9 the most amazing localities in the world

If you are asked to go anywhere in the world to choose from, what place would you choose? London - is banal. Paris - is better, but too sentimental and again trivial. New York - do not forget about the sanctions: Americans have long to prove that you are not a camel. Beijing - too crowded and noisy. Kiev - a great choice, but not now ...

If you are looking for a truly unforgettable experience while avoiding places that travelers crawled up and down along the way leaving everywhere masterpiece inscriptions like "Kolya and Light, 2009", please note the following towns and villages.

1. Kowloon - a park with a rich history

The fortified town of Kowloon, located in the eponymous district of Hong Kong, was demolished as early as 1994 year, but until now this settlement is the most populous locality of the ever existing on Earth - on 6, 5 hectares walled city in the late 1980s and early 1990s it had from 33 to 50 thousand people.

Kowloon Fortress appeared in the middle of XVII-th century - it established a Chinese, to ensure that control over the area needed a reliable outpost. In 1898 the so-called New Territories (now - one of the parts of the Hong Kong SAR), among whom was the Kowloon leased to the British, during the Second World Hong Kong was among the territories occupied by the Japanese, and after the war Celestial announced his desire to return to Kowloon and began to actively move the Chinese. By 1947, the ninth year there were about 2 thousand, after several unsuccessful attempts to cope with the influx of migrants from the United Kingdom refused any interference in the affairs of Kowloon.

The connivance on the part of Hong Kong and the Chinese authorities has led to the fact that in the 1950s, Kowloon turned into a haven for thugs and drug dealers, and later became the headquarters of a Chinese crime syndicate, known as the Triad and stayed it until 1980 years. In 1987, officials found the living conditions in Kowloon just horrible (I must say, it was not too far from the truth), then Hong Kong government announced the demolition area. On the evacuation of residents had to spend about 2, 7 billion Hong Kong dollars (about $ 346 million) by 1992, the ninth year the resettlement was completed, and just three years later, in 1995, on the site of the city-fortress appeared park.

2. "The Village" - sex, drugs, and the retirement age

If you ever happen to walk by the unusual settlement called The Villages (can be translated as "The Village"), most likely, the first impression is that you are in a huge nursing home. In some ways, the way it is, "The Village" - the world's largest settlement for pensioners live here more than 100 thousand people over 55 years.

This place is like a paradise for people of retirement age - here is almost everything that is worthy to spend the last years of his life: 34 golf courses, nine country clubs, two of the square, countless bars and restaurants, and golf cart (you may have seen such cars in Hollywood movies) in the "village" more than ordinary cars, the city does not even let the children that they have not breached The orderly during the life of the townspeople. Be that as it may, the peace and quiet "retirement paradise" deceptive - recently settlement appeared in the center of a major scandal, after it emerged that there has been a sharp increase in the number of hawkers sexually transmitted infection. The "village" one man accounts for about ten women, is also flourishing "black market" drugs such as "Viagra" in the settlement, which provokes pensioners promiscuous sex life and even public sex acts. Thus, the 68-year-old Peggy Klemm was arrested for indecent exposure and public nuisance in 2014 - a woman making love with her boyfriend, 49-year-old David Bobillier, right on one of the central streets of the city.

"We have here, of course, there are incidents - laughs Lieutenant local police station Lori Davis. According to him, the most common offenses in "The Villages" - driving the golf cart drunk, abuse of psychotropic drugs and drunken brawls in bars. "When you see how the two 70-year-old grandfather clobber each other canes, fighting for a woman, it is something unbelievable," - said the officer.

3. The City of a Thousand dumps

In Cairo, there were never effective garbage disposal system, but there are so-called scavengers City - an area called the Channel-Nasir, populated mostly Copts, in the collection and processing of waste.

In the Channel-Nasir live about 60 thousand people, the majority of the population are so-called ZABBALEEN, or "garbage people" who prowl around Cairo in search of the precious stuff and everything found on trolleys (who are richer - by truck) driven to his home, where garbage is sorted and recovered from it valuable materials for recycling. An amazing fact - 90% of the waste found ZABBALEEN used as secondary raw material, which is about four times higher than famous western companies engaged in waste recycling.

Until recently, the deal ZABBALEEN bloomed and smelled (and smelled literally - almost every centimeter in the City scavengers littered with waste, so that the flavor is worth it appropriate), but in 2003, the year everything changed. Cairo authorities have decided to entrust waste recycling to private companies, which took away "garbage people" a solid piece of promising market. In addition, in 2009 the government as to prevent the spread of swine flu has destroyed 350 thousand pigs, kept in private farms (often directly in the homes) ZABBALEEN that still hurt the business of the Copts, as they used pigs as universal food waste disposers. However, the struggle for trash treasure "the city of a thousand minarets" continues.

4. Lily Dale - the city, talking to the dead

In upstate New York is located a tiny settlement of Lily Dale, which has long been the headquarters of "Assembly of Spiritualists" - the world's largest Spiritualist community. The indigenous population of Lily Dale has less than three hundred people, but every year come here from 22 to 25 thousand followers of the religious-mystical movement. Lovers to communicate with spirits in the town arrange various seminars, open classes of spiritualism, mediums, workshops and, of course, public seances.

At first glance, Lily Dale is no different from the thousands of other American provincial towns - a post office, library, children's playground, a cafe, a couple of restaurants, shops, a souvenir junk, museum and several hotels - perhaps, here is the complete list of all the local attractions. Oh, and there is a volunteer fire brigade. No matter how provincial and boring as the city is, those for whom the world is more important than the dead world of the living, it does not stop - "Assembly of Spiritualists," meets in Lily Dale for more than 135 years.

