This place is an example of what the Apocalypse could be. . .
Salton Sea It's the largest body of water in California and it shouldn't even be there. This is a story of mankind trying to become God. In the 19th century, farmers realized that the Colorado river possessed a high concentration of minerals and soil which created fertility for the crops.
So they decided to move those rivers through digging and creating more fertile land where they wanted, but. . .
In 1905 there was a great river flood and due to a big error in calculation by the engineers, the water flooded irrigation channels for many months in the plains of Salton. Flooding also houses and farms. It took them two years to stop that flow, creating then a lake of 1000 square kilometers in one of the hottest and most depressed places in the United States.
They all thought this new lake would dry up again, but when they saw it wouldn't, investors decided to turn an environmental disaster into a business opportunity, investing the surroundings of the lake into a supposed tourist paradise. And for some time, it did seem like an oasis. A miracle of nature.
People started buying houses, then came schools, restaurants, maritime clubs. It was full of tourism, but that didn't last long. Summers with temperatures of over 46°C, sandstorms, an exaggerated amount of salt in water, and a great concentration of farm chemicals turned this lake into a place that was completely toxic for life, transforming its coast into a graveyard for millions of fish and birds.
Its air can't be breathed and is not suitable for life. The biggest natural disaster in the history of California. All those cities and resorts were abandoned, and today we'll visit them.
Yesterday we came at night and stayed at a hotel to be nearby this morning. The sun is coming out here, I usually don't like waking up too early to film videos, but for the one we'll film today, it's almost essential. We have to film most of this video in the morning, you'll see why.
But first, let's get some coffee. Today, fortunately, I won't have my coffee alone. I'm with Polina.
You can imagine how I'll edit this and use claps and everything. - We could say we're going from extreme cold - To extreme heat. .
. That's why we woke up early. At noon, we'll be approximately at 45°C if not more.
It will also be humid, and it will probably be one of the worst and most insane moments to go there. But this way we'll also better understand this environmental disaster. We're now passing Coachella, where the famous festival takes place.
We're about 15 minutes away from the lake. There's something interesting that we'll see through the video, I don't understand how this place and history is not so well known. Because when you see the place, you'll flip out.
It doesn't make any sense. I wanted to come to the lake to show you something I think is amazing, so you understand the gravity of the situation. As you can see, where near the coast or beach, but what we're stepping on is not really sand, if I grab from the ground what looks like dirt, it's all fish bones.
The entire beach is like this. It's not just a small part, it's the entire coast, which is not small. In certain parts, the coast of Salton Sea is like a graveyard.
So we're on top of millions of fish cadavers. I'll start here because I think it's a good introduction to understand why all around this lake is practically abandoned. All this once wasn't as dangerous as it is now, which is why they saw it as a chance to build a city around this new lake, but with time, it becomes increasingly dangerous to be around this place which is why many people living here has decided to abandon it.
There are a lot of abandoned places. Let's see some of them. With time, it gets more dangerous to live near.
Because this lake is drying up. To think it has collected contamination for over 120 years, and the concentration of salt is over twice that of the sea. Little by little, this contamination which was inside the water is reaching the coast and we're in a place with strong winds.
So there are sandstorms with this contaminated dirt, which travels kilometers into nearby cities. This toxic sandstorm can enter your lungs and trouble your breathing, it can enter your bloodstream and if you're exposed a long time. .
. death. This is a great danger for nearby population, so when they have even a slight wind, they have to wear a mask so they don't breathe this toxic dust.
We're entering Salton City. I'd say it's like the "capital" of this place. It's the city with the biggest area, with the most streets.
Where at one point most people lived. And where more people are probably still living. But it's wild that if you check the map, around me it's filled with streets but all this is really empty, and all these streets were built, but not the houses, nobody got to buy these lots because environmental warnings came out before.
So it's like a desert city of what could have been and now it's not. It's wild that this is the entrance to the town and we can see an old sign with all the things you could do here. It reminds me a bit of the ad I showed you before, for the resort that we'll see in a while.
