Places bertshetler Wants to Go

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

An Old West film set seen in countless TV shows and movies is open for the public to explore.

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.

Colorful lights and mirror-like brine pools create trippy illusions within the historic mine.

Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, Bo Kaap is a colorfully-painted suburb located in the “Mother City” of South Africa.

Bizarre living fossil only grows in a small chunk of the Namib Desert.

Far from the shore, this sandy victim of the Skeleton Coast looks like it was plopped in the middle of the desert.

A desert that rolls right up to the ocean, where it's so dry animals live off the fog.

Road signs in Namibia mark the location of one of the five major circles of latitude.

The giant skeleton sculpture is surprisingly well-traveled.

A domed disco abandoned since the '70s now attracts artists and explorers under its unique roof.

Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely homemade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create.

The small peaceful island off the Venice tourist circuit is where the city began more than 1,500 years ago.

This abandoned island off the Venetian coast has been a radical monastery, a political prison, and a secret Nazi base.

A new sculpture calls attention to climate change in the centuries-old city it threatens.

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

A 300-foot-long Cold War submarine floats in a Chilean River as a maritime museum.

This odd Chilean waterfall-cano hotel must be entered via a rope bridge.

A 63-foot-tall swinging ball hypnotizes passersby, and proves to any remaining doubters that the Earth is spinning.

There's a mini version of Iguazu Falls hidden in the Balkans, and it's got a rope swing.

An ancient knight and a symbol of the city's freedom.

The now-overgrown beach resort was once frequented by Yugoslav military elite.

The complex has been abandoned since the Croatian War of Independence, barring a stint as a set for 'Game of Thrones.'