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From playing volleyball between countries to ringing a doorbell in one country and running to the other, check out list of nine fun things to do at a country's border that don't involve high security measures and endless paperwork.
1. Play volleyball at the U.S./Mexico border
The U.S. is on the left, Mexico on the right. Taken on April 14, 2007.
Residents of Naco, Arizona join residents of Naco, Mexico for a volleyball match every year during the fourth "Fiesta Bi-Nacional" at the fence that separates the U.S. and Mexico.
The two communities used to be one with people passing freely across the road, but that all changed years ago when a 13-foot-high border fence formally split Naco's US and Mexican sides. (Source)
2. Ride snowmobiles between Norway, where it's illegal, and Sweden, where it's not
Riding Snowmobiles for fun is illegal to the right, legal to the left.
A spectacular snowy route marks the border between Sweden and Norway, and is a perfect challenge for adventure-loving snowmobilers. To one side is Norway, where riding a snowmobile for fun is illegal, while to the other side is Sweden, where it is allowed. (Source)
3. Switch from a left-Hand road to a right-hand road at a bridge between Macau and China
What happens when left-hand roads meet right-hand roads? Like Hong Kong, Macau still drives on the left under Chinese rule, which means travelers between Macau and other parts of China must switch sides of the road without even leaving the country. At the Lotus Bridge between Macau and Hengqin Island (Mainland China), cars on the Chinese side loop under the bridge on a weirdly asymmetric partial cloverleaf in order to switch lanes. (Source)
4. Play golf on the border of Sweden and Finland, where half the holes are in one country and half in the other
The Green Zone Or Tornio Golf Club is a unique golf course with 9 holes in one country (Finland), and the remaining 9 in another (Sweden). The border follows the Tornio River, which runs through the course. Due to its location, it is possible to play golf at any time of the day or night in full sunshine during golfing season. If that isn't a unique golfing experience, I don't know what is. (Source)
5. Hit a home run over the U.S. border to Canada or Mexico
Craig Robinson – author of the popular blog "Flip Flop Fly Ball" and a book of baseball infographics – found all the baseball fields in Canada and Mexico where one could conceivably hit a home run into the United States, or vice-versa.
From Canada into the U.S. you have two places to do it, one from the U.S. into Mexico and six from Mexico into the U.S. (Source)
6. See three Countries in one boat trip, and visit the Iguazu Falls
A two-hour tour navigates the Iguazu River on a boat around the Three Borders Landmark where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. On your way back, you can catch another boat trip that goes right under the Iguazu Falls, one of the world's largest. (Source | Photo)
7. Catch two dinosaurs kissing at the border of China and Mongolia
In the far north of China, on the border with Mongolia, you'll find the statues of two towering brontosauruses on either side of the main highway, with their long necks stretching until their mouths meet as if to share a kiss.
Called "The Dinosaur City," nearby Erenhot was once the home of dinosaurs. Many fossils have been discovered in the area, including the biggest and best-preserved dinosaur fossil in Asia. Besides the scenic boulevard, the city also has a dinosaur museum and a theme park called “Dinosaur Fairyland." The arch of the kissing dinosaurs was built in 2007 to showcase the region's reputation as a fossil hot-spot. (Source)
8. Draw a crop circle at the border between Poland and Ukraine
It's not like anyone can do it, but artist Jaroslaw Koziara grew this gigantic "crop circle" fish in a field between Horodyszcze (Poland) and Warez (Ukraine) for the Land Art Festival of 2011. He wanted to symbolize the history of unity and trade along the border between the two nations, showing that nature and culture exist beyond the geopolitical borders laid down by humans. The artist grew the installation by sowing 23 kinds of plants along the border in the shape of two fish. (Source)
9. Ring two different doorbells of a house on the border of Belgium and The Netherlands
There's a house on the border of the Belgian town of Baarle-Nassau and the Dutch town of Baarle-Hertog. It has two addresses and two doorbells. Let the 5-year-old in you ring them both, then run away to either country. (Source)
10. BONUS #1: Place a foot in each hemisphere of the equator
Granted, it's not a country border, but it's still worth mentioning.
Although the equator runs through hundreds of places, one country that takes particular pride in its unique geographical location is Ecuador. There's a monument in a park named "Mitad del Mundo" or "Middle of the World" with a thick yellow line that supposedly marks the precise position of the equator.
It should be pointed out, however, that the actual equator lies about 240 meters to the north of the indicated line. The land where the Equator actually runs is traversed by a ravine and its ground was not suitable to hold a monument, so the government chose a different location. (Just don't tell the half million tourists that.)
11. BONUS #2: Dive into the tectonic boundary between North America and Eurasia near Iceland
In 2011, Alex Mustard dived 80ft into the crevice between the North American and Eurasian plates near Iceland to capture some spectacular photos. The area is riddled with faults, valleys, volcanoes and hot springs, which are caused by the plates pulling apart at about one inch per year.
It should be pointed out, however, that tectonics are more of a zonal thing. You can't necessarily say that the rocks on the left belong to the North American plate, while the rocks on the right belong to the Eurasian plate. The geologic processes that are occurring in the area are creating these valleys and canyons, but it is more of a fuzzy divide instead of a sharp, clear one that the pictures make it out to be. (Source)
By Oddee
