When Gravity Take a Break + Other Unusual Discoveries

Bright Side

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Transcript

00:00:00I'm about to introduce you to a place where the laws of physics take a vacation.

00:00:05Welcome to the Mystery Spot, where you can witness all kinds of implausible things that

00:00:09will leave you scratching your head in disbelief.

00:00:12Don't worry, it's not sorcery or witchcraft.

00:00:15It's just some clever optical illusions that mess with your brain and make you question

00:00:20reality.

00:00:21Back in the day when the Great Depression was hitting hard, people needed some fun distractions.

00:00:27That's how the entertainment industry gave birth to the concept of Mystery Spots.

00:00:31One of the most famous Mystery Spots is the one near Santa Cruz, California.

00:00:35The name is all intrigue and mystique, isn't it?

00:00:38Once you step inside, you'll see people standing upright on a slanted floor, or at impossible

00:00:44angles on a flat surface.

00:00:46You'll see a ball rolling up a ramp, defying gravity and logic.

00:00:49It's like being in a funhouse, but without creepy clowns.

00:00:52The site is known for its gravity-defying demonstrations, which appear to bend the laws

00:00:56of physics, both on the short uphill walk and inside the wooden building on the site.

00:01:03Misperceptions of the height and orientation of objects occur here.

00:01:07These visual illusions include balls rolling uphill and people leaning farther than normally

00:01:11possible without falling down.

00:01:14Psychologists at Berkeley state that all of the misperceptions stem from the simple fact

00:01:18that the house is slanted at a 20-degree angle.

00:01:22The next stop is again in the USA, but this time, at Hoover Dam in Nevada.

00:01:27Here gravity seems to play with us too.

00:01:30Try this experiment if you ever happen to go there.

00:01:33Pour water from a bottle over the dam.

00:01:35You will witness that instead of going down, the water will start flowing upward.

00:01:40The reason behind this is a very powerful updraft that the structure of the dam creates.

00:01:45In other words, the water gets carried upward by the wind.

00:01:50This trick is not unique to the dam, as there is a reverse waterfall in the Faroe Islands.

00:01:55It occurs due to a wild weather phenomenon known as an inverted waterfall.

00:02:00Imagine a gigantic whirlwind of ocean spray swirling up a steep, 1,542-foot-high rocky

00:02:07cliff.

00:02:09So how does this crazy phenomenon happen, you ask?

00:02:11Well, it's all thanks to a spiral column of air that rotates near high and steep cliffs,

00:02:17creating a mini-tornado effect.

00:02:19And when the wind hits the edge of the cliff, it gets even stronger and picks up coastal

00:02:23water, which then splashes up the cliff and creates a massive water and wind funnel.

00:02:28Apparently these inverted waterfalls can happen in other places too, like on the cliffs of

00:02:32Moher in Ireland, the mountains of Iceland, and even in the Waipuhia Falls of Hawaii.

00:02:38Talk about Mother Nature showing off her skills.

00:02:43Ah, Magnetic Hill in Lodak, India, the ultimate mind-bending road trip destination.

00:02:48Here, you can watch objects and cars roll uphill like they're stuck in some kind of

00:02:53magnetic vortex.

00:02:55It's an optical illusion that occurs thanks to the sneaky slopes and general layout of

00:02:59the area.

00:03:00The road might look like it's going uphill, but it's actually a downhill road in disguise,

00:03:05playing tricks on your brain like a mischievous magician.

00:03:09You might also see your car moving by itself in the neutral gear.

00:03:12No, your car isn't haunted, it's just basic physics at work.

00:03:15Even when the engine is off, the wheels can still turn, thanks to momentum and the subtle

00:03:19slope of the road.

00:03:22Mount Aragats has a similar story to the Magnetic Hill of India.

00:03:25This one too is like a magnet for thrill-seekers and car enthusiasts.

00:03:29It's located on the border between Turkey and Armenia.

00:03:32It has a reputation for making cars defy gravity.

00:03:34People from all over the world visit this mountain to witness the incredible spectacle,

00:03:38where a car parked on the slope seems to roll uphill all by itself without any driver

00:03:43behind the wheel.

00:03:44There's a nearby river that flows uphill too.

00:03:47People who've visited this site claim that it's easier to go up than down there.

00:03:52Number six on the list is the Golden Boulder from Myanmar.

00:03:55The rock looks like it's about to tumble down the hill at any moment.

00:03:59But it's not going anywhere.

00:04:00It's been sitting there for over 2,500 years.

00:04:04The rock is the centerpiece of a stunning pagoda that sits on top of it, towering 49

00:04:09feet above the ground.

00:04:10According to legend, the rock is held in place by none other than a strand of Buddha's hair.

00:04:15It's no wonder that this place is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in

00:04:19Myanmar.

00:04:20The rock was chosen by a celestial king who was impressed by a Buddhist monk's incredible

00:04:24asceticism.

00:04:25So, he used his supernatural powers to carefully place the rock in its current spot, where

00:04:30it looked like the monk's head.

00:04:33But that's not enough.

00:04:34It's said that only a woman can move the boulder.

00:04:37That's why women aren't allowed to touch it.

00:04:40So, if you're up for an adventure, head over to this magnificent rock and pagoda and witness

00:04:45this gravity-defying feat for yourself.

00:04:50Back to the U.S., Oregon Vortex is located on Sardine Creek, Oregon.

00:04:54It's a tourist attraction that's been around since 1930.

00:04:57The owners of the attraction claim that it's some paranormal activity.

00:05:01But it's pretty obvious some clever optical illusions are involved.

00:05:05Legend has it that even before the attraction was built, Native Americans in the area warned

00:05:09that this land was forbidden, and horses refused to go there.

00:05:13But then, some gold miners built an assay office there in 1904, and the building ended

00:05:18up sliding to a wonky angle.

00:05:22Now picture this.

00:05:23You're in a cozy spot, away from city light pollution, staring up at billions of stars

00:05:28putting on a sparkling show above you.

00:05:30But if you're lucky enough to be in Marfa, Texas, you'll get a little something extra.

00:05:35Mysterious orbs decide to join in on the fun, shining bright like a diamond, and they've

00:05:40been doing it for over a hundred years.

00:05:43But what are these glowing orbs, called Marfa Lights?

00:05:46Well, everyone has their own theories.

00:05:49Some people think they're just car lights from the nearby highway, but that's no fun.

00:05:53Others believe that these orbs are actually sentient beings trying to convey some sort

00:05:57of important message to us, mere mortals.

00:06:02Imagine standing at the edge of a stunning lake, admiring the picturesque view of a majestic

00:06:07volcano.

00:06:09Suddenly, you hear a loud boom, and flames shoot up into the air like a firework show

00:06:15gone wild.

00:06:16But don't worry, it's not an eruption, it's just the Kawah Ijen Lake and volcano doing

00:06:21its thing.

00:06:22This fiery spectacle is caused by a natural phenomenon where sulfuric gases burst through

00:06:27the rocks and ignite upon contact with the outside air.

00:06:30The result?

00:06:32Flames that soar up to 16 feet in height, burning blue like the coolest neon lights

00:06:37you've ever seen.

00:06:38And if that's not enough, the liquid sulfur that streams down the mountain looks like

00:06:43a molten river of electric blue lava.

00:06:46It's equal parts terrifying and breathtaking, and a sight you won't soon forget.

00:06:52Speaking of unforgettable things, the Rachat Structure in Mauritania has been an eye-catching

00:06:56enigma for astronauts since the dawn of the NASA space program.

00:07:00This circular feature in Earth's crust was created by a raised dome that was eroded over

00:07:05time, revealing the original flat rock layers.

00:07:08As you move from the center of the structure outward, you travel back in time, as the older

00:07:13rock layers are exposed in the middle.

00:07:15This geological phenomenon is made up of sedimentary and igneous rocks, and measures 28 miles across.

00:07:22From space, you can see several faults where the rock layers have shifted and have been

00:07:26pulled apart.

00:07:27The Rachat Structure is situated in the heart of the Sahara Desert.

00:07:30Oh, that's really weird, Susie says, looking at a tree with a yellow bandage tied to it.

00:07:38She's been walking around a strange forest in southern Japan for an hour, and it seems

00:07:42she's got lost.

00:07:45She hung the bandage on the tree 30 minutes ago and started to walk right away from it.

00:07:50She didn't turn anywhere.

00:07:51She was walking straight.

00:07:53And then, half an hour later, she returned to this tree.

00:07:57Susie couldn't have gone far from the nearest settlement.

00:07:59She feels the forest is trying to deceive her.

00:08:02The trees are moving to not let her out of this place.

00:08:06All this looks like a horror movie.

00:08:09As night comes, a mysterious, invisible monster should appear and hang creepy crafts made

00:08:14of sticks on branches.

00:08:17Anyone would have panicked and started screaming for help, but not Susie.

00:08:21Susie smiles in the face of any danger.

00:08:23Besides, her phone and internet are on, so everything is fine.

00:08:29She takes a few steps to the side and ties a blue bandage to another cedar.

00:08:34Then she starts walking along a narrow path, moving further and further away from the marked

00:08:38tree.

00:08:39She notices something.

00:08:40The path has a slightly curved shape.

00:08:43Susie starts running forward and returns to the marked tree 10 minutes later.

00:08:48All this time, she's been just walking in a circle.

00:08:51Susie walks away to another tree and notices another curved path here.

00:08:56She takes her phone, opens online maps, and looks at her location through satellite photos.

00:09:01It's incredible.

00:09:02The trees in this place grow, forming concentric circles.

00:09:06There are several layers here.

00:09:07It resembles mysterious circular patterns that somebody left on fields all over the

00:09:12world.

00:09:13Shocked, Susie records herself on her phone to inform subscribers she has found a strange

00:09:18natural anomaly.

00:09:20While filming, she hears someone laughing.

00:09:22It's a smiling guy standing next to her.

00:09:25He finds it funny how she's speaking seriously about this forest.

00:09:29He tells her there's nothing unusual about this place.

00:09:32Trees grow in circles, thanks to people.

00:09:35In 1973, they planted cedars in such a way with purpose and created 10 concentric green

00:09:41circles.

00:09:42They used this as an experiment to find out how trees would grow in such rounded conditions.

00:09:47They called it experimental forestry.

00:09:50The trees started to grow in a convex shape, symmetrically fanning out.

00:09:55This proved that the size of gaps between the trees affects their growth.

00:09:59Initially, they had to cut down the trees according to the plan, but the place has become

00:10:03popular among tourists and locals.

00:10:06They love to take beautiful photos using drones and walk along the rounded paths of this little

00:10:11maze.

00:10:12Suzy gets upset a little.

00:10:13She informs subscribers there's nothing mysterious here.

00:10:17The guy who told her about the circles offers her to visit the mysterious Crooked Forest

00:10:21in Poland.

00:10:22That's where she will definitely see a strange phenomenon.

00:10:25But before going there, she decides to check out another exciting place in Japan.

00:10:30She arrives in the fishing village of Aoshima.

00:10:33The first locals Suzy meets here are cats.

00:10:36There are more of them than people.

00:10:39Cats are everywhere.

00:10:40They live here thanks to a lot of fish.

00:10:42Once upon a time, this place was full of mice that spoiled fishing boats.

00:10:47People brought cats to this place to fight the rodents.

00:10:50When all the mice had disappeared, the cats stayed here.

00:10:53Since then, people have been considering them as full-fledged citizens.

00:10:57The video with cats gets the most likes on Suzy's channel.

00:11:01But now, as she promised, it's time to go to Poland.

00:11:05The forest looks weird thanks to the curved trees.

00:11:08The lower parts of their trunks are bent, making them look like bellies.

00:11:12It's also strange that they all point only to the north.

00:11:16Suzy goes around the whole forest and counts about 400 trees.

00:11:20It seems people changed the shapes of the trees.

00:11:23But for now, there's no evidence of this.

00:11:25It's believed they planted trees in the 1930s and damaged them during growing at an early

00:11:30age.

00:11:31Nobody can say why.

00:11:33There was a small village near the forest.

00:11:35Its locals probably knew the secret, but unfortunately, the town was destroyed more than 70 years

00:11:41ago.

00:11:42The key to the mystery disappeared along with it.

00:11:45Of course, scientists had hypotheses, but they were all quickly refuted.

00:11:50Perhaps this curved shape was caused by a genetic anomaly.

00:11:53There are trees with similar trunks in other forests of the planet.

00:11:57But here, the curves look too perfect and neat.

00:12:00It's like an artist worked on them.

00:12:02This suggests that something from the environment has affected them.

00:12:06You can find similar trees all over the world, but mostly, they're loners and never grow in

00:12:11such big groups.

00:12:12Perhaps snow falls on the tops every winter.

00:12:15Tree trunks bend under such a heavy weight.

00:12:18But why is only the lower part changing?

00:12:21And why do other trees in the forest look normal?

00:12:23Also, there's no explanation why these trees point north.

00:12:27Is there any purpose?

00:12:29The most plausible theory says that local farmers changed tree shapes to create furniture

00:12:33and details for ship manufacturing.

00:12:36It's fast and easy to make a basket from such a tree, for example.

00:12:39By the way, manipulating the growth of trees was a common practice among some ancient tribes

00:12:44in America.

00:12:45They deformed the trunks for navigation and communication in forests.

00:12:49Well, that's all very interesting, but now Susie wants to see something scary.

00:12:54One of the subscribers advises her to visit one creepy forest.

00:12:58This place is located on an island 17 miles south of the center of Mexico City.

00:13:04Susie gets here on a small boat.

00:13:05As soon as she steps on the ground, she turns on the live broadcast on her phone.

00:13:10She records dolls hanging on trees all over the island.

00:13:13They have different clothes, different sizes, and faces.

00:13:17There are about a dozen creepy toys on every tree.

00:13:21Rain and hot sun deformed the toys' faces.

