Madurodam is a scale model of the country and all the attractions and geographical features that make Holland famous. You can see the canals of Amsterdam, the Red Light district, Rotterdam harbor, Maastricht, Utrecht, the dikes that made Holland famous, castles, government buildings, and windmills. Madurodam even has an airport, beaches, little cars, tin people, and trains running through it. In fact, there’s pretty much a scale version (built to a scale of 1:25) of anything of importance or shows the daily life of the country.

There is even a mayor. In 1952, the teenaged Princess Beatrix was appointed mayor of Madurodam. Today, the mayor is elected by a youth council consisting of 25 students from schools in the region.

This major Dutch tourist attraction (it sees millions of visitors per year) was first built in 1952. It was named after George Maduro, a Jewish law student who fought as a member of the Dutch resistance and died at Dachau concentration camp in 1945. His parents donated the money to start the Madurodam project and since then it has just grown.

Thirty five people build and maintain the city. Every year one or two new buildings are added, while older ones get taken away.

I visited Madurodam with Guido from Happy Hotelier. I had heard about the city on a previous trip to The Netherlands and Guido, who lives in The Hague, agreed to indulge my inner child and take me. (Knowing someone with a car is wonderful.) Arriving there, I expected this amazing Legoland version of the country and, though I didn’t find that, I thought the “town” was still pretty interesting to wander around. The detail on the buildings is exquisite and they really put a lot of work into the smallest details. At night, 50,000 miniature light bulbs light up the city.

If you take photos at the right angles, the buildings can fill the frame enough to look like the real thing and you can pretend you actually visited the place. Mostly, I liked watching the airplanes “take off” from the Schiphol Airport, though the décor inside is a bit dated from the 70s. I just wanted to run on the tarmac and play with the planes like an eight year old boy.

Madurodam is open all year round. It is open from 9am to 9pm and tickets cost €12,50 for adults; children are €9, and adults aged 65 cost €11,50. You can get here by car or take the tram from The Hague Central Station. It is tram 9 or bus 22 in the direction of Scheveningen.

I wouldn’t make the half day journey from Amsterdam to see this site. It was interesting but to eat up a whole day for this? I’m not sure it was that interesting. But if you are looking for something a bit more off beat in a country where you end up seeing lots of canals, historic buildings, and art museums, make your way out here when you get to The Hague.

Now whether you believe in ghosts or not, these tours take you on an adventure that not only teaches you a part of Edinburgh’s history, but also leaves you feeling just a little “weird.” Or, if you are like me, scared shitless. I hate horror movies because I find them unbelievable but, as Hitchcock knew, a good fright comes from what people don’t see or know. When I left the underground vault tour, I was so spooked that I refused to sleep with the light off that night. The only other time I felt such unease was after I saw The Blair Witch Project.

One of the most popular ghost tours is through the underground vaults. The underground vaults were built in 1788 and used as storage space and workshops for businesses near the South Bridge. However, the bridge was poorly constructed and water from the surface would leak down into the vaults. The vaults were then abandoned in 1795 and became slums turning into a red light district with countless brothels and pubs. Moreover, the city’s poor called these vaults home. The rooms were cramped, dark, had no sunlight, had poorly circulated air, no running water, and no sanitation. Crime was widespread but, by 1820, the leaking became so intense that even the squatters had left.

While many companies offer tours through the vaults, I went with City of the Dead. Their tour takes you through all the old vaults, explains their history, describes some of the characters that lived in them, talks about ghosts, and regales you with stories of people who have experienced a close encounter of the supernatural kind. The story I remember most is of a girl and her mother. The little girl felt someone grab her hand. Thinking it was her mom, she grabbed back. But the hand, according to the story, “felt weird” and slowly kept squeezing her hand until it hurt. When girl said “you are hurting me,” the mother said “I’m over here, honey.” The guide, moving the flashlight to the girl, found that she was standing alone. Who held her hand? How did she get separated? I don’t know. Maybe they made the story up. Or all the other stories for that matter. But moving through the vaults in the dark, with your mind in overdrive, creates an atmosphere of unease that you want on a ghost tour. Of course, the guy jumping out of the corner in the dark doesn’t help at all.

But the real “ghost “experience is the MacKenzie Poltergeist tour that takes you through Greyfriars Cemetery. The Mackenzie poltergeist is the most famous of Edinburgh’s ghosts.

