With Halloween a few days away, I’ve gotten to thinking about the supernatural realm. Here are a few of my favourite eerie experiences around the globe:
Hoia-Baciu Forest, Romania
The Hoia-Baciu Forest, located a few kilometres outside of Cluj Napaca in Romania, is rumoured to be a hot bed of unexplainÂed activity.
Dubbed the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania, it first gained international attention in 1968, when biologist Alexandru Sift captured a photo of a disc-shaped UFO. Since then, UFOs, apparitions, luminescent orbs, nocturnal lights and other unusual phenomena continue to be reported in this area. Trees that were normal a few years ago are now warped and gnarled, something that many say is a clear sign of an apparition.
People who spend extended periods of time in the forest claim to experience anxiety, insomnia, excessive thirst, nausea, vomiting and head-aches.
Witches Market, Bolivia
Located among the sidewalk vendors of Avenida Sagarnaga, the Mercado de las Brujas (the Witches Market) is where Bolivians come to buy all their ritualistic needs: amulets, herbs, ceramic charms and tools of the occult. There are no little green Martian men here, but you will find a most unusual souvenir — dried llama fetuses. Bolivians bury them under the foundation of their new homes for good fortune.
Though Bolivia is primarily a Catholic country, the popular religion is a blend of Christian ideology and pre-Colombian indigenous rituals. To this day, blessings and burning ceremonies are an important part of everyday Bolivian culture.
Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana
Not sure if it was the threat of poisonous snakes or the alligator-infested waters, but there was definitely something mysterious about Louisiana’s swamp lands. There have been eyewitness reports of a seven-foot-tall Bigfoot- type creature that lives in the area. They call it the Honey Island swamp monster.
It’s been described as: “half mammal, half reptile, all man-eater.” Of couÂrse, no one can prove its existence, still many locals dare not enter the swamps alone. Happy Halloween!
– Julia Dimon is co-host of Word Travels, airing on OLN; juliadimon.com.