00:13:24They're covered with moss and greenery and have taken eerily scary forms.

00:13:29There are rumors they come to life at night.

00:13:31Wanna check?

00:13:32One of the subscribers writes, No problem!

00:13:35Susie agrees.

00:13:36The sun is going down below the horizon.

00:13:39Darkness falls on the forest.

00:13:41Susie is wandering among the trees.

00:13:43The moon lights her way.

00:13:45She makes a fire to get warm.

00:13:47At this moment, she hears a strange sound.

00:13:49She notices some movements out of the corner of her eye.

00:13:53The phone turns off.

00:13:54Susie looks up and sees one of the dolls, lit up by the flames, is turning its head

00:13:59in her direction.

00:14:01Susie screams and runs away from this place.

00:14:04Of course, the doll didn't move.

00:14:06You can notice a little bird sitting behind the toy's head.

00:14:09A few days later, Susie found out that one of the Mexico City locals had moved to the

00:14:14island in the 50s and filled it with toys.

00:14:17He collected dolls from landfills and canals around the island.

00:14:20He spent several years decorating every tree.

00:14:23In the beginning, it looked strange and exciting for tourists.

00:14:27Then, as the dolls began to age and rot, the place became more attractive for people.

00:14:33There are several legends about the reasons for his obsession.

00:14:35Okay, Susie's had enough of these mysteries and creepy places.

00:14:39Now she wants to admire something majestic that was created by nature.

00:14:44She arrives in California's Sequoia National Park, where the most giant trees in the world

00:14:49grow.

00:14:50She's looking with an open mouth at the biggest tree in the world, a giant sequoia.

00:14:55Its name is General Sherman, and it's about 2,000 years old.

00:14:59The volume of this tree is almost half the size of an Olympic swimming pool.

00:15:04Despite its age, it's not the oldest one.

00:15:07There are redwoods in the park that appeared 3,000 years ago.

00:15:11And the tallest tree in the world grows here, in California.

00:15:14It's a redwood that belongs to the sequoia family.

00:15:18It's called Hyperion, and its height reaches 380 feet.

00:15:22This is one-third of the Eiffel Tower's height.

00:15:25Just imagine what kind of view you can see from the tree's top.

00:15:28Now Susie is on the island of Madagascar.

00:15:31She's going to see unique baobab trees.

00:15:34They look like something has ripped them out of the ground, turned upside down, and shoved

00:15:37them back in.

00:15:39Baobabs are some of the most beautiful trees in the world.

00:15:42Most of them are here, in the Alley of Baobabs.

00:15:45You can also find them in Australia and South Africa.

00:15:48Their tree trunks resemble sponges.

00:15:50They expand and absorb moisture during the rainy season.

00:15:53Elephants like to drink it.

00:15:55They tear off and chew the trunk's parts to quench their thirst.

00:15:59At night, flowers bloom on the baobabs.

00:16:02They smell like sour milk and attract bats.

00:16:05But the most interesting thing is that the baobab doesn't dry out and doesn't fall like

00:16:10other trees after the end of its life.

00:16:12It crumbles, settles, and leaves a pile of pieces on the ground.

00:16:18As you take your first step off the plane, an eager crowd of emperor penguins surrounds

00:16:23you, pushing and shoving, all wanting your autograph.

00:16:27No wait, it's worse.

00:16:29You're hit with a chill like you've never felt before.

00:16:32Even though you're equipped with over 20 pounds of gear, the icy wind still finds you.

00:16:38The blinding sunlight obscures your view, but it doesn't help you to warm up at all.

00:16:43Yep, this is your first day at the South Pole, and it wasn't easy to get here.

00:16:48You meet your coordinator, ready to begin your new life in the most remote place in

00:16:52the entire world.

00:16:54Grabbing your luggage from the plane, you look around at your companions.

00:16:58You all went through the same rigorous physical and psychological testing to prepare you for

00:17:03this uniquely challenging environment.

00:17:05The program had to make sure that you all had what it takes to handle months of isolation,

00:17:10freezing temperatures, and unfamiliar night cycles.

00:17:14The South Pole only has a single sunset and sunrise across an entire year.

00:17:20This isn't even mentioning the physical tests you had to pass.

00:17:23Researchers need a clean bill of health when they set off because there's usually only

00:17:27one doctor on the base.

00:17:29You hesitate at first, seeing nothing before you but an endless icy desert, but it isn't

00:17:35long before you notice a large building in the distance.

00:17:39This is the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

00:17:42After a long walk through the deep snow, you reach it.

00:17:45One step through the doors, and you immediately stop shivering.

00:17:49It's so warm that everyone is walking around in T-shirts.

00:17:52You almost forget that you are in the coldest place on the planet.

00:17:57It surprises you to see how many people come to greet you.

00:18:00And they're not penguins!

00:18:02These researchers are stationed for the entire summer, studying things in the South Pole's

00:18:06extreme climates.

00:18:08You're officially welcome with an introductory slideshow in the conference room.

00:18:12The basic ground rules can help you in case things go, you know, south.

00:18:17Everything is organized from provisions to waste management.

00:18:21The station recycles everything it can, even different kinds of batteries.

00:18:26Anything that can't be recycled is sent on a voyage all the way across the ocean to a

00:18:31dump in America.

00:18:33Once you're finished, the coordinator escorts you to your dorm, a place you'll call home

00:18:37for the duration of your stay.

00:18:39You're excited to tell your family and friends how amazing it is at the South Pole, and luckily,

00:18:45the station comes equipped with Internet access.

00:18:48As soon as you open up YouTube and click on a video, though, you're greeted with a buffering

00:18:53sign.

00:18:54The lack of satellites over Antarctica means you'll need to get used to slow Internet

00:18:59for a while.

00:19:00From your window, you can see the snowscape spreading out before you.

00:19:05Unlike the area around the coast of the continent, the South Pole is completely devoid of life.

00:19:10No plants or animals are able to brave the conditions this far inland.

00:19:15Other than the occasional bird blown off course by the wind, the entire area is just a deserted

00:19:21sea of ice.

00:19:22The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station stands alone in this desert.

00:19:27The base camp needs all kinds of people so it can survive in the unique environment.

00:19:31Cooks, plumbers, electricians, medics, and other staff are all required to keep things

00:19:37working so the scientists can do their research.

00:19:41You might be surprised at how nice the living conditions are for all these workers.

00:19:45Sure, you'd find the usual research facilities and the laboratories, but there are also many

00:19:51rooms set aside for fun activities.

00:19:54The base has its own basketball court, where different departments can regularly compete.

00:19:59There are even whole rooms set aside for music and arts.

00:20:03Most importantly, there's a dentist who can make sure your teeth aren't damaged

00:20:07from all that chattering.

00:20:09Let's not forget the cafeteria that serves dishes from all over the world.

00:20:13Craving a delicious green salad?

00:20:16Then you head down to the internal greenhouse to pick some fresh fruits and veggies.

00:20:21You'll find tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, and even tropical fruits.

00:20:25The greenhouse might also be the most humid place on the entire continent.

00:20:29Amazingly, it's so effective that it can produce around 20 pounds of goodies per week.

00:20:35There won't be any water shortages either.

00:20:38The base is planted on an almost infinite supply of fresh water.

00:20:42The crews simply feed Antarctic ice into their specially designed generators that melt and

00:20:47filter it into clean drinking water.

00:20:50If the stress of the extreme climate ever gets to you, you can just hop into the sauna.

00:20:55Detoxing in the South Pole is a one-of-a-kind experience.

00:21:00Now that you're familiar with the facilities and can get around with ease, it's time

00:21:04to work.

00:21:05The base is mainly dedicated to astronomy because the crystal-clear Antarctic sky allows

00:21:10researchers to capture amazing images of space.

00:21:14Antarctica is perfect for these pictures because it's the driest place on Earth.

00:21:19There's almost no water vapor in the atmosphere.

00:21:22You're here for another reason, though.

00:21:24The station is also used to study volcanic activity.

00:21:28Scientists have discovered 91 volcanoes buried underneath the Antarctic ice sheet, and it's

00:21:34your job to collect samples from one of them.

00:21:37Back out into the frigid cold, your teeth begin to chatter again.

00:21:42Luckily, this is nowhere near as bad as the lowest temperature ever recorded here.

00:21:47The South Pole has been as cold as minus 120°F. That's so cold that if you threw

00:21:53a glass of boiling water into the air, it would turn to ice before it hit the ground.

00:21:58It would be almost impossible to even leave the station at that temperature.

00:22:03The warmest the South Pole has ever been was 10°F, and that was at the peak of summer.

00:22:10As you approach the digging site, you start to notice changes in the scenery.

00:22:14There are hilltops and steep ledges all around.

00:22:18As you get closer to the coast, you begin to see more animal life.

00:22:22You can even see a colony of penguins out in the distance.

00:22:26You scout the area around the site, perhaps expecting to see an enormous mountain spewing

00:22:31lava from its tip.

00:22:33In fact, there's nothing inside at all.

00:22:36That's because the volcano is right beneath your feet.

00:22:39It's part of the enormous landmass below the ice that the continent is famous for.

00:22:45Antarctica might just look like a giant field of ice, but there's actually a huge continent

00:22:50underneath.

00:22:51That means it has volcanoes, mountains, and valleys, like any other continent.

00:22:56Scientists have recently discovered that the Antarctic landmass has the lowest point on

00:23:00the planet, as well as huge mountain ranges.

00:23:04If any of the numerous volcanoes were to erupt, it would melt a huge part of the surface

00:23:09ice and increase the spill of ice into the ocean.

00:23:13The sea level would rise and flood coastal areas around the world.

00:23:17The ocean waters would also be disrupted, putting marine life at risk.

00:23:21You can count yourself lucky, though.

00:23:23All of these volcanoes are dormant at the moment, so you can begin your work.

00:23:29You begin to unpack your equipment and start digging.

00:23:32You and your team set up a small tent to try to stay warm while you monitor the progress

00:23:37on some portable screens.

00:23:39Your stomach rumbles and your team rummage for the sandwiches they brought with them.

00:23:43There was no need to carry them in a cooler for obvious reasons.

00:23:47Smelling the food, Antarctic birds begin to circle above you as you eat.

00:23:52As you lay down to sleep, your three layers of clothes begin to feel like nothing more

00:23:57than a T-shirt.

00:23:58You put even more on and zip the tent up so you can finally get some rest.

00:24:03Strong wind buffets the tent, and you think you hear a growling outside.

00:24:08You panic, but then you remember there are no polar bears in Antarctica.

00:24:13In fact, there are no large predators at all, so you can sleep easy.

00:24:18You wake up, and the sky looks the same as it did all night.

00:24:23Each day lasts 6 months on this continent.

00:24:26Your work is done, so you can pack up and begin the long journey back to the station.

00:24:31Hours later, you get back to the more familiar flatlands of the South Pole, and eventually,

00:24:37the warmth of the research station.

00:24:39Your first few days on the station were a great success.

00:24:43You might have helped us to understand just a little bit more about this mysterious continent.

00:24:48There are sure to be many more surprises hidden under the ice sheet, though.

00:24:52Who knows what we might find in the future…

00:25:07North Yungas Road in Bolivia is one of the most picturesque and most hazardous roads

00:25:13in the world.

00:25:14Just imagine biking along a cliff trail at a mind-numbing height overlooking the lush

00:25:20Bolivian jungle and misty mountains at a distance.

00:25:23What a view!

00:25:25But as soon as you realize you're riding on a 10-foot-wide stretch of road, some of

00:25:29which isn't even paved, you might get skin crawls.

00:25:32And for good reason.

00:25:34Over 200 folks tumble to their demise each year on this devious mountain climb.

00:25:40And the absence of any guardrail doesn't help at all.

00:25:44Now if you're more into walking, consider the Hussaini Bridge in Pakistan.

00:25:49It's officially the most dangerous hanging bridge in the world, but hardly the only one

00:25:53in the country.

00:25:54It's a long and nerve-wracking traverse over Lake Borut, with many planks of the bridge

00:25:59missing, and the whole construction creaking ominously in the wind.

00:26:04Still, the place has become a major tourist attraction, although the old and broken bridge

00:26:09visible nearby only adds to the impression that you're inevitably going to fall to

00:26:15a screaming end.

00:26:17Well, at least you can be thankful that the lake beneath is not Lake Natron in Tanzania.

00:26:23If you fall into water, you still have a chance of survival.

00:26:27If you fall into the waters of Natron, not so much.

00:26:31The pH levels here are a skin-melting 10.5.

00:26:34What passes for water is more like an alkaline soup.

00:26:38No wonder this place is so peaceful.

00:26:40Pretty much nothing wants to live here.

00:26:43And yet, flocks of flamingos come to Lake Natron to breed every few seasons, and it

00:26:48becomes a white-pink paradise for the period.

00:26:51Positively.

00:26:54Which can't be said about the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia.

00:26:58Despite its beautiful, otherworldly landscape, it's perhaps the loneliest place on Earth.

00:27:04Yellow, orange, and green mounds are made of salt, sulfur, and iron, creating views

00:27:09like nowhere else on the planet.

00:27:12But the combination of temperature and toxic minerals makes this place absolutely unlivable.

00:27:18Researchers coming here haven't found even microscopic life in this valley.

00:27:22Really, like another planet.

00:27:25Beautiful and desolate.

00:27:27On the other hand, there's an island that's bubbling with life, yet still, you don't

00:27:32want to be there.

00:27:33It's called Snake Island, and the name says it all.

00:27:36It's chock-full of snakes.

00:27:39In fact, there are so many of them, especially the venomous varieties, that Brazil has forbidden

00:27:44access to the island to any and all visitors.

00:27:48But even if it wasn't closed off, not many would be brave enough to go to a place where

00:27:53a single step offshore could land you a venomous bite.

