Need for Speed? - Formula Rossa Roller Coaster

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Roller coasters are meant to be fast, but the Formula Rossa roller coaster in Abu Dhabi has the distinction of being the fastest in the world. Inspired by the Formula One experience, it reaches 150 mph in less than five seconds and requires its riders to wear safety goggles. I know. SAFETY GOGGLES. Because not even thrill-seekers want to lose an eyeball to extreme velocity. (Wusses.)

I don't know about you, but I'm packing my flame-retardant track suit and booking a trip to Abu Dhabi right now. Seeing as how NASCAR has recently rejected my application for the fourth time, this will have to do.

When One Waterfall Isn't Enough - Plitvice Lakes

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The last time I saw a waterfall in person, I thought to myself, "This is beautiful. But why is there only one of them? I need to see more waterfalls. Preferably clustered close together." Okay, I didn't really think that, but now that I've seen images of Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, that's what I'll be thinking. Because what's more beautiful than one waterfall? Well, how about A DOZEN WATERFALLS.

The waterfalls flow into 16 gorgeous lakes found in Plitvice Lakes National Park. And if the sheer quantity of waterfalls isn't enough, get this: The water is known for changing colors, from azure to green to grey, depending on the organisms in the water and the angle of the sunlight. This place has totally ruined the way I look at things. Now instead of enjoying and being satisfied with watching the sunrise, I think, "Wouldn't it be better to watch A DOZEN suns rising?" 

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Beach - Glass Beach

Credit: FortBragg.com

So you know how when you see broken glass at the beach your first instinct is to jump back 10 feet and rant about what the world is coming to? Well, a different set of rules applies at Glass Beach in MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg, California, where the "sand" is largely comprised of broken glass. Visitors come by the droves every year to stroll on the shiny and colorful beach, the broken shards now harmless, polished sea glass.

Once known as "The Dumps," the area was a dumping ground for household garbage in the early 1900s. Eventually the location was closed and efforts were made to clean up the mess. The ocean did its part as well, pounding waves on top of the garbage and refining the shards of broken glass into small, smooth pieces that now cover the entire beach. Collecting the pieces of glass are prohibited, but visitors do it anyway and quantities are diminishing. In fact, there's now a movement to dump new piles of broken glass onto the beach. I'm not sure environmentalists would approve, but it does look awful pretty.

Hello Kitties! - Aoshima Cat Island

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If you're a cat lover looking for a quiet island getaway for your next vacation, have I got the place for you. Aoshima, an island located in Japan's Ehime prefecture, is home to more than 120 feral cats that outnumber the fishing village residents six to one. A few cats were originally introduced decades ago to keep down the mouse population on the fishing boats, and things have since gotten adorably out of control.

Outsiders are allowed to visit, but the island isn't really geared for tourism. There are no restaurants, hotels, Uber cars or much of anything really, besides the undoubtedly rueful residents and the cats who run the place. On the plus side, there are definitely no mice here. Or cheezburgers, for that matter.

Riding on Stars - Van Gogh-Roosegaarde Bike Path

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If you've ever been to the Netherlands, you know that biking is the preferred mode of transportation there. Look the wrong way while crossing the street, and you'll get mowed down by not one bike, but an entire fleet of bikes. I know because it almost happened to me. I also tried renting a bike while I was there, which proved to be an equally humiliating experience, as the Dutch are certified giants while I'm the size of a prepubescent girl. I was finally assigned a children's bike that was still too large, because it seems that even Dutch children of bike-riding age are taller than me.

Given all this grief, the Dutch would have to come up with a pretty awesome attraction to lure me back to their country. Which they now have, dammit. The world's first glow-in-the-dark bike path can be found in Eindhoven, and it features polished, solar-charged stones arranged in the same pattern as the stars in Van Gogh's "Starry Night." Artist Daan Roosegaarde designed the path as a tribute to Eindhoven's most famed resident, and you literally get to ride across a glowing, twinkling work of art. So, yeah. I'm going back to the Netherlands. But this time I'm bringing some platform shoes with me.

