I've tested that theory and it happens in other regions too... Another strange thing i noticed (Well its a first for me), when exploring region and moving from section to section, the loadtimes are noticable.
Normally its just End of Screen -> Quick black screen -> New area. Now i'm actually seeing the "Loading" text, and a few times there are random pauses before the "Loading" happens. Will add my world data in a sec.
EDIT: Added worlds. If i'm not mistaken, the backup should load in a pyramid. The normal world will load in an abandoned town...
EDIT #2: Went as far rebooting my PC. Started up the game. Just ran out of the abandoned town region. On the continent map it just got laggy in general.