00:27:57I'll bet that Fly Geyser in the middle of the Nevada desert was created partly because

00:28:04humans became jealous of that.

00:28:06This place had been just another bit of desert until 1916.

00:28:11People came here to drill a water well.

00:28:13They quickly saw the error of their ways, though.

00:28:16The water came out boiling hot and unfit for drinking.

00:28:19Fifty years later, there was another attempt, but the same thing happened.

00:28:23We don't learn, do we?

00:28:25Anyway, hot water never stops spewing from under the ground, and today, we have a massive

00:28:30geyser cluster colored in shades of red, orange, and yellow.

00:28:36Now I say let's take a break from things that could bite, burn, or crush you, and take

00:28:40a walk in a serene forest.

00:28:42We're in Japan, and it's Sagano Bamboo Forest, a marvelous natural park where you

00:28:48can't help but hush your voice and just look.

00:28:52And listen, too.

00:28:53Because the sound of the wind in the bamboo trees is the first ever officially recognized

00:28:58soundscape.

00:29:00All the more surprising to find such a place just half an hour's ride from Kyoto, one

00:29:05of the busiest cities in the country.

00:29:09Take a deep breath of fresh air now, you're gonna need it.

00:29:12We're going underwater!

00:29:14Behold the Great Blue Hole, apparently named by Captain Obvious.

00:29:18It's one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

00:29:22Located off the coast of Belize, this giant sinkhole is a massive tourist attraction,

00:29:27especially popular among divers.

00:29:29It's actually a whole cave system, and they say it gets weirder and more picturesque the

00:29:34deeper you dive.

00:29:36Beware though, it's popular among sharks, too.

00:29:39And both bull sharks and hammerheads have been spotted here more than once.

00:29:44Here, have a towel and prepare for some barbecue.

00:29:48The Darvasa gas crater is waiting.

00:29:50A huge hole again, this time in the ground and burning.

00:29:55Over 50 years ago, geologists found this spot in Turkmenia, Central Asia, and were quite

00:30:00a bit alarmed.

00:30:01There was an enormous deposit of methane, a highly flammable gas, underground.

00:30:07They set it on fire to prevent the gas from spreading, and since then, the holes kept

00:30:12burning.

00:30:13It's over 200 feet across and 100 feet deep, and no one knows when it'll finally run

00:30:18out of fuel.

00:30:20Is it too hot again?

00:30:22Well, let's have a little swim with jellyfish then.

00:30:25Jellyfish Lake on one of the rock islands in Palau is perfectly described by its name.

00:30:31In 2005, there were about 30 million of these creatures here.

00:30:35Although today only 700,000 of them remain, their number is growing, and tourists can

00:30:40actually swim with them.

00:30:42Until they get stung, that is.

00:30:44Okay, kidding, these jellyfish don't have stingers, so it's safe.

00:30:48Until they decide to grow stingers, of course.

00:30:52From the depths, we're going even deeper.

00:30:54The Gomentang Caves are our next stop.

00:30:57The cave system on the island of Borneo could've been Batman's hideout, given how many bats

00:31:02live there.

00:31:03At night, these nocturnal animals fly out of the cave in the thousands, making you wonder

00:31:08why you're still there watching it.

00:31:11But if you're brave enough to go inside the cave, you can truly marvel at the variety

00:31:15given to us by nature.

00:31:18Because there, on the floor and walls of the cave, lie tons of bat droppings, giving

00:31:23food and home to millions of cockroaches, parasites, and giant centipedes.

00:31:28Wondrous.

00:31:29Okay, I'm outta here.

00:31:32If you're as easy to get away as I am, here's a place to go – Mediti National Park in

00:31:37Bolivia.

00:31:38It's one of the largest protected areas in South America, and is home to an immense

00:31:42variety of animals, birds, and insects.

00:31:45I could do without the mosquitos, but it's still among the few places where you could

00:31:49see wild macaws, monkeys, capybaras, and dozens of other creatures.

00:31:54Still, it's better to be careful because wild animals aren't always happy to see

00:31:59you, and there are known cases of attacks on tourists.

00:32:04Ever wanted to feel like Frodo Baggins in Middle-Earth?

00:32:07Here's your chance!

00:32:08In Iceland, there's a slumbering volcano named Þrygugageygurð that welcomes guests

00:32:14to a tea party.

00:32:15Now, don't confuse this with another infamous Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull.

00:32:20Yeah, it's easy to mix them up, they sound so similar.

00:32:24Here, tourists are actually ushered down into the volcano and spend close to an hour inside,

00:32:31looking at the magmatic landscape.

00:32:33They say Þrygugageygurð can't wake up all of a sudden, but who knows?

00:32:38Don't forget to bring the Ring of Power just in case!

00:32:43From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, and here we are at Mount Hua in China.

00:32:48It's called the most dangerous hike in the world for a reason.

00:32:51It's high, it's crazy scary, and it's a hike.

00:32:55At the height of 7,000 feet, which already makes me reconsider, there are several wooden

00:33:00planks nailed to the sheer wall of the mountain.

00:33:03When you get to the start of the hike, you put on safety gear and realize there's no

00:33:08turning back.

00:33:09You have to walk all the way, and then back, but if you're lucky, you'll see a crowd

00:33:15of hundreds of tourists and decide not to spend hours waiting for your turn.

00:33:20Finally, to really creep you out, I'm taking you to Pripryat in Ukraine.

00:33:26If you watch the TV show Chernobyl, you probably know what happened in this area.

00:33:31If you didn't see it, well, don't have a meltdown.

00:33:34Much of the town is still off-limits for visitors, but there are already guided tours

00:33:39around the place.

00:33:40As haunting as it is, the landscape has some magnetic force.

00:33:45The silence makes you keep as quiet as you can.

00:33:48Also, you can see with your own eyes what happens when people abandon a whole city.

00:33:54Nature takes back what once belonged to it.

00:33:57Creeping vines along the walls and lampposts, trees and bushes sprouting from under concrete,

00:34:03and the main attraction in this desolate place is the rusty old Ferris wheel.

00:34:09Nature shivers my timbers.

00:34:40The water is getting closer by the minute, but not because you're moving towards it.

00:34:45It's the water approaching you.

00:34:47In a few minutes, the pond area increases.

00:34:50Here, you're already in it.

00:34:53A small lake has formed 60 feet deep at the place where the piece of desert was.

00:34:58This real event happened in 2014 in the Tunisian desert.

00:35:03No one knows exactly on what day the lake appeared since this part of the south of Tunisia

00:35:08is sparsely populated.

00:35:10And first, shepherds passing by saw the lake and didn't believe their eyes.

00:35:15In the next few hours, hundreds of locals came running to the place.

00:35:19They began to swim, jumping into the water from the surrounding rocks.

00:35:24But a few days later, something strange happened to the lake.

00:35:27In the beginning, it was a crystal clear turquoise blue color, but then it turned dark green.

00:35:34People didn't attach any importance to this and continued to swim.

00:35:38They shouldn't have done that.

00:35:40The scientists and geologists arrived and immediately announced that it wasn't safe

00:35:44to swim in the lake.

00:35:46Muddy green water means the lake is stagnating.

00:35:49It's not refreshed.

00:35:50It's not fed by underground springs.

00:35:53Now the lake is filled with algae and a lot of harmful bacteria that can cause serious

00:35:57diseases.

00:35:58They also found out that this region of Tunisia is filled with huge deposits of phosphate.

00:36:05This substance can disintegrate and leave radioactive traces.

00:36:09The lake can be carcinogenic, toxic, and hazardous for any living organism.

00:36:14But people didn't worry about this too much.

00:36:17They walk in the middle of the desert, while the sun heats the air to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

00:36:22Most of them are unlikely to refuse to jump into cool water, despite the warnings of scientists.

00:36:28Until now, no one knows exactly the reason for the appearance of the lake.

00:36:33Some scientists believe the lake was formed because of heavy rains.

00:36:36The lake is surrounded by rocks and is located inside a canyon.

00:36:41The water could just accumulate after each storm.

00:36:44Some geologists think an earthquake was the cause of the lake.

00:36:48A small seismic activity provoked the rupture of the earth's rock above the water table.

00:36:53And through this hole, all the water splashed out.

00:36:57And if this theory is correct, then the lake can be pulled back underground through cracks.

00:37:02This is the same as when you pull the plug out of a drain hole in a filled bathtub.

00:37:07Any small earthquake is like pulling the plug out.

00:37:10Therefore, if you find yourself in these places, don't swim in this radioactive lake.

00:37:17We're going to the Caribbean Islands region.

00:37:20Among the clear blue sea, you can find a unique lake.

00:37:23It's located on one of the paradisical islands.

00:37:26You may not even notice the lake right away.

00:37:28The entire territory may seem like a huge concrete platform.

00:37:32But the main thing is not to step on its surface.

00:37:36Pitch Lake is a lake filled not with water, but with liquid asphalt.

00:37:41This is the largest asphalt deposit in the world.

00:37:44Steam is coming from all over the lake as it's hot.

00:37:47The depth of this lake is 250 feet.

00:37:50An entire passenger Boeing could fit there in an upright position.

00:37:54The lake is not fully studied, but scientists believe there's a deep fault in the earth's

00:37:58crust under it.

00:38:00A huge amount of oil seeps through it.

00:38:02It passes through various chemical compounds and turns it into the asphalt.

00:38:07According to rough estimates, there are about 10 million tons of hot material inside this

00:38:12place.

00:38:13Theoretically, no life can exist in such conditions, but scientists have discovered a colony of

00:38:19microbes.

00:38:20Somehow, these creatures have learned to survive here.

00:38:23This also suggests that life outside of our planet may exist.

00:38:27The largest moon of Saturn, Titan, has many hydrocarbon lakes on the surface.

00:38:32And if the simplest forms of life appeared among a million tons of molten asphalt here

00:38:37on Earth, then nothing prevents them from appearing on Titan.

00:38:42We're going to Indonesia, to the island of Java.

00:38:45You need to climb a large volcano to see the next phenomenon.

00:38:48The volcano is overgrown with grass and trees, but it doesn't seem to be sleeping.

00:38:54Smoke is pouring out of its mouth.

00:38:55You climb to the top and see a clear lake instead of boiling magma.

00:39:00The blue sky is reflected in its bright turquoise surface.

00:39:03But don't try to jump there.

00:39:05This lake is filled with acid.

00:39:08The magma inside volcanoes comes from the deep bowels of the earth's crust.

00:39:13The incandescent liquid consists of many molten metals and chemical compounds, and the lake

00:39:18is filled with particles of these metals.

00:39:21In addition, the volcano emits sulfur dioxide gases.

00:39:25When they combine with metals, they form a beautiful turquoise color.

00:39:30You'd better come back here at night.

00:39:32In some places, a lot of sulfur is concentrated.

00:39:35These accumulations come out of the lake and come into contact with the air.

00:39:39When this happens, everything around bursts into bright blue flame.

00:39:44It's safe to observe this from the side, but don't get too close.

00:39:48Nearby, on this island, there's another acid lake.

00:39:51It also releases sulfurous gases into the air, which are easily ignited when in contact

00:39:57with oxygen.

00:39:58When this happens, the gases burst into a bright blue electric flame.

00:40:03It's difficult to see the flames during the day.

00:40:05At night, you can see these flashes from afar.

00:40:09Our next location is Australia.

00:40:11You start the drone high above the forest area.

00:40:14Among the green dense forests, you can see a bright pink spot.

00:40:18It's our lake.

00:40:19This time, the beautiful pink color may not stop you from swimming.

00:40:23You can relax here and take beautiful photos.

00:40:25The lake attracts thousands of tourists, but scientists have only recently been able to

00:40:30find out the reason for the unusual color.

00:40:34At the bottom of this salty lake in Melbourne, special algae grow and secrete a red pigment.

00:40:40In combination with sunlight, high temperatures, and a small amount of precipitation, it turns

00:40:45the lake pink.

00:40:47By the way, Australia is not the only place with such a phenomenon.

00:40:51There are lakes with a pink tinge of water all over the world.

00:40:55You can find them in Senegal, Bolivia, Kenya, and many other countries.

00:41:00The water of these places is also salty and contains the red pigment of unusual algae.

00:41:07We leave the hot beaches and fly to cold Canada.

00:41:10Here we see a frozen Lake Abraham.

00:41:13We step on the ice and notice huge frozen bubbles inside.

00:41:17They resemble jellyfish, and there are thousands of them there.

00:41:21This is methane.

00:41:22It's a highly flammable substance.

00:41:24The grass, leaves, pieces of trees, and any organic substances that fall into the lake

00:41:29become food for a lot of bacteria that emit methane.

00:41:34Upon contact with frozen water, methane turns into tens of thousands of frozen balls.

00:41:39When the ice melts, the bubbles burst and sizzle.

00:41:43This phenomenon can also be observed on some shores of the Arctic Ocean.

00:41:47There, the size of the bubbles can reach several times more than balloons.

00:41:51It's a beautiful sight, but it's not safe, since methane ignites when it contacts with

00:41:57air.

00:41:58We're in the coldest place of our journey.

00:42:00It's Antarctica, near the driest desert on Earth.

00:42:04A dry place doesn't mean it has to be hot.

00:42:07It's an area with minimum precipitation.

00:42:09The desert isn't sand and cacti, but a place where almost no living life inhabits.

00:42:15Some areas of Antarctica meet these two criteria.

00:42:18However, in this icy desert, you can notice a tiny lake.

00:42:22Its depth is only a few inches.

00:42:24Technically, it's a pond, but the most amazing thing is that it stays in a liquid form.

00:42:30The temperature here drops to negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit.

00:42:34The pond should be frozen, but this doesn't happen.

00:42:37Don Juan Pond is one of the saltiest reservoirs on the planet.

00:42:41The amount of salt here doesn't allow the water to freeze.

