Dani—Glimpse

SNEAKER

SNEAKER

SILENCE With The Sound Of

By Daniel Teller

Your first aid kit should contain useful medical items to help you to stay comfortable and safe. There is certainly peace of mind in knowing that you can treat your own blisters so, check out our advice below on organising and buying your kit.

ORGANISING YOUR FIRST AID KIT

It should be as compact as possible in a hard-wearing nylon bag. Dark nylon wash kit bags are useful as they do not attract attention and have lots of storage room. You must know what’s in the kit and how to use it. If you don’t know how to use it, then it’s not going to be of much use! The contents should be specifically tailored to your require

SURVIVING WHILE TRAVELING

BUYING YOUR FIRST AID KIT

A pre-packed first aid kit, there is inevitably a bit of laziness involved in buying it and a tendency to think, ‘I’m all right, I’ve bought a first aid kit’ – but then when you need to use it, it may not contain what you need. So, if you do buy a ready-made first aid kit, make sure it contains every thing you’re likely to need and also think about whether or not all the items are necessary. For instance, the kit may have scissors in it but you probably have those on your Swiss Army knife, so why take a second pair? You should also supplement the kit with extra medical items based on your own requirements.

They can be used to make a sling, bandage limbs together, provide compression in cases of very severe bleeding, or hold together splints that you have made from a sleeping mat.

Useful for cleaning small wounds. (Larger wounds should be cleaned with soap and cooled, boiled water.)

Pain-relief medication such as ibuprofen and paracetamol.

MOST OF THE TIME YOU WON’T NEED ANYTHING EXCEPT A FEW PLASTERS, BUT IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE PREPARED

8 RULES FOR EXPLORING ABANDONED PLACES

By Carlos Rivera

THE WORLD IS FULL OF WEIRD AND WONDERFUL ABANDONED PLACES AND THOUGHT, “I HAVE TO GO THERE!” AND YOU CAN BUT MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE RULES

ASK PERMISSION

It’s tempting to assume that no one will notice or care if you sneak into an aban doned mansion. But chances are good that someone still owns the property, and if you enter without permission, you’re trespassing. Take the time to do your homework, find the owner and ask if you can visit. Web Urbanist suggests identifying yourself as a photographer, not an “urban explorer.”

PACK PROTECTION

By their very nature, abandoned places are most frequently found off the grid separated from the hustle and bustle of tourist hotspots and everyday life. That’s why it’s a good idea to find a travel insurance plan to be your trusty side kick as you journey into the unknown. Depending on your plan, benefits can include trip cancellation and interruption benefits, as well as 24-Hr. Hotline Assis tance to troubleshoot losing your travel documents or finding where you can grab AAA batteries for your head lamp. Be sure to download the TravelSmart app, which ensures you’re a touch away from your travel insurance plan and

local emergency numbers. Be sure you’re allowed onsite we cannot provide bene fits if you have illegally entered.

KNOW THE DANGERS

When visiting abandoned places, the most obvious hazard is falling through rotten floorboards — but there are often much more invisible dangers. For example, the toxic ghost town of Picher, Oklahoma, was abandoned in 2006 after it was found that mining made the ground unstable and many of the town’s children were found to have elevated levels of lead. Now the only safe way to explore the deserted town is by drone.

EXPLORE ABANDONED PLACES THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Some of the most beautiful ruins you’ll ever see are accessible to the public, although they aren’t often easy to reach. World Heritage Site Skellig Michael is a rocky island off the coast of Ireland where Christian monks built a com munity between the sixth and eighth centuries. They lived in beehive-shaped cells of stacked rock that stand to this

day. But understand that even visiting public, sanctioned abandoned sites is not risk-free. The site has seen its share of dangerous rock falls and even deaths — and there’s been a serious uptick in travel to Skellig Michael since it was the backdrop for the 2016 filming of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

DON’T STEAL SOUVENIRS FROM ABANDONED PLACES

Part of the charm of exploring an abandoned place is the sense that its human occupants have only just left. You may see magazines left on nightstands or children’s toys scattered on the floor. Resist the temptation to grab an artifact on your way out. You’re diluting the experience for other explorers;and dese crating a historic site.

JOIN A GROUP

Preservation groups often hold the keys to visiting abandoned sites. For instance, New York City’s long-closed Old City Hall subway station, built in 1904, can only be toured by Transit Museum mem bers.Or if you’re interested in touring

abandoned cemeteries, consider joining volunteer efforts to clean and restore them. It goes without saying that you should never, ever try exploring aban doned places alone.

