Nugget & Unorthodox Places

I may not exactly want to visit all these places, but their uniqueness and weirdness deserves them a right to be blogged about by the Travel Nugget. They're definitely places to go to if you're seeking an adventure.

GRUNER SEE, AUSTRIA

Gruner See or "Green Lake" is a lake found in the village of Styria, Austria. The name originated from the beautiful emerald green colour of the water. However, the pretty colour isn't the main reason why I'm interested in this spot. During the winter, the lake is merely 3 to 7 feet deep and people enjoy the surrounding county park facilities.

However, as Spring approaches and the temperature rises, the snow melts away and the water is collected in this emerald basin transforming it into a beautiful version of a snapshot from the 1995 movie, Waterworld. The water level rises to a maximum depth of 39 feet which swallows the park and many scuba divers explore this water-world. Venturing under these waters, the theme song for Super Mario Brothers, Water World would definitely be playing in my head. 

KAWAH IJEN, INDONESIA

The Kawah Ijen or "Ijen Crater" is located in eastern Java. The volcano's most attractive feature is the stunning blue lava which seeps out. When I first saw these pictures, I immediately thought that they were the work of Photoshop, dazzling electric-blue lava just seemed impossible. However, the lava itself isn't blue, but the light comes from he combustion of the sulphuric gases when it makes contact with oxygen and ignites.

Nevertheless, the scientific truth does not take away from its beauty. I'd love to witness this phenomena, but I can't imagine how terrible the stench must be with such a high concentration of sulphur. My pity, however, falls upon the sulfur miners who carry sulphur laden baskets approximately 3km away from the crater's floor, most of whom lack protective wear.

SOCOTRA, YEMEN

Socotra looks like the landscape of a sci-fi movie and I don't know how I feel about visiting here yet. It just seems so weird, a little too weird for my liking. The island is a found within the Arabian Sea and belongs to Yemen.  It is extremely isolated and most of the plant life is exclusive to Socotra and can be found no where else on the planet.

One of its most popular plant is the dragon blood trees which is believed to have taken the such an unorthodox, umbrella shape in adaptation to the desert-like climate. If I'm considering going here, it has to be with a huge group of people and I don't know of anyone else who has ever even heard of this weird place. So it just might just be a no...from me...

UNESCO World Heritage site - Socotra Archipelago

DALLOL, ETHIOPIA

In Northeastern Ethiopia lies Dallol, the volcanic crater with extraordinary shades of yellow and green. These colours are so attractive. This strange landscape has acidic hot springs, cones of salt and pillars of sulphur. Dallol is situated in the middle of the African rift which is an active volcanic zone, causing temperatures to often soar above 50 degrees Celsius. For this one, I'll be contented watching these pretty colours from a little plane above.

DOOR TO HELL, TURKMENISTAN

Looking at this cavern, it looks like an entrance to the Netherrealm from  Mortal Kombat where Scorpion would just jump out of and shout "Get Over Here!" (said in a tone I'm not talented enough to imitate).The Door to Hell was created when drilling exercises caused a natural gas field to collapse in Turkmenistan.

The crater was then lit by geologists in 1971 in attempt to burn out the methane to prevent the spread of the gas. It was believed that it'll burn out in a few days after it was lit but over 40 years after, the flames still blaze due to the constant emission of methane gas. These pictures doesn't do justice as the actual size of the crater which is just about, 69 meters wide and 30 meters deep.

CROOKED FOREST, POLAND

Located in the Pomeranian region of Poland, an entire section of trees bends near their bases, forming an odd phenomenon known as the crooked forest. The strangest aspect of this occurrence is that 90 degree bending of 400 pine trees, facing only North, cannot be explained. Adding to the mystery, they are surrounded by a larger forest of upright pine trees.

These trees just look like the set for a thriller movie of some sort which I will most definitely not be inclined to watch. They were planted in the 1930s when the Germans populated the area. Some believe it was the result of some German experiment, or resulted from even an odd gravitational pull or, the most boring one in my opinion, that some human tool or technique was used to bend them. For intrigue's sake, let's go with the conspiracy theory of German experiments.

The Water World park is definitely on my to-travel-to list, but it makes me wonder what will happen if all those glaciers from the previous post actually melts, a scary thought. Concerning the other places, I'm not likely to visit because they kind of scare me, or perhaps I can buy a plane and get a view from the top, but for now, pictures and videos shall suffice. Speaking of videos, What's Ali Watching does great Netflix reviews. Comment below and share some odd/strange/unusual/beautiful places!