00:42:45Scientists have been studying this lake for more than 60 years, but they still can't find

00:42:49out the exact reason for the appearance of water here.

00:42:56The marble caves in Chile are one of the most far-off natural wonders of the world.

00:43:01The cathedral, the chapel, and the cave are the three main attractions.

00:43:05They're a group of black-and-white caverns, columns, and tunnels made of marble.

00:43:10Waves have been shaping them over thousands of years, and they're still going strong.

00:43:14The caves and turquoise water waves team up to make a sweet light show.

00:43:20When summer starts, an ordinary-looking river in Colombia transforms into a liquid rainbow.

00:43:26Caño Cristales, also known as the most beautiful river in the world, sparkles in five colors

00:43:32– red, black, green, blue, and yellow.

00:43:35It only looks like this for six months a year because of the special underwater plant that

00:43:40makes all those colors.

00:43:41It needs the perfect amount of sunshine and water to work its magic.

00:43:47The river in Dhaki, India, is a kayaker's dream.

00:43:50It's emerald and so transparent, you can see all the way to the bottom.

00:43:54Bright pebbles, stones, and fish, the colorful fishing boats seem to be floating on glass.

00:44:00The only sounds you can hear are the swirling of the river and the occasional bird flying

00:44:04past.

00:44:06One of the cleanest villages in the world isn't far from the Emerald River.

00:44:10It has three street cleaners who work every day, even in heavy rain.

00:44:15The locals plant flowers and bushes all over the village, and cars aren't allowed.

00:44:20The parking fee for tourists is used to pay for more street cleaning.

00:44:24The cost of littering?

00:44:25A fine or even jail.

00:44:28Blue Lake in New Zealand is one of the world's clearest lakes.

00:44:32It's basically like looking at distilled water.

00:44:35You can even see blue-violet shades in it, which is super rare.

00:44:39The water comes from its neighbor, an icy glacier lake.

00:44:43The local Maori people don't let you swim there, you can't even dip your toes in.

00:44:47They believe the lake has special powers.

00:44:51Luskintyre Beach is an endless stretch of white sand dunes and perfect blue water.

00:44:57But don't let the tropical vibe fool you, it's in Scotland.

00:45:01That's why it only looks nice in May and June.

00:45:03In December, the place only gets an hour of sunshine per day, so it looks pretty bleak.

00:45:10Five Hour Lake in China's Juxi Gao Valley changes from yellow to emerald green, dark

00:45:16jade to light turquoise, and sometimes even coral color, which I didn't even know existed.

00:45:22It never freezes thanks to underwater hot springs, and never dries up like some of its

00:45:27neighbors.

00:45:28The local legend is that it's made up of pieces of a mirror that fell from the sky.

00:45:34The surrounding valley has some of those classic hills with above-ground caves in them, spectacular

00:45:39waterfalls, around 140 different birds, and a couple of giant pandas and other endangered

00:45:45plants and animals.

00:45:48The Southern Ocean near Antarctica has the cleanest air in the world.

00:45:52It's so clear, scientists could barely find any DNA in it to analyze, just some random

00:45:58marine bacteria.

00:46:00Antarctica itself is 99% ice and has mind-blowing blue glaciers, active volcanoes, and the best

00:46:07views of crispy clean snow anywhere in the world.

00:46:11Mount Haleakala in Hawaii is one of the quietest places in the world.

00:46:17Rangers there often measure exactly zero sound.

00:46:21Its name in Hawaiian means House of the Sun.

00:46:25It was formed thanks to a 1-million-year-old volcano.

00:46:29Lava built up over the years and grew into a mountain.

00:46:32It has its own climate and weather that's almost impossible to predict.

00:46:38It takes almost a week by ship to travel from South Africa to the world's most isolated

00:46:43settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.

00:46:46Great name alert.

00:46:47You need special local government permission to visit.

00:46:51The roughly 300 locals all treat each other as family, grow their own food, and keep their

00:46:56island impeccably clean.

00:46:59Daintree Forest in Australia is the oldest rainforest in the world.

00:47:04It's been around for over 100 million years, and it's home to 12,000 types of insects and

00:47:09about 90% of Australia's butterfly and bat population.

00:47:14It's also home to about 3,000 different kinds of plants.

00:47:18The Bazaruto Archipelago in the Indian Ocean has crystal white sands and unspoiled coral

00:47:24reefs and almost no tourists.

00:47:27It's an official marine reserve, so commercial fishing is off-limits.

00:47:32You can still see fishermen in traditional old boats, though.

00:47:35That's why the corals are still in perfect condition.

00:47:38Bazaruto is also home to some of the last remaining sea cows.

00:47:44A mysterious emerald bamboo grove is located a short train ride away from Kyoto.

00:47:50It's like a portal into another universe.

00:47:52The creaking and rustling sounds make it one of the top 100 soundscapes in Japan.

00:47:58Local artists make baskets, coasters, and chopstick rests all out of bamboo.

00:48:05The Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia is famous for its 1,000-year-old cedars, mossy

00:48:11waterfalls, water the color of granite, and crystal-clear streams.

00:48:16It's home to the rare cream-colored Kermode Bear, also known as Spirit Bear.

00:48:21Add some Sitka deer, coastal grey wolves, cougars, mountain goats, orcas, salmon, sea

00:48:27lions, sea otters, humpback whales, um, you get the picture.

00:48:32The secret of the candy-floss pink sand beach in Barbuda is that it's made of crushed corals

00:48:38with tiny single-celled red things living beneath.

00:48:42You can see the famous pink shade when the waves are strong enough.

00:48:46This place doesn't have any public facilities, so it's much less crowded than other Caribbean

00:48:51islands, and that's why it's so clean.

00:48:55It took thousands of years to form the Picaninny Ponds in Australia.

00:49:00Underground water crept slowly up to the surface through all that limestone.

00:49:04It formed a large underwater cavern with amazing white walls.

00:49:08You need a special permit to dive there, but it's definitely worth it.

00:49:14Lapland in Finland has some of the cleanest air in the world.

00:49:18It also has those spectacular northern lights, snow-smothered trees, and endless white landscapes.

00:49:24The first humans arrived here around 7,000 years ago.

00:49:28They were mostly reindeer herders, and now, there are more reindeer than there are people.

00:49:33And reindeer don't exactly pollute.

00:49:36The Plevisa Lakes National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Croatia.

00:49:42It has 16 clear and colorful lakes, all connected by waterfalls.

00:49:46Deer, bears, wolves, boars, and rare birds roam around enjoying the unspoiled nature.

00:49:53It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so they gotta keep it clean.

00:50:0060 million years ago, a big and angry volcano woke up in present-day Northern Ireland.

00:50:06It spat out a bunch of molten basalt, a special type of lava.

00:50:10It cooled and turned into 40,000 interlocking stepping stones leading down to the sea.

00:50:16Local legend says they're so perfectly shaped because they were made by an Irish giant.

00:50:22He had to build a road into the sea to get to his foe in Scotland.

00:50:27Badabi Surt in Northern Iran has some unique travertine terraces, basically an epic staircase.

00:50:33It took thousands of years to form.

00:50:36Two different mineral hot springs flow downhill, leaving behind a jelly-like goo.

00:50:41It shaped the slope into a staircase when the water cooled.

00:50:45And the springs are still active.

00:50:47One has healing properties, the other shoots out dust that turns the water orange.

00:50:52When the sun comes out, it turns everything red, orange, and yellow.

00:50:57Bolivia's salty Laguna Colorado is a real magnet for worldly photographers.

00:51:02It gets its crimson-red color from algae and rich minerals in the water.

00:51:07It's surrounded by high-altitude desert plain, volcanoes, boiling mud, drifting snow, and

00:51:13weirdly-shaped rocks.

00:51:15It's home to three of the world's six species of flamingo that come here for their fill

00:51:19of plankton.

00:51:20Flamingos are actually born white but turn pink because of all that red algae.

00:51:26The Enchanted River is one of the most pristine, hidden, natural gems of the Philippines.

00:51:31It's tucked in behind some mountains, and no one really knows where the water comes

00:51:35from.

00:51:36There are loads of colorful fish swimming around, but where do they come from?

00:51:40Where do they go?

00:51:42Nobody knows.

00:51:43The river looks shallow, but no one's ever managed to measure how deep it is.

00:51:48Only a few thrill-seeking tourists visit this mysterious river to dive into its caves.

00:51:54Pangong Lake in the Himalayas is the world's highest saltwater lake.

00:51:59It has no aquatic life because of its saltiness, but it's a perfect place for bird-watching.

00:52:04When it's a little warmer, the lake's constantly changing colors between blue, green, and even

00:52:10red.

00:52:11And in the winter, it's pretty much ice.

00:52:15Puna Grasslands, Peru.

00:52:18A bare desert, rocky land, and one big nothing.

00:52:22Oh no, wait, there's ureta.

00:52:25Ureta is a flowering plant that looks so unique, you might actually think it's photoshopped.

00:52:31That's how different it is from the rest of the desert.

00:52:34At first sight, it looks like some rocks covered in moss, but we're talking about a 3,000-year-old

00:52:41plant found in the freezing Puna Grasslands of the Andes.

00:52:45This plant grows in packs, and they're so dense you could stand on top of a ureta shrub,

00:52:51and it'd take your weight without problems.

00:52:55Spotted Lake, Canada.

00:52:57They call it the most magical spot in Canada.

00:53:00In winter and spring, this is just a regular lake that looks like any other.

00:53:05But try going there in the summer when the water starts to evaporate.

00:53:09It'll feel as if you've entered a different world, a polka-dotted landscape with blue,

00:53:15green, and yellow spots.

00:53:18Over the summer, there are over 300 pools there, and they look magical.

00:53:23Over the centuries, people believed each of them had different healing properties.

00:53:28Oh, and the explanation for the vibrant colors is pure science.

00:53:33Each of them has a high concentration of different minerals.

00:53:38Rio Tinto, Spain.

00:53:40For more than 5,000 years, the Red River has been surrounded by mines full of copper, silver,

00:53:47gold, and other minerals.

00:53:49They give the river its unique reddish color.

00:53:52People were mining that area for centuries until the whole industry started to fade out.

00:53:57The mines remained abandoned until they were rediscovered in the 18th century.

00:54:03The river is quite impressive, but it's also very dangerous for people because of its high

00:54:09acidity.

00:54:10The bacteria in the water create similar conditions that can be found in some other places in

00:54:15our solar system.

00:54:17For example, scientists believe there's something similar on one of Jupiter's moons, Europa.

00:54:23An acidic ocean is hidden underneath the moon's surface.

00:54:29Toyama Bay.

00:54:31If you're walking along the shore of Toyama Bay in Japan, you might be lucky to see mystical

00:54:37neon blue light.

00:54:39It's coming from underneath the water and lighting up the night sea.

00:54:43There aren't many places where you can see a phenomenon like this.

00:54:47It's the firefly squid that's responsible for the breathtaking show.

00:54:51The creature lives at a depth of more than 650 feet under the surface.

00:54:56But in spring, they gather near the coast.

00:54:59Sometimes, waves even wash them ashore.

00:55:02The light these animals emit is actually camouflage, which helps them to hide and protect themselves.

00:55:09During the day, the squids go back to the deep, but they come back to party near the

00:55:14shore at night.

00:55:16The light they produce isn't so bright you could read a book in the dark, but it's still

00:55:20quite impressive.

00:55:23Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA.

00:55:26Imagine you're in a space rocket.

00:55:28At one point, you realize you've entered the atmosphere of some unknown planet.

00:55:33You haven't even realized it's there.

00:55:35The planet's gravity starts to pull your rocket down.

00:55:39Soon, it crash lands on the surface.

00:55:42Luckily, your spacecraft is sturdy enough to stay intact.

00:55:46So you pull on your spacesuit and crawl outside.

00:55:50Right in front of you, there's something you've never seen before.

00:55:54Incredible nature, unbelievable colors, and a bizarre mountain-like thing.

00:55:59And suddenly, it spews out a column of boiling water.

00:56:03You shake your head, ah, this vivid imagination of yours.

00:56:07You're actually in Nevada, looking at Fly Ranch Geyser.

00:56:11Don't get disappointed, it's still marvelous.

00:56:14The geyser appeared in the 1960s when a geothermal power company drilled a hole.

00:56:20This allowed the groundwater to escape.

00:56:23And the colors, similar to those you can see in Yellowstone National Park, all because

00:56:28of algae.

00:56:30Speaking of Yellowstone, that's another place that looks as if it's been imported from another

00:56:34galaxy.

00:56:35On an area bigger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined, there are more

00:56:40than 10,000 hydrothermal features, 500 geysers, and incredible waterfalls.

00:56:48Singi De Bemaraha, Madagascar.

00:56:51Now here's the place where you can easily imagine meeting some ancient animals.

00:56:55You can almost see them, hiding somewhere among the pointy rocks, going up to 330 feet.

00:57:02Half of this national park is covered in forest, and the other half is rocky, formed by the

00:57:08erosion of water.

00:57:10The place is home to many animals, like chameleons, iguanas, frogs, and lots of different lemur

00:57:16species.

00:57:18Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland.

00:57:21On your quest for the extraterrestrial wonders of our planet, don't forget to drop by Iceland.

00:57:27There, you'll find the biggest glacier in all of Europe.

00:57:30In some places, the ice can be more than 3,000 feet thick.

00:57:35Vatnajökull has 30 outlet glaciers ready to be explored.

00:57:39Those are channels of ice that once flew out of an ice cap, but remain stuck within the

00:57:44borders of the valley.

00:57:46As for famous Icelandic ice caves, they're formed when meltwater runs through a glacier

00:57:51trying to get to the surface.

00:57:53This usually happens in the summer, when temperatures are higher and the water flow is more turbulent.

00:57:59When the temperatures go down, the water freezes.

