North Korea is largely shut off to tourists (Getty Stock Photo)
“So North Korea was the number one most complicated country for me to travel to,” Lexie told LADbible.
“I actually have a full YouTube video about this on my channel. But this particular time, and still to this day, being an American, going to North Korea is illegal. I was able to go via the Korean Demilitarized Zone [DMZ] from South Korea, but it took three trips just to make that attempt.”
The DMZ – a strip of land that separates the two countries – acts as a border barrier between North and South Korea.
It represents territory on both sides of the border due to a ceasefire line that emerged at the conclusion of the Korean War.
With North Korea’s borders closed to Americans, Lexie had to find a creative way to step foot into the country and break the Guinness World Record.
After many attempts to obtain an exemption to get in, the YouTuber settled on visiting the blue house conference rooms on the DMZ.
Lexie has visited every country in the world (Instagram/@lexielimitless)
Lexie considered applying for a special passport and an exemption to get into North Korea, but these are typically reserved for the likes of journalists and humanitarian workers.
So, Lexie had no choice but to go with the conference rooms if she was to smash the record.
One half of the room is considered to be in North Korea, which Lexie was eventually allowed to step in.
“In no way at all do I feel satisfied with only being able to stand in North Korea for 5 minutes, but I’m grateful to have been allowed to step foot in the country to break this Guinness World Record,” she explained on YouTube.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Lexie Limitless
The UK has landed in second place for the most miserable country in the world.
With house prices skyrocketing and the cost-of-living crisis still in full swing, it’s no wonder why Britain probably isn’t one of the most desirable places to be at the minute.
Data was collected via the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) assessment, with scores ranging from -100 to 200.
Scores under zero represent ‘distressed or struggling’, between zero and 50 meant ‘enduring’ while between 50 and 100 meant ‘managing’ and scores between 100 and 200 meant ‘succeeding or thriving’.
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Out of 71 countries surveyed, the UK took the 70th spot overall for mental wellbeing.
The country has been classified as ‘distressed or struggling’, after scoring 49 in comparison to the average global score of 65.
Of the people who took part in the UK, 35 percent said they were ‘struggling’ with their wellbeing.
Those at the bottom of the ranking were Brazil, South Africa, the UK and Uzbekistan.
The study stated: “Overall, the insights in this report paint a worrying picture of our post-pandemic prospects.
“We urgently need to better understand the drivers of our collective mental wellbeing, such that we can align our ambitions and goals with the genuine prosperity of human beings.”
Getty Stock Image
On the other side of the world, in places such as Bangladesh and Syria, 26 percent of people admitted they were ‘distressed or struggling’.
Despite a continuing civil war since 2014, Yemen scored better than the UK, Ireland and Australia, at 59.
The report also added: “Mental wellbeing remained at its post-pandemic low with yet again no sign of movement towards pre-pandemic levels.
“In 2023, at both a global level and at the level of individual countries, MHQ scores remained largely unchanged relative to 2021 and 2022, after a sharp drop during the pandemic years.
“This raises important questions about the lasting impact of the pandemic, and how shifts in the way we live and work and the amplification of existing habits.”
It even displayed that an increase in eating ultra-processed food and broken relationships with friend and family, are a contributing factor and more prevalent in wealthier countries.
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The full ranking from highest to lowest mental wellbeing:
- Dominican Republic
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Panama
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
- Venezuela
- El Salvador
- Costa Rica
- Uruguay
- Italy
- Puerto Rico
- Honduras
- Armenia
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Philippines
- Georgia
- Israel
- Colombia
- Peru
- Singapore
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Zimbabwe
- Ecuador
- Republic of Moldova
- Portugal
- Kenya
- United States
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Argentina
- Paraguay
- Guatemala
- Mozambique
- France
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Chile
- Jordan
- Saudi Arabia
- Canada
- United Arab Emirates
- Cameroon
- Tunisia
- Belarus
- Angola
- Syria
- Belgium
- Morocco
- Sudan
- Algeria
- Spain
- New Zealand
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Germany
- Pakistan
- Kazakhstan
- Ukraine
- Bolivia
- Kyrgyzstan
- India
- Yemen
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Egypt
- Australia
- Tajikistan
- Brazil
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
- Uzbekistan
If you’re experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They’re open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Mental Health, UK News, World News
Did you know that Disneyland venues all around the world each have a secret, exclusive club? Me neither.
