Traveling is an excellent way to lose stress. Most of the time, people enjoy traveling to other countries because they get to experience a lot of new things. Aside from the sights and sounds, people often get to experience a new culture. The food is also a good reason why most people travel to different countries.
To make vacations even better, it’s a good idea to bring your family along. As a family, you can do a lot of things together. One unique way to spruce up a family vacation is by going to a family-friendly location with a haunted or creepy past. One particular part of the world has an abundance of such places. Enter the vast Asian continent.
Asia is full of countries that have their fair share of awesome places to visit. Japan, the Philippines, China, and other Asian countries will be featured in this list. Don’t worry about the curses and creatures that’ll hurt you on your family vacation. Rest assured that every location mentioned here is an official tourist spot, and is perfectly safe to visit.
We do, however, encourage tourists to follow their tour guides. It’s also best that tourists should refrain from being unruly in certain places. There are also rules and regulations that tourists should follow when visiting a country. Without further ado, here are some of the scariest yet, family-friendly spots you can visit while you’re in Asia.
Aokigahara Forest, Minamitsuru District – Japan
Aokigahara Forest is also known as “The Suicide Forest.” The forest is well known to both foreigners and locals. Many people often enter the forest to commit suicide. The Suicide Forest is real. Most of the time, certain areas of the forest are usually littered with the belongings owned by the people who die there.
Tour guides often advise tourists to stay close to each other as there are also ghosts that are rumored to haunt the forest. Creepiness aside, the forest is a sanctuary for endemic flora and fauna. The forest also leads to two lava caves, Narusawa Ice Cave and Fugaku Wind Cave, which makes Aokigahara Forest a good starting point to visit Mount Fuji.
Old Diplomat Hotel, Baguio City – Philippines
One of the most haunted places in the world is located in the famous summer capital of the Philippines. The Old Diplomat Hotel in Baguio City is home to apparitions ranging from headless priests, white ladies, and Japanese soldiers. The hotel is a known tourist spot and is open to the public. Again, follow your tour guide’s rules and stay close to your group.
Aside from the Old Diplomat Hotel, Baguio City has lots of shops that are worth visiting. The city is also home to the Philippine Military Academy. Most tours also include a visit to the famed academy. If you and your family are lucky, you can witness PMA Cadets doing their fancy drills.
Hanging Coffins, Sagada – Philippines
Approximately 150 kilometers north from Baguio is Sagada. In the Philippines, Sagada is one of the most romantic towns that you can visit. Due to nature, the views, quiet restaurants, and the warm locals, Sagada is a go-to place on your list.
Not everything is romantic with Sagada, though. Somewhere in the sleepy town, lies Echo valley. In this valley, indigenous Igorot tribes still practice their unique way of burying their dead. Upon nearing the place, you can immediately see coffins hanging from the limestone cliff walls. These pine coffins are suspended using primitive wires and ropes.
This unique tradition is not lost among the Igorot tribes. Although Christianity and strict government laws regulate this practice, certain members of the Igorot tribe can and are still buried this way.
Morgan House, West Bengal – India
Since India was a former colony of the British, it’s not uncommon to see British architecture in most buildings in India. There are even old structures that were built during this period. One of these buildings is the Morgan House, located in Kalimpong, West Bengal.
The Morgan House is a mansion built by George Morgan in the early 1930s. George Morgan was an English jute baron. In the past, the estate was used as a summer getaway for the baron and his family. Since his death, ownership of the house has passed on several times, due to Mr. Morgan dying without leaving an heir.
Morgan House is now owned by the WBTDCL or the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited. The house is now a famous hotel for tourists. A lot of people consider Morgan House to be haunted. Those who brave staying in the hotel often report seeing the wife of Mr. Morgan. If you want to know more, you can visit mysteriousheartland.com. From there, you can also take a look at other haunted locations to visit.
The Forbidden City, Beijing – China
Beijing is home to one of the seven wonders of the world. When you visit Beijing, be sure to visit the Great Wall of China. When you arrive, you’ll be thrilled with the activities that are readily available for tourists. However, Beijing is also where the Forbidden City is located.
The Forbidden City is laced with a dark history, which is why a lot of people consider it to be haunted. Due to the countless executions done by the Ming Dynasty, most people often see apparitions of the departed roaming the streets.
Although the palace complex is off-limits to the public, one can still hear the horrors that roam the insides of the building. They say that on particularly dark nights, you can listen for the faint cries of a woman who died inside.
Takeaway
The places mentioned above are perfect tourist spots that you can visit in Asia. Although these places are creepy and haunted, you can still safely visit them to know and experience the past behind these places.
