Yes it is that time of year again – Halloween

Why do we love the scary stuff in life?  Some of the creepiest things you can imagine are “tourist attractions”.  Let’s take the Capuchin Monastery in Taormina.  We did a little visit there once and when we got to the entrance of the crypt our guide stood back and waved airily towards the stone steps winding down down down.  “You go ahead” he said.  “I have been here many times”.  OK – we are typical tourists and of course we want to be first in the lineup so down we went to find ……(drum roll please or maybe bwahahahah)

Let me tell you – we were first in and first out!

If you are talking mummies of course then Egypt wins hands down.  We visited Egypt when tourism numbers had plummeted and sometimes this is a good thing. We ended up in Tutankhamen’s tomb on our own – just him and us!

He was so tiny and I confess I was fascinated with his small feet sticking out from under the shroud.

Many years go while visiting Madagascar I was fascinated to hear that it is a tradition to dig up their dead.  It is called Famadihana and the idea is that the spirits of the dead finally join the world of the ancestors after the bodys complete decomposition and appropriate ceremonies, which may take many years. This usually happens every seven years but the practice (not surprisingly) is dwindling.

And let us not forget the Day of the Dead – mostly celebrated in Mexico.  It sounds morbid but it is actually more of a celebration of the lives of departed friends and family although it has its spooky side too as many of the participants like to dress up and boy they really know how to do this.

Think about the run of movies on TV over Halloween – old classics like Psycho – we loved that film so much they made it into a tv show.  However without doubt (in my mind) no one can beat the terror of The Shining.  Try watching that again and then go and spend a night in the Stanley Hotel in Colorado – inspiration for Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel where all those creepy things happened.

It really looks like a beautiful hotel if you are ever in Colorado.

For those who love creepy stories, voodoo and magic then head down to New Orleans and take a ghost tour, a vampire tour or just stroll around the graveyard.  Ghoulish tourists have a wide choice of venues and can even hang out with the Walking Dead on a cruise.  Imagine that!  A Walker Stalker cruise where you get to dress up like a zombie and meet your favourite star.  In fact there is no formal dining on this cruise –

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ONE AND ALL!