-Ok.. Not the one that I’m going to bring to show and tell…
Your typical haunted houses? Hardly. We find five creepiest places in Asia to spend your Halloween.
It shouldn’t surprise you that Asia, with its colorful history, should be teeming with citizens of “another world” - and we’re not talking about camera-toting tourists in Bangkok.
Ranging from the mythical to the sad, and to the downright creepy, their stories must be told.
Here are the five spookiest places in Asia to visit this Halloween that will put your local haunted house to shame. (Disclaimer: these are not for the faint of heart.)
- In the late 1970s, the Khmer Rough used Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, known then as Pol Pot’s Prison, as a detention and torture centre. Out of the approximately 17,000 people who entered the complex, only a handful of them were known to have emerged alive.
So what exactly about this museum will send shivers down your spine?
The museum has been kept exactly the way it was in the 1970s, though it thankfully lacks the live graphic horror. Here you’ll find skulls, pictures of former detainees and some torture paintings. It’s rumored (of course) that the spirits of those who died there still haunt the museum.
What’s better than a haunted house? A haunted city.
- The ruins of Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India are known as one of the most haunted places in the country. The warning signs located at the fort’s entry points forbidding people from “Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset” only re-enforce the rumours.
There are a number of myths as to why the city was abandoned almost overnight, and never re-inhabited, but almost all of them conclude that it’s due to a curse (although there are disagreements as to who put it there), and that ghosts now haunt the city.
One popular story goes that a magician, Singha Serva wanted to marry the fort’s Princess Ratnavati, and when she foiled his plot to seduce her, he cursed the fort and all its inhabitants.
- If you’re skeptical about the existence of ghosts, trying spending your Halloween at Lipe Island in Thailand’s southern Andaman Sea, and you might just become a believer.
Despite of the presence of a thriving modern tourist industry, the locals (known as Chao-le people) still take ghosts very seriously - they are, after all, neighbors.
Ask a resident if he’s seen a ha-too recently (the Chao-le word for “ghost”), and he’ll tell you he’s seen many on the island - sometimes too many. Not only a belief held by the older generation, Chao-le kids are regularly seen tracking ghost prints left in the sand.
- Located in a rocky region just beyond Tokyo’s bright lights is one of most haunted places in Japan: Himuro Mansion (sometimes referred to as Himikyru Mansion).
The complex is rumoured to be the home to one of the most gruesome murders in modern Japanese history. The members of the Himuro family, who were is said to be involved in their own dark rituals, were killed by their housemaster, who then in turn fell on his own blade.
Although the murders supposedly took place almost eight decades ago, stories still circulate that the family’s spirits wander the grounds, and that fresh blood can often be seen on the walls.
- A 90-minute drive north of downtown Chiayi stands Minsyong Haunted House (built in 1929), a mini tourist attraction for souls looking for a scare.
Although there are a number of conflicting tails as to why the now derelict mansion is haunted: all accounts agree that something isn’t quite right there.
Some believe a maid who died in the mansion’s well still roams the grounds, while others support the theory that the spirits of dead Japanese soldiers who lived near the mansion during World War II have taken up residence there. If you’re in the mood to travel this Halloween, find out who’s right for yourself.
- is a manga series by Bisco Hatori, serialized in Hakusensha’s LaLamagazine since August 5, 2003. The series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran High School, and the other members of the popular host club. The romantic comedy focuses on the relationships within and without the Club and satirizes the clichés and stereotype that endure in shojo. There are also occasional moments where the characters break the fourth walll. The manga has been adapted into a series of audio dramas, an animated television series directed by Takuya Igarashi and produced by Bones, and a visual novel by Idea Factory.
Characters:
- Unlike other characters in The Host Club, she comes from a poor family. It is thanks to the scholarship that she is able to enter Ouran High. The heroine of the story who ends up joining the club disguised as a boy to pay back a debt of 8,000,000 yen she incurred by breaking a valuable vase. In the host club, she is the “Natural/Gentle Type”. She can be very blunt when talking; hurting people without meaning to. Her denseness could almost compete with Tamaki’s; during her middle school years, she had a lot of admirers but unknowingly turned them all down. She seems to be the only one able to tell the Hitachiin twins apart. The other members of Host Club seem to hold some feelings for her, yet some don’t realize it or don’t act upon their feelings. Throughout the manga, Haruhi eventually falls in love with Tamaki.
- The idiotic host king, who created and founded the club. He is very charismatic and charming and considers himself the “Daddy” of the group. He is also the “Prince Type” or “The King” in the host club. He considers his relationship with Haruhi as paternal in nature, but is often seen using it to mask his true feelings that he is in love with her. The twins use that to their advantage and harasses Haruhi in front of him to anger one or both of them. He also has a strange interest in the commoner and Japanese lifestyle. He moving to Japan from France when he was fourteen due to family issues. His reason in starting the host club was simply because he wanted to make others smile and be happy. Due to the past story of his parents, leading to his current state of not being able to see his mother, he’s under the impression that falling in love will only lead to broken families. Because he considers the Host Club his family, he refuses to realize the fact that he’s in love with Haruhi, instead believes it to be a fatherly love. It’s not until later chapters in the manga however, that the Host Club finally makes Tamaki realize that they will always be together even if he is to pursue Haruhi romantically.