According to Beverly Burdick-Carey, one of 15 mediums veteran settlements, people come to Lily Dale for answers to life's questions, for inclusion in the "Assembly" and just to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of the city. Medium notes with satisfaction that in recent years, many travelers visit Lily Dale, not only for recreation and not out of idle curiosity, 'More and more people are seeking spiritual enrichment here. They do not ask the mediums, whether it is possible to marry Bill, or Joe, or for example, the color of the car is better to buy them. They want to know how to improve their spirituality. "

5. Miyake-jima - life on a volcano

None of the nearly three thousand residents of Miyake-jima island, which is located 176 kilometers south of the capital of Japan, was killed when the volcano last erupted Oyama, located in the center of the island. However, during the eruption of the volcano began to emit a toxic gas, and this process continues to this day, so that all, without exception, the residents of Miyake-jima need to carry a gas mask, so that when the unexpected "gas attack" from Oyama to be fully prepared.

As you know, the volcano can not be called quiet neighbor island settlements - only in XX-th century, there were several eruptions, as a result of which people were killed. In 1940 lava flows took the lives of 11 residents of the island, the eruption of 1962 and 1983rd's also not without casualties. After the "fabulous awakening" in 1983, Oyama "asleep" by as much as 17 years, but only to "wake up" the daily released into the air from 10 to 20 thousand tons of sulfur dioxide. Japanese authorities for a long time all islanders evacuated because to be on Miyake-jima at a concentration of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere was deadly. Five years later, when passions around the eruption died down, and the island, if I may say so, a little "ventilate", some residents returned to their homes, but still nearly one-third of the island is closed to the public. Miyake-jima inhabitants regularly undergo a medical examination, and as already mentioned, never part with gas masks. Remedies not necessarily wear, not removing, but at the first sound of a siren, a warning about another tricky Oyama, masks should be worn - otherwise severe poisoning products of volcanic activity provided.

The Japanese should learn entrepreneurial - residents of Miyake-jima even wearing masks were able to benefit from. The need to be constantly alert and quite a risk of suffocation neillyuzorno attracted to the island many thrill-seekers visiting the Miyake-jima, to enjoy the local beauty, diving and, of course, on the signal to wear masks, which, incidentally, are sold on every corner.

6. Primitive tourism Slab City

If you are bored to death with cable TV with hundreds of channels, quick as thought the Internet and outrageously comfortable apartment, go to Los Angeles, cross the desert to the east of the city, and then take a direct course to the south, past the Salton Lake -SI. There you will find Slab City - probably the last settlement on a planet whose inhabitants are truly free from all the benefits of civilization.

In Slab City regularly gather thousands of fans of the "wild" life, most of which - typical of "tumbleweed", all year traveling to different states and live in their own homes on wheels. The most crowded here during the hottest time of year, winter - strangers stop in Slab City, to bask in the hot California sun before a long road in the colder regions of the country.

In the city permanently live only about 150 people, which is not surprising, because in Slab City, no running water, no sewer, no electricity. Travelers brought with diesel generators, toilets and drinking water and for the products to travel to Nieland town, located about 6, 5 km from Slab City.

The name Slab City derives from the concrete slabs, which are literally littered with neighboring settlements ( "slab" in the lane with English -.. "Stove"). Plates - all that remained of the liquidated in 1960 military base. The United States government does not consider Slab City permanent settlements, which only benefit those who want to escape from the bustle of the modern world.

7. Underground life opal capital of the world

The town of Coober Pedy, located in South Australia, 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the state capital, was named in honor of the expression "Kupa Piti", which translated from the dialect of the South Australian Aboriginal means something like " white people digging in the pits. "

Coober Pedy is known as the "opal capital of the world" - the city was founded in 1915 after the discovery of rich deposits of opals here. According to experts, in the mines of Coober Pedy is about 30% of world reserves of this mineral.

In the days of the opal fever thousands of adventurers and lovers of easy money came to Coober Pedy, hoping to soon leave him a millionaire, but as it turned out, to dream of the underground treasure is much easier than to produce them - in the hot season the temperature in the region reaches 51 ° C ° and if more mines could be some time without the risk of overheating, then after a few hours spent on the surface, the miners came to mind cheerless thoughts of hell-fire, which threatens all sinners Bible. Remedy prompted mine - for nearly a hundred years, virtually all the inhabitants of Coober Pedy live in houses, holes dug into the slopes of the surrounding hills. There are underground churches, shops, art galleries and even the world's only underground four-star hotel, some home-catacombs are true palaces of the area more than 450 m². Coober Pedy has attracted not only hunters opals, but also film directors - not far from the city to shoot the film "Apocalypse" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

8. The blue walls of Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen - one of the most beautiful places in Morocco, it is simply impossible to describe in words. The reason for that - not a terrific view of the ridge of the Rif and even crazily low cost of real estate, and deep blue color of streets and buildings of the old town.

So unusual color Chefchaouen obliged to Jewish settlers who lived here in the 1930s. City enjoyed steady popularity among tourists as it is located near Tangier, one of the largest port cities in Morocco, in addition, of Chefchaouen, you can quickly reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, located directly across from Gibraltar. What else attracts tourists the city with blue walls? Probably the fact that it is the center of production of Moroccan hashish.

9. Colma - a city where living in a minority of

In 1900, San Francisco authorities have taken the decision to ban the deployment of new cemeteries in the city, and in 1912 officials at all decided that all existing burial should be moved outside Frisco. In search of a new "permanent residence" for California's dead heads cemeteries stumbled upon the town of Colma (then still called Lawndale) and realized that it is suitable for the "relocation" of the dead could not be better.

Since 1924, the year Colma is actually a city-cemetery - 17 cemeteries, which buried more than 1, 5 million remains, while the population of the city has about 1, 8 thousand people as of the year 2010 is located here.