The private establishment is called Club 33, and visitors at the theme park have always felt an air of mystery around the club.
I was never aware that Disneyland had a VIP section, but here we are, and everyone wants to know how to get in.
Described as ‘Disney’s most exclusive club’, people have theorised about what could be inside, with the waiting list rumoured to be 15 years long (though that myth has been debunked).
The ultra-exclusive venue is thought to be a place where celebrities and important corporate figures can go to avoid the crowds, have a drink and enjoy gourmet cuisine.
Disney has remained tight-lipped on the club ever since its introduction by Walt Disney in 1967.
Disney state on their website that: “Members enjoy special access and exceptional service at the Club 33 locations at Walt Disney World Resort.
“Each venue is uniquely themed to represent Walt and Lillian’s adventures around the world.“
There are only three questions in their FAQ answers, along with three short, fairly vague answers.
@disneydudenc/tiktok
Answering what exactly the club is, Disney says: “Club 33 is a private Membership club with a variety of tailored experiences for its Members.”
To speak to someone about your interest in the club, Disney says: “To express interest in Club 33 Membership at the Walt Disney World Resort, contact Club33@WaltDisneyWorld.com.”
It’s that simple! Wait… surely not.
The third question then asks what to do if you don’t hear back, to which the answer says: “As membership opportunities are evaluated, Club 33 may contact you for further information.”
Now that is the mystery we were looking for.
Pictures of lounges and rooms in the club have been leaked in the past, with photos showing off an extravagant design with an ode to the early 20th century.
The club only accepts a few hundred members per theme park, with rumours of membership prices varying greatly.
@disneydudenc/tiktok
According to WDW magazine, it is a $60,000 (£47,300) deposit as an ‘initial invitation investment’ followed by annual payments of $25,000 (£19,700) to maintain your membership.
Wowzers.
What’s more, membership to Club 33 in one destination doesn’t grant membership to Club 33s elsewhere.
It begs the question: What exactly are you paying for that costs that much?
Of course, not all applications are accepted, even if you do have the money so there are definitely separate factors that play into it.
Known members of Club 33 are: Elizabeth Taylor, Christina Aguilera, Elton John, Tom Hanks, Tiger Woods, Michael Jackson and Katy Perry.
Featured Image Credit: @disneydudenc/tiktok
Topics: Disney, Disneyland
I’m sure you could hazard a guess as to how a place earns the title of the ‘world’s most haunted island’, but when it comes to Poveglia, it’s not as self-explanatory as you might think.
Yes, hundreds of thousands of people are said to have died there and if you believe in the paranormal, you might assume that all of their spirits are still trapped on there – but it’s the manner of their demise which is really intriguing.
The fact that YouTuber Dara Tah – who was the first person to step foot on the island in a very long time – had some ‘alarming’ encounters there only adds to the eeriness of the place, too.
But a quick flick through the history books is what will quickly help you understand why authorities have forbidden people from visiting Poveglia. Put it this way, it’s no Disneyland.
It might be a stone’s throw away from one of the most prettiest places in Italy, but this island’s past is quite ugly.
Poveglia, which is situated between Venice and Lido, was originally a very serene – and supposedly ghost free – place to live, seen as though they were out of the way from invasions and taxes which were enforced on Italy’s mainland.
The island of Poveglia has quite the chequered past (Blom UK via Getty Images)
But when Venice came under attack from Genoa amid the three-year Chioggia War in 1379, those who resided there were forced to flee and it remained uninhabited for centuries as a result.
That was until it was repurposed in 1776, when it came under the jurisdiction of Italy’s Public Health Office, seeing Poveglia become a check point for all goods and visitors heading to Venice by ship.
However, it all started to go downhill in 1793 when it was discovered that there were several cases of the plague on board some of the boats – forcing authorities to again repurpose it.
But this time, it was transformed into a makeshift ‘black plague isolation zone’ where the infected were sent to quarantine.
Poveglia subsequently became the third plague quarantine island – known as a ‘lazzaretto’ – close to Venice, with it serving as an ‘overflow’ station when Lazzaretto Nuovo and Lazzaretto Vecchio were fit to bust.
