Do you know Quora? Although I have a profile I hardly use it. However, recently I was visiting the site just out of curiosity. Quora is a site where you can ask every question you want and all the Quora disciples will help you find the right answer.
I came across a question by my friend Madlen Nicolaus. She asked Quora about the most surreal places one can ever visit. That’s a question I like! I’m a big fan of science fiction movies and surreal stories like the books from Haruki Murakami. I will not call it a quest, but I am fascinated to read about amazing (call them surreal) places in our world. Places we can actually visit…..only if we knew they existed.
The question by Madlen resulted in almost 50 magnificent places. I wanted to publish them on my blog as well, just to let the world know these fabulous places do exist! So that’s why I agreed with Madlen that I would select my Top 10 out of the long list of Quora answers and here they are!
I have only visited one of these places: the Nazca lines in Peru. But I would love to visit more of them. If you think we can add more surreal places to visit, feel free to leave a comment with picture or link. What place do you know is of true surreality? What places do you miss on this list? Easter Island, the Star Wars film set in Tunesia, Golden Temple in Kyoto, Red Dunes in Namibia, Grand Canyon? You see, our world is full of surreal places.
Now I will stop talking so you can enjoy the list. They are just a dream away…
1. Socotra islands, a small Yemeni archipelago of four islands in the Indian ocean.
2. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia’s stunning salt lakes
3. Plain of Jars, Laos – Carved by hand from solid rock, no one knows for certain who made the jars, what they were used for, or how old they are, although they are thought to be up to 2,500 years old. There are hundreds scattered around the plain of jars.
4. Coastal dunes in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Brazil) – A landscape consisting of dunes up to 40 metres high, interspersed with lagoons of clear fresh water which form during the rainy season. The wind from the Atlantic Ocean creates the impressive scenery. Visit the Costal Dunes, and stay at one of the many affordable hotels you can find on Expedia.
5. Crystal caves in Naica, Mexico – The cave contains some of the largest natural crystals ever found: translucent gypsum beams measuring up to 36 feet (11 meters) long and weighing up to 55 tons.
6. “NPO Energomash” named after academician V.P.Glushko, a company developing rocket engines for space launch-vehicles. This is an abandoned factory that reminds me of spaceships in movies like Alien.
7. Chand Baori, – A famous stepwell situated in the village Abhaneri near Jaipur in Indian state of Rajasthan. Looks like an Escher drawing to me!
8. Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France. What you see on the picture are bomb craters from D-day, World War II.
9. Nazca lines Peru. Giant sketches drawn in the desert of western Peru by ancient peoples. Purpose? Nobody knows.
10. Cappadocia, Turkey. A region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by the fairy chimneys.
Curious to read Madlen’s list? Click here to find out about her Top 10 of most surreal places! By the way, we haven’t seen each other’s list before our posts went live. Let’s see if Madlen dreams of visiting the same kinds of surreal places…
Update – Check out a new post with another great list of surreal places: 10 Most Surreal Places (part 2)
