- 2 days ago
Unexpected and utterly fantastic places that you will be surprised to visit!
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00:00A strange lake appeared in India 52,000 years ago.
00:04It was formed here literally out of nowhere.
00:07I recall it was a Wednesday.
00:09Anyway, for tens of thousands of years, people came up with various scary stories about the lake.
00:15Some locals believe this place was cursed.
00:17Others think that the lake's bottom hides the gateway to the underworld.
00:21But those are all legends.
00:24The real reason for the appearance of this lonar lake is even more surprising.
00:28At first, scientists were sure that the lake was an ancient crater of a long-extinct volcano.
00:35It's in a balsam field made of 65-million-year-old volcanic rock.
00:40But then, geologists conducted a detailed analysis of the soil and water and found that Lonar Lake had a space
00:48origin.
00:49Geologists found a unique glass inside the lake that forms only with a strong impact and energy release.
00:5652,000 years ago, a huge meteorite weighing 2 million tons fell into this place.
01:03It was almost six times heavier than the Empire State Building.
01:06The striking power was so high that the volcanic rock melted and turned into glass.
01:12Perhaps the bottom of this lake still contains particles of this giant meteorite that flew to us from the distant
01:19space depths.
01:20Okay, we have a lake created by a space object more than 50,000 years ago.
01:25But even this is not the strangest thing about it.
01:28In 2020, the locals noticed that Lonar Lake had turned pink.
01:32In just a few days, the salt water mysteriously changed its color.
01:38Biologists and geologists immediately took water samples to the Scientific Research Center.
01:43The detailed analysis showed that the water contained an increased level of unique microbes.
01:49They accumulate on the surface and emit some pink pigment.
01:53Soon, these microbes settled to the bottom and the lake became transparent again.
01:58Also, rains helped the water go back to its usual appearance.
02:01These microbes color the lake and make the pink plumage of flamingos even brighter.
02:07The birds get food from the Lonar Lake and absorb these pink bacteria.
02:11Now, Lonar Lake is a popular place among tourists.
02:15But this is not the only thing that may surprise you in India.
02:18Our next stop is a small village with about 2,600 people located in a hot rainforest.
02:25The locals are very hospitable.
02:27They welcome not only tourists, but also one of the most venomous reptiles on the planet.
02:33King cobras are crawling in almost every house in this village.
02:37Locals are happy to see them as if they were their pets.
02:41People share water and food with these animals.
02:44They even give the reptiles a special corner where they can relax from the scorching sun.
02:49Aww.
02:50Cobras crawl in houses, schools, and even on the streets.
02:53Humans and reptiles are used to each other and feel safe.
02:57There has never been a case of a cobra attack in the village.
03:01It's the only place in the world where these venomous reptiles live in such harmony with people.
03:07Now, imagine a town that consists of many little united villages.
03:12The residents are all engaged in agriculture.
03:15They know how to extract water from ground rocks, and they bargain well.
03:19The town has been thriving for several centuries, and people live happily in it.
03:24Then, one day, everything changes.
03:27All the residents quickly pack up their stuff and run away from their homes.
03:31Overnight, the town becomes abandoned.
03:34It is a real story that happened in the state of Rajasthan in 1825.
03:39And still, no one knows why the people disappeared from there.
03:44The most popular version says that the cruel local ruler collected large taxes from the locals.
03:50Then, he fell in love with the daughter of the chief of this town
03:53and threatened that he would collect extra taxes if the girl refused to be his wife.
03:58Citizens decided to support the woman and her father
04:01and left their homes in one day.
04:04This town is still empty, but the locals from the nearest cities are afraid to approach.
04:10Our next stop is the state of Maharashtra.
04:13There's a small village there with very positive people.
04:17They go to stores, cafes, schools, and banks.
04:20Everything here seems quite ordinary,
04:22and you wouldn't notice what's so special about this place.
04:25But just wait for the night to come.
04:29People go to sleep, and no one locks their houses.
04:32There are no locks at all in this village.
04:35The door of any building is always open here.
04:38The owners leave the shops, cafes, and libraries open.
04:41When locals go to work, they don't lock up their homes either.
