Articles

From Dracula to Bigfoot, here are the world's top five monster hangouts.

This region of western Romania has Bram Stoker to thank for its reputation as the home of creatures of the night.
Ever since Stoker decided that chief vampire Count Dracula lived in the region, the area has become synonymous with horror and the living dead.
The locals insist that garlic and wooden stakes are not necessary, however, pointing out that it is one of the most beautiful regions in Europe.
Among the thick forests are many fabulous medieval cities crammed with architectural highlights such as the wooden churches of Maramure - and the rather vampire-ish Hunyadi Castle. There's also surprisingly good, and very cheap, skiing to be found here.

Nessie is probably the most famous mythical creature of them all and many still believe that she inhabits the murky waters of Scotland's second-biggest loch, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Running south-west of the highland city of Inverness, Loch Ness has been thoroughly investigated by thousands of scientists and millions of tourists over the years, but the elusive giant still refuses to show her face.
Monster or no monster, the loch is surrounded by glens, hills and castles, making a boat trip worth it, even sans Nessie.

In Aboriginal culture, the Rainbow Serpent is thought to be responsible for carving out the landscape, as well as creating water sources and replenishing supplies.
Many a Dreamtime story involves this great snake, which is viewed with reverence and fear for its protection of its people and punishment of law breakers. According to legend, it will have children too.
It's believed the Devil's Marbles, a scattering of huge boulders 114 kilometres south of Tennant Creek, are the serpent's eggs. Best to see them before they hatch.

This narrow stretch of water separating Sicily from the Italian mainland is thought to be the setting for the Greek legend of Scylla and Charybdis, as mentioned in Homer's Odyssey.
Charybdis took the form of a whirlpool - a natural one of that occurs in the strait and Scylla was a six-headed monster that devoured anything that came too close.
Both took opposite sides of the narrow passage, making ancient sailors choose between two equally horrible fates.
Today you can sail across the strait on a ferry without drowning or being eaten alive.

A 526,000-hectare protected area in the state of Washington, this is home to many a sighting of Bigfoot, the giant, hairy scourge of country America.
In 2000, researchers made a cast of a curious imprint they found there. The dimensions of the cast were 50 per cent bigger than that of a human, while analysis of hair samples showed them to belong to a primate.
The forest, if you can avoid the furry behemoths, is a great place for walking and is the home of the Mount St Helens volcano.

(www.stuff.co.nz, Friday, 25 August 2006)