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#10 20 Fun Facts About the World That Sound Absurd But Are Actually True
Continuation...
11) A real-life Spirited Away bathhouse exists in Tainan
Jiufen, Taiwan, is popularly known as the mountain village that inspired Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. However, down south in Tainan has a real-life replica of the famed bathhouse.
Located in the Breezy Valley Art Village is the Breezy Village Guesthouse. It closely resembles the iconic bathhouse, especially with Yubaba greeting you at the front — don’t offend her or she’ll turn you into a pig!
12) Thailand has a festival to appreciate their monkeys
Every last Sunday of November, this festival in Lopburi celebrates the Monkeys in a Monkey Buffet Festival.
According to Sanskrit folklore, a heroic Monkey helped Prince Rama save his bride-to-be from the clutches of a ten-headed demon.
13) You’re always seven years behind in Ethiopia
Here’s one of the most mindboggling facts about the world — when we welcomed 2020, Ethiopia was only four months into 2012
Just like the Gregorian calendar (the one most of us are on), the Ethiopian calendar marks Christ’s birth as the starting point. However, following alternate calculations of the annunciation of Christ, the Ethiopian calendar is seven to eight years behind.
14) France is the most visited country with 89 million annual tourists
Based on Singapore’s popular travel destinations, I’d think either Japan or Thailand to be the most visited country.
Surprisingly, before COVID-19 made travel take a backseat, France was the most visited country in the world. Apart from exploring the city of love, many travellers also pass through it on their way to Italy and Spain.
15) These bats in Thailand are the world’s tiniest mammals
This should probably be on the list of cutest facts about the world. In the limestone caves of Sai Yok National Park are the world’s tiniest bats (and mammals)! Bat soup jokes aside, aren’t they adorable?
The details get even cuter — they grow up to 33mm and weigh only 2g. That’s only 1mm bigger than Singapore’s 50 cent coin!
16) In Sweden, you can order Macs on skis
In Sweden, you don’t need a car to order from the drive-thru. But, you’ll need a pair of skis.
Everyone gets the Macadee munchies, especially in negative degrees with boards on your feet. That’s why Sweden has blessed skiers with McSki since 1996 — the only ski-thru McDonald’s in the world! Nothing warms you up more than a box of nuggies after a tough day on the slopes.
17) There’s a village in the Netherlands with no streets, only canals
Venice isn’t the only town that gets around mainly by boat. Within Giethoorn Village in the Netherlands, there are no streets, only footpaths and over 6km of canal.
The picturesque village is filled with rustic cottages and surrounded by tall trees — just like a fairytale! Visitors can either kayak through the scenic neighbourhood or ride a bike on the footpaths.
18) There’s a rock in Australia that’s bigger than Ayer’s Rock Uluru
When we talk about big rocks in Australia, the famed Uluru is usually what comes to mind — you can even see it from space!
However, there’s an even bigger rock in town. Mount Augustus is two and a half times the size of Uluru, and you have to drive 54km to get around it!
19) New Zealand has the steepest residential area in the world
San Francisco is known as a city of slopes, with its steepest street angling up at 27°. If you think that’s steep, try living on Baldwin Street in New Zealand.
The residential street in Dunedin won the Guinness World Record with its 38° slope. The sharp incline makes all the houses look like they’re sunken into the ground. Don’t take our word for it, but we’re sure the residents have thighs of steel.
20) In Hawaii, you can experience sunny beaches and snowy mountains on the same island
This is one of the more fascinating facts about the world — best for last!
Hawaii only has two seasons — Summer and Winter but it actually has eight of the world’s 13 climates! At sea level, the temperate rarely rises above 32°C or drops below 16°C but in the mountains of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Haleakala, it snows pretty often!
Continuation...
11) A real-life Spirited Away bathhouse exists in Tainan
Jiufen, Taiwan, is popularly known as the mountain village that inspired Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. However, down south in Tainan has a real-life replica of the famed bathhouse.
Located in the Breezy Valley Art Village is the Breezy Village Guesthouse. It closely resembles the iconic bathhouse, especially with Yubaba greeting you at the front — don’t offend her or she’ll turn you into a pig!
12) Thailand has a festival to appreciate their monkeys
Every last Sunday of November, this festival in Lopburi celebrates the Monkeys in a Monkey Buffet Festival.
According to Sanskrit folklore, a heroic Monkey helped Prince Rama save his bride-to-be from the clutches of a ten-headed demon.
13) You’re always seven years behind in Ethiopia
Here’s one of the most mindboggling facts about the world — when we welcomed 2020, Ethiopia was only four months into 2012
Just like the Gregorian calendar (the one most of us are on), the Ethiopian calendar marks Christ’s birth as the starting point. However, following alternate calculations of the annunciation of Christ, the Ethiopian calendar is seven to eight years behind.
14) France is the most visited country with 89 million annual tourists
Based on Singapore’s popular travel destinations, I’d think either Japan or Thailand to be the most visited country.
Surprisingly, before COVID-19 made travel take a backseat, France was the most visited country in the world. Apart from exploring the city of love, many travellers also pass through it on their way to Italy and Spain.
15) These bats in Thailand are the world’s tiniest mammals
This should probably be on the list of cutest facts about the world. In the limestone caves of Sai Yok National Park are the world’s tiniest bats (and mammals)! Bat soup jokes aside, aren’t they adorable?
The details get even cuter — they grow up to 33mm and weigh only 2g. That’s only 1mm bigger than Singapore’s 50 cent coin!
16) In Sweden, you can order Macs on skis
In Sweden, you don’t need a car to order from the drive-thru. But, you’ll need a pair of skis.
Everyone gets the Macadee munchies, especially in negative degrees with boards on your feet. That’s why Sweden has blessed skiers with McSki since 1996 — the only ski-thru McDonald’s in the world! Nothing warms you up more than a box of nuggies after a tough day on the slopes.
17) There’s a village in the Netherlands with no streets, only canals
Venice isn’t the only town that gets around mainly by boat. Within Giethoorn Village in the Netherlands, there are no streets, only footpaths and over 6km of canal.
The picturesque village is filled with rustic cottages and surrounded by tall trees — just like a fairytale! Visitors can either kayak through the scenic neighbourhood or ride a bike on the footpaths.
18) There’s a rock in Australia that’s bigger than Ayer’s Rock Uluru
When we talk about big rocks in Australia, the famed Uluru is usually what comes to mind — you can even see it from space!
However, there’s an even bigger rock in town. Mount Augustus is two and a half times the size of Uluru, and you have to drive 54km to get around it!
19) New Zealand has the steepest residential area in the world
San Francisco is known as a city of slopes, with its steepest street angling up at 27°. If you think that’s steep, try living on Baldwin Street in New Zealand.
The residential street in Dunedin won the Guinness World Record with its 38° slope. The sharp incline makes all the houses look like they’re sunken into the ground. Don’t take our word for it, but we’re sure the residents have thighs of steel.
20) In Hawaii, you can experience sunny beaches and snowy mountains on the same island
This is one of the more fascinating facts about the world — best for last!
Hawaii only has two seasons — Summer and Winter but it actually has eight of the world’s 13 climates! At sea level, the temperate rarely rises above 32°C or drops below 16°C but in the mountains of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Haleakala, it snows pretty often!