The crooked forest: Fantasy woodland that could have come straight from a fairytale By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 8:29 AM on 11th October 2011 With their trunks all bent the northward, these trees look like something straight out of one of the more uncomfortable fairy tales. Surrounded by a larger forest of straight growing pine trees near Gryfino, north-west Poland, this grove of curved trees - dubbed the 'Crooked Forest' - is a mystery. The curved pines, of which there are about 400, were planted around 1930. Mysterious: These crooked pine trees are just some of 400 whose trunks are bent to the north in one forest in north-west Poland They were allowed to grow for seven to ten years before being held down in what is thought to have been some kind of human mechanical intervention. Speculation as to what the trees may have been intended for ranges from use in making bent-wood furniture, the ribs for boat hulls or yokes for ox-drawn plows. However, before they could be harvested, the outbreak of the Second World War interrupted the plans of whoever was growing and tending the grove, leaving their plans a mystery. Creepy: The eerie looking trees are thought to have been bent into shape by some kind of human intervention - but the reason why is unknown

Google Street View boats map the Amazon rainforest in South America Google has embarked on its latest Street View project: mapping the Amazon, the world's biggest rainforest, in South America. A Google boat with a 360-degree camera system mounted on a Trike on top (AFP/Getty) Mounting the camera system on a Trike atop a boat on the Negro River (AFP/Getty) SAF, a non-profit group, works to promote social, economic and environmental awareness of the Amazon and its indigenous inhabitants - the cultures of whom have been largely inaccessible to the rest of the world. 'Soon, you'll be able to float down the Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers of northwest Brazil and experience some of the most remote and biodiverse areas in the world,' reads the blog post. 'In the first phase of the project, the Google and FAS teams will visit and capture imagery from a 50km section of the Rio Negro River, extending from the Tumbira community near Manaus - the capital of the state of Amazonas - to the Terra Preta community. 'We'll then process the imagery of the river and the communities as usual, stitching the still photos into 360-degree panoramics.' Google team members sail a boat with a 360-degree camera system mounted on its top to record the "Street View for the Amazon" on the Negro River, around Tumbira Community, Amazonas State, on August 17. In partnership with Brazil's Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), Google's Street View for the Amazon project will capture 360-degree imagery of the Amazon's Negro River and the adjacent communities to share the environment and local culture with the world. A 360-degree camera system mounted on a boat on the Negro River. A Google team member rides a Trike with a 360-degree camera system on it on Aug. 17.

Finca Bellavista is a self-sustaining community in the jungles of Costa Rica. So if you are fan of everything that is eco-friendly and like to merge with nature this can be what you need. Finca Bellavista encompasses 300 acres (1.2 km2) of rainforest.

The community features houses built right on top of the trees in the Costa Rican rain forest, connected by zip lines and sky bridges. These tree houses are accessible by stairs and ladders from the ground, reminds me of the Swiss Family Robinson.

The sustainable tree house community was founded by Americans Erica and Mathew Hogan not just as their own private escape from the crazy city life but as a community that attracts permanent residents and travellers from all over the world. New residents can purchase plots starting from $55,000 and build their dream tree-home; travelers can rent room for the short or long term.



And just because you’re in the rain forest doesn’t mean modern amenities aren’t available; limited solar powered electricity, hot showers, and even wireless internet can be accessed. But the whole point of this community is to get away from it all and get closer to nature. Two rivers run around the community with crystal clear water and plenty of waterfalls for taking a dive on a hot summer day. A small town is a few miles away and the ocean is a short hike away. Some of your neighbors will include monkeys, lizards and lots of bugs; Finca Bellavista is like living in an episode of Natural Geographic.