Roll With It - Zorbing

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Maybe you like the idea of rolling down a hill in a carefree manner, but you're fussy about grass stains. Or you've always wondered what it's like to be a hamster. Or you're just plain crazy. Whatever the reason, there exists an activity in Rotorua, New Zealand, called Zorbing, in which people pay good money to roll down a grassy hill in a giant plastic ball.

Of course you can customize your hill-rolling adventure. Do you want to be strapped in or bouncing free? Would you like some water added into your ball so that you get splashed in the face while you're rolling? Perhaps you would like to tack on the adventure package, in which your ball switchbacks down the hill and does a vertical drop off the edge in the end. Whatever the case, remember to wear clothing that won't come loose and accidentally reveal anything. Because you'll want to be able to crawl out of your giant plastic ball with your dignity intact.

What's the Password? - Safe House Restaurant

Credit: OnMilwaukee.com

So you probably don't expect to find any spies or undercover activity going on in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and you probably wouldn't), but what you can find there is a restaurant devoted to espionage called Safe House. And I mean that you literally have to find it. The entrance is hidden somewhere in an alley way, and even after you figure out which door it is, you need to offer up a worthy password to get in.

Once you're inside, the spy theme continues. I'd tell you more about it, but then I'd have to kill you. Just kidding! Covert activities include finding the secret phone booths and accepting missions that take you on a tour of the restaurant, which is filled with spy memorabilia. The menu features items such as the "squeak-easy" (batter-dipped Wisconsin cheese curds topped with a secret sauce, natch), and the drink of the house is, of course, the martini. Mmm ... cheese curds and martinis. Offer me that combo and I'll tell you anything you want to know. Guess M16 won't be hiring me anytime soon.

Do It for the Killer Views - Huashan Trail

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Hiking can be fun, but it's not always very exciting. In fact, sometimes when I'm hiking it hits me that I'm actually just ... walking. On a dirt path. Whee!

If you're also experiencing hiking ennui, perhaps we should take a trip together to Huashan, one of the five sacred mountains of China, near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, where the hiking is decidedly more exhilarating. Steep ladders and narrow, rickety pathways lead up the mountain, and hikers must walk single file on parts of the path, sometimes without the aid of any sort of railing. (There's a rusty chain that you can grab onto in a pinch though!) And sometimes the trail disappears altogether and all you're left with are footholds that have been carved into the mountain face. Have there been fatalities? You betcha. But where else can you catch such, um, killer views, more than 7,000 feet above solid ground?

Holy Tigers, Batman! - Tiger Temple

Zoos are neat and everything, but the animals are always so annoyingly out of reach. Tigers, for example, are always behind two sets of bars, a low wall, and a moat. What's the worst that might happen if we were allowed to pet the tigers a little? Besides an imminent and gruesome death, I mean.

Well, it turns out that maybe death is not imminent after all. At Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, visitors are allowed to hang out with free-roaming tigers that were brought to the sanctuary to be raised by Buddhist monks. Are these tigers drugged? Beaten? Cat-shamed? Nope, none of the above - in fact, a recent raid by the concerned Thai government revealed that the tigers are actually perfectly content. They don't attack their visitors simply because they're well-fed and well-adjusted. Of course, my house cat is also well-fed and well-adjusted, and he's attacking my ankles for seemingly no reason as I type this, so visit at your own risk.

No Fork? No Problem - Carpe Diem Finger Foods Restaurant

Credit: Carpe Diem Finger Foods

Utensils are overrated. Sure, they keep your fingers clean and lend you the overall appearance of a civilized human being while you're eating, but they also take out all the fun. There's nothing like manhandling your food and giving your fingers a satisfying lick after it's all over, I say. In a completely unrelated topic, did you know that I was raised by gorillas?

The Michelin-starred Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfoods in Salzburg, Austria, understands this atavistic need and has built a fine dining experience around finger foods. Most of its menu items are made for being picked up by hand, and even the gloppy substances that refuse to go quietly into your mouth are presented in edible cones for your convenience. There are also some fork-friendly dishes, in case your dining companion is not as cool with finger foods as you are. Which begs the question: Why are you eating with this elitist pig, anyway?