00:58:03That's how the caves are shaped.

00:58:06Staffa, Scotland, UK.

00:58:09Staffa is an uninhabited island that looks like a place from a different planet.

00:58:14Once you see it, you can't shake off the feeling it hides plenty of secrets.

00:58:19In reality, though, it's a calm spot almost completely taken over by seabirds and seals.

00:58:25Even so, no one can argue that the incredible rock columns give this place a unique and

00:58:30mysterious look.

00:58:32It's always encouraged local people to spread legends about the unusual cave.

00:58:37The columns themselves formed millions of years ago, mostly because of volcanic eruptions.

00:58:44Glowworm Caves in New Zealand.

00:58:47Imagine finding an entrance to a magical cave.

00:58:50You row your boat, eager to sneak a peek inside, and get rewarded with one of the most beautiful

00:58:56views ever.

00:58:58You see a closed cave that looks as if it's under a magnificent starry sky.

00:59:03You don't need to travel all the way around the Milky Way to find something like that.

00:59:08Glowworm Caves in New Zealand are there for you.

00:59:11The caves started forming millions of years ago, and now they have an impressive collection

00:59:16of stalagmites and stalactites.

00:59:19But what makes them really special is glowworms.

00:59:22The caves are home to thousands and thousands of luminescent larvae.

00:59:27Worms need to attract insects and potential partners.

00:59:30To do that, they use their tails that glow in the dark.

00:59:35There are lots of caves like this in the area, and people have been exploring them for over

00:59:39100 years.

00:59:42Wuling Yang Scenic Area, Zhangjiajie, China.

00:59:47This amazing place has breathtaking sceneries and more than 3,000 sandstone pillars.

00:59:53They look as if nature decided to make its own version of skyscrapers.

00:59:58Some of them are half as tall as the Empire State Building.

01:00:01Usually, you can't even figure out where the pillars start.

01:00:05All you see when you try to make out what's there at the bottom is endless mist.

01:00:10Two natural stone bridges seem to be floating among the pillars, lost in the clouds.

01:00:17The Eye of the Sahara.

01:00:19That's a mystery that's remained hidden for millennia.

01:00:22This geologic formation is difficult to spot when you're standing on the ground.

01:00:27That's why it wasn't discovered until people started to explore space.

01:00:32For some time, scientists thought it was an impact crater created by some space object

01:00:37hitting Earth's surface.

01:00:39But after doing the research, they found out the origin of the eye was entirely Earth-based.

01:00:46These days, geologists believe the eye's formation started over 100 million years ago, when plate

01:00:52tectonics were pulling apart the supercontinent Pangaea.

01:00:56Molten rock, which was rising toward the surface, created a massive dome made up of

01:01:02different layers.

01:01:03Later on, volcanic activity and erosion finished the eye's look.

01:01:10Baikal Lake, Russia.

01:01:13The deepest, the oldest, and one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world is bound to

01:01:18have some secrets of its own.

01:01:20The lake is frozen from early January to May.

01:01:23In the summer, the water is so clear you can see up to 130 feet down.

01:01:29That's because melted ice from the Siberian mountains is incredibly pure.

01:01:34There are also no mineral salts in Baikal.

01:01:38Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

01:01:41It's one of the most extreme places in South America.

01:01:45The world's biggest salt flat stretches for over 4,000 square miles.

01:01:50It appeared when prehistoric lakes evaporated thousands of years ago.

01:01:55A thick, salty crust extends beyond the horizon.

01:01:59At one point, you're not even sure where the land ends and the sky begins.

01:02:05The Atacama Desert, Chile.

01:02:08The world's driest desert is all about rocky landscapes, salt lakes, dunes, and extreme

01:02:14temperatures.

01:02:15In some parts of the desert, there's been no rain for almost 500 years.

01:02:21With no water or nutrients from the ground, there are no plants.

01:02:25That's one of the reasons why you might feel as if you're on another planet, like Mars.

01:02:30But wait for the night to fall.

01:02:32An infinite sky full of stars looks like a window to the universe and its mysteries.

01:02:40In the northeast of Thailand, a family of enormous stone whales swim through a forest.

01:02:46These aren't real whales, of course.

01:02:48They're actually a part of a 75-million-year-old rock formation.

01:02:52A long time ago, this part of Thailand was just a desert.

01:02:56The movements of the Earth's crust push sandstone up to create these fascinating mountains.

01:03:02Reachable by anyone willing to spend a day hiking up the network of trails, this landmark

01:03:07is becoming increasingly popular with tourists.

01:03:10Once you reach the back of one of the whales and look down on the endless sea of green

01:03:14below, you'll know why.

01:03:17On these hikes, you'll find waterfalls, a wide variety of exotic plants and animals,

01:03:23and from the very top, you can even look straight across to the neighboring country of Laos.

01:03:28Their shapes look just like whales swimming together.

01:03:31No wonder this place is called Three Whale Rocks.

01:03:35Get away to see Thailand on the back of a giant stone whale!

01:03:40While digging in a Canadian mine in March 2011, a worker made a shocking discovery.

01:03:46They found a nearly perfectly preserved nodosaur specimen.

01:03:50This extinct dinosaur weighed in at around 3,000 pounds and grew to 18 feet.

01:03:56Despite being over 110 million years old, the nodosaur was so well-preserved that you

01:04:02can clearly see the heavy body armor and scaly skin that covered it.

01:04:07It took almost an entire year of painstaking work to uncover the incredible find.

01:04:13The fossil was finally unveiled in a Canadian museum in 2017.

01:04:18Unexpectedly, analysis of the skin showed shading that the nodosaur may have been capable

01:04:24of camouflage, like modern-day geckos and moths.

01:04:28This is in addition to the spines and scales that already make it a walking tank.

01:04:34Still being studied today, this nodosaur could go down as one of the most important fossils

01:04:40discovered in a long time.

01:04:42Its detail could help us to uncover even more of the mysteries of the past.

01:04:47The Voynich Manuscript is the world's most mysterious document.

01:04:52Since its discovery in 1912, the manuscript has been a complete mystery to everyone that

01:04:57comes across it.

01:04:59It is heavily illustrated with strange pictures of alien plants, unknown objects, and the

01:05:04zodiac symbols.

01:05:06But the most interesting aspect of it is the writing.

01:05:09The language used in the text is completely indecipherable.

01:05:13No one knows what it says, who wrote it, or where it was written.

01:05:18We don't even know if it was a real, functional language or if it was just created for this

01:05:23one text.

01:05:24The drawings of different plants are equally intriguing.

01:05:28Most of the plants in the manuscript are identifiable as plants, but they don't match up with

01:05:33any known species.

01:05:34A professor of applied linguistics in England claimed to have deciphered some of the characters

01:05:40in the book.

01:05:41But we haven't managed to uncover any more information about this mysterious text.

01:05:47If you're ever going to head down under, don't forget to pay a visit to the mystery

01:05:51craters in Queensland.

01:05:53Halfway between Bundaberg and Gingin is one of Australia's most baffling finds, and

01:06:00that's saying quite a lot for us.

01:06:02In 1971, the site belonged to a farmer growing zucchini and potatoes.

01:06:08As the farmer tried to expand his farm, he kept hitting large rocks in the fields while

01:06:13plowing.

01:06:14When he took a closer look at the rocks in his way, he found marine fossils and some

01:06:19strange craters.

01:06:21The farmer passed his finds on to geology professors, who set out to research the formations.

01:06:27When the geologists began digging around the area, they uncovered a huge layer of sandstone

01:06:33and ochre stain that was completely covered with craters.

01:06:37There were 35 craters in total, and the layer of rock is estimated to be around 25 million

01:06:43years old.

01:06:44The scientists studying this mystery believe that hot springs, former ocean activity, and

01:06:50meteors are the prime suspects behind the craters.

01:06:54And I'd like to know about the characters who named those towns Bundaberg and Gingin.

01:07:00What fun names!

01:07:02Now the Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient computer of sorts that's still baffling scientists

01:07:08with its extraordinary design.

01:07:11Around 2,000 years ago, a Greek ship sank off the coast of the island of Antikythera.

01:07:17The wreckage was discovered in 1900, and divers salvaged some of its ancient artifacts.

01:07:23When archaeologists started sorting out the discoveries from the wreckage, they came across

01:07:28an object that didn't seem to fit with anything else.

01:07:31The wreckage was ancient, but they found an incredible device that seemed far too technologically

01:07:37advanced.

01:07:39The machine functioned as a calculator, allowing its user to follow time, the movement of stars,

01:07:45eclipses, moon phases, and even countdowns to events like the Olympics with amazing precision.

01:07:52This level of technology is almost impossible to explain coming from an ancient Greek wreckage.

01:07:58No mechanism would come close to the machine until the 14th century when geared clocks

01:08:04began to be built in Europe.

01:08:06How was the device created so long ago, 1,400 years before its time?

01:08:12Could the sinking of the Antikythera and the loss of the calculator have held the development

01:08:17of technology back by hundreds of years?

01:08:21Meanwhile, the Caucasus Mountains near the Black Sea are one of the few areas of Europe

01:08:27that haven't experienced much human impact, even though most white-skinned people in the

01:08:32world are referred to as Caucasians.

01:08:36Despite this, archaeologists have found many ancient megalithic structures in the area.

01:08:42The house-like structures, known as dolmens, contain jewelry, bronze tools, and assorted

01:08:48pottery.

01:08:50Archaeologists don't know who built them, why they built them, or what their true purpose

01:08:54is.

01:08:55The stones were either two stones held together by a large stone as a roof, or smaller stones

01:09:01stacked as walls with a hole only on one side.

01:09:05There have even been stone plugs found that to seal whatever is inside.

01:09:10What's even stranger about these stone formations is that they aren't just found in the Caucasus.

01:09:15They're found all over the planet, in Australia, South Korea, Colombia, Africa, and even France.

01:09:23Their purpose is unknown, so all scientists can do is speculate.

01:09:29The discovery of the tomb of the first emperor of China in 1974 is well-documented.

01:09:35Who could forget the finding of 8,000 terracotta warriors protecting the entrance?

01:09:41Most of the statues are warriors, each with their own unique facial expressions.

01:09:46There are even full-size terracotta horses and chariots too, just for extra protection.

01:09:52What isn't well-known is that some areas of the tomb haven't ever been entered yet.

01:09:58Archaeologists are very reluctant to open the site because the whole area is unstable.

01:10:03There might be something amazing inside, but no one wants to risk losing an amazing

01:10:08piece of history.

01:10:09Eventually, researchers will send tiny robots into the unopened tombs to give a better idea

01:10:16of what's inside.

01:10:18Until then, archaeologists have to wait a little bit longer for the secrets.

01:10:23In southern Costa Rica, people have discovered a collection of mysterious stone spheres.

01:10:29There are over 300 scattered around the landscape, and some are almost 7 feet across.

01:10:35No one knows their purpose or how they were produced.

01:10:39One thing we do know is the material they were made from – gabbro, a volcanic rock.

01:10:45Carving the stones into their perfect spherical shapes would've taken a lot of time and

01:10:50effort.

01:10:51Researchers think they might've been made by a now-extinct group, using barely any tools.

01:10:57The best theory is that they used small stones to chisel away at the edges of boulders before

01:11:02using sand to smooth the sides.

01:11:05Some think that they may have an astronomical purpose, or even used as markers to point

01:11:10the way towards something.

01:11:12But no one knows anymore.

01:11:14Their significance is lost with the civilization that created them.

01:11:19Off the southern tip of Japan, and 75 miles from Taiwan, lies the Yanaguni Formation.

01:11:26A local diver first noticed these formations in 1986 while searching for new dive sites

01:11:32to take tourists.

01:11:34Seeing the large steps that resemble the pyramid, he thought he'd discovered an underwater

01:11:39city.

01:11:40Some archaeologists believe that the structures could've been signs of a fabled Pacific

01:11:45civilization like Atlantis that vanished beneath the waves thousands of years ago.

01:11:51There are also reports of marks in the stone, suggesting quarry work.

01:11:56Some people even claim that there were faded images of humans and animals carved into the

01:12:00stone.

01:12:01None of this is backed with much evidence, though.

01:12:05Most experts believe that the formation is natural, and the symmetry of the rocks has

01:12:09been overstated.

01:12:10They are not as straight as reported, and it appears to be solid natural rock rather

01:12:16than carved blocks.

01:12:17In other words, the resemblance to a sunken civilization is just a coincidence.

01:12:23In Turkey, archaeologists believe they might've found the oldest known architecture in the

01:12:28world, over 10,000 years old, according to experts.

01:12:33Found in an area that used to be home to ancient farming communities, these monoliths, which

01:12:38stood up to 18 feet high, were likely used for social events and rituals.

01:12:44Not much is known about them, though.

01:12:46These large stone structures seem to be human-shaped, with images of animals carved into them.

01:12:52Nearby, researchers have found signs of domestic housing, suggesting that these amazing monuments

01:12:58might've signaled the start of the move towards modern civilization.

01:13:03The Khembaya Artifacts are some of the most interesting artifacts ever found.

01:13:08The most curious thing about them is how closely they seem to resemble modern airplanes.

01:13:14They're so aerodynamic that modern scientists believe they might even be able to be used

01:13:20as blueprints for a functioning aircraft.

01:13:23In 1994, two aeronautical engineers created larger-scale models of these artifacts.

01:13:29They proved that the designs fly, with a little help from modern engines.

01:13:34What's really astonishing is that these objects are possibly thousands of years older than

01:13:39the first airplane by the Wright brothers.

01:13:42Just another one of our world's fascinating mysteries!

01:13:47You plan to spend your summer vacation in Africa.

01:13:50The final destination is the Sahara Desert.

01:13:53It's located in northern Africa, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

01:13:57You're excited to ride camels and learn about the region's rich cultures.

01:14:02You hop on an extensively long flight, and finally, you are here.