DON’T WAIT TOO LONG

The clock is ticking for some abandoned places, as time, neglect or redevelop ment threaten to destroy them forever. One dramatic example is an abandoned movie set: the alien buildings of Mos Espa, the town built in the Tunisian desert by George Lucas for the filming of “The Phantom Menace.” A sand dune is slowly moving in to cover the buildings. As tourists flock there to see a little bit of “Star Wars” before it’s swallowed, fans are also raising funds to save the set.

ACCEPT THAT SOME PLACES ARE JUST OFF-LIMITS

The beach resort of Varosha, in Cyprus, is a lovely place —1974, when its resi dents fled the Turkish invasion. The ghost town has been fenced off and abandoned ever since. Unauthorized visitors run the risk of being shot.

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The Clock Is Ticking For Some Abandoned Places

MAKE REALITY

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THE SECRETS OF SKINWALKER RANCH

BY Todd Strange

Welcome to Skinwalker Ranch, a 512acre property at the center of the Uinta Basin—home to tales of the paranormal and unexplained. After decades of study, the ranch remains a disquieting enigma. It’s a real-life X-file.

Some have called it a supernatural place others have deemed it cursed

The thrum of a propeller precedes the arrival of a black helicopter at Skinwalker Ranch. The ranch’s new owner, Brandon Fugal, and his brother are on board. His brother Cameron, the pilot, lands the he licopter, disturbing the otherwise quiet scenery with a cloud of dust. Fugal steps out onto the helipad, the one he had built specifically for his regular visits over the last six months. He has no reason to sus pect this visit will be any different. They walk the perimeter under a punishing sun, now accustomed to the gruesome sight of animal entrails ceremoniously draped over the fenceline. Then, there it is above the mesa, where there had been only cloudless sky an instant before. Wide and flat like a saucer

and gleaming silver, an object hov ers in the air, moving at angles and trajectories that defy logic or expla nation. The group of men freezes, staring, transfixed. The disc moves in the blink of an eye, like a bullet unhindered by physics and vanish.

The Uintah Basin in Northeastern Utah is no stranger to the strange. It’s home to hundreds of reported sightings of UFO and the notori ous Skinwalker Ranch, the alleged center of the unexplained activity in the Basin. The ranch has had three owners since the early ’90s, and its last two owners have dedicated

time, money and untold resources to unearthing its secrets. The own ers before them were cattle ranch ers trying to get by while immersed in the high strangeness.

The current owner, Brandon Fugal, a Utah-based commercial real estate executive and chairman of Colliers International, bought the property in 2016. “I was immediately taken aback by how striking the property was,” he says of his first visit to the ranch. Skinwalker Ranch is 512 acres of manifold landscape, from a red rock mesa plateau that runs the expanse of the property to natural waterways and cave systems, dot ted with old pioneer homesteads. “It’s surprisingly beautiful”. Fugal professes, even though he acquired the property with the intention to research the unex

plained activity, he’s more of a Scully than a Mulder. He was a skeptic of its paranormal signifi cance, which he retained on that first visit. “I found nothing unusual about the property, other than, on that first tour, we noticed some thing unusual about the fence line perimeter,” he says. “These body parts were hanging from the fence line. Animal bladders that were blessed and hung for the purpose of keeping the demonic spirit entities on the property.” Fugal ascribes the act to people living on the nearby reservation. But, despite the efforts to keep any entities from leaving the property, visitors to the ranch have reported that unknown enti ties followed them home after they left the ranch. Fugal’s skepticism remained until he had an unex plained experience of his own.

THE SEA OF TREES

By Yuki Ling

THE TRAGIC HISTORY OF AOKIGAHARA FOREST

Aokigahara is a dense forest that lies at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. Many urban legends surround this forest. Some believe it to be haunted because of its tragic history as a suicide spot. Aokigahara Forest made news around the world after a controversial video

Please be aware that this article con tains sensitive and potentially disturb-

Due to the high level of stress faced by the Japanese, Japan is seen as one of top countries with high suicide rates. According to a report by The Guardian, depression, serious illness and debt are among the common reasons one seeks to end their life.