Here you can golf, camp fish and go sightseeing. Of course, I don't recommend anyone to do this activity. Being honest, you don't really need it.
The fish just. . .
Die. We've been driving around the city streets for an hour and it's a complete ghost city. There's absolutely nothing.
There are many houses where it looks like people are living, but there's no trace of people or vehicles moving. It's weird. There's a weird atmosphere.
I'm walking where once they thought would be the streets of this great city. In fact, there's people who came to live in their caravans. But they ended up giving up on the idea I guess it's the extreme conditions, I want to go to a place nearby to explain better.
I guess this was a place where all the farms around here dumped their pesticide liquids, all the contaminating liquids into this sea, until they decided to stop it in 2017. That's why we see these signs so we don't trespass, it could be dangerous and not just this, they're trying to recover the situation by placing some haystacks so when there's wind, it doesn't carry toxic dirt into the population and it's dangerous to even breathe nearby. Evidently, since in the past they bathed in these waters, nowadays it would be unthinkable.
Check out this water here, look at its color. I'm pretty sure some time ago you could pass here and that this was put here recently. The water gets this color because of its high salt concentration, that's why all these fish, when the salt started concentrating more, started dying because they couldn't live in those waters.
Everything is abandoned, before what seemed to be like a small port. Today it lies completely contaminated. It's tough, very pink.
What I don't know is if people still live in this houses close by. It seems they do. I don't think this was here many years ago, but this was built later.
Probably people with less resources in the country came to live here. It seems people do live here, because a man is looking from afar evidently seeing that I don't go into this place. It's rough because you can't imagine the rotten egg smell.
. . that there's here, and breathing this everyday must be really rough.
I think this the only live activity still here. There are many abandoned houses that were completely destroyed with time We must say that in all these places you have a complete peace, since it's surrounded with nothing. All this is just desert.
I'm pretty sure all this was burned. If you notice, all this is pretty dark. Here, vegetation grows in the rainy season, but during the summer everything dries up.
There's a lot of sun and heat. Any crystal reflecting it sets all this in flames. It's normal, this used to be a summer spot, a spot to have a house with a pool.
It would probably be your second residence, where you go for vacation. I imagine a lot of people from Los Angeles had a house here since it's not far and they'd come in the weekend and this pool is actually very big. I don't know if they put up the "No Trespassing" sign because somebody lives here, which I highly doubt, or if the sign is from before.
It's true that the furniture doesn't look in such a bad state, but the rest is. It seems there's still something in here. It's completely abandoned.
Look! They closed in January? Nobody comes here, people are leaving.
Evidently, having a second hand shop didn't work. And there are many places like this. This is so crazy to me.
If you see, it says "Retreat. Explosive hazard" Active artillery and dangerous explosive parts may be in this area. We're heading that way where there's an abandoned military naval base.
All this area outside the paved roads I guess it's full of bombs that didn't go off, or mines and such. They don't have any control, there isn't even a fence. Nothing, just two signs telling you not to pass.
But if you don't see them or come at night, it could be tragic. By the way, half of you watching the video are not subscribed to the channel Subscribe now, it's just a button. It makes me happy and we can continue with the video.
It seems like they're still trying to sell this land, and it's extremely cheap. In the sign ahead, it says a plot of land is sold for $9800, and from there you build your house. Being in California, this is a very low price.
But you're buying land next to a lake that is completely toxic. And with time, it won't get better, it will get worse. Let's call that phone and ask questions.
Hello, do you speak Spanish? Yes, tell me. Am I calling for the lands for sale here in Salton City?
That's right. Do you know if there are still problems with quality of air. .
. and everything related to the lake? Right now I have some customers with me, how about I call you back in ten minutes when I'm done?
Alright, good. - And we talk, how about that? - Perfect.
Alright then. Evidently, he didn't call back. This is nothing minor.