01:14:06You find yourself in the world's biggest hot desert – can you believe it's 3 million

01:14:11square miles?

01:14:13You're ready for your first adventure after drinking liters of ice-cold water.

01:14:17The guide gives you a choice.

01:14:19You can spend two weeks visiting a collection of oases, or you can help them solve an ongoing

01:14:24local mystery.

01:14:27Deep into the desert, near this Algerian town, lies a mystery begging to be solved.

01:14:32A collection of huge, spotted circles in the sand.

01:14:36There are dozens of them, stretching for miles in a straight line.

01:14:40The circles were first identified via Google Earth images several years ago.

01:14:45People have debated them for years, but no one seems to know the answer.

01:14:49The strange thing is that they are so many miles away from any towns, roads, or human

01:14:54activity.

01:14:55The quickest way to discover the truth behind the circles is… asking questions.

01:15:01You grab your notebook and set out to talk to locals.

01:15:04Information is helpful in this scenario – geographers, anthropologists, elders, and historians.

01:15:10The first person you talk to is a map expert.

01:15:13You need to understand if those circles were authentic or a satellite glitch.

01:15:17You end up interviewing the people who take Google Earth satellite pictures.

01:15:21The circles are really there – they appear in multiple pictures from many years.

01:15:27Then let's understand why they are there in the first place.

01:15:31After two days of interviews, you have your first lead.

01:15:34The circles could be the result of oil activity.

01:15:37Experts explained why this would make sense.

01:15:41Algeria is a rich area for natural resources, so this would be a sensible guess.

01:15:46Usually, to find out if there is anything worth extracting, companies would undertake

01:15:51seismic surveys.

01:15:53Seismic surveys are a way of analyzing the Earth's surface by sending shockwaves into

01:15:57the ground.

01:15:58Depending on how these waves bounce back, you'll know what is located there.

01:16:03A special vehicle could've marked the soil that way.

01:16:06So did we unravel the mystery?

01:16:09Not quite so.

01:16:11As you know, the Sahara Desert is one of the driest areas on the planet.

01:16:15The average high temperatures in summer are over 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:16:20To survive there, people need to find ways of accessing water.

01:16:24So these circles could be a kind of ruin or leftovers from ancient water wells.

01:16:29Again, I'd say this is a sensible guess.

01:16:33Ready for some fact-checking?

01:16:35Some anthropologists agree that these circles could be ancient Fogueras.

01:16:39Foguera is the name of a 2,500-year-old style of irrigation system, usually found in Northern

01:16:45Africa.

01:16:46It is also known as a canot in other places in Northern Africa.

01:16:52People would dig a deep well at an elevated point, deep enough to tap into underground

01:16:57water.

01:16:58They would then dig parallel shafts at regular distances.

01:17:02Then they would dig an underground channel that connected the city to the well.

01:17:06Solely with the help of gravity, water would run from the well to the city.

01:17:11This traditional technology provided water for crops, livestock, and humans.

01:17:17Now let's say these wells made human-made oases possible.

01:17:21And the closest municipality name was an indication that this could be true.

01:17:25The name Fogueret-Esaouya is actually named after Foguerets, these ancient wells.

01:17:32Now this lead was proving to be very accurate.

01:17:35You decide to travel over there to see for yourself.

01:17:38You take a local bus, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

01:17:42The landscape in Northern Algeria is filled with ancient-looking towns.

01:17:47You even see ruins of wells along the way, on the outskirts of smaller cities.

01:17:51Opening Google's satellite images, you can see the canots' markings on the ground – a

01:17:56series of holes running down several miles.

01:18:00But as soon as you arrive, you find out you were wrong.

01:18:04Dale Lightfoot, one of the world's leading experts on canots, said that the circles were

01:18:08definitely not canots.

01:18:11Even the satellite images confirm this difference.

01:18:13Uh-oh.

01:18:14We were so close!

01:18:16Apparently, canots or foguerets would not run down a straight line.

01:18:21They wouldn't be shaped like circles.

01:18:23Another clue that this wasn't the case was that there were no towns at the end.

01:18:28The circles were really far away from any human activity, and canots were explicitly

01:18:32built to provide water for human settlements.

01:18:35Well, it sure was a good try.

01:18:38You almost gave up on this mystery when you decided to take one more field trip.

01:18:44It was days of preparation – pick-up cars, food, equipment – all so that the mystery

01:18:48of the Sahara Circles could be unraveled.

01:18:51On the first day, you drove over 99 miles into the desert.

01:18:55You were always curious to see what this part of the world looked like.

01:18:59Over there, you see nothing but mustard-yellow dunes.

01:19:03The night sky is pretty decent, though.

01:19:05You can see the entire Milky Way with your own eyes.

01:19:08You set up camp and sleep under a canopy of stars.

01:19:12The next day, tension grows.

01:19:14There's no cell reception, oh dear.

01:19:17But thankfully, you added the coordinates of the circles to your Google map.

01:19:21And surprise, the offline mode works out there!

01:19:25You follow the coordinates, but it leads you astray.

01:19:29You start to get nervous, thinking this was all in vain.

01:19:32But you and the team get into the car and drive a few more miles past the coordinates

01:19:37on your phone.

01:19:38After a very bumpy ride, you can't believe your eyes.

01:19:42There it is!

01:19:43An enormous crater dug on the sand, surrounded by 12 smaller holes.

01:19:49From up high, it looks like a clock.

01:19:51Without the pointers, of course.

01:19:53On the ground, they're very faint.

01:19:55So faint, you almost miss them.

01:19:58Searching the area, you notice all the holes had something similar – metal wires.

01:20:04Thin wires that you can pull from the ground.

01:20:06You're buried deep, so you start digging.

01:20:09An object starts to reveal itself.

01:20:12Uh-oh, it looks like old dynamite.

01:20:15This certainly surprises you.

01:20:17Um, better stop digging to avoid any accidents.

01:20:21At the end of the survey, you feel satisfied, but still curious.

01:20:25What could all this dynamite mean?

01:20:27And who put it there?

01:20:28What comes next is the turning point of your adventure.

01:20:32Walking back to the car, you see something shining on the ground.

01:20:36You approach the item with curiosity.

01:20:38It's round and rusty, and looks like… a sardine can?

01:20:43What's that doing here?

01:20:45Could this give you more clues about the circle's mystery?

01:20:48Just in case, you pick it up and put it in the car.

01:20:52Back in the city, the puzzle pieces start to reveal the story behind the Sahara Circles.

01:20:57You bring photos and the sardine can, and show them to local experts.

01:21:01They analyze your material and give you an intriguing verdict.

01:21:06As it turns out, guess number one was the closest one to the truth.

01:21:10So what happened to the first guess?

01:21:13Why do we need to keep digging deeper?

01:21:15Well, because it was only half right.

01:21:19The Sahara Circles are not a historical footprint of seismic surveying.

01:21:23Back when the circles were made, this technology didn't even exist.

01:21:27But they sure are related to oil exploration.

01:21:31The dynamite-filled holes were an old method for oil searching.

01:21:35The circles are the leftovers of surveyors looking for resources underground.

01:21:39And the sardine cans?

01:21:40Well, they were left by the workers who held explosion works.

01:21:44You gotta eat, right?

01:21:46According to the model of the can, this happened more or less around the 1950s and 1960s.

01:21:52So these circles aren't even that ancient.

01:21:55More like modern ones, if you ask me.

01:21:57Well, well, well, hope you are glad you tagged along and helped unravel this mystery.

01:22:03See you in the next mystery-solving adventure!

01:22:06Now the first rule is not to panic, the guy says.

01:22:10He gives Michael a thick suit.

01:22:12The weather is hot here, and the outfit seems very warm.

01:22:16You can't go without it, he adds.

01:22:19Michael puts on the outfit and feels goosebumps all over his body.

01:22:22Why is it so cold?

01:22:24The guide explains this is a unique cooling cloth.

01:22:27It'll save Michael from heat stroke inside the cave.

01:22:30The guide gives him an oxygen tank and a mask.

01:22:34Are we gonna dive?

01:22:35Michael asks.

01:22:36No, but your lungs may fill up with water if you don't use it.

01:22:41Michael's knees are shaking with fear.

01:22:43He doubts this whole idea.

01:22:45Welcome to one of the most dangerous caves on the planet, the guy says as he enters the

01:22:50dark space at the foot of a mountain.

01:22:53This place is called Crystal Cave, and it's located in Mexico.

01:22:57Magma had leaked here from the hot bowels of our planet 26 million years ago.

01:23:02It was coming and cooling down again and again.

01:23:05There was so much magma that it formed a mountain.

01:23:09Along with magma, mineral-rich water got here.

01:23:12It had been seeping through the rock tunnels and had formed a cave under the hill.

01:23:16Then something strange appeared in these hot waters.

01:23:20Something that seems to be from another planet.

01:23:23Michael is going down the rope.

01:23:25He illuminates the bottomless darkness with a flashlight.

01:23:28The air becomes hot and heavy.

01:23:32Microscopic particles of water are hovering here.

01:23:35Along with the guide, Michael descends to 980 feet.

01:23:38This is more than half of the Empire State Building's height.

01:23:42The air temperature goes up.

01:23:44It feels as if they were approaching the Earth's core.

01:23:47Finally, the descent ends, and they jump on solid ground.

01:23:52The guy puts on an oxygen mask and tells Michael to do the same.

01:23:55He can't breathe in such moist and acidic air.

01:23:59The lungs can fill with water, which will lead to disastrous consequences.

01:24:03The air here feels to Michael as if he's walking through a very thick fog.

01:24:08The temperature rises up to 136 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:24:11It's higher than in the world's most hot deserts.

01:24:15Michael lights his way and notices something big, white, and shiny.

01:24:20It's a huge crystal beam sticking out of the ground that's reaching up.

01:24:24The whole cave is filled with these huge things.

01:24:27They stretch in different directions and rest against the ceiling and the walls.

01:24:32Somewhere they block the path, and somewhere they are like bridges.

01:24:36Michael climbs onto one of the crystals and walks on it.

01:24:39The guide explains that each column is made of gypsum.

01:24:43You know this substance as it's used to produce building material, plasterboard.

01:24:48Michael touches the hard surface of one of them.

01:24:50It seems that some ancient civilization could have built it.

01:24:54The guide says that everything inside this cave is natural.

01:24:58For the first time, this place was discovered by two miners in the year 2000.

01:25:04Since then, scientists have managed to find out that some crystals are 500,000 years old.

01:25:10You can also find one of the largest natural crystals in the world here.

01:25:14This beam is about 36 feet long and weighs 55 tons.

01:25:19This place is filled with water rich in calcium sulfate.

01:25:23This element is capable of forming minerals.

01:25:26A colorless variety of gypsum prevails here.

01:25:29The water and warm air help form the crystals.

01:25:32Humidity and temperature haven't changed for centuries, so these columns continue to grow

01:25:37even now.

01:25:39This place is fascinating.

01:25:41Michael wants to stay here longer to explore the cave, but unfortunately, it's dangerous.

01:25:46They may get lost or slip on the gypsum rocks.

01:25:49Plus, they're running out of oxygen, so they have to climb back up.

01:25:53They come out of the cave and meet the police.

01:25:57It turns out that it's prohibited for tourists to enter the cave.

01:26:01Even scientists must get special permission to go here.

01:26:04And it's for a good reason, since the cave is one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

01:26:09Michael and the guide pay a fine and leave Mexico.

01:26:13The next stop is Italy.

01:26:15It's a good thing you've taken a good camera with you, the guide says.

01:26:19This is one of the most fascinating caves in the world.

01:26:23You'd need the best equipment to capture this beauty.

01:26:26Michael and the guide are on a small boat.

01:26:29They sail along the coast of the island of Capri, Italy.

01:26:33Luckily, there won't be any danger this time.

01:26:35They are approaching a small rift inside the mountain.

01:26:39This is the entrance to the Blue Grotto.

01:26:42The hole is so tiny that only one boat can pass through it.

01:26:46Michael and the guide get into another dimension.

01:26:49The cave is filled with water.

01:26:51The walls are shining with blue light coming from the lake's depths.

01:26:55Michael takes pictures of the cave and notices that the entrance they got through glows with

01:27:00a bright white light.

01:27:02It's the sun's rays illuminating the cave as they enter it.

01:27:06There's another hole under the water.

01:27:08The sunlight penetrates through it, filling the lake with a blue glow.

01:27:13But it's time to move on.

01:27:15The next cave is in New Zealand.

01:27:17They arrive to the North Island.

01:27:19There's a place deep underground with winding, intricate caves.

01:27:23They appeared here about 30 billion years ago.

01:27:27Michael and the guide approach the entrance to the dark cave.

01:27:30Michael turns on a flashlight.

01:27:32Take it away, the guy says.

01:27:34You won't need it inside.

01:27:36They come in.

01:27:37Michael opens his mouth in surprise.

01:27:40The whole cave is filled with glowing lanterns.

01:27:43They are all living creatures – fireflies.

01:27:46They're shining with a blue light.

01:27:49Michael feels like he's on another planet.

01:27:52The entrance to the cave is limited to not harm the fireflies.

01:27:56Scientists use automated equipment to monitor the cave.

01:28:00They watch the temperature and the level of carbon dioxide necessary to maintain the life

01:28:04of glowing beetles.

01:28:06If many people get here, the level of carbon dioxide will increase.

01:28:11The time for a visit is also limited, so they ask Michael and the guide to leave the place.

01:28:17Now we're gonna see something creepy, the guide says.

01:28:20Are you ready?

01:28:22And the next stop is California.

01:28:25The place is called Moaning Caverns.

01:28:27The cave seems quite ordinary from the outside, but the guide looks a little nervous and scared.

01:28:34They attach the rope to the belt and begin the long descent.

01:28:37The bottom is 165 feet deep.