Back in the feudal era in Japan, committed suicide was seen as an act of honour and a way of leaving peacdull. Samurai warriors would rather commit suicide, or known as seppuku (ritual disemboweling) than fall into the hands of their enemy – a way to uphold their honor and dignity. Even during World War II, soldiers who joined the Kamikaze, the Special Attack

Group to sacrifice for their country was seen as respectful and honoured. Nowadays, many had chosen to end their life not for honourable reasons, but mainly because they could not fit into society nolonger.

As such, many who decide to suicide will chose a place where it is hidden and not easy to be found to spend their last moment. The forest provides this enviroment. For the Japanese, Aokigahara Forest is one of the most common locations. It is also known as the world’s sec ond-most common location to commit suicide. The most common location is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

Aokigahara Forest

Known as the most famous forest in Japan, Aokigahara is located at the northwest base of the country’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji. Due to its high density of trees, Aokiga hara is also known as a Jukai – which simply means a “sea of trees’. The tree coverage is so thick that, even at noon, you will hardly find a bright spot in the forest. Aokigahara is also known as the Japan’s Demon Forest, the Suicide Forest, and the “perfect place to die”. This unique forest, which is very quiet with hardly any wildlife, has turned into a com mon spot among the Japanese to end their life. And because of the silence (where you could hardly hear birds singing), many Japanese believe that the forest is haunted and dare not go nearby.

This 35-sq km forest is cold, rocky, and contains some 200 caves, of which a few, such as the Ice Cave and Wind Cave, have been popular among the tourists. Because of the rocky area and thick trees, Aokiga hara’s surroundings are almost identical, making it the perfect journey for those who are making a one-way trip. For trekkers and hikers, they often carry along plastic tape to mark their way so that they will find the way out again. While you’re in an Inter net rabbit hole investigating the deeper, darker corners of Japan’s history, society, and spiritual ity, here are 4 other abandoned locations that are thought of as haunted for various reasons.

The Suicide Forest

The locals who live near Aokigahara said they could easily identify three types of visitors who head to this infamous forest – the trekkers, the curious, and those planning a one-way trip.

It all started with a mystery novel called “Kuroi Jukai” (translated as Black Sea of Trees) by Seicho Matsumoto in 1960. The novel ends romantically with the lovers committing suicide in the forest, which revitalized the Suicide Forest’s popularity among those who wanted to end their life. One could blame the novel for its dramatic ending, but the suicide history of Aokigahara started way before, as many hanged themselves on the trees in the forest.

Wataru Tsuru mui’s contro versial 1993 bestseller, The Complete Suicide Manual, is a book that describes various modes of suicide and even recommends Aokigahara as the perfect place to die. Apparently this book is also a common find in the forest, usually not too far away from a suicide victim and their belongings. Undoubtedly, the most common method of suicide in the forest is hanging.

Local police stopped publishing the number of suicides that took place, a way to down play its popularity among those who seek to commit suicide and also a way to encourage more tourism in this amazing forest. The last data released, which was in 2003, state

105 confirmed suicides were registered. It is believed that the number could be more as many corpses are never found. In 2010, police records show that 247 people attempted to commit suicide in the forest, but only 54 of them “succeed”.As such, local authorities have put up suicide prevention signs at the forest en trance. The signs read, “Your life is something precious that was given to you by your parents” and “Think about your parents, siblings, and children once more. Do not be troubled alone.” The signs end with a helpline telephone number, hoping the lost souls who seek to die would call for help. It is hard to make a profile of the average profile of who commits suicide in the forest, but they are usually males between 40 and 50 years, and the biggest month for suicides is March, possibly because March is the end of the fiscal year in Japan. So many people come from all over Japan to end their stressful lives here as they feel it’s is the perfect location in which to breathe their last. For a turn to a more positive aspect of spiri tuality and mysticism, here are some “power spots” that many Japanese people visit to draw strength and good fortune.

“105 Confirmed Suicides”

The Haunted Legend

In Japanese mythology, Aokigahara is known to be haunted by demons, a reason why some Japanese are still afraid of enter the forest. It is believed that those who enter the forest would never return. This could be true, as even now adays, many trekkers can easily lose their way in this dense forest. Furthermore, due to the magnetic iron in the volcanic soil area nearby, it can often interfere in the function of compass es or mobile phones.

Another reason why people believed that the forest is haunted is due to yurei, or souls filled with hatred, sadness, and desire to revenge. According to legend, people bring their family members during famine to the forest and leave them to die there, in order to save their food for other family members. Those left in the for est would slowly die due to starvation, turning them into yurei.

