What's the most random place you've visited? — A discussion about interesting and quirky places

Have you been to a place you thought it's absolutely quirky, weird, unbelievable? Share it with us. Would you recommend it for other to visit?

Mine would be: Prague.

Even though it's a popular tourist destination, Prague is filed with the quirky statues from David Cerny which I thought were absolutely weird – creepy crawling babies, men pissing on Prague's map, the upside down horse, the hanging man... All of them have strong social meaning once you start reading about it.

I wrote about some of the quirky statues in Prague in a very old post from 2017 (scroll down to the end for pictures): travellingbuzz.com/one-day-prague-must-see-places-quirky-statues/

Here's my top three random places from recent memory:

1. A soviet aerospace museum which I discovered in Moscow near a hospital (another story), which had a burned out cosmonaut re-entry vehicle in the parking lot. I got a 1 hour personal tour from the museum curator.

2. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Pyeongchang (a cyber-attack resulted in tens of thousands of spectators being stranded in sub-freezing temperates with no public transport!)

3. Flying over Antarctica on a QF 747 from Sydney to Joburg and mesmerised by the ice sheets below.

1) The Silent People in Finland. www.suomussalmi.fi/fi/vapaa-aika/kulttuuri/hiljainen-kansa/
PDF in English: www.suomussalmi.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Silent_People.pdf
2) These in the area of the former Yugoslavia (fantastic database btw) - www.spomenikdatabase.org

Remembered 2 more:

1) Museum of Corkscrews - over 30 000 corkscrews in one place
2) Museum of Pressing Irons - largest collection in the world with over 35 000 pieces

Huge collections of old, new, and bizarre corkscrews and irons! What a random visit it was..

Both in Bucharest: museumofromanianrecords.com/pressing-iron-collection/

I wouldn't say it's completely random but I never expected to go to Ethiopia until my friend proposed this wild idea to go and we did!

It was the most raw travel experience I've ever had, especially our time in Omo Valley, and I wouldn't say it was my favourite but I'm sure glad I did it.

goingawesomeplaces.com/ethiopia-omo-valley-itinerary-in-9-days/

Hmm, I guess random could imply spontaneity?

If so, I'd consider the Savitsky Museum and the Desert of Forbidden Art in Nukus, Uzbekistan, a bowling alley in Pyongyang, and the Pakistan Air Force Museum in Karachi for starters. Oh, and New Harmony, Indiana, USA (my buddy and I stopped for gas in that spot...actually, it was more than worth the visit).

1) Kubu Island: a rocky island covered by Baobab trees and ruins in the middle of a dry pan - Botswana www.facebook.com/v.adventuresLLC/photos/a.514494536057421/1011215483051988

2) Sipadan abyss: diving wit barracudas - Malaysia
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1016936314423&set=a.1016934314373

3) Grand Canyon, the remote North Rim - Arizona, USA
www.facebook.com/v.adventuresLLC/photos/a.437135253793350/943266203180250

Probably would be the Principality of Sealand ... I wrote about it here on Travel Massive!

The Principality Of Sealand (6 upvotes)

Some years back, being taken to the Vítkovice Iron and Steel works in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It had recently closed down and there was no agreed plan as what to do with it. Instead, it had become an unofficial night time venue with impromptu live music and bars! Absolutely no concerns over health and safety - trip hazards, dodgy electrics etc - it was after all an enormous industrial site. All a bit crazy and fun at the same time. I suspect it no longer happens, at least in that same chaotic way?

The pinnacles national park, wa, just north of Perth Australia. A person said do you want to go there, I had not planned it, I said yes because it sounded interesting. It was an amazing afternoon. If you like the animation Wallace and Gromits Grand day out, well this is what I found. Quite expected them to jump out from behind the sandstone mounds. Got some amazing photos.

I visited what was considered a shrine to a small plane crash in the middle of the Bolivia Altiplano. It was really hyped up by the local guide. On arrival it was a small shrine hidden in the rocks and pieces of the plane were being used for animal shelters.

I'd have to say Die Hel or Hell, which was one of the most isolated communities for 150 years in Southern Africa.
southafrica.co.za/gamkaskloof-die-hel-swartberg.html

The Museum of Money in the old capital of Montenegro (Cetinje). It was almost like a museum of history given how many currencies had been used in the country over the years. The fact that we received a personally guided tour was extra special.

Mntenegro is not a member of the European Union or the Eurozone, but uses the Euro as its official currency. How is that for random?

Cetinje is also a random city to visit. Everyone who visited Montenegro normally heads to Kotor, but how many take the time to visit this historic city?

A tiny floating island in Lake Titicaca, Peru.

We stayed with a lovely couple and their young son on their private reed island. Before our visit we were concerned that the experience may feel a little contrived, but it was fascinating and unforgettable.

Our hosts were very open when describing daily life on Lake Titicaca and the ways in which their lives differ from their elders and ancestors. Many Uros people still live in the traditional way but some younger people do decide to start a new life on the mainland. For those youngsters who do decide to stay, as with many parts of the world, modern technology has weaved its way in to the traditional way of life. Learning and using traditional hunting and building techniques is extremely important, but the numerous solar panels come in very useful too!