01:28:40It's the height of a 15-story building.

01:28:43It seems not so big compared to the crystal cave.

01:28:47As Michael is going lower, it's getting cold and dark.

01:28:50At this point, all sounds from above disappear.

01:28:54They slowly sink into an ominous silence.

01:28:58What is it?

01:28:59Michael asks, startled.

01:29:00I think I've heard someone's voice downstairs.

01:29:04The guide touches his lips with his finger to keep Michael silent.

01:29:08A long, prolonged human moan is coming from the dark cave depths.

01:29:13In the first seconds, Michael freezes.

01:29:16Then he quickly climbs up along the rope.

01:29:18The guide laughs at him.

01:29:20They hear another moan.

01:29:22Michael gets out of the cave and pulls the guide's rope to get him out.

01:29:26The guide says this is one of the creepiest caves in the world.

01:29:30The air and wind circulate deep inside and create a sound similar to a moan.

01:29:36Tourists often go down there to tickle their nerves.

01:29:39Also, they've found about 100 skeletons of ancient people at the bottom of the cave.

01:29:44And no one knows how they got there.

01:29:47Michael doesn't want to go back inside the cave.

01:29:50He asks the guide to tell him how caves form.

01:29:53It turns out that it all starts when the ground absorbs acid rain consisting of water and

01:29:58carbon dioxide.

01:30:00The liquid penetrates through the soil and comes into contact with hard rock surfaces.

01:30:06When water touches limestone or dolomite, it dissolves them and helps to form an empty

01:30:11space.

01:30:12Every year there's more and more space around.

01:30:15The rain continues to fall and accumulate in this open area.

01:30:19Then the water forms a stream or an underground river.

01:30:23After that, the erosion of hard rocks begins.

01:30:26Thousands of years later, there's enough space to fit a human here.

01:30:30Then this space becomes a cave.

01:30:33When erosion combines with stalactites and stalagmites, it forms chambers and impressive

01:30:38columns.

01:30:39By the way, here's the difference between stalactites and stalagmites.

01:30:45Stalactites hang from the ceiling.

01:30:47Stalagmites stick out of the ground.

01:30:49It takes about a million years to develop such underground landscapes.

01:30:53So every time you walk in these places, you come into contact with the ancient past of

01:30:59our planet.

01:31:02You know, there are many doors all around the world that have no keys.

01:31:06Maybe you can guess how to open them.

01:31:09The first destination is…

01:31:10Ok, read this, and good luck to you.

01:31:12It's a temple in India.

01:31:14The temple's name comes from this other really long word, which can be translated

01:31:19as the one emerging from the lotus.

01:31:22This temple is one of India's most popular and sacred places.

01:31:25It's one of 108 temples of this word.

01:31:28It dates way back.

01:31:29It was mentioned in Tamil literature in the 6th century.

01:31:33Flash forward to our time.

01:31:34In 2011, the Indian Supreme Court decided to document the valuables of the temple, because

01:31:40they had been informed that the place might have been misused.

01:31:44To do so, they had to open the doors that had been closed for centuries.

01:31:49The committee went to the temple and discovered 6 huge, secret vaults that held unbelievable

01:31:54treasures.

01:31:56After the chamber doors opened, they found at least $22 billion worth of golden idols,

01:32:02necklaces, and coins.

01:32:04The officials also discovered ceremonial costumes and gold coconut shells with jewels.

01:32:10Plus, they saw large diamonds.

01:32:12Without our understanding of large, though, some of these precious stones were as large

01:32:17as 110 carats!

01:32:19To put it in perspective, a small solid gold statue from the collection could be worth

01:32:24around $30 million.

01:32:27After this fairy-tale-ish treasure had been discovered, the temple got equipped with metal

01:32:31detectors, cameras, and other safety precautions before the first visitors started to arrive.

01:32:37Now there are a lot of security guards at the temple, but are they protecting the treasure,

01:32:43or is there something more mysterious hiding behind its doors?

01:32:47The temple has 6 chambers, and the valuables are kept there.

01:32:51These rooms are named Chambers A through F. The expedition committee opened 5 of these

01:32:56vaults with significant effort.

01:32:59But the most bizarre thing is that, despite all the efforts involving existing tech, the

01:33:04mysterious Chamber B still wouldn't open.

01:33:08On the side of the door, two carved cobras are welcoming you.

01:33:12The door works as a gate.

01:33:14You can easily see it with the unaided eye, just like the doors leading to other chambers.

01:33:19Surprise!

01:33:20Experts discovered two more doors behind the first one.

01:33:24The second door is wooden, and the last one is made of iron.

01:33:28Strangely, the last door was sealed.

01:33:30It also doesn't have any means of entry.

01:33:33No bolts, handles, latches, or anything else.

01:33:36To this day, no one knows what's inside Chamber B.

01:33:41Believers say that opening the door against its will can release into the world unnameable

01:33:47things.

01:33:48Others say that Chamber B may hide a tunnel.

01:33:51It might not be related to the reasons above, but the High Court of India warned against

01:33:56opening the doors of Chamber B.

01:33:59In 2010, David Crespi, a French engineer, visited Machu Picchu.

01:34:05He discovered a strange door in one of the main buildings.

01:34:08The door was in a narrow path neither tourists nor archaeologists use very often.

01:34:14David believed that the place was an entrance the Incas had sealed for some reason.

01:34:19He contacted archaeologists and authorities right away.

01:34:22They promised him to start investigating the area in the near future and let him know about

01:34:27his potential discovery.

01:34:29Well, months passed, but he didn't get any news.

01:34:32No response to his emails and calls.

01:34:35In 2011, he found an article by Terry Jameen about Peru.

01:34:39David reached out to him in no time.

01:34:42He described his finding to Jameen.

01:34:44After that, Jameen and other archaeologists went to Machu Picchu to investigate the secret

01:34:49door.

01:34:50They concluded that this door was indeed an entrance sealed by the Incas.

01:34:55The researchers confirmed the existence of two entrances found behind the famous door.

01:35:00They also got the 3D representation of a staircase leading to the main room and another chamber.

01:35:06The analysis also revealed several cavities, among which there was a vast quadrangular

01:35:12room.

01:35:13Plus, geo-radars detected some metals – those might be golden and silver objects.

01:35:18Jameen and his team thought this place was a chamber of pre-Hispanic times.

01:35:23They believed the door had been sealed by the Incas to hide something important – maybe

01:35:27an enormous treasure or something no less precious.

01:35:31Jameen also claimed that finding this chamber could lead to the discovery of a mausoleum.

01:35:37Jameen submitted an official request to the Peruvian authorities for permission to open

01:35:42the chambers.

01:35:43Yet, neither his application nor requests of other archaeologists have been approved

01:35:48so far.

01:35:49Authorities claim that opening this door could cause damage on the other sides of the

01:35:54archaeological site.

01:35:55Yet, the use of an endoscopic camera has confirmed the hypothesis that the stone blocks at the

01:36:01entrance are only there to close the passage – they are not there to support the internal

01:36:06structures of the building.

01:36:08The third mystery is in Giza, Egypt.

01:36:12Explorers uncovered two secret doors inside the Great Pyramid.

01:36:16There are two tunnels, each around 8 inches wide, that go from the north and south walls

01:36:21of the Queen's Chamber.

01:36:23But the tunnels are closed by stone blocks before they reach the outside of the pyramid.

01:36:28So where are they leading to?

01:36:31No one really knows the true purpose of these tunnels.

01:36:34Some archaeologists think these doors might be hiding a yet undiscovered chamber.

01:36:39Egyptologist Zahi Hawass explained how these doors were first found.

01:36:44A robot designed for this expedition was sent inside the shafts of the Queen's Chamber

01:36:49to find out what was there.

01:36:51The research team attached a camera to the robot.

01:36:54The footage revealed that behind the stone door, there was another sealed door.

01:36:59The archaeologists were thrilled to see this door instead of just a dead end.

01:37:04The structure of the stone door blocks the other doors perfectly.

01:37:08Experts think it's an incredible bit of engineering.

01:37:11Now, it's not possible to reach the door because it's behind a huge stone block.

01:37:16But archaeologists are trying to find a way to get there without damaging other parts

01:37:21of the structure.

01:37:23These new discoveries have only raised more questions instead of answering the already

01:37:27existing ones.

01:37:29Secrets are still waiting to be revealed.

01:37:32Our final stop is the Taj Mahal, a monument to love.

01:37:36Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan made this memorial to honor the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz

01:37:42Mahal.

01:37:43The total number of doors in the Taj Mahal is so great, this video would be days long

01:37:49if we started talking about all the sealed rooms.

01:37:52Experts think that if someone opened these doors after they'd been closed for so long,

01:37:57it'd release carbon monoxide.

01:37:59And when this gas meets the marble, it forms calcium carbonate.

01:38:03That's why this could lead to the appearance of cracks in the minarets of the Taj Mahal.

01:38:08Also, a legend says that if these doors get opened, a dreadful curse will be unleashed

01:38:14from the mausoleum's underground chambers.

01:38:18And here's a bonus from Canada!

01:38:20The door of room 873.

01:38:22This is a room at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, which opened in 1888.

01:38:28The story goes like this.

01:38:30Decades ago, someone committed a crime in this room.

01:38:34After the investigation, the hotel administration refurbished the room and rented it out to

01:38:39other travelers.

01:38:40But rumor has it, other guests who stayed in the room later also faced unpleasant situations.

01:38:47They reported hearing strange noises.

01:38:50The TV in the room kept flickering.

01:38:52It's guessed that the door of room 873 was sealed with bricks.

01:38:57These guests who heard these mysterious stories wander along the corridor where the room used

01:39:02to be, and knock on the walls to contact potential ghosts.

01:39:06Well, which of these secret doors would you like to open?

01:39:10No one expected such a strong storm.

01:39:13It's too dangerous to sail back to the land because of high waves and winds.

01:39:17But suddenly, you notice a small green island nearby.

01:39:22You and your friend are about 25 miles off the coast of Brazil.

01:39:27You were fishing and didn't notice black clouds obscuring the blue sky.

01:39:32You're approaching the unknown island and see a Coast Guard boat behind you.

01:39:37People from there are screaming something to you, but you can't make out the words because

01:39:40of the thunder.

01:39:41They tell us we should stay away from that island, your friend says.

01:39:45Despite the warning, you still sail since there's no other way out.

01:39:50On the island, you notice sharp rocks sticking out of the water like knives in the dark.

01:39:55Now you realize what the Coast Guard warned about, but it's too late.

01:39:59Your boat hits a rock.

01:40:01The bottom is pierced.

01:40:02You start to sink.

01:40:04The rain and wind are getting stronger.

01:40:06Both of you fall overboard.

01:40:08Then darkness comes.

01:40:11You wake up in the morning because of the scorching sun and a dry mouth.

01:40:16Your friend and the wrecked boat are lying nearby.

01:40:20Apparently, you'll have to wait for rescuers to get out here.

01:40:24Now in the light of day, you can see how dangerous the island's coast is.

01:40:28It's surrounded by rocks, and you're lucky you've survived.

01:40:32Getting out of here will be difficult.

01:40:34Together with your companion, you decide to look for coconuts and bananas.

01:40:38Your friend goes to the wreckage and pulls out a bag of medicine.

01:40:42Then both of you leave the sandy beach and enter the dense jungle.

01:40:47A couple of steps later, you hear a strange hiss.

01:40:50You see your friend.

01:40:51His eyes are filled with horror.

01:40:53Goosebumps run down your back.

01:40:56You feel something alive crawling under your feet, and there's a lot of it.

01:41:01You look down and notice slithering snakes.

01:41:04There are dozens of them.

01:41:05They wrap around your legs, get into trees.

01:41:08They're everywhere.

01:41:10Don't move, your friend says.

01:41:13I think I know where we are.

01:41:14You want to ask him a question, but fear takes away your voice.

01:41:19He reads your face and answers the question.

01:41:21We're in one of the most dangerous places on Earth, the Brazilian Snake

01:41:26Island.

01:41:27These are not just some ordinary snakes.

01:41:29This is the golden lancehead, one of the most venomous reptiles

01:41:33in the world.

01:41:34You can find them nowhere else on the planet except for this land.

01:41:38They evolved here naturally, without other snake species intervention.

01:41:42That made their venom five times stronger

01:41:45than the venom of ordinary vipers.

01:41:47They're practically the only owners of this island.

01:41:50Nowhere else in the world will you find such a concentration

01:41:53of creeping reptiles on such a small piece of land.

01:41:57And now, they're glad that two big lunch meals have arrived.

01:42:01There's little chance of survival, but you're going to try.

01:42:05The first thing you need to do is get out of your stupor

01:42:08and find a thick stick.

01:42:09This is your best tool right now.

01:42:11If you encounter a venomous snake, the best you can do is retreat slowly.

01:42:16But this time, there are too many of them.

01:42:19They're aggressive and hungry.

01:42:20Together with your friend, you fight off the snakes with a stick.

01:42:24But there's more and more of them coming.

01:42:26One of them falls on your shoulder from a tree and bites your neck.

01:42:30The poison instantly enters your bloodstream and affects your muscles.

01:42:34It feels like your body is melting.

01:42:37It becomes difficult to move, and your neck swells.

01:42:40Your friend grabs you and carries you deep into the jungle.

01:42:43Here among the trees, you notice an old lighthouse.

01:42:46Yeah, this building really stands out here.

01:42:49Once a year, the Coast Guard visits it.

01:42:52Your friend breaks down the door and puts you on the floor.

01:42:55You're afraid you won't be able to survive the bite.

01:42:58Fortunately, your friend is a doctor.

01:43:01He injects the necessary medicine and saves your life.

01:43:04You have a few minutes to rest before more danger arises.

01:43:08Your friend tells you that the unique snakes appeared here

01:43:11thousands of years ago.