04:45They don't hide money and jewelry.
04:47The reason for this is the complete absence of thefts.
04:50The villagers are sure that anyone can get into serious trouble for stealing.
04:55According to a legend, about 300 years ago,
04:58after prolonged rains and floods,
05:01a large black stone slab appeared in the center of the village.
05:05This slab symbolized an Indian mythical creature that washed over the locals.
05:10At some point, people stopped locking their houses
05:12because they knew that no one would dare to commit theft in that creature's face.
05:17In 2015, a police station was opened here,
05:21but almost no one has reported an incident since then.
05:24The building doesn't even have doors,
05:26because the police don't keep anyone there.
05:29Another fantastic place in India is a village in the state of Assam.
05:34Hundreds of locals prepare here for an unusual celebration every now and then.
05:39They arrange a magnificent wedding ceremony.
05:42They set the table, dress up in beautiful costumes, and bring gifts.
05:46And all this for the newlyweds.
05:49But instead of people, frogs get married here.
05:52Locals hold weddings for wild frogs to summon rain.
05:56The incredible thing is that the ceremony looks just like a real wedding.
06:00The fun can last all day until late at night.
06:05Now, there's one dangerous and inaccessible island in India.
06:09You can find it in the Bay of Bengal.
06:11It's called the North Sentinel.
06:13It's a small piece of land that looks like a tropical paradise.
06:16But you won't be able to get there.
06:19Since 1956, nobody can travel to this place.
06:23The Coast Guard is always sailing around and patrolling the area.
06:26The reason for this is the local Centennialese tribe.
06:30This tribe lives isolated from the whole world.
06:33They don't know about modern technologies, the internet, or television.
06:37For centuries, the Centennialese have lived on their own, away from civilization.
06:42And the people from India want to keep it that way.
06:46Anyone who approaches their island is welcomed by the tribe with a flurry of spears and arrows.
06:52And it doesn't matter if you're coming by boat or helicopter.
06:55Another reason why you can't get on the island is the Centennialese immune system.
07:00The Coast Guard is trying to protect the local tribe from possible diseases and infections that outsiders can bring with
07:06them.
07:07The locals have no immunity from the flu or even the simple cold.
07:11They don't know what that is.
07:13Also, there are coral reefs and limestone around the island, which significantly complicates the passage of large ships.
07:20Despite all the prohibitions, many people tried to get to the island.
07:25In 1880, one officer accidentally discovered this island.
07:29He went ashore and found a noble soil ideal for growing coconut palms.
07:34The officer also noticed several huts on the island, but didn't dare meet the locals.
07:40Explorers and travelers presented the islanders with fish as a gift many times.
07:45The locals accepted it, asked for more, but still didn't let them approach their houses.
07:50It was also challenging to make friends with the tribe because they communicate in one of the most difficult languages
07:56to learn in the world.
07:58Scientists and linguists have been studying this language for decades.
08:01At the end of the 20th century, outsiders made some progress in building a connection with the tribe.
08:07In 1991, a team of anthropologists invited the islanders aboard a large ship.
08:13They gave bags of coconuts to tribe members.
08:16This may be where the phrase left holding the bag came from, or not.
08:21Otherwise, let's just leave these folks alone, shall we?
08:28Wow, talk about noisy.
08:30Toadfish have a unique ability.
08:32They can greet a very strong sound.
08:34The human ear usually can't hear it, especially if only one fish is making the sound.
08:39But if many fish are making the sound at the same time, well, it's going to be hard to forget.
08:44And you may not be able to stop hearing it.
08:47Toadfish are a common part of the fauna off the coast of Sausalito in California.
08:52And every year, thousands of them gather in the shoals to party and scream.
08:58Together, they create a collective sound that can be easily heard by those in the houses near the shore.
09:03The noise, which can be described as a low hum, can even penetrate into the city center.
09:09Some people get bothered by this constant humming.
09:11This is a unique natural phenomenon, but there's a catch.
09:15At some point, the fish swim away from the shore, but the sound remains.
09:20Also, scientists have proven that this fish-made noise can't spread through the city.