It is suspected that those who died there – which is said to be as many as 160,000 people – were buried in ‘plague pits’.
The leader of the French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte, decided to make this the island’s permanent role in 1805 and he ordered for the old church which still stood there to be destroyed.
These days, it’s a ghost town (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
It remained this way until 1814, before Poveglia was rebranded once again.
The buildings which Bonaparte didn’t bulldoze were later converted into an asylum for the mentally ill in 1922, while there were also facilities for long-term care too.
Some pretty disturbing stuff is said to have gone down during this period, with content creator Dara explaining he had come across a lot of chilling reports while researching the place.
While documenting his daring visit, he told viewers: “The doctors conducted terrible experiments on their patients away from the eyes of the public.”
For example, according to Far Out Magazine, there were rumours about one certain medic in particular who had a penchant for performing lobotomies.
He is said to have believed the terrifying procedure was the ‘best cure’ for mental illness, and he reportedly performed them on his patients against their will.
Disturbing things are believed to have taken place at the asylum (Marco Secchi/Getty Images)
Other claims suggest he kept those who he liked the best in the Bell Tower – which is said to be the most haunted place on the entire island – and carried out sick experiments on them, before he is said to have died by suicide in the same spot.
I’m sure you can gather, you wouldn’t want to get stuck on Poveglia after dark – even though that’s exactly what Dara did.
The asylum was eventually closed for good in 1968, while the land was briefly used for agricultural purposes.
It has been abandoned ever since that wrapped up – and Italian authorities apparently want to flog it to private owners.
The state auctioned a 99-year lease of Poveglia – which would remain state property – to raise revenue back in 2014, with hopes a wealthy investor might redevelop the asylum and transform it into a swanky hotel.
But ultimately, the deal fell through.
A private investment group then attempted to raise millions to add a ‘public park, a marina, a restaurant, a hostel and a study centre’ to Poveglia in 2015, but this also never came to fruition.
It’s still vacant to this day – but if you’ve got a spare few quid, I’m not so sure this would be the best place to spend it on.
Featured Image Credit: Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images/YouTube/Dara Tah
Topics: History, Weird, World News, YouTube
The most tattooed woman in the world, whose body is 99.8 percent covered in tats, has explained why she decided to coat herself in ink.
Esperance Fuerzina, 36, from Connecticut, has tattoos all over her body – from her scalp right down to the soles of her feet.
She’s even inked some of the most sensitive parts of the body, including her eyelids, eyeballs, gums, tongue and genitals.
Esperance Fuerzina has tattoos all over her body (SWNS)
After growing up in a military family and living all over the States as well as Japan, Fuerzina, who is an army veteran, got her first tattoo when she was 21.
Some 15 years on and she now holds the record for the woman with the most tattoos as well as the most body modifications in history.
Not only did Fuerzina split her tongue in 2014, she’s also had 15 subdermal implants, several piercings and some other rather unique mods, too.
These include removing both of her nipples, injecting her split tongue with ink and doing the same to her inner labia.
Many people with tattoos find that once they have one, they’re often left wanting more, but with barely an inch left on Fuerzina’s body, many have wondered why she decided to get so many.
But the answer is really quite simple.
Explaining that she treats her skin like a canvas, Fuerzina’s decision stemmed from her being in the military.
Having become accustomed to travelling light, instead of carrying around sentimental items such as photos, she inked them on her skin instead.
“I have had a pretty nomadic life, and not much room in my [army] pack, I felt I could take this with me wherever I go. It’s just a small moment for something I can keep for life,” she said.
She currently holds the world record (SWNS)
Despite having only 0.2 percent of her body left without tats, Fuerzina has said she’s not done yet.
Speaking of the Guinness World Record she’s achieved, she explained: “I was initially a little apprehensive.
“But I wanted to try to showcase the strength of women, and what’s possible, by applying for the record myself.
“Initially, beginning my journey wasn’t something I ever thought possible and, in the course of being myself, it became a reality… though holding the record is still sinking in.
“My aim for many years has been moving towards cohesiveness, so ultimately, I love the flow being generated as a whole.
“It’s just a small moment for something I can keep for life.”