Studies say there are three times as many cases of asthma and respiratory diseases in this place compared to the rest of the state. The Pacific Institute says that if the State does nothing about it, it could bring damages for over $30 billion. And if they don't pay it, the people of California will pay with their health.
You wouldn't believe how hot it is, God. . .
I'm not exaggerating. In fact, you park your car for half an hour, and when you come back everything is searing hot. Anyway, we're now heading to Bombay Beach, this old resort they built here.
You'll be amazed because this place changed a lot and in a direction I don't think you expect. Polina got some cold water which will be warm in 3 minutes but it's good for now. It seems we're entering now.
. . In what's left of Bombay Beach.
We really wanted to come here because this place is unbelievable. In front of me I have something I need to show you. If you notice, in the entrance of the town, we have what seems to be the old sign for this resort I've been talking about.
A picture of four women having a good time in the Salton Sea. This feels like the beginning of a scary movie. In fact, the press called this the Apocalypse Toxic City, very graphic We'll see what's left of this city because I tell you that this is now like a city for weird artists.
If you saw mi video of Slab City, this is something similar. In fact Slab City is 10, 15 minutes from here. But far from the reality that they lived here back in 1950.
Basically, the city is divided into abandoned houses and houses that were built after the issues or things that still remain from the past. I think it's a place with a strong community because people living here don't go out often Nearby gas stations are far, so they move around on golf carts. Let's drive around and see what's up in Bombay Beach.
Here they built what seems to be a miniature map of the city. It's funny that they have a QR code in case you have complaints about the map. "Under Destruction" there's no better definition for this place.
This here seems to have been a part of this old resort. When I say resort, I mean a large group of real estate investors who decided to start creating houses here to create a tourist spot a place for second houses, a typical coast town. Therefore, it needed social infrastructure.
I imagine this place was a part of this. I didn't realize they have a sort of dead body here. It could be sleeping, not necessarily dead, of course.
What is this here, dude. I have to make sure nobody's here, it seems people do come here. There's a bed.
. . An open book.
. . I think this is someone's house.
Someone must live here. The democracy of nature. This here is like the room of horrors, it's spooky.
Jeez. . .
If there's something here I'll shit myself. What the hell is this, dude? I think they use this place like a studio.
I mean, to work on their art. The entire town is like this. I think it's like an art project, that TV shouldn't be there.
And this gate doesn't make sense here. Jeez dude. .
. The bad vibes here. .
. This is a studio, these are someone's paintings. It's like the room of a small child.
I feel like the main character in a post-apocalyptic movie. I'm alone, searching for supplies in old houses if they haven't been looted. Everything is so frozen.
We can only hear the flapping of birds who found a home here. To think that this used to be one of the biggest attractions in California. On one hand, it gives me bad vibes, but at the same time.
. . What is this?
! It seems like it used to be like a hot tub in a hotel. Yes, this was here.
The kitchen is so spooky. What's this, dude? Here we have an abandoned drive-in cinema It seems they put all this later sort of like an artwork.
But it's amazing how they placed the cars here. The chassis are really from old cars. They have steering wheels and all.
A VHS or something like that. It's fascinating seeing how this community flourished in the catastrophe. Finding beauty in decay and creating a psychedelic oasis in this desolate landscape.
Although few decide to call this place home, they seem to have found a place where they can be somehow free. Currently, there's a chance to revert this mess. However, this would require time, financial resources and most of all, government support.
That way, they could go back to being the miracle in the desert. It's crazy seeing how nature can turn against us when we try to be Gods. When we try to create what shouldn't exist.
We find ourselves facing the devastating consequences of our own arrogance. Remembering thus, the fragility of our balance with this Earth. Anyway, I'm not exaggerating when I say it's one of the prettiest places I've seen.
Staying here for a while, you can imagine that the world is over and there's just the craziness of those who remain alive. No noises. Completely in silence.
Salton Sea is simply unique.