09:24And many residents of the coastal areas don't hear it.
09:28But still, some people continue to hear this strange hum.
09:32In a similar case, imagine that you've moved to a small village in Scotland.
09:37You rent a house, have dinner, and go to bed.
09:40As you're settling into sleep, a strange hum permeates your room.
09:45It sounds like someone started their truck somewhere in the distance.
09:48The sound is similar to the sound of a low, loud bass that comes from a speaker.
09:53The hum keeps you awake.
09:55You get migraines and even feel nauseous.
09:57In the morning, you find out that some other locals also hear this terrible buzzing.
10:02They tell you about a huge factory located nearby.
10:06Machines, engines, steam boilers, big air vents, and generators emit a loud, heavy hum that passes through the air.
10:13Sound waves spread throughout the village and annoy people with a sharp sense of hearing.
10:18You've been hearing this sound for several days and suffering from insomnia.
10:22Then, one day, the factory goes bankrupt.
10:26All the workers leave their positions and turn off all the engines and fans.
10:30Great!
10:30You'll finally sleep in peace.
10:32But you know what?
10:34The sound doesn't disappear.
10:36It follows you wherever you are.
10:38And it's not about the factory or the fish or the truck engine.
10:42Imagine that you're walking down the streets of a small English town.
10:45There are a lot of planes flying right above you.
10:49The hum they make follows you.
10:51Even in bed, you can hear it.
10:52You wonder if there's an airport nearby.
10:54You ask the locals and find out there's not even a runway here.
10:58But where does the sound come from?
11:00You raise your head to look up and see a clear sky.
11:03There are no planes, but there's noise.
11:06And you're not the only one who hears it.
11:08Some locals are sure that the hum comes from high-speed traffic on the highway.
11:12Thousands of cars drive in two directions and leave massive sound waves behind.
11:17But at night, there are no cars there, and the sound remains.
11:21Maybe you're going mad.
11:23People's stories about the hum save you from this madness.
11:26And it's not just the residents of this town that know about it.
11:30About 4% of people on the planet hear the hum.
11:34Strangers tell each other about the hum that prevents them from sleeping and concentrating on something.
11:39The sound follows them everywhere and doesn't stop.
11:42Some people hear it in certain places, so they move to other cities.
11:47Maybe you're hearing it right now and not paying attention.
11:50But be careful.
11:51If you recognize it once, you won't be able to stop hearing it.
11:55There's a website and a forum on the internet dedicated to the hum.
11:59People from all over the world put geolocations in places where they heard this mysterious phenomenon.
12:05You can find thousands of these coordinates on the site and even add your own.
12:10People describe different levels of noise and share their sources.
12:14Some theories say that the hum is the sound of our planet, coming from the core.
12:19Someone else is sure that it comes from the atmosphere.
12:22Scientists have even been consulted, but they also don't know the reason for this phenomenon.
12:28People use high-frequency microphones and amplifiers to record the hum.
12:31Almost everywhere, they detect a low-frequency vibration that is practically impossible for the human ear to catch.
12:39It mixes with the sound of cars, printers in the office, and subway trains.
12:43Sometimes people stop hearing it, but the hum increases when they lie in bed.
12:48Many records about the hum say that people hear it in industrial cities.
12:52Sometimes these sound seekers manage to find the source.
12:55They ended up being factories with running generators where the sound was getting into the ventilation system
13:01and where the fans spread it outside the building.
13:04When the generator stopped working, the sound disappeared.
13:07But these are rare cases.
13:09More often, no one can find the source of hum.
13:12One of the most famous places where you can catch it is in the city of Taos in New Mexico.
13:17About 2% of locals hear a strange buzzing every day.
13:22Some tourists experience it, too.
13:23Scientists came to the city to study this mystery, but found no explanation.
13:28Some theories say the usual acoustics of this place caused the hum.
13:33Some folks think it's just a hallucination or the power of suggestion.
13:37Everyone talks so much about the hum that the brain creates an illusion of a sound that doesn't exist.
13:43Locals believe the nature of the buzzing is mystical and associated with bad spirits.
13:48Whatever it is, no one has found out the truth yet.