01:43:13This island was part of Brazil for a long time.

01:43:16Then, massive floods separated it from the continent.

01:43:19This part of the land was cut off from the whole world,

01:43:22which helped the formation of a unique ecosystem inside.

01:43:26Vipers that lived here evolved into golden lanceheads.

01:43:30They quickly became the main masters of the island

01:43:32and destroyed all the other animals.

01:43:35But how did they manage to survive without food?

01:43:37They cut off from the whole world.

01:43:39They did it thanks to nature and evolution.

01:43:42This island is a transit point for many birds.

01:43:45They stop here to rest during long flights.

01:43:48These birds become dinner for the snakes.

01:43:51Previously, a snake bite almost didn't harm the birds.

01:43:54They were frightened and flew away,

01:43:56leaving the snake without food.

01:43:58But over years of evolution,

01:44:00the island's owners have developed such a potent poison

01:44:03that one bite was enough for a bird to never take off again.

01:44:08There's also a legend that a pirate hid treasures here

01:44:11a long time ago.

01:44:12And so that no one would ever find it,

01:44:14he brought snakes to guard his gold.

01:44:17Of course, there's no chest with coins here,

01:44:19but the island is attractive for modern pirates, even today.

01:44:23Golden lancehead snakes are an expensive commodity,

01:44:26so bad people often visit this place to hunt the reptiles.

01:44:30That's why the coast guard

01:44:31is always on duty around the island.

01:44:33People are forbidden to visit this place.

01:44:36And even if someone manages to get past the guards,

01:44:39they will have to face the rocks.

01:44:41Only biologists and scientists have permission

01:44:43to study the local fauna.

01:44:45A necessary condition for a visit

01:44:47is a doctor's presence in the team

01:44:49so they can save people from the snake's poison.

01:44:52So we have pirates and hordes of poisonous snakes,

01:44:55but there's something else that makes the island even worse.

01:44:58At this moment, you hear rustling all over the building.

01:45:02Thousands of little paws are tapping on the walls and floor.

01:45:06You look around and see lots of giant cockroaches.

01:45:10Some of them are half the size of your palm.

01:45:13They crawl under your clothes.

01:45:14You and your friends scream in fear

01:45:16and run out of the lighthouse.

01:45:18Quickly, you reach the shore and fall into the water.

01:45:21It seems that not a single cockroach

01:45:23is left under your shirt, but that's not all.

01:45:27You hear a strange buzzing sound.

01:45:29You look around and see a dark cloud

01:45:31of flying beetles forming in the sky.

01:45:34It's locusts.

01:45:35Thousands of flying insects are heading in your direction.

01:45:39To avoid a collision, you dive under the water

01:45:41and wait for the cloud to pass by.

01:45:44You go up to the surface and move to the shore.

01:45:47Fortunately, there are almost no snakes here.

01:45:50You and your friend are afraid to approach the jungle

01:45:52and wait for several hours until rescuers arrive.

01:45:55You're nervously painting a pattern on the sand

01:45:58and make a promise that you'll never revisit this place.

01:46:02Finally, you see the lifeguard boat.

01:46:05You're trying to tell them you got here by accident.

01:46:07They believe you and evacuate you from the island.

01:46:10While you're sailing away, you think about

01:46:12what would happen if many poisonous snakes

01:46:15appeared in a village or a small town.

01:46:17It's difficult to imagine what kind of problems

01:46:20people would face, but in fact,

01:46:22there's no need to imagine anything.

01:46:24There is a place on the planet where locals

01:46:27live next to poisonous cobras,

01:46:29but it doesn't create any chaos.

01:46:31A human can live in peace and harmony

01:46:33with reptiles in that village.

01:46:35Welcome to Shetpal village in India.

01:46:38This place has a population of about 2,600

01:46:41and it's located in the jungle.

01:46:43It's hot here.

01:46:44Locals are friendly and responsive.

01:46:46If you go into one of the houses,

01:46:48you'll see something that seems impossible.

01:46:51The king cobra, whose venom is one of the most

01:46:54dangerous in the world, calmly crawls around furniture

01:46:57and eats eggs and meat that people give.

01:47:00There's even a special corner for the reptile

01:47:02to relax from the scorching sun,

01:47:04drink water and have a snack.

01:47:07People are happy about the cobra as if it was a pet.

01:47:10In the village, cobras are everywhere.

01:47:13They come into houses and schools,

01:47:15crawl through the streets and keep company during dinner.

01:47:18The locals consider them full-fledged residents.

01:47:21They adore them.

01:47:23The snakes are also used to people

01:47:25and don't see them as dangerous.

01:47:26The coolest thing is there has never been a tragic case

01:47:30in the village because of a poisonous bite.

01:47:32There's no other place in the world

01:47:34where cobras live in such harmony with people.

01:47:37Let's check out one interesting town

01:47:39surrounded by mountains and woods in upstate New York.

01:47:42This place sits right on a big lake

01:47:45and the city is called Lake George.

01:47:47People like to come here to go fishing,

01:47:49boating and take up other water activities.

01:47:52You can meet many fishers, athletes

01:47:54and a screaming man standing by the shore.

01:47:57Lake George is one of the most popular places

01:47:59in the Northern part.

01:48:00Wait a minute, what?

01:48:02A screaming man?

01:48:04What does it mean?

01:48:05Yeah, people come to the shore,

01:48:07look towards the lake and the mountains

01:48:09and just scream loudly.

01:48:11It looks pretty weird from the outside.

01:48:13Here's a young guy screaming.

01:48:15Then he leaves and a girl stands in his place.

01:48:19She starts screaming too

01:48:20and then she offers you to do the same.

01:48:23Okay, you come to the spot where she was standing,

01:48:26turn towards the water and shout.

01:48:28Wow, the sound of your voice echoes back to you.

01:48:32You hear yourself as if the sound wave

01:48:34passed through a giant megaphone.

01:48:36Your scream sounds distorted.

01:48:39It's unbelievable.

01:48:40You get closer to the shore and start screaming again

01:48:44but this time the magic is gone.

01:48:46You hear your usual scream.

01:48:48You return to that point

01:48:50and here's the sound of your cry

01:48:52rising to you again with an echo.

01:48:55But how does this happen?

01:48:56Look where you're standing, the girl tells you.

01:49:00You're standing on a round concrete platform

01:49:03with an engraved image of a compass.

01:49:05Right on the compass, you see a blue map of the lake.

01:49:09In the center of this pattern,

01:49:11two compass lines intersect and form the X symbol.

01:49:15Anyone who stays in this exact spot

01:49:17and shouts towards the lake

01:49:19will hear an incredible echo of their voice.

01:49:22It's as if your scream is coming back to you

01:49:24from another dimension.

01:49:26But the most exciting thing

01:49:28is that people standing nearby don't hear it.

01:49:31They see you as just a screaming person

01:49:34with an ordinary voice.

01:49:35They can hear the echo only in this X spot.

01:49:40Scientists still can't explain this acoustic phenomenon

01:49:43or figure out the reason

01:49:44for this behavior of the sound waves.

01:49:46All they have is guesses and theories.

01:49:49The concrete platform is surrounded

01:49:51by a small curved wall from the lakeside.

01:49:54Some people think that your voice resonates from this wall

01:49:58and creates this sound effect.

01:50:00Many places have similar semicircular walls,

01:50:03but they can't play such an acoustics trick.

01:50:06Another theory says that mountains and water

01:50:08somehow create the echo effect.

01:50:11There's also an old legend

01:50:12according to which a magical creature appeared at this spot.

01:50:16It shouted towards the water

01:50:18and its wisdom has echoed throughout the lake ever since.

01:50:22I still think the sound resonates from the wall,

01:50:25but let's move on.

01:50:26We have more places to go.

01:50:30The next incredible location we're gonna drop by

01:50:32is in California.

01:50:34Welcome to Lake Berryessa.

01:50:36Just stand on the shore and watch.

01:50:39Everything seems normal.

01:50:40Beautiful nature, clean, calm water,

01:50:43but there's a huge deep hole in this lake

01:50:46into which millions of cubic feet of water

01:50:48are pouring per second.

01:50:50But don't worry, this is not a natural anomaly

01:50:53or a tunnel to the underworld.

01:50:55It's the glory hole and people created it.

01:50:59Lake Berryessa is in the area

01:51:02where the farming town of Monticello used to stand.

01:51:05In the last century, people built a dam next to the lake.

01:51:09During the rains, the water level rose

01:51:11and overflowed beyond the edges of the dam.

01:51:14To solve this problem, engineers built a vast hole.

01:51:18To give you an idea of how vast it is,

01:51:21imagine an ant standing on the edge of your bathtub

01:51:25with water flowing through the drain hole.

01:51:27The glory hole is as big for you

01:51:29as the drain hole would be for the ant.

01:51:32The water goes through a long horizontal tunnel

01:51:35and enters the nearest bay.

01:51:37The glory hole is a local attraction

01:51:39and a popular place for tourists.

01:51:43Now let's move to the Caribbean region

01:51:45for another fascinating location.

01:51:47Here, among the clear blue sea,

01:51:49you can find a unique lake on one of the dreamlike islands.

01:51:53Its entire territory looks like a giant concrete platform,

01:51:57but don't swim in it.

01:51:59Steam emanates from the lake's surface

01:52:01because of high temperatures.

01:52:02Almost all the water here is liquid asphalt.

01:52:06Kitch Lake is the largest asphalt deposit in the world.

01:52:10Its depth is 250 feet,

01:52:13which means that a passenger Boeing

01:52:14can fit there in an upright position.

01:52:17Scientists haven't yet studied the lake thoroughly.

01:52:20They think there's a fault

01:52:21in the Earth's crust underneath it.

01:52:23Natural gases and oil pass through this crack

01:52:26and mix with water.

01:52:28Then, all this liquid goes through many chemical reactions

01:52:32and turns into asphalt.

01:52:34The lake contains about 10 million tons of hot material,

01:52:37according to rough estimates.

01:52:39Theoretically, no life can exist in such conditions,

01:52:43but scientists discovered a colony of microbes there.

01:52:47This means that life outside of our planet can exist.

01:52:51Saturn's largest moon, Titan,

01:52:53has many hydrocarbon lakes on its surface,

01:52:55similar to Kitch Lake.

01:52:57And if the simplest forms of life can exist here

01:53:00in the asphalt lake,

01:53:01they may also survive on Titan.

01:53:05Our next unusual lake is in a pretty unexpected place,

01:53:09in the driest region on Earth.

01:53:11And these are not hot dunes and lifeless plains.

01:53:14This region is in Antarctica.

01:53:17A dry area is not where it's hot,

01:53:20but where there's almost no precipitation.

01:53:22The desert is not heat and sand,

01:53:25but the absence of life.

01:53:27Some areas of Antarctica meet these two criteria.

01:53:30It's so cold here that a mug of tea can freeze in a minute,

01:53:35but the lake we want to see doesn't freeze.

01:53:37Although it's not even a lake,

01:53:40but a pond because of its tiny size

01:53:42and depth of several inches.

01:53:44It resembles a large puddle of icy water.

01:53:47It doesn't freeze because Don Juan Pond

01:53:50is one of the saltiest reservoirs on the planet.

01:53:53Salt prevents water from turning into ice.

01:53:56But the most interesting thing is the lake's origin.

01:54:00Scientists still don't know how it appeared here.

01:54:04Our next stop is in the southern part of Tunisia.

01:54:08In 2014, a strange lake appeared out of nowhere,

01:54:12right in the middle of the desert.

01:54:14No one knows when the lake was born

01:54:16since this part of the region is sparsely populated

01:54:19and people don't live in the area around the lake.

01:54:22Shepherds passing by were the first to have noticed the lake.

01:54:25They told the locals about it.

01:54:27A few hours later,

01:54:29hundreds of people came to the place

01:54:30to swim in the clear, cool water.

01:54:33The lake became a popular place,

01:54:35but after a few days, something strange happened.

01:54:39The water turned dark green.

01:54:41The locals didn't care about this

01:54:43and continued to bathe in the lake.

01:54:45But when scientists and geologists arrived at the place,

01:54:48they immediately declared that the water was dangerous.

01:54:52They said the lake was stagnating.

01:54:54It didn't refresh itself from underground streams

01:54:56and the rains didn't feed it either.

01:54:59The water became moldy and dirty and then turned green.

01:55:02The lake contained algae and a lot of harmful bacteria

01:55:06dangerous to the human body.

01:55:08Scientists also found out that the land in this region

01:55:11had phosphate deposits.

01:55:12This substance can decay and become radioactive.

01:55:17But the locals didn't take the scientists' words seriously.

01:55:20Just imagine that you're wandering in the desert

01:55:22under the scorching sun and notice a cool green lake.

01:55:26Few people will refuse to jump in there.

01:55:29The origin of this lake remains a mystery.

01:55:32Some experts think that heavy rains

01:55:34have filled a hole in the ground with water.

01:55:36Water has probably accumulated in the shadow of rocks

01:55:39surrounding the canyon.

01:55:41But another more frightening theory

01:55:43says that an earthquake formed the lake.

01:55:46The seismic activity must have torn the earth's crust

01:55:49above the water table.

01:55:50Then underground springs spilled out of the depths

01:55:54and filled this crevice.

01:55:56This means that all the water that came here

01:55:58can pour back out.

01:56:00Imagine pulling the plug out of the drain hole in a bathtub.

01:56:04Any small earthquake can make the lake's plug fly out.

01:56:08In this case, the gap can take all the water

01:56:11back underground.

01:56:12So let's hope there won't be any swimmers

01:56:14in the lake at that moment.

01:56:16That's it for today.

01:56:17So hey, if you pacified your curiosity,

01:56:19then give the video a like and share it with your friends.

01:56:22Or if you want more, just click on these videos

01:56:24and stay on the Bright Side.

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