Japan’s First Reptile Cafe Opens in Yokohama
The Subtropical Teahouse, a “reptile cafe” offering customers the chance to observe and pet dozens of species of reptiles, has recently opened in Yokohama, Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun is notorious for a variety of wacky venues, like the relaxing cat cafes, or the Vampire Cafe in Ginza, but it didn’t have a […]
World’s First Pig Fat Museum Opens in Ukraine
Pig fat is considered a tasty treat in central and eastern European countries like Belarus, Russia or the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine has even opened a museum dedicated to it. Known as salo in the Ukraine, this traditional food is often translated as ‘lard’ or ‘bacon’ in English, but there are some subtle differences […]
Summer Night Horror – Japan’s Creepy Yokai Monster Train
The Yokai Train is a somewhat scary summer attraction in Kyoto, Japan. One of the electrical trains is boarded by creepy monsters that try to scare children out of their wits. If you were looking for a way to scare a spoiled brat into submission, look no further that the monster train of Kyoto, an […]
Real-Life Hobbit Shire Exists in the Hillsides of Montana
The Hobbit House of Monatana, located in a man-made shire built by LOTR enthusiast Steve Michaels and his wife Christine, is a must-see attraction for any self-respecting Tolkien fan. This isn’t the first time someone builds a real-life hobbit house, but this particular house situated in the hillsides of northwest Montana is actually a tourist […]
China Converts Aircraft Carrier into Luxury Hotel
Just days after the Varyag, China’s first aircraft carrier was taken out for sea trials, a second carrier, the Kiev is stirring up interest as the first aircraft carrier hotel in China. The Kiev, a retired former Soviet aircraft carrier was sold to a Chinese company back in 1996, and was used as part of […]
French Town Inaugurates Bubble Hotel Rooms in Local Park
The French town of Roubaix, has recently opened a series of portable hotel rooms in a local park. They can be rented by people who want to feel close to nature in the middle of the urban jungle. The bubble concept thought up by French designer Pierre Stephane Dumas aims to redefine the term temporary […]
The Incredible Flower and Sand Carpets of La Otorava
In the Spanish town of La Otorava, Tenerife, the festival of Corpus Christi Festival is celebrated by lining the streets with beautiful themed carpets made from flower petals and colored volcanic sand. Featuring some of the most fragrant art displays in the world, the feast of Corpus Christi attracts thousands of visitors from all around […]
The Haro Wine Battle – A Water Fight for Grown-Ups
Every year, the small town of Haro, one of the biggest wine producers in Spain, hosts the traditional “Batalla del Vino”, the Wine Battle, where participants throw tons of red wine at each other. Part of the Haro Wine Festival, the annual Wine Battle takes place on June 29, the day of the patron saint […]
Entrepreneur Turns Atomic Reactor into Popular Amusement Park
Wunderland Kalkar is a unique amusement park built on the site of a never-used power plant, complete with a fast breeder reactor, in Kalkar, Germany. Construction of the Kalkar nuclear plant began in 1972, but was constantly delayed due to technical difficulties and protests from those concerned about the safety of nuclear power. When it […]
Entire Village Painted Blue for Smurfs Movie Launch
The small village of Juzcar, in Spain’s Malaga region, has recently been painted blue as part of a global promotion for the Sony Pictures film “The Smurfs 3D”. Juzcar is a peaceful, traditional “pueblo blanco” village, located in the Genel Valley region of Andalucia. It boasts a population of just 250, and yet Sony has […]
China Inaugurates Park Made Entirely Out of Clay
A unique cultural park made entirely out of clay has recently been open to the public, in Tangshan City, China. Featuring rows of houses, busy streets filled with vendors and their carts, high ranking officials and horse-pulled carriages, the park is a reproduction of Zhang Zerui famous scroll painting Riverside Scene during the Qingming Festival. […]
Thai Temple Offers the Ultimate Chance at Rebirth
Wat Prommanee, a Buddhist temple, 66 miles northeast of Bangkok, offers believers the chance to lay in a coffin for a few moments, then rise up and feel reborn… I for one find coffins to be really creepy and I wouldn’t dream of lying down in one if someone paid me all the money in […]
Thai Temple Interior Inspired by Modern Sci-Fi Movies
You’d probably expect temple murals to depict religious themes and Buddha, but the Wat Rong Khun temple in Chiang Rai isn’t your ordinary holy place, as you can easily tell by the murals. According to Wikipedia, in 1997, Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat volunteered to carry out the work for Wat Rong Khun’s ubosol (the temple’s […]
Chefchaouen – The Blue City of Morocco
One of Morocco’s most popular tourist destinations, Chefchaouen is most known for its blue-rinsed buildings and alleys, an old tradition leftover from the city’s Jewish population. Chefchaouen was founded by Moorish exiles from Spain, in 1471, as a small fortress to fend off the attacks of invading Portuguese forcess in northern Morocco. After the Spanish […]
Azerbaijan Clinic Uses Crude Oil Baths as Therapeutic Treatments
A clinic in the town of Naftalan, 160 miles noth-west of Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, has found a therapeutic use for its abundant quantities of crude oil. Azerbaijan is one of the world’s leading oil exporters, and in the country’s western plains “black gold” has been seeping out of the ground for centuries. In fact, […]