- The Vice President of The Host Club, the co-founder, the third son of the Ootori Group. In the host club, Kyoya is seen as the “Cool Type”. He, like the rest of the members of the club, is very handsome. He carries a clipboard with him and it is a long-running joke that it is unknown what he writes in said clipboard. In almost everything he does, he gets something out of it. Kyoya also researches all who attend Ouran Academy and appears to know ‘everything about everyone’. He is considered the “Mommy” of the group by Tamaki. He is also known to have low blood pressure, so if one tries to wake him up from his slumber, they are going to have a very mean and unhappy Kyoya. Tamaki is his closest friend.
- The twins; they are devious and funny. They are seen as the “Little Devil Type”. Hikaru is the older twin, little devil #1, and Kaoru is the younger twin, little devil #2. Haruhi was the first one who could tell them apart, while their mother hid that she could. Their contribution to the host club is when they do their routine act of “forbidden brotherly love” with suggestive themes of boy love shown to admiring female fans, Hikaru’s part as the “seme” and Kaoru, the “uke”. They are often mistaken for homosexuals, due in part to their act, as well as their naturally close bond. Because Haruhi was one of the first to tell the twins apart, Hikaru and Kaoru develop strong feelings for her. Later on in the manga, Kaoru put aside his feelings to help Hikaru, who decided to “compete” fairly with Tamaki ever since he realized his own feelings for Haruhi.
- Also known as “Honey” for short (or “Hunny” according to the manga). In the host club, he is known as the “Shōta Type”. He looks like an elementary school child rather than the 17-year-old third-year student that he actually is, which gives him an excuse to look cute while holding a toy bunny, Usa-chan/Bun-bun, with him around the school. What he mainly does in the club is eat cake with his clients. He is very strong for his size, coming from a martial arts family and is very close to his cousin; Mori. In fact, he is so adept at martial arts that, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry, if he ever used his full ability, he could be classed as a weapon of mass destruction. Honey is also the only host club member to call Mori by his first name. He has a fondness for anything cute, like bunnies and eating a lot of cake, making his little brother, Yasuchika “Chika” Haninozuka see him as some sort of alien, though he does look up to him in away for his older brother’s skills in martial arts. Honey is also the champion in judo and karate at school.
- Also known as “Mori”, his character is the “Strong and Silent Type” or the “Wild Type” in the host club. He is the tallest and quietest member of the group. His strength can compare with Honey’s but instead of martial arts, he does kendo, and happens to be the champion of kendo at school. Mori dedicates his life to Honey by protecting him and only gets emotional when Honey is injured or harmed. He is also very close to the other club members and many classmates look up to him because of his quiet, gentle nature, despite his intimidating appearance. He usually only speaks when necessary, and responds to questions mostly with monosyllabic answers. Mori’s family served Honey’s family until a marriage two generations ago made them cousins. Even though the servant-master bond was technically broken, Mori still serves faithfully as Honey’s guardian and best friend. He also has a brother, Satoshi Morinozuka, who, unlike Chika, praises him.
PLOT:
Haruhi Fujioka is a scholar student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, a fictional high school located in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Third Music Room, a place where the Ouran Academy Host Club, a group of six male students, gathers to entertain female “clients”. During their first meeting, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and breaks an antique vase valued at ¥8,000,000 (US$80,000 in the U.S. English manga) and is told to repay the cost in service to the club. Haruhi’s short hair, slouching attire and gender-ambiguous look cause her to be mistaken by the hosts for a male student. The hosts all agree that Haruhi would be a good host, thus making her join the host club. Ultimately she agrees to join the Club as a host herself (dressed as a male) in order to pay off her debt. She agrees to join since she does not mind hosting as long as she can pay the debt off faster. The hosts do later find out that she is, in fact, a girl. They keep this a secret, so no one will be able to tell. The Ouran Private Academy encompasses kindergarten to twelfth grade (along with a university as well). Most students come from wealthy families, but in special cases, merit scholarships are granted to exceptional students from a lower income bracket. The school’s unofficial motto is “Lineage counts first, wealth a close second,” meaning students with stellar family backgrounds but low socioeconomic status may be given top priority over those from rich families with lesser pedigrees.
-While you may not be able to solve the biggest stressors in your life, you can do something about many of the smaller stressors that “nickel and dime you to death.” Here are some proven stress reducers you can implement in daily life to help:
(Source: psychpage.com)
