws, such as the one which forbids burials. 

Danakil: World's Hottest And Most Inhospitable Place

14°14'30.81"N 40°17'59.50"E

(from Wikimedia Commons) 

   Hostile. Fatal. Deadly. Three perfect adjectives for describing the environment of the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia. Considered by many an extraterrestrial zone, it is one of the world's hottest and most acidic places, making life impossible for almost any organism. Even so, scientists have found out that this unique ecosystem could be of big help for science in the future.

Wulingyuan Mountains: China's Spectacular Avatar Landscape

24°30'38.74"N 111°12'27.54"E

(from Pexels ) 

    Clearly, the Wulingyuan Mountains are the most scenic highlight of Zhangjiajie, the oldest national park in all of China. Its beauty has stunned generations for over 700 years, something that has granted it a lot of legends while being, at the same time, a geological masterpiece. But it was James Cameron who chose this wonderful landscape for his world-famous movie Avatar to represent the "Hallelujah Mountains", and therefore, it attracted tourists from all over the world. Let's discover in detail the Wulingyuan Mountains, from their formation to their performance in Hollywood.

Neft Daşları: Azerbaijan's Soviet City Built Completely Isolated Over The Caspian Sea

40°17'14.49"N 50°43'13.65"E

 (from Brockman Consult) 

   Annecy is the "Venice of the Alps", Saint Petersburg is the "Venice of the North", Fort Lauderdale is the "Venice of America" and so on. Each town with canals has the nickname of Venice, doesn't matter where it is or what it looks like. Today in Weird Wonders, we're going to focus on the lesser-known "Soviet Venice", but which is far more interesting than the others as it is actually just a settlement made for the workers of an offshore oil platform. Welcome to Neft Daşları, the city of oil.

Auroville: India's Utopia Without Money Or Laws

 12°00'18.87"N 79°48'24.81"E

(uncropped file from Pexels) 

   If it weren't for the surrounding trees, you'd already see it from the distance: from the empty fields of Tamil Nadu rises a majestic golden globe made out of numerous steel circles on the outside, and each day, hundreds and even thousands of people visit it. These are not a conspiracy cult or a group of lunatics, they are citizens from the bizarre utopia of Auroville, and you are too. But to understand this, first a bit of history.