TOP 10: THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
- Prada in the Desert, Texas, USA
It seemed odd to many that Texas, the largest state in the USA, didn't have a Prada store. Well artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset agreed with this and decided to offer a solution of sorts. It came in the form of a Prada store with no door, in the Valentine deserts of West Texas, 26-miles from the town of Marfa. The display window shows off real shoes and handbags - you just can't buy them or go in the store!
2.Island of the Dolls, Xochimilco, Mexico
If old dolls scare you at the best of times then you might want to give this one a miss. If not you might want to see this oddball exhibit for yourself, deep within the canal networks of southern Mexico. It's here where you'll find the long abandoned hideout of Don Julian Santana, who was ostracised to the island from the mainland, because of his drinking problem. The legend goes that a girl drowned in the nearby canal and in order to warn off her ghost, Don spent his lifetime trading vegetables for old dolls - which he then hung around the island.
- Karni Mata Temple, Deshnok, India
To some people rats are nothing but vermin or subjects to be used for advancing medical science, however to others such as the residents of Deshnok in India, they are much, much more. The inhabitants of this town have a firm belief in the legend that the rodents currently occupying the Karni Mata Temple, are in fact members of Karni goddess' family. In fact they belief this family have taken rodent form since the 14th century. Six hundred or so years later and the town now has a rat population in excess of 20,000 - all of which are considered sacred and provided with food and refuge in the temple.
- The Blue Hole of Belize, Central America.
Also known as the Great Blue Hole, you'll find this wonder of nature in the Lighthouse Reef, more than forty-miles off the coast of mainland Belize. In an area where the water is mostly only a few metres deep, the Blue Hole, measuring 300-metres across, is a whopping 124-metres deep. It was formed by glaciers hundreds of thousands of years ago and today the dark blue of the deep water within it, stands out in stark contrast to the green shallows surrounding it.
- Soviet Bunker, Vilnius, Lithuania.
If you're a student of the cold war or simply curious as to what it was like to live through the tense times when two world super powers approached the precipice of global armageddon, then you're going to appreciate the experience offered at this former Soviet bunker in the old Eastern Block. After you sign the waiver acknowledging that you're ok with psychological and physical punishments if you're considered to be disobedient, you're cut off from the outside and converted into Soviet citizens, circa 1984. KGB officers pursue rigorous interrogations, real-life police canines patrol the bunker, gas masks are worn, the USSR national anthem is taught and contemporary cuisine is served. Tourists often faint during the intense interrogations and reenactments!
- Yunessun Spa Resort, Kowakudani, Japan
Many of us dream of taking a bath in beer or going for dip in a sea of wine, but for visitors to the Yunessun Spa Resort in Japan, this is a simple and satisfying reality. It's a somewhat odd and expensive treat to bathe in your favourite drink but the novelty factor at this spa makes it a popular destination, all year round. The immersion menu includes, among other things, green tea, wine, coffee and even twenty-percent proof Sake. To add to the ambience there's even a giant teapot and wine bottle, suspended above the spas!
- Giant Sheep, Giant Dog and Giant Christ, Tirau, New Zealand
Way down south of the equator in the small New Zealand town of Tirau, visitors are often seen stopping their cars to get out and gawp at three rather bizarre, man made monuments. It all started out with the design of the town's visitor information centre - a complex housed within a giant sheep - representing the local farm industry. When this started to pull in the tourists, the decision was made to add a giant dog, to look after and direct said sheep. Then, not to be outdone, the local church decided to build a giant Christ to shepherd the flock. Today it's one of the biggest attractions on the North Island!
- Avanos Hair Museum, Avanos, Turkey
If you're brave enough to embark on a decent into a deep and dark cavern in Avanos today, then you're really in for a big surprise. Directly below a pottery store in this Turkish settlement is where you will find thousands and thousands of disembodied and limp locks of hair. This is the lifetime project of Turkish potterry maker Chez Galip, who not only runs a museum dedicated to women's tresses but also collects hair samples - all tagged with the addresses of their owners. There are currently more than 16,000 locks on show and when you visit, you of course have the option to be a donor, in addition to taking a free pottery class or two.
- The Giant Gundam Robot, Tokyo, Japan
If you're a fan of the animated television series Mobile Suit Gundam or anything to do with Transformers, this sixty-foot tall Robot in Japan should definitely be on your sightseeing To Do list. Complete with a moving head and lights shining out from 50 spots up and down his body, Gundam the giant 77,000-lb robot stands tall over the entrance of the Gundam Front Tokyo theme park in Diver-City, Tokyo.
- The World's Largest Chest of Drawers, High Point, North Carolina, USA
Also known as the Bureau of Information, this giant nineteenth-century dresser was built in 1926 to prove to the world that the town of High Point was the: Home Furniture Capital of the World." Ikea-esque marketing stunts aside, this is a truly awesome sight to see and just to add to the visual impact, two giant socks have been hung from one of the drawers! If it looks familiar that's probably because it's been heavily featured on MTV the world over and in the many, many round ups of America's largest man made attractions!
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