In the Japanese popular belief, if a person dies in a deep sense of hatred, anger, sadness, or desire for revenge, their soul can’t leave this world and continues to wander, appearing to people affected by the spell or those who cross his path . These souls are called yurei and

they can are found in many modern cultur al references such as movies as well. Unlike western horror movies, where the ghost wants something specific in order to be able to rest in peace, the yurei wants nothing in particular; they just want to have their curse removed or conflicts resolved in some way or another.

The belief in yurei continues to today. When a body is found in Aokigahara, forest guardians place it in a room next to the forest before be ing sent to authorities. Legend has it that if the body is left alone in the room, its yurei move around screaming in the room. Hence, forest guards will play games of rock-paper-scissors in order to determine who the unlucky compan ion to the body is.

Conclusion

For once, this article does not introduce a location that readers are encouraged to visit and see for themselves. Those with an interest in Japan already know that the country isn’t all robots and anime and cherry blossoms, and this article sought to carefully explain a darker side to the country, a suicide epidemic that citizens are all too familiar with, and explain the location’s particular historical significance.

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MOST HAUNTED HOTEL IN AMERICA

QUEEN MARY LIES ANOTHER, MORE SINISTER FORCE THAT BEGS TO BE FOUND — IF YOU DARE, THAT IS ...

THE HAUNTED HISTORY

The Queen Mary, a ship that was converted into a hotel and permanently docked in Long Beach, California, is stately as they come. But don’t let its lush appearance fool you; it also happens to be one of the most haunted hotels in America. Unfortunately, the hotel and all its attractions are currently closed but it’s tentatively scheduled to re-open in October 2022 — just in time for Halloween. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the ocean liner’s dark past and the ghosts who haunt its halls.

The ship was first christened on September 26, 1934 by Queen Mary herself, and it was retired more than three decades later. It has since been converted into a hotel, where guests can sleep surrounded by the original wood paneling and portholes, imagining what it would have been like to cross the Atlantic in style.

COURTESY OF THE QUEEN MARY

You won’t be the only guests hanging out on board the historic ship. In fact, spirits are said to haunt several different places on board — and the hotel offers ghost tours to take full advantage of the spooky stories. “Not only does the Queen Mary offer a transatlantic history, but it is known as one of the most haunted destinations in America,” Chris Wilmoth, the director of marketing at the Queen Mary, told Travel + Leisure in an email. “The unique history of the ship allows us to offer one-of-a-kind and authentic experiences that delve into the paranormal, from evening tours and ghost investigations to overnight stays in our most haunted Stateroom, B340.” These are the most haunted spots for the spookiest ship experience you’re likely to ever have.

THE QUEEN MARY’S MOST HAUNTED ROOMS Stateroom B340

This stateroom was a problem long before the Queen Mary opened as a hotel. In 1948, a British third-class passenger, Walter J. Adamson, passed away in the room, and the details of his death are unknown. Later, in 1966, a woman staying in the room reported that she was woken up when the bed covers were pulled off of her and she saw a man standing at the foot of her bed. She screamed and rang for the steward, but the man apparently vanished into thin air.

Years later, guests staying in the room have reported hearing someone knocking on the door in the middle of the night and seeing bathroom lights mysteriously turn on. Even the hotel’s maids started complaining that they would find the bathroom water running even when no one had stayed in the room for days, and one reported that the bed covers were pulled off right after she put them on. The room was closed to guests for many years, but it has since reopened for anyone looking for an evening of creepy fun.

The Mauretania Room

In 1989, two women were sent to clean this lounge for a VIP reception. When they entered the room, they found a passenger sitting on a chair in the middle of the dance floor who didn’t say a word. When a third woman came in to help with the cleaning, she remarked that the passenger was staring and asked her to move.

As the employees started to call security, the passenger faded right in front of them.

The Mayfair Room

This room was once the ship’s beauty salon, but now it is used as offices for the hotel. In 2001, a member of the accounting staff came in early to work — at 5:30 a.m. to be exact — and simply felt like something was off. She went about her office tasks before sitting down at her desk and feeling unusually cold. Later, she felt someone brush up against the back of her chair, but no one was there. Just minutes after that, the woman saw a transparent figure in white walk across the room and pass through the door. Needless to say, the employee grabbed her keys and fled until her coworkers arrived.