George MacKenzie was in charge of the local prison in the 17th Century and loved persecuting the Scots Presbyterians (Covenanters). MacKenzie was infamous for the glee in which he would send people to the gallows. After he died, he was buried near Covenanter’s Prison in the cemetery. After a local homeless man accidentally opened his coffin in late 1998, his ghost supposedly began haunting the area.

Tours take you through the graveyard and around the prison area. There are many stories of people being scratched or attacked, feeling sick, or discovering marks on their bodies the next day. It could all be psychosomatic, but a ghost tour through a “haunted” graveyard on Halloween? Perfect.

No matter which tour you go on or whether or not you believe in ghosts, like all good ghost tours, haunted houses, and Halloween exhibits, these tours make you feel uncomfortable by playing on people’s innate fear of the unknown. Are these places really haunted? Is your mind just playing tricks on you? Did you cut yourself on a branch or did MacKenzie actually claw at you? It doesn’t matter. It’s Halloween. It’s good to be a little frightened. The ghost tours are perfect for Halloween or to just spook yourself out while in Edinburgh.

I’ve always been fascinated by this place since the first time I heard about it on National Geographic television. When I was in university, I became a Buddhist. I liked the religion’s outlook on life and the universe, and ever since then, I’ve always had an affinity with Buddhist temples. And when I found out about this place, I knew I had to see it before I died.

I’ve read books about Borobudur and watched programs on it. What makes this place special is that the temple itself is a giant allegory for enlightenment.

The journey begins at the base of the temple and follows a path through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely K?madh?tu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). The Buddhist pilgrim starts at the bottom and moves up when they have deciphered each relief. Each relief tells a teaching from the Buddha, and when you figure it out, you move on to the next. They progressively get harder and by the time you finish the last one, you are on the top and enlightened.

This site is the most popular tourist attraction in Indonesia, and there are many ways to get here. Public buses to Borobudur from Yogyakarta are aimed mostly at Indonesian visitors, and only a few tourists venture aboard. If you are adventurous though, the Trans-Jogya service runs from central Yogyakarta to the Jombor bus terminal in northern Yogyakarta (Rp 3,000), where you can change to another bus to get to Borobudur.

Travel agents in Yogyakarta also sell door-to-door minibus tour packages for around Rp 75,000, which is a good deal and the easiest way to get to and from the monument. Entry into Borobudur costs $15 USD or $8 USD. The site is open to the public from 6AM to 5PM daily. There is a daily Borobudur Sunrise Tour for Rp 320,000 for foreigners, which gets you a flashlight and a lift up to the temple gate at 4:30AM, in time to see the sunrise and explore the site before the hordes arrive. You should also hire a guide who can explain the reliefs so you can understand the temple a bit better.

Borobudur is one of the most amazing historical sites in the world, and also one of the most unique. I’m fascinated by it. A lot of travelers visit Indonesia and simply stay on Bali, but if you make your way off Bali and into Java, be sure to visit this site. You won’t be disappointed.

The story of this begins when a hermit named Don Julian Santana moved here. For some unknown reason, he left his wife and decided to spend the last 50 years of his life living alone. I suspect it’s because his wife kept stealing the covers while they were sleeping.

The “haunted” aspect of this story begins when supposedly three girls once visited here and while playing in the water, one of the girls drowned. As a result, her restless spirit haunted the island. Julian initially put up one doll to ward off this paranormal menace and help put the girls soul to rest so she could pass on to the next life. However, the “activity “of the ghost only increased and more and more dolls were placed in the trees in an attempt to appease the girl’s spirit. The only time Julian left the island was to get more dolls. He even used to trade food for dolls. It is also said that each doll holds a portion of the girl’s spirit.

Sadly, Don Julian Santana was found dead in 2001 by his nephew, in the same canal where he said the little girl drowned! (Freaky huh?) The island was on the Syfy Channel show “Destination Truth”, where a paranormal investigation team spent the night. They apparently saw apparitions and heard voices.

This is a strange tourist attraction. Many visitors are overwhelmed by the dead childish faces of dolls that appear to haunt this place. It’s as though they are following you as you wander around, checking you out. It is as though they are what haunts this island not the spirit of the little girl.

This super eerie tourist attraction is located south of Mexico City. It’s on private property but the nephew now runs tours there so it’s easy to get to. Simply ask your hotel or hostel when you get there and they can point you in the right direction. If you go to the Xochimilco canal, take a trajinera from the Cuemanco Pier to the island.

