Author: Ms. R.

On the eve of March 11, the streets of the traditional village of Mengwi, Bali, flooded with monsters. The giant figures loomed over villagers’ heads, with grotesque smiles, protruding fangs, and extra arms and eyes. They danced in the night, each one brought to life by dozens of locals who moved as one, lifting, spinning, and shaking the monstrous creations. The spectacle, known as the Ngrupuk parade, is one of several rituals meant to banish evil ahead of Nyepi……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. Long before Joe Exotic got the country talking about big cats, there was Joe Taft, a regular guy, who began raising and rescuing these types of felines in Indiana. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an……

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As summer approaches on the horizon, it’s impossible not to dream of adventure. During those warm months, the days are longer, the offices quieter, and our wanderlust even stronger. And for us, summer trips bring up images of natural wonder, great food, adventure, and a cold drink after a long day of exploration. To celebrate this spirit of summertime travel and all the wonder it entails, we’re partnering with Cayman Jack Margarita to give away three incredible Atlas Obscura……

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When church bells ring out on a beautiful spring evening in the small German town of Lügde, the village people grab their torches. The sun has been set for about an hour when they approach six large wooden wheels, each 6.5 feet tall, weighing about 620 pounds, and stuffed with straw. The torchbearers light the wheels on fire and push them down a hill. One by one, each giant fireball careens down the slopes, picking up speed as they……

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She has come, she has come, The swallow has come!Bringing good weather and a good year,Her belly is white and her back is black. Won’t you roll out a fruitcake from your mansion and offer it to us, And a cup of wine, and a basket of cheese? Neither wheat bread nor bean flour bread will the swallow refuse.Shall we leave, or will we get something to eat? More than 2,000 years ago, on the first day of spring,……

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There are two opposing strands running through Japan‘s built environment. One is the traditional architecture of wooden beams and sliding doors that is redolent of a world of tea ceremonies and temples. The other is the modern concrete and glass cityscape that inspired the cyberpunk novelist William Gibson to set his Sprawl Trilogy in a futuristic, dystopian Chiba City. Kyoto is world famous for the former, but is also home to one of the country’s most striking examples of……

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While traveling on I-8 between Phoenix and San Diego, consider stopping by the Space Age Lodge and Restaurant. Originally built in 1965, it was designed by Al Stovall, a man who made his fortune in the plastics and metals industries during World War II. Mr. Stovall designed five space-themed hotels: four in Anaheim, California (just near Disneyland) and one in Pima Bend, Arizona. The Pima Bend location is the only remaining hotel designed by Stovall that has retained its……

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In Honduras, she is La Cigua. In Costa Rica and Nicaragua, she is La Cegua. In El Salvador, she is La Cihuatnawal. And in the old neighborhoods of Guatemala City, she is La Siguanaba. There, she has been seen wandering for centuries, through Ojo de Agua, along Santa Cecilia Avenue, near the Santa Cruz del Milagro church. Men—it was usually men—would spot her, often at night, while she was washing in the Las Vacas river or at one of……

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A 10-minute drive from the coastal city of Allinge will lead you to one of Bornholm’s most unique geological wonders: Jons Church, a towering, 22-meter-tall free-standing rock. Within this rock lies a small cave known as Jon’s Chapel, named after the monk Jon who, according to local legend, was sent to Bornholm with the mission of spreading Christianity. Each day, he would preach from inside his cave, gradually attracting curious locals. Jon became so popular that he eventually moved……

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The Asheville Urban Trail is a self-guided trail that runs 1.7 miles through the heart of downtown Asheville. Featuring plaques, sculptures, interpretive signs, granite etchings, and other artistic expressions, the trail captures the pulse of the city through five distinct eras: the Gilded Age, the Frontier Period, the Times of Thomas Wolfe, the Era of Civic Pride, and the Era of Diversity. Each era is represented by a symbol that can be found carved into large pink granite blocks……

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