Surely you have guessed that our world is not as simple as it seems at first glance. There is a lot of mysticism, mysteries and riddles, which scientists have not yet managed to solve. But did you know that there are places on Earth where people secretly disappear, machinery refuses to work and birds suddenly fall from the sky?
In this article we will tell you about the most mysterious places of our planet. Believe me, thrill-seekers will definitely add a few points to their must-visit list.
Jatinga Valley, India
There is a small village in Assam, India, where a strange phenomenon occurs every year at the end of August: a strong wind blows over the valley and many birds fly so low and sluggishly that they can simply be swept away with a stick, and some of them fall to the ground themselves. The birds do not react to pain or food and easily come into people’s hands. This birdfest lasts for two or three days. After that, the birds regain consciousness and are ready to fly on, if they are released from the cage.
The locals believe that the falling birds are a reward from the gods for their decency and obedience, for the absence of theft, murder, and profanity among the population. On these days the Indians hold a feast. They light fires, make merry, and near midnight, when birds appear, the Indians knock them down with sticks or collect the fallen ones and immediately roast them on the fire, rejoicing at the easy prey.
This phenomenon was first described by E. P. Gee, who visited this valley in 1957. But no one believed him. Everyone thought it was fiction.
Check the words Englishman dared Indian ornithologist Sengupta in 1977. Then he saw with his own eyes that the birds really behaved sluggishly, did not resist the contact with people and even flew into the houses, where the light was on.
After that, Indian scientists assumed that the birds flew to the bright light, and installed a powerful light bulb on the outskirts of the village. However, the birds continued to fly en masse only to the light from the fire.
Scientists are still 100% unable to explain this phenomenon, but they suggest that the cause of the avianfall is a short-term magnetic anomaly, resulting from the combination of three factors: wind, night and new moon. According to the researchers’ version, this is what leads to the disorientation of birds and their unconsciousness. There is also a version that unintelligible gases accumulate in the air, which have such an effect on birds.
Aokigahara, Japan
Aokigahara or Suicide Forest is one of the most mystical places in Japan. It is located on Honshu Island near Mount Fuji. The word “Aokigahara” itself translates from Japanese as “Plain of Blue Trees.
The lava flows from Mount Fuji have formed so hard ground here that it is very hard for the roots of trees to penetrate it. That’s why all the trees here are bizarrely shaped.
The soil of the forest contains large quantities of iron ore and makes it impossible to use a compass, and its location and unusual density are the reason for the deafeningly intimidating silence in the forest.
For a very, very long time this place has been considered a haunted place. Earlier, the Japanese used to bring here old people and children who could not feed themselves, and leave them here to die. A little later, this forest became a favorite place for suicides. According to statistics, about 100 people died there every year and continue to die today. Recently, however, the Japanese authorities have been hiding the statistics, so as not to provoke more deaths.
In the Aokigahara forest, signs are hung everywhere to dissuade suicidal people from dying. But despite this, people continue to die there.
Take note! Every week, police and firefighters thoroughly sweep the forest and remove the dead bodies. Tourists are not advised to turn off the main trail to avoid accidentally stumbling upon a horrifying sight.
An interesting fact: the last time there was a spike in suicides in this forest was caused by W. Tsurumi’s book The Complete Guide to Suicide. It described various ways of ending one’s life, and Aokigahara was called a place of “beautiful” death. Copies of this book are still found near the bodies here.
Pyramids of Yonaguni, Japan
Near Yonaguni Island, underwater terraces and pyramids were discovered at a depth of 25 meters while searching for the ideal place to observe hammerhead sharks.
In 1997, scientists organized an expedition to investigate the site. However, to this day they cannot determine whether these structures were of natural or artificial origin.
Some of the scientists believe that the underwater city was created by nature and appeared 10,000 years ago, and later was processed by man. But then this discovery comes out older than the Egyptian pyramids and calls into question the entire written history of mankind.
Other scientists say that the pyramids of Yonaguni appeared 5,000 years ago and went under water as a result of an earthquake or tsunami that occurred 2,000 years ago.
What actually happened is unknown. To this day, there is debate among researchers about the origin of the underwater city.
The pyramids of Yonaguni have not been recognized as a cultural heritage site, they are not under protection, so anyone who can get to them can look at them.
Heizhu, China
Heizhu Hollow or Black Bamboo Hollow is another mysterious and dangerous place that has gained notoriety. It is located in China. The locals call this forest the Valley of Death because for several decades there were several hundred people who had disappeared without a trace.
The first known disappearances took place in 1949 during the war conflict. Back then, 30 soldiers tried to hide in this valley. They were never seen alive again.
In 1950 an airplane crashed here and about 100 people died. The reasons for the crash are still unknown, as the plane had no malfunctions and there were no signals of a crash.
In 1962 a geological expedition had gone to this forest, but only one member of the team was able to return. It was impossible to find out what happened to the others. The survivor explains that he fell a little behind the group, a thick fog appeared in the forest, bringing a sense of unease, and when it dissipated, the group disappeared. There were no belongings or equipment.
In 1976, a group of experienced foresters went into the forest, but not all returned home either. Those who survived say they still saw the same dense fog and heard the terrifying screams of their comrades.
Today, no one disappears in the forest, its territory is fenced off from curious explorers, and everyone who wants to tickle the nerves, can take a walk with a guide on a special path.
The mystery of this forest to this day remains unsolved. The most plausible is the version of scientists that the soil in this area under the influence of various factors can collapse, and some species of rotting trees, releasing poisonous gas, lead to disorientation of people. As a consequence, they are caught in rockslides or suction sands.
