Hi friends! Happy #SpookySeason, as I keep saying, I'm writing some more creepy/spooky things for Spooky Season leading up to Halloween so I thought we'd explore some of the world's most terrifying destinations (where you can travel to, if you dare).
Also, Happy Halloween to those celebrating!
Explore Some of the World's Most Terrifying Destinations
Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia: Port Arthur is a former convict settlement that was built during the British Empire. There is a guard tower, chapel, and mass graves. What's even scarier about this place is that in 1996, the location faced what we now know as the Port Arthur massacre (35 people passed away, with 23 wounded). This was one of the worst attacks in Australia in all history.
The Island of the Dolls, Mexico: I think I've talked about this place in a previous blog, but on this island, there are a lot of dolls (said to be collected by its former owner/caretaker) hanging from trees, lots of the dolls have lost some of their limbs over time. Legend says that the former owner/caretaker of the island came across a body of a young girl floating in the canals, but was unable to save her. The next day, he found a doll - thought to be the young girl's doll and hung it in a tree to help ward off evil spirits. The legend also goes on to say that the owner/caretaker found a 2nd doll the next day and that the young girl's spirit haunts the island. Since this island has been open to the public, there have been many reports of dolls moving body parts and also people hearing the dolls whispering to each other.
Hanging coffins, China + Philippines + Indonesia: These are coffins that have been placed on the side of cliffs, hence the term "hanging". The reason that the coffins are placed hanging on the side of a cliff is so that the person deceased can be closer to heaven. If you want to read more about each culture's practices, check out the "Wiki" article.
The Tower of London, England: Last Minute (a travel blog) says "If you fancy a bit of ghost-hunting, here's where the most haunted places are in London. Of course the Tower of London, being a royal palace, has a distinctly different class of ghosts. Both the Princes in the Tower - that's Edward V (age 12) and younger brother, Richard (age 10) - are believed to have been murdered by their uncle (the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III) here in 1483. King Henry VIII also did away with his wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, at the Tower in 1536. The most bizarre ghost sighted here is that of a bear. The poor Beefeater who clocked sight of him near the Martin Tower dropped dead of fright."
Transylvania, Romania: Transylvania is driven by A LOT of vampire lore (think, Dracula) and mysterious appeal and many travel bloggers have written about having an eerie experience when they travel here - especially Bran Castle. Have you been here? Let me know in the comments if you felt an eerie or ghostly sort of atmosphere?
Aokigahara Forest, Honshu, Japan: Yep, that forest - I don't think I can say the S word in my blog but you know what I mean, it's also called "Sea of Trees" because you are literally in a sea of trees and it must be so dark there. The numbers of people who have gone to the forest to commit S word are no longer reported to the public in the hopes that people stop going there to do that, but in 2003, at least 105 bodies were found. It is a popular place for dark tourism.
Nagoro Doll Village, Japan: Another place I've spoken about before, a little bit creepy but also a little bit wholesome too. This is a village that has a very large amount of realistic-looking dolls (the size of people might I add) positioned around the valley. The explanation of this village can be explained. Wikipedia says "In the early 2000s, Tsukimi Ayano, whose family left the area when she was a child, moved back to Nagoro to look after her father, and made a doll in his likeness that she placed in a field. She has since made more than 400, including replacements, and about 350 are in the village." Following in her footsteps, many others made dolls and it grew it a tourist attraction from there.
Lizzie Borden House, Massachusetts, USA: If you do happen to be interested in staying here, you can book a room through their official website "here." This house is quite popular with ghost hunters and people interested in dark tourism. The house is where an unsolved m*rder took place in 1892 of Lizzie's mother and step father: Abby and Andrew Borden.
Parikkala Sculpture Park, Finland: Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Garden is a park in Finland that has a collection of over 500 concrete sculptures. The sculptures were constructed by the late Veijo Rönkkönen. Atlas Obscura describes the sculptures as follows: "The sculptures are not particularly lifelike, but rather possess an otherworldly and at times downright sinister quality, with blank, sunken eyes, skeletal body proportions, ghoulish grins, and, in some cases, the use of real human teeth. Non-human figures include large treelike structures with cone-shaped branches." What scares me the most about these sculptures is that some have human teeth and make sure you check out the photos so you know what I mean.
Centralia, Pennsylvania: I cannot remember for the life of me if I have spoken about this place before, but it is creepy nonetheless. The town is located in Columbia County, Pennsylvania and in 1980, the town had at least 1000 residents. By 2020, there were only 5. Why? Well, since 1962, a coal mine fire had been burning under the city. Residents believed it would just end somehow, but it has never stopped. The town started out as a mining town but then people kinda moved away from the place. Allegedly, in the 1980s, everyone was ordered out of the town and now it is known as a Ghost Town or the real-life Silent Hill. The screenwriter for the movie Silent Hill researched the town BUT it is a common misconception that the town was the inspiration for Silent Hill.
Darvaza Gas Crater - "Door to Hell", Darvaza, Turkmenistan: This is a burning natural gas field collapsed in a cave and this has become a major tourist destination. So spooky! You can check out one of National Geographic's grantees who went into the crater's story "here".
Waitomo Caves Hotel, New Zealand: This hotel was built in 1908 following the increased popularity of the glowworm caves. According to The Little House of Horrors Blog, many people have felt that they have experienced something "paranormal" while staying here. Some people claim to have felt something, seen something, or heard something as well as others experiencing time slips where they completely lose track of time for a really long time. They say they hear footsteps, see objects move, and even feel something move through them.
That's all folks!
Much love,
Ash xo
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