13:51The hum that people hear all over the world may be the result of seismic activity in the tectonic plates
13:58under the ocean waters.
13:59Huge chunks of the Earth's crust are slowly moving and colliding with each other.
14:04This creates a noise that reaches us in the form of a hum.
14:08But why do only a few people hear it?
14:10Perhaps about 4% of the world's population has a unique sense of hearing.
14:15In any case, scientists haven't been able to confirm the tectonic plate theory either.
14:20Some researchers point to submarines as the reason.
14:23They use low-frequency radio signals to communicate around the world.
14:27These signals spread over the surface and can affect the human body.
14:31When the ear catches these sound waves, it reacts and causes vibrations similar to humming.
14:36This happens because low-frequency sound energy collides with the soft tissues of the skull and stimulates the auditory nerve.
14:44In fact, it's not even a sound.
14:46It's a hallucination that is created by your brain.
14:49But still, no one can confirm this theory either.
14:53Perhaps thunderstorms can create the hum phenomenon.
14:57About 8 million lightning strikes hit the Earth every day.
15:00Some impact creates a powerful electromagnetic charge.
15:05Lightning penetrates the air and makes it resonate between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere.
15:10Mmm, yeah, it sounds complicated.
15:12But the principle is simple.
15:13Imagine that you're blowing onto the neck of a bottle.
15:16Hear this low hum?
15:18Lightning works similarly with air.
15:20And that's just one hit.
15:22Imagine millions of these strikes.
15:24The sound waves spread all over the planet and some people hear them.
15:28Lightning constantly strikes all the time.
15:30So, the hum never stops.
15:33In 1973, scientists put forward a theory that the reason for the hum is the jet stream shearing against slower
15:40-moving air.
15:41In simple words, wind and fast air flows intersect slower ones.
15:45As a result, a whistling sound appears.
15:47And electric towers and power lines amplify it.
15:50By the way, the first reports of the hum appeared in the 70s.
15:54People learned about this phenomenon from the small British city of Bristol.
15:58Dozens of residents heard this strange noise in different parts of the town.
16:02In the beginning, they ignored it.
16:04Then the sound became increasingly more irritable.
16:07It prevented people from working and living their everyday lives.
16:11They couldn't sleep and couldn't concentrate on anything.
16:14There was a warehouse with industrial fans in a neighboring town.
16:18The locals were sure that this was the reason for the hum.
16:21The warehouse stopped working a few years later, but the sound remained.
16:26You may even be able to hear it right now if you visit the city.
16:30There are many theories about the hum, but you can reduce almost half of them thanks to one factor.
16:35Tectonic plates, seismic activity, lightning strikes, the Earth's crust, and resonating air are logical explanations.
16:43But look at all the records about the noise.
16:46People hadn't mentioned this until the 70s.
16:48If this phenomenon had appeared earlier, many newspapers would have written about it.
16:53Apparently, the hum is not a mystery of nature.
16:56Perhaps this is a consequence of all of our technological achievements.
17:00Factories, power lines, airplanes, cars, ships, trains, microwaves, and generators
17:06create an imperceptible background noise that most people ignore.
17:10We're so used to all these noises that we have forgotten what silence is.
17:15Perhaps our brain made the hum inside our heads to respond to our noisy world.
17:19If you start to listen carefully right now, what kind of sounds will you hear?
17:24Where are they coming from?
17:26And is there the hum among them?
17:30Imagine you're surfing a perfect wave, and then it suddenly freezes.
17:35Well, it sure sounds creepy, but couldn't possibly happen in real life, right?
17:40Wrong.
17:41You can see mind-blowing frozen waves in Antarctica.
17:47These waves occur when the ice gets compressed,
17:50and the ever-increasing pressure squeezes the air bubbles out.
17:54As for the beautiful blue color, it's the result of ice melting and refreezing.
18:01When the summer begins, an ordinary-looking river in Colombia transforms into a liquid rainbow.
18:08Caño Cristales, also known as the most beautiful river in the world,
18:12sparkles in five colors.
18:14Red, black, green, blue, and yellow.
