Buzz
Cities, suburbs, farmlands – it's all the same cycle. The world we've created for ourselves can seem dull and repetitive. Sure, there are some awe-inspiring mountains and rivers, and the world's coastlines are pretty spectacular, but then you remember Fresno, California exists.
Wouldn't it be refreshing to experience a little weirdness in our surroundings? A touch of the extraordinary to reignite your belief in the Cosmic Jester?
If you said “Yes,” then this list is just what you need. But if you answered “no,” and you're content with the monotony and mediocrity of your cookie-cutter life, remember this: there’s a place on Earth where a waterfall falls horizontally. Don't you want to witness that?
10. The Enigmatic and Breathtaking “Zone Of Death”
If you have a fascination with the natural world, this place is calling your name. If you’re into those quirky books filled with bizarre laws that never got repealed in some U.S. states, this place is definitely for you. If both of these apply, it might be time to buy a yurt and settle here.
In Idaho's part of Yellowstone National Park, there's an intriguing stretch of land where laws don’t quite function as expected. According to the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, it says, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed….”
Seems simple enough, but what happens when a crime occurs in the “Zone of Death,” a region under Wyoming's jurisdiction? If, for example, a murder takes place there, the defendant would need to be tried in Cheyenne, Wyoming. But the crime technically occurred in Idaho. The Sixth Amendment specifies “State” and “district,” meaning the accused’s rights would be violated if they were moved for trial out of the state where the crime took place.
This situation, though technically valid, is practically false—the loophole has been disproven multiple times but (thankfully) has never been tested in court. The scenery, however, is undeniably beautiful.
9. The Phenomenon of Falling Across
If you've ever visited a popular tourist waterfall, you’ve probably noticed the abundance of guardrails and fences. These are there for very obvious safety reasons. Most other falls that draw large crowds tend to avoid such restrictions due to their environment—maybe they’re only accessible by boat, or the top is too difficult to reach. But what do you do with a famous waterfall that doesn’t actually 'fall'?
In Australia, one of the more unusual natural wonders is Garaanngaddim, better known as the “Horizontal Falls,” located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Here, the waters of Buccaneer Bay rush downward through an extremely narrow gorge in an almost imperceptible way. This creates the illusion of rapids, though there’s no visible incline to explain it, despite the frothy water. If you’ve ever dreamed of sailing across a waterfall, this is your chance—but maybe skip the entheogens for this one.
8. The Driest Place on Earth
Nobody enjoys a rainy day. Even those who claim to like it are kidding themselves. You can’t venture outside without donning some rain-resistant outfit and holding an umbrella above your head. The sky darkens and your mood plummets, and the chances of disastrous weather-related events skyrocket—cars don’t skid on sunshine, and nowhere has ever been flooded by a gentle breeze. Rain is just awful.
So why hasn’t humanity migrated to the driest spots on Earth? Because those places are even worse. Take the McMurdo Dry Valleys, for instance. It hasn’t rained there in two million years, making it one of the most extreme deserts on the planet. But don’t worry, if you do find yourself there, there's a sizable lake called Lake Vida. Though, it’s a hypersaline lake, completely covered by ice. Yep, this place is located in Antarctica. At least you don’t have to worry about sunstroke.
7. The Islands 21 Hours and 2 Miles Apart
These islands highlight how humans can take perfectly normal natural phenomena and turn them into something oddly strange. Time zones, for example, have been incredibly helpful to our species—offering consistent work hours, enabling travelers to figure out just how many Xanax they need for a long flight, and removing the need to squint at the sun to guess the time, all at the cost of a little sanity.
But there are some drawbacks: certain stubborn governments insist on using one time zone nationwide, even though their landmass is large enough to require several (China), while certain Polynesians get the inexplicable, somewhat unfair advantage of welcoming the new year before everyone else.
One of the most absurd examples of this is the Diomede Islands, two tiny islands in the middle of the Bering Strait. Big Diomede belongs to Russia, Little Diomede to the USA. As mentioned earlier, they’re roughly two miles apart. However, because of the international date line, they're 21 hours apart. So, if you live on Big Diomede and need to attend an urgent meeting on Little Diomede, you could speed boat over in about an hour and get there yesterday, only to return the same day... which would be tomorrow, Mr. McFly.
6. The (Slightly More) Leaning Tower of East Frisia
Yes, this medieval tower leans even more dramatically than the world-renowned one in Pisa, Italy. Yet despite this, the Italian tower still gets more attention—more photos, more visitors, and more praise. Where’s the fairness in that? Located in the village of Suurhusen, this leaning steeple dates back to the Middle Ages. Its foundation, built with oak trunks, shifted significantly after groundwater drained away in the 19th century, giving it its signature tilt. It certainly outshines that flashy, stationary tower in Italy.
But there’s a catch.
Even though it surpasses the famous Pisa tower, it’s not the “most leaning” building in the world. The title of that distinction goes to the Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi, awarded by the Guinness World Records in 2010 for its remarkable 18-degree tilt, which exceeds that of the tower in Suurhusen. And to make matters worse, the UAE tower was designed with that tilt. It wasn’t a happy accident like the leaning tower of East Frisia. Cheaters.