Catatumbo River, Venezuela
In Venezuela, where the river flows into Lake Maracaibo, 400,000 amps of lightning flashes every second after dark. They can be observed from distances of up to 400 km.
They appear completely silently. They are caused by methane, which is found in the decomposing organic material in this swampy area. It rises into the air in a vortex created by the collision of the warm and humid winds of the Caribbean and the cold winds of the Andes. Rising high into the sky, methane weakens the insulating properties of the air in the clouds and thus causes silent lightning.
The first mariners navigated the lightning to find their way home and called this unusual phenomenon “Lighthouse Catatumbo.”
The best period to visit this natural wonder is from June to October. It is at this time you have the best chance to see this spectacular spectacle.
Important: When flying to India, Venezuela, Japan, or any other country, be sure to arrange travel insurance. It’s easy, fast and reliable.
Winchester House, USA
Sarah Winchester, wife of William Winchester, son of Oliver Winchester, inventor of the rifle and founder of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, built this unusual structure.
After her husband’s death, Sarah received company stock and $20 million from him, which to date equates to $507 million. The woman spent some of that money to buy the house and the rest to re-invent it. The renovation of the house lasted for 38 years.
The house once had seven floors, but some of them collapsed due to an earthquake. Today, the Winchester house consists of 3 floors, 160 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 40 stairs, 2,000 doors and about 10,000 windows, many of which lead to nowhere. Most of the rooms have secret windows and doors through which you can observe the environment in other rooms and sneak in unnoticed.
Sarah got the idea for the estate after a séance with a medium who supposedly communicated with William. The woman’s husband said that all the tragedies in their family were the result of revenge of the undead souls who died from the weapons created by his company. Sarah could only escape by building an unusual house, the layout of which would confuse these souls. Except that it must be updated regularly. According to the prophecy, as soon as construction of the house stops, the widow will die immediately.
Sara became so imbued with this warning that she immediately began construction of the mansion. She came up with the layout of the house herself. According to witnesses, the woman drew the location of the rooms and thought of secret passages right on the napkins during breakfast, and then she forced the builders to implement her insane ideas. Sarah spent her entire fortune building the house and after her death only 2 scraps of her husband’s and daughter’s hair were found in the safe.
Now there are many legends and stories of spirits living in the house. The mansion itself has been restored and is open to the curious tourists, the number of which after the movie “Winchester. The House the Ghosts Built” has seen a marked increase in the number of curious tourists.
Brocken, Germany
According to local legends, it was on Brocken Mountain that witches gathered for a coven. Even Goethe wrote in his work Faust that on Walpurgis Night the witches flew to Brocken on brooms, barrels, goats and gestating pigs. Now every tourist, like Faust and Mephistopheles, can repeat the path of the heroes and climb the mountain. You can do it on foot or by steam train.
On the mountain itself you will find various entertainments, iconic attributes associated with a coven, and have the opportunity to fly on a broomstick.
Brocken Mountain is also home to a ghost. His shadow can be seen on the surface of the clouds in the opposite direction of the sun. Sometimes this shadow can be surrounded by a rainbow halo.
In fact, the silhouette is caused by a natural phenomenon, but locals and tourists who like to tickle their nerves prefer the first version.
From April 30 to May 1 Walpurgis Night is celebrated here. Germans especially love this time. They dress up in their scary costumes and organize performances for tourists. This “holiday” is somewhat reminiscent of American Halloween, but this is how Europeans celebrate the holiday of spring.
Stonehenge, UK
Stonehenge – is a structure of ancient megaliths, located in England, 130 km from London. Its exact purpose is still not solved, as well as the method of construction of this structure. Some scientists say that it is a temple, others say that it is an astronomical structure, and others are confident that it is the burial place of Queen Boadicea.
In addition, computer reconstruction showed that Stonehenge in its original form is an exact model of the solar system, which consists of 12 planets, 3 of which are now unknown to us.
Who built Stonehenge is also not clear. It is believed that it could have been the Celts, the Germans or the Greeks. To drag the boulders here, the builders had to drag them over 400 km. They say that the construction itself was 1000-1500 years old and started 3500 years BC.
There is also a legend that the structure was built by the wizard Merlin thanks to his magic. Or that Stonehenge is a fake, created in 1954. There are even photos online that show concrete being poured and monoliths being installed. Whether or not it is fake is unclear. However, there is plenty of evidence that it is an ancient structure.
Zone of Silence, Mexico
Another zone where strange things happen is in Mexico in the desert where the Tethys Sea used to be.
Locals have called this stretch of land the “Zone of Silence” because no radio signals work here, navigation shows incorrectly, and a car can suddenly stall in the middle of the road.
In addition, according to local people, flying machines appear in the desert, strange lights flash, and even meteorites fall. Proof of this, of course, is not available, but scientists have become interested in the area.
So, in the 1970s they built a research station here and found that ultraviolet radiation in this desert is 30% higher than in other areas where temperatures are higher. However, this is only observed in one particular area. Why? It is not clear. There is also the presence of magnetite and uranium in the soil, which is most likely the cause of the equipment failure.
Some people speculate that the area is a refueling station for intergalactic flights, and the aliens seen from time to time by locals are actually pilots of spaceships. It’s up to you to believe it or not, but the mysteries of the Tethys Sea (another name for the desert) still remain unsolved.
This was only part of the most mysterious places on our planet. There are many more mysteries in the world that we have yet to unravel. In time, flying into space will be available to most people and perhaps refueling stations for intergalactic flights will no longer seem unreal. But all in good time, but for now let’s leave a little mysticism behind and believe in something unreal and mysterious.