18:19It only looks like this for six months of the year,
18:22because the aquatic plant that gives it the bright hues
18:25needs the right water level and amount of sunshine to use its magic.
18:32Australia is home to a unique horizontal waterfall on the coast of the Kimberley region.
18:38It's really just a fast tidal flow moving through two narrow-aligned rocks.
18:42The tides can rise 30 feet.
18:45The falls reverse whenever the tide changes.
18:50Also down under is the biggest single rock in the world.
18:54It's so big that it even looks like a large hill.
18:57It has a circumference of six miles and is 1,150 feet high.
19:02The edges are eroded since the rock has been around forever.
19:09These mud-brick buildings are seven stories high
19:12and were built out of fertile soil, hay, and water
19:15that were made into bricks and left to bake under the sun for days.
19:19The ground floors were used for keeping livestock and grains,
19:22and the upper levels were places for socializing and catching good views.
19:29Antelope Canyon in Arizona, also known as the place where water runs through rock,
19:35has two sections of slotted canyons.
19:38Throughout the years, the water running through sandstone
19:41has created a picturesque formation like no other.
19:47If you ever set foot on the arid soil of the Namib Desert in Namibia,
19:52prepare yourself for an eerie picture.
19:55You'll see countless circular patches between 6 feet to 50 feet in diameter.
20:00Organized in a honeycomb-like pattern,
20:03they stretch across 1,500 miles toward the horizon.
20:08These patches are also known as fairy circles,
20:12and you might be disappointed by the explanation of this mystery.
20:15No one knows for sure the origin of these circles,
20:18even though there are numerous theories,
20:20from the radioactivity of the soil to the activity of sand termites.
20:28Mount Haleakala in Hawaii is one of the quietest places in the world.
20:32National park managers nearly failed to find any sounds to measure here.
20:37The place translates from Hawaiian as House of the Sun.
20:43It formed thanks to a volcano that got active 1 million years ago.
20:48The lava flows built up over the years and grew into a mountain.
20:52It has its own climate and weather that's impossible to predict.
20:59It takes almost a week by ship from South Africa,
21:02to travel to the world's most isolated settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.
21:07You'd need special permission from the local government to visit as a tourist.
21:12About 300 locals all treat each other as family,
21:15grow their own food, and keep their island impeccably clean.
21:21Daintree Forest in Australia is the oldest rainforest in the world.
21:26It has been around for over 100 million years.
21:29Daintree is home to some unique animal species.
21:3212,000 different types of insects and about half of Australia's frog, butterfly, and bat population.
21:39The rainforest also has around 3,000 types of plant species.
21:46Rocks that travel are called sailing stones
21:49because they seem to move across the dry lake bed
21:52of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, California.
21:56As the rocks move, they leave behind a creepy trail that used to have scientists baffled.
22:04After all, some of the boulders weigh more than 660 pounds.
22:08On top of that, some of the trails are curved,
22:12while others are mostly straight, with unexpected turns to the right or the left.
22:18But eventually, NASA experts cracked the mystery in 2006.
22:23It turns out that in winter, the lake fills with water,
22:27covering the boulders at the bottom in ice.
22:29And since ice is pretty buoyant,
22:32underwater movements and winds make the stones move across the lake bed.
22:36In their wake, they leave bizarre tracks,
22:39only seen when the water evaporates in the summer.
22:45Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is often called the lightning capital of the world.
22:51Thunderstorms arise here 300 days of the year, with a peak in September.
22:56Sometimes there are up to 200 flashes in a minute.
22:59It happens because cool air coming from the surrounding Andes
23:02meets with warm air from the Caribbean Sea and generates electricity.
23:09Some places on Earth have less gravity than others.
23:13Canada's Hudson Bay, for example,
23:15used to be covered by a super-thick and heavy glacier during the last ice age.
23:20The ice had pushed tons of rock mass outward when it started to melt.
23:26The smaller the mass of an object, the less gravity it has.
23:30It'll take another 5,000 years for the Earth to get into its original shape in this spot.
23:36Until then, you'll always weigh less here than anywhere else in the world.