5. Sand Dune Skiing…Followed by a Cold Pint
You put on your goggles, slip into your ski boots, adjust your camo shorts, and smear on some sunscreen. The dune looms tall, and the slope is just right for a fast and thrilling ride. You quickly realize that all those people shivering away in freezing snowy resorts are missing out compared to you, the sand skier. But where are you? Egypt? The Negev Desert? The Gobi Desert?
Nope. You’re in Bavaria. Germany.
Nestled among the beautiful countryside is the town of Hirschau, a place where kaolinite was mined for the porcelain industry during the 1800s. A by-product of this was quartz sand—tons of the stuff. Enough, in fact, to make a mountain. Monte Kaolino. The massive mound is now a mecca for skiers who fancy a day on the slopes in the middle of July.
So next time you’re dragged to a stuffy antique dealership and forced to look at pastille-painted porcelain figurines of cows and beggar boys, just remember that one of the coolest resorts on Earth was formed as a by-product of that precious quaint crap.
4. Dåeeìýooöô
TV news networks have a few tried and tested segments they will run whenever there is a slow news day—somebody did something nice for charity, a pet has done something that animals don’t usually do, some kids have done something kids don’t usually do, and every once in a while, some cultural quirk from a far-flung corner of the world becomes relevant to the locale in question. A local man has learned Igbo in order to converse with staff at his local Nigerian restaurant in their mother tongue. A lady in Denver has returned from visiting a McDonald’s in every country the chain has a branch. And then there are the “Languages other than English are weird” sections…
You’ll come across little snippets about the place in North Wales that’s absurdly long (*Author’s note* As a proud Welsh speaker, I can, of course, say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch) or that location in New Zealand (Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu) fairly often in mundane YouTube travel vlogs or local news segments.
However, there are a number of places on earth that go the opposite route; they sport single-letter names. The title of this entry includes them all. From a windswept island off the coast of Scotland, a mountain in Hokkaido, to various small settlements across Scandinavia, one-letter places vary in their attributes, some ordinary, others breathtakingly beautiful, and some downright strange.
Consider the river D in Oregon. The City of Lincoln fought for decades with the Guinness World Records to get their waterway recognized as the shortest (not just by name but by length—a reputed 120 feet), arguing that the Roe River in Montana was misleading. In 2006, the book removed the record entirely, allowing D-enthusiasts to claim a moral, scorched earth victory. This might be the spark for the next civil war…
3. Boston, Schmoston! Milwaukee…
Zilwaukee!
This small city in Michigan has been built on deceit. Deception, lies, you name it. At least, that's what a local legend says about how the city got its name. When Daniel and Solomon Johnson from New York settled in the area, they constructed a sawmill. Over time, the settlement grew and found stability. However, the place couldn’t expand beyond being a quiet, small town with a profitable mill. Immigrants seeking a new home were drawn to the bigger cities—St. Louis, Baltimore, Chicago.
And Milwaukee.
So, according to the story, the town was named 'Zilwaukee' to trick unsuspecting settlers into heading to their corner of Michigan rather than making the journey to Wisconsin. Who would really choose power tools and cheese over something else anyway?
Though there’s no concrete proof that this legend holds any weight, the locals seem to hold onto it with pride. Perhaps the city’s motto should be 'Ha! Gotcha, suckers!' and the city anthem could simply be an exaggerated raspberry.
2. The Lake Where Jellyfish Live up to Their Name
On the small island of Eil Malk, situated in the Pacific nation of Palau, there is a marine lake known as Ongeim’l Tketau in the Palauan language, which translates to 'Fifth Lake.' In English, it is referred to as 'Jellyfish Lake,' and for a good reason. Take a look at the video, and you'll see an overwhelming number of these creepy little jellyfish, floating and bobbing around, ready to sting any unfortunate swimmer trying to cool off under the scorching Pacific sun. Doesn't that send a chill down your spine? Imagine the sheer volume of pee you'd have to be sprayed with after returning to shore...
But there's no need to worry—these jellyfish, known as 'Golden Jellyfish,' have been so isolated from the ocean that they've undergone evolution. Without any predators around, they've lost their sting, shedding most of their toxic traits. So, they won’t hurt you. However, there are still some hungry saltwater crocodiles swimming around. Plus, lurking about 15 meters (50 feet) beneath the lake's surface is a toxic layer of hydrogen sulfide that can seep into your skin and quickly finish you off.
Maybe it’s time to plan a trip to Disneyland again.
1. This Region Is in Uzbekistan…Which Is in Kyrgyzstan…Populated by Tajiks…
Landlocked nations, exclaved regions, and partially recognized states are endlessly intriguing. On the world map, you’ll find countries like Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Kosovo that are embroiled in disputes. You’ll also come across nations like Lesotho, completely surrounded by another country—'Want to cross the border? Welcome to South Africa.' And there are even pockets of India embedded within Bangladesh and vice versa.
One of the most intriguing oddities in this strange geography world is the So’x (Sokh) District of Uzbekistan. Situated close to the Tajikistan border and technically part of Uzbekistan, this district is entirely encircled by Kyrgyzstan. Despite its official Uzbek identity, the people here are almost entirely Tajiks. It's like having a small village in Cornwall that's officially Swedish, yet completely inhabited by Swiss people—where you'd find all those delightful chocolate-covered herring pasties.
Anyone feeling hungry?