The First Class Swimming Pool

This now-abandoned pool on board was once the epitome of luxury with an illuminated fountain, a mother of pearl ceiling, and elaborate mosaic tiles. The pool is no longer in use because of California code issues, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the hotbeds of paranormal activity on the ship. People have reported seeing a number of ghosts here, including: a young woman in a tennis skirt walking downstairs and disappearing behind a pillar, a woman in an old wedding gown next to the pool with a little boy in a suit, and a cloud of steam appearing out of nowhere along with a little girl in a blue and white dress who disappears in an instant.

Boiler Room

Several people have reported seeing a little girl in this area, sometimes sucking her thumb and sometimes with a doll in hand. Whether or not the room is haunted by that little girl, we’ll probably just choose to stay away.

Hatch Door

This hatch door is known as Shaft Alley, and it was the site of a gruesome accident that saw a crewman crushed to death. One night in 1966, the watertight doors in the engine and boiler rooms were ordered to be closed. About five minutes later, an 18-year-old crew member from Yorkshire was found crushed in the door of Hatch #13, trapped with his arms pinned to his side. While the man was freed and carried to the hospital ward, it was too late. He showed signs of crushing injury on his arms, chest, and pelvis and was bleeding from his nose. He was injected with morphine but died shortly after.

His ghost is regularly seen around the area now, with people reporting the sound of someone running behind them and whistling. Others have noticed spots of grease that looked like fingerprints appeared on their faces. Some have seen a figure of a bearded man that looks just like the man who died out of the corner of their eyes. And several others have said they saw an engineer wandering the hallways asking if guests had seen his wrench, but when they went back to find him, he had disappeared.

If you love a good ghost story, you’ll be delighted — and admittedly, a little spooked — when you delve into the storied history of the RMS Queen Mary, a retired ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic from 1936 to 1967. The ship became famous for ferrying troops that helped defeat Hitler during World War II, and it emerged as the choice ocean liner of the rich in post-war 20th century. It earned the nickname The Stateliest Ship Afloat during this period, because of its palatial Art Deco interiors.

For many ghost-hunters, it’s the place that inspires spirits to stick around on this corporeal plane. From its military

past — it was converted into a military vessel during the Second World War and was painted grey, earning it the nickname “The Grey Ghost” — to its posh, post-war amenities, this iconic ship provides plenty of opportunity for those who want to connect with the departed.

THE QUEEN MARY RETIRED

in December of 1967, now sits permanently moored at the port of Long Beach, California. This haunted legend is an essential site for lovers of haunted America and American maritime history. Just check out and see the legends for yourself and make your judgment.

THE WHITE LADY

In present day, the Queen Mary functions as a tourist attraction and a hotel; visitors are especially intrigued by one woman who checked in, but never checked out. Guests and workers alike have reported sightings of the White Lady — a woman, dressed

in a ghostly white evening gown, floating at the end of a first-class lounge called the Queen’s Salon— for more than half a century. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but there is some photographic evidence for the curious.

LITTLE JACKIE

Perhaps it’s Little Jackie’s tragic history that inspired her to stick around the haunted vessel, but we may never know. Jacqueline Torin was 5 or 6 when she drowned in the ship’s second-class pool, now the Royal Theater. Visitors report hearing Little Jackie splashing, calling for her parents, and even responding to questions when prompted. Some visitors believe that Jackie has a friend, Sarah, who drowned in the same pool in 1949.

JOHN HENRY

Just like Little Jackie, John Henry has a sad story of his own that has inspired ghost-hunters to try to reconnect with his spirit. Henry worked in the boiler room, and it was here that his remains were found. Ghosthunters report seeing Henry’s shadowy figure lurking between

the boiler room and the green room. Some even claim to have spoken with Henry, who sometimes audibly responds to questions about beer.

GRUMPY

Grumpy is arguably one of the Queen Mary’s most memorable ghosts. Also known as “Grumpy the Growling Ghost,” this spirit — whose actual identity is not known —tends to growl at visitors. Grumpy is rumored to lurk in a room under the stairs near the first-class swimming pool, and sometimes joins John Henry in the boiler room. You can hear audio recordings of Grumpy growling here.

CAPTAIN TREASURE JONES

Captain John Treasure Jones was the last captain of the active Queen Mary, sailing the ship from 1965 to 1967, and captaining her final voyage from Southampton to Long Beach. This earned him some serious credit in the maritime community, transforming him into a media figure following the vessel’s retirement. He died at age 87 in 1993. Jones was well-known on the ship for his affinity for cigars.

SOMETHINGS LIVE LONGER.

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