Hutt River was founded on April 21st, 1970 by Leonard George Casley. Casley founded the “country” in response to a dispute with the government of Western Australia over what he considered draconian wheat production quotas as well as taxes. (It’s always about taxes and quotas huh?) Casley and the other families who owned farms in Hutt River banded together to fight the quota and Casley lodged a protest with the Governor of Western Australia. When the government said they wouldn’t repeal the quotas, Casley sued for $52 million in damages. After he was unsuccessful and lost the case, Casley and his associates resorted to a British law (the Treason Act 1495) which they “allowed” them to secede and declare their independence from Australia.

The government of Western Australia determined it couldn’t stop them so asked the Canberra government for help. The then Governor-General of Australia, Sir Paul Hasluck, stated that it was unconstitutional for Australia to intervene in secession. Under Australian law, the government had two years to fight Casley’s declaration and when it failed to do so, the province got de facto legal status on April 21, 1972. (Like I said, it’s a legal mess!)

In the early 1980s, Hutt River Province declared itself to be a kingdom, but soon after reverted to its original status of a principality. The principality proceeded to release a number of its own stamps and coins. The currency of the Hutt River Province Principality is the Hutt River Dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. The Hutt River Dollar is tied at a one-to-one ratio with the Australian dollar. Although few people actually live in Hutt River, the principality claims a world-wide citizenry of 13,000.

The Australian government doesn’t really interfere with Hutt River or Casley. They let him be in his own quirkiness so long as he doesn’t cause too much trouble. However, Australia has issued statements saying companies aren’t allowed to incorporate in “province” to avoid paying taxes. If people do try to do so, they face stiff penalties and fines. The attitude here is sort of” let this crazy guy have his fun but we aren’t going to let it spread.” He is also currently suing the government in international court claiming the unclaimed lands in Western Australia as his own under international law.

If you are driving up the west coast, Hutt River makes for an unusual and interesting stop. It’s really a giant cattle farm, no different from the many that abound in Western Australia. But the oddness of the “royal family” and his claim that he can time travel make for an interesting few hours. It’s one of those oddities, like stopping to see the world’s biggest ball of yarn in Nowhere, USA, that make long road trips fun. Hutt River is located on the road from Northhampton to Kalbarri park. You can spend the night if you want too, otherwise the country is open from 9am to 4pm. Entrance is free. Visit their website for more information on traveling there.

Jellyfish lake is about 12,000 years old and is a remnant of the last ice age. About 12,000 years ago, the sea level rose to the point where sea water began to fill the Jellyfish Lake basin. But when the glaciers receded, there was no place for these jellyfish or other fish to go. This isolation allowed the species in the lake to develop on their own and become a unique species (Darwin would be proud!). This is why you can swim in the lake- these jellyfish have lost their stingers. Without the need for them, they have lost their ability to sting so you can swim unharmed. The jellyfish in the lake live on algae that are attached to them. Twice each day, the jellyfish in the lake swim from one side to the other so they algae they live off of can grow.

Snorkeling in Jellyfish Lake is a popular activity for tourists to Palau and there are many tour operators here. Tourists require a pass to access to Jellyfish Lake. The Rock Islands/Jellyfish Lake pass is $35 and is good for 10 days. You’ll be able to swim for hours with these creatures as they migrate from one side of the lake to the other. While Palau might not be one of the biggest destinations in the region, this lake is Palau’s big destination. Don’t expect to be the only one swimming here.

Scuba diving by tourists in the lake is not allowed for two reasons: First, the bubbles from scuba tanks can harm the jellyfish if they collect beneath their bell. Secondly, at about 15 meters below the surface, there are high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide which can be absorbed through the skin of a diver cause death.

If you are looking to do something different, try going for a swim with a few million jellyfish. Most of the jellyfish in the world sting and while they are beautiful creatures, you can’t really go swimming with them. Yet here in Palau, nature gives you a chance to get all tangled up without being stung.

The Chernobyl Power Complex, lying 130 km north of Kiev, Ukraine, had a critical meltdown in 1986. The accident destroyed Chernobyl 4 reactor, killing 30 operators and firemen within three months and hundreds more from radiation over the subsequent years. Moreover, large areas of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia were also contaminated to varying degrees. It was a huge disaster for the then Soviet Union.

On April 25th, the reactor crew at Chernobyl 4 began preparing for a test to determine how long turbines would spin and supply power following a loss of main electrical power supply. A series of operator actions preceded the attempted test and by the time that the operator went to shut down the reactor, the reactor was on its way to critical.

