North Korea
The obvious one – the (until recently)
big looming black hole on google maps. While you can technically travel
there, you must stick to the carefully planned tourist route, and be
accompanied by a tour guide at all times. For the most part – the highly
secretive state is completely off limit to tourists.
Where would we go if we could? To
check out the mysterious room 39 in Pyongyang, the secretive government
organisation rumoured to be involved in many illegal activities.
The Vatican Secret Archives
Owned by the Pope, it contains documents
which the church has accumulated over the centuries – about five miles
of shelving worth. Despite having ‘secret’ in its title, it’s
technically a research library, and parts of it are accessible to those
who are given access by the Pope. If you manage to get access, you are
only allowed in with a pen and paper and be accompanied at all times by
two priests and two guards. There have been countless theories as to
what could be contained in the secret archives (mainly started by Dan
Brown) – from a time machine to banned scriptures.
What would we do if we could? Cram in as much reading as possible, and search for ‘lost’ parts of the bible.
Area 51
A favourite of conspiracy theorists,
Area 51 does little to help people believe it is an ‘abandoned research
facility’ by having armed guards outside 24/7 and refusing anyone
access.
What would we do if we could go?Look for aliens, obviously
North Sentinel Island
Located on the Bay of Bengal, the island
is home of a group of indigenous people – The Sentineles, who are among
the last people to remain virtually untouched by modern civilisation.
India has a policy of non-interference with the island; even taking
photos is an offense. We know very little about the inhabitants except
that they are supposedly extremely hostile to strangers.
What would we do if we could? Try not to get murdered while looking at how different (or similar) a community is that has been untouched by ‘friends’.
Surtsey Island
A volcanic island off the coast of
Iceland. Relatively young, it was only created in 1967. It is now a
world heritage site and a protected nature reserve which is not open to
the public due to its pristine natural habitat, unspoilt by human
intervention.
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