Ghostly encounters on Mexico’s deserted Island of the Dolls

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 21:56:00 +0000

Travelers seeking something original for Halloween might think about signing up for a haunted tour of an island in Mexico. True to its name, the deserted “Island of the Dolls” in Mexico is home to dolls hanging from the trees, many missing heads and limbs.

It’s one of the best places to spend Halloween in, if you’re looking for ghostly adventures.

ABOUT THE ISLAND OF THE DOLLS IN MEXICO

Shrouded in folklore, the island is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a drowned girl. Local legend states that the dolls whisper to one another, moving their head and even opening their eyes.

HAUNTED TOURS IN MEXICO

But the nine-day adventure through Mexico with Flash Pack comes with a warning; the company’s founder advises that “this part of the tour is not for the faint-hearted”.

“For many of our customers, an adventure means abseiling down the side of a mountain. For others however, the adrenaline rush of a fright provides the exact same thrill. This one-off tour through Mexico certainly delivers that,” says Flash Pack‘s co-founder, Lee Thompson.

The Legend of the Island of Dolls

Although the deserted island looks terrifying, it actually has a very sad past. It’s situated just south of Mexico City, between the canals of Xochimico.

According to the legend, Don Julian Santana Barrera, the island’s caretaker, found a young girl floating in the canal with a doll nearby. He couldn’t save her, so hung the doll to a tree out of respect.

He then claimed that the girl’s spirit haunted be him. So in an attempt to appease the ghost, he hung more dolls and eventually covered the island with them. This is how the island got its eerie name “Isla de las Muñecas” (Island of the Dolls).

Discovering the culture of Mexico

But it’s not all thrills and ghost stories. For travelers that don’t fancy their chances on the island, there’s plenty more on offer.

The tour, which departs on October 26, will take 14 solo travelers through central Mexico. The organizers provide a unique take on ancient Mexican tradition called the Dia de los Muertos (Day of The Dead). This tradition is part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

VISITING PUEBLA AND OAXACA

Travelers will also immerse themselves in the city of Puebla, before heading south to the culinary capital of Oaxaca, nestled amid the mountains.

“Mexico attracts travelers from around the world throughout the year with its rich culture. But in October, the country comes alive – most famously exemplified by its Day of the Dead celebrations,” said Thompson.

He added: “The country has so much more to offer than white sandy beaches, and this one-off tour gives solo travelers the chance to really get under the skin of the country, with a few scares thrown in.”

The one-off adventure runs from October 26 – November 3, 2019 and includes accommodation, local transport, meals and an expert guide. Book this trip here while other trips to Mexico with Flash Pack can be booked here.

About Flash Pack

Flash Pack was founded by Radha Vyas and Lee Thompson. They were frustrated by the lack of travel tour companies for travelers in their 30s and 40s. So now it specializes in small, high-end group adventures and experiences for solo travelers. They target travelers in their 30s and 40s traveling across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The post Ghostly encounters on Mexico’s deserted Island of the Dolls appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.

Hunting for ghosts in England and Scotland

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 15:00:07 +0000

When it comes to ghosts, Scotland and England seem to take the lion’s share of haunted experiences. They really seem to have more ghostly encounters compared to the rest of Europe.

Major tourist destinations like London, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews all feature very popular ghost tours.

ENGLAND IS FULL OF GHOSTS

However, many of these tours are purely for fun and ghosts in England and Scotland are pretty ordinary things. So there’s not much of a chilling factor. I did the St.Andrews ghost tour one evening, for instance, and there was absolutely nothing scary about it.

In fact, it was so un-scary (even if St. Andrews can be a rather somber town, especially on a dark and overcast day) that the organisers had to rustle up a fake ghost to appear before its clients. A man in a ghost costume surprised us at the end of the tour.

THE EDINBURGH GHOST TOUR

Nevertheless, some tours are just not for the faint-hearted. In fact, they’re plain scary.

I once joined an Edinburgh ghost tour that took in many locations with gory and violent pasts. It took us to Mary’s Close, an underground attraction that is reportedly among Edinburgh’s most haunted places.

Then it terminated in a local cemetery well-known for apparitions. I had to leave midway because of a terribly uneasy feeling. Apparently, not a few participants experience this, and some even start shaking all over.

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Click here to read about

a haunted hotel in South Africa

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THE MOST HAUNTED HOTEL IN ENGLAND

While many hotels worldwide might consider a ghostly resident asa public relations nightmare, quite a number of UK hotels seem to revel in, if not enjoy, the notoriety. Some even employ their ghosts as an effective marketing tool.

The 12th century luxury Ettington Park Hotel near Stratford-upon-Avon, for example, is often called England’s most haunted hotel.

THE LADY IN WHITE

This isn’t just because it’s neo-gothic architecture fits the popular imagery of a haunted house. Both guests and hotel staff frequently report seeing a lady in white roaming the corridors and hearing banging doors and footsteps from empty rooms.

BANGING DOORS IN THE COTSWOLDS

I had a similar experience at a 16th century hotel in the Cotswolds, an area of ancient origins that almost certainly has a ghost story haunting every neighborhood. My suite – which was fashioned out of several rooms in the attic — was large, bright and decorated in pastel colored chintz.

SPIRITS AT MIDNIGHT

I was very pleased with it until midnight came (what is it with ghosts and the midnight hour anyway?) when I was again woken up by the incessant banging of my bathroom door.

This was in spite of closed windows and no wind at all. I closed the door, but it simply started again after half an hour – as if someone was teasing me and preventing me from sleeping.

EARLY MORNING ESCAPE

I feigned sleep for the rest of the night, not wanting to come face to face with the unexpected by turning on the lights. Of course, at daybreak, we checked out. I’m from Asia after all, and if I were to encounter the supernatural, I’d much prefer them to be from where I hail.

Read more hotel ghost stories in the run-up to Halloween on Travelife Magazine.

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