A steam explosion released fission products into the atmosphere. About two to three seconds later, a second explosion threw out fragments from the fuel channels and hot graphite into the surrounding area.

It is estimated that all of the xenon gas, about half of the iodine and caesium, and at least 5% of the remaining radioactive material in the reactor core was released in the accident. Most of the material was deposited close by as dust and debris, but the lighter material was carried by wind over the Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and to some extent over Scandinavia and Europe.

After the explosion, some 45,000 residents were evacuated from the area, notably from the plant operators’ town of Pripyat. This place is now a ghost and a big part of any Chernobyl tour. On May 4th, all those living within a 30 kilometer radius were evacuated and later relocated. Oddly (and crazily enough) about 1000 people have since returned unofficially to live within the contaminated zone. In the years following the accident, another 210,000 people were resettled into less contaminated areas, and the initial 30 km radius exclusion zone was extended to cover 4300 square kilometers.

If you are so inclined, you can tour the Chernobyl area. Tours cost about $130-160 dollars and will last a full day, departing and returning to Kiev. Tours leave early in the morning and return around 6 p.m.

On your exciting and really creepy tour, you’ll head to Chernobyl passing Dytyatky, the border into the containment area. At Chernoybal, you get to meeti with the leadership of “Chernobylinterinform” Agency and hear all about the accident. You’ll get to feed some radioactive fish in the cooling channel and then go see reactor #4 covered in concrete. After that, it’s a stop nearby the “Red Forest.” The name comes from the ginger-brown color of the pine trees after they died following the absorption of high levels of radiation. (Good times huh?) Finally, you visit Pripyat, the town they evacuated because of radiation poisoning. There’s nothing here but abandoned homes, cars, and a few crazy people who wanted to move back. After that, its back to the control point for a quick radiation check (try not to glow!) and back to Kiev.

All of the tours do the same thing so the only difference between companies is quality and price. To find out more, you can do a simple Google search but you are better off booking any tour in Kiev as you can probably negotiate your price towards the lower end.

Paris is a big city with a very long history. From its early days as a Roman outpost though modern times, the city has had to deal with waste. How would they handle waste from millions of people? In ancient times, it wasn’t a problem. The population wasn’t large enough yet to create any real pollution, so everything went into the River Seine.

However, as the city grew, more waste went into the Seine and, by the late middle ages, the river was simply too polluted, and something needed to be done. Beginning in 1370, the city started building sewers and drains. Back then, people just threw their waste onto the street where it just sort of stayed. This was a common practice all over Europe up until the 19th century. In fact, part of the reason women begin carrying those little parasols in the late 18th/19th century was to protect themselves from falling… debris.

In Paris, the system got bigger and bigger, but it still wasn’t effective. Waste still went into the Seine, and the stink just got worse. In the 19th century, the city employed Eugene Belgrand, who reshaped everything. He increased the sewer system, increased the size of the drains and roads, started a treatment plant, and began to build aqueducts so the city could pump in drinking water from the surrounding area. Much of the sewer system still bears his legacy. The city now has over 2,100 km of pipelines that, if stretched out, would go from Paris to Istanbul. It’s the biggest in the world and deals with over 1.2 million cubic meters of waste water each day.

For those interested in seeing this, the Paris Sewer tour lets you explore part of the sewers and learn how the city copes will all its waste. The exhibit is quite good, with most of the signs in French, German, and English. Moreover, you actually get to walk through some of the active sewers. You can hear the waste flowing to its final destination below you. It makes for quite the stinky time, though I must say you do get used to the smell after awhile.

The tour is laid out in a quick and easy walk that can be done in 30 minutes or less. In the beginning, there are some pictures and information on the history of the sewers as well as some of the old machines they used to clean them. There seems to be a great display with visual images and everything. How good it is, I don’t know- this part was in French. The other major exhibit on the history of the sewers is in multiple languages. The Paris Sewers are a different way to see Paris and give you an interesting take on how this modern city deals with an age old problem.

Everyone comes to Paris to see the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame. Come see something different (and stinky), and learn about more about the workings of this city. It was one of the most unique things I’ve done. Plus, there’s no lines.

You can find the Paris Sewer Tour near the Alma Marceau metro stop. It’s right across the bridge on your left. It’s open everyday except Thursday and Friday from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. and cost 4.50 Euros to get in. Make sure to bring some hand sanitizer for when you are done!