23:43Five Flower Lake in China's Zhoujai-go Valley
23:46changes its color from amber-yellow to emerald-green,
23:50dark jade to light turquoise, and sometimes coral.
23:55It never freezes thanks to underwater hot springs
23:59and never melts or dries up, unlike other neighboring lakes.
24:03The locals believe it's made up of pieces of a mirror that fell down from the sky.
24:10The surrounding valley has some narrow, conic, karst landforms,
24:14spectacular waterfalls, around 140 bird species,
24:18and giant panda along with other endangered plant and animal species.
24:24Cape Denison in the Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica
24:28is the windiest place on the planet.
24:30It has unusual downslope winds.
24:33They are formed because of the continent's dome shape
24:36and the always cold climate.
24:38These winds are so fast and strong,
24:40they ruin the measuring instruments and the masts they are attached to.
24:44The record speed so far was 200 miles per hour.
24:51The Sahara Desert, which takes up 10% of the African continent,
24:55is extremely hot and dry.
24:57That's why it's one of the top places with the clearest skies.
25:00There's hardly ever a cloud above it.
25:03This, plus the remoteness from any civilization,
25:06makes it one of the best spots for stargazing.
25:11In Denmark, people experience blackout-type effects on a pretty regular basis.
25:16Just look how weird it is.
25:18But it gets even more bizarre
25:19when you find out that birds are the cause of this unusual phenomenon.
25:26Every spring and fall,
25:27millions of starlings begin their annual migration
25:30from Sweden, Finland, and Norway
25:33toward Britain, Belgium, and France.
25:35Denmark is the lucky place where you can observe
25:38Sort Sol, the Danish name for Black Sun.
25:44The birds travel in large flocks,
25:46which makes it easier to exchange information and stay warm.
25:50Before the birds land,
25:51they perform movements that look like dancing.
25:54But in fact,
25:55they are making different formations
25:56in an attempt to shoo predators away.
25:59And although the birds fly in highly synchronized patterns,
26:02people think that the huge flock changes its shape chaotically.
26:09The dark sun lasts only 20 minutes during sunset,
26:13and you have to be either fast or lucky to see this phenomenon.
26:19The secret of the cotton candy color
26:22of Pink Sand Beach and Barbuda
26:24is the crushed corals on it
26:26and tiny single-celled red organisms living beneath them.
26:31You can see that famous shade
26:33when the waves are strong enough
26:35to wash that mix ashore.
26:37The secret of impeccable cleanliness of this place
26:39is that it has no public facilities
26:41and is less crowded than other Caribbean islands.
26:47It took thousands of years
26:49to form Picaninny Ponds in Australia.
26:51This whole time,
26:53underground freshwater was slowly moving
26:55to the surface through limestone.
26:56It formed a large underwater cavern
26:59with white limestone walls.
27:01You'd need a special permit to dive here,
27:03and it's definitely worth it.
27:07Batara Gorge Waterfall
27:09has three natural bridges
27:11for anyone to walk across,
27:12take awesome pictures,
27:13and even have picnics.
27:15The waterfall is a result of limestone erosion
27:18that's been going on for millions of years,
27:20even though it looks like
27:21someone punched a hole right in the middle.
27:23It's located in the village of Tannarine,
27:26which is just two hours away
27:27from the capital, Beirut.
27:31A village in the Meghalaya state in India
27:34is known as the wettest on the planet,
27:37according to the Guinness World Records.
27:38The average annual rainfall here
27:40is about 470 inches.
27:45It's a result of warm, moist monsoon winds
27:48coming from the Bay of Bengal,
27:49bringing clouds full of rain.
27:51It flows into rivers and waterfalls
27:53and never stops.
27:55The locals that work in the fields
27:56always wear basket-like covers
27:58to protect themselves somehow.
28:02The village of Leknes,
28:04with a population of about 3,500,
28:07is located in Norway,
28:09above the Arctic Circle.
28:10It has an unusually warm climate
28:12compared to other places
28:13in the same latitude.
28:15In January,
28:16the average minimum is 32 degrees Fahrenheit
28:18and rarely drops below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
28:22July average temperature
28:23is 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
28:25That's pretty regular
28:26for many places in Europe.