Located 45 minutes outside of Edinburgh, Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Church of St. Matthew, was founded on a small hill near Rosslyn Castle in the mid-15th century. The chapel was founded by William Sinclair of the Sinclair family, a noble family descended from Norman knights who moved to Scotland when they fell out of William the Conqueror in the 11th century.

The purpose of the church was to celebrate the Holy Mass for all the faithfully departed, including the deceased members of the Sinclair family. It was thought that a fast ticket into heaven was to have people constantly praying for your soul. The Sinclairs did what many wealthy family did – they built the church in hopes of winning points with the guy upstairs. After the Scottish Reformation, Roman Catholic worship in the Chapel was brought to an end, although the Sinclair family continued to be Roman Catholics until the early 18th century.

The chapel is quite small. It was originally built to be a full style Gothic cathedral in the shape of a cross, but when William Sinclair died, his son stopped construction, closed up the “top”, and made that the chapel. Though small, the chapel is filled with stunning architecture and sculptures that you normally wouldn’t think would belong. In this Catholic church, you’ll find Pagan fertility gods, supposed Masonic imagery, upside-down devils, biblical reliefs, references to Norse mythology, and the death mask of Robert the Bruce – all pretty unusual stuff for a Gothic church. You can spend hours looking over all the reliefs, statues, and images. They are fascinating. The most fascinating one is the American maize (corn), which was not discovered at the time this church was built. Over one of the windows, there is clearly maize, leading many people to theorize the Sinclairs had contact with North America years before Columbus did. (Though that isn’t exactly revolutionary as it’s well documented that Columbus was not the first person to discover America.)

Yet what intrigues people about this place is the mystery that surrounds it and the mysterious connections of the family. Because of family’s connection to the Knights Templar (and the stone that says “Knight Templar” in the church), it has long been theorized that much of the imagery in the church has some secret meaning and that the mysterious treasure of the Templars is actually buried underneath in the church’s vaults. Yet no one knows for sure. The Sinclairs did support the Templars, and there is obvious Templar and Masonic imagery in the church, though some of it might have been added later. What keeps the mystery alive is that the family has kept silent over the centuries about what is in the vault, leading many to theorize they are hiding something.

After the “Da Vinci Code” movie, thousands of people came here everyday looking to find some truth in the story, and thousands of people walked away disappointed. But whether you believe in the Da Vinci and Templar theories or not, this church is still an interesting place to visit. The intricacy of the architecture will leave you captivated and breathless. And when you are finished with the church, you can walk around the surrounding hills and visit ruins of the old castle, which is an equally good treat.

A visit out here is a full day from Edinburgh and one that should not be missed by anyone. You can take a local bus from the city and it will drop you off right in front of the entrance to both the church and castle ruins.

Yet in this maze of tunnels, you’ll find one part open to the public – the famous Catacombs of Paris. The Catacombs of Paris were created at the end of the 18th century. From the late seventeenth century, Paris’ largest cemetery, Les Innocents, became too filled with bodies, and neighbors began suffering from disease due to contamination caused by improper burials and open mass graves.  Neither the cemetery, nor any of the others for that matter, could keep with the population growth of Paris. After multiple complaints by residents, the Council of State in November 9, 1785 pronounced the removal and the evacuation of the cemetery.

The bones were removed from 1786 and continued until 1788. The bones were always moved at night to a ceremony made up of a procession of priests who sang along the way to the catacombs.

Since the first day they were complete, the Catacombs have been an object curiosity, even for royalty. In 1787, Lord of d’Artois, who became King Charles 10, went down there with the ladies from the Court. In 1814, François 1st, Emperor of Austria, went to visit and explore them while he was in Paris. In 1860, Napoleon III went there with his son. The catacomb walls are also covered in graffiti dating from the eighteenth century. Everyone has left their mark on this place. Towards the end of the 18th century, the catacombs became a tourist attraction and have been open to the public on a regular basis from 1867.

The catacombs are eerie. They are quiet, dark, damp, and a bit downright depressing. There are lots of bones around and most of them are just stacked up on each other. You’ll never know who is who – that skull you are looking at could be someone who died from the plague or from a wealthy aristocrat. You never know.

To get to the catacombs, you can take the subway and the RER to Denfert-Rochereau or use Bus 38 and 68. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Monday. Last admission is at 4 p.m. Visits are limited to 200 visitors in the site (entries can be stopped temporarily) and it costs 7 Euros. Check their website before they go because they are sometimes closed without warning or explanation.