Once in a while I just love crazy stuff. Here's some towns, homes, and temples around the world that are just insane! The best part is that most of them you can go and visit!
1. Vardzia, Erusheti Mountain, Southern Georgia. That's a mouthful, but this amazing cave monastery has been there since the later 1100's. It's 500 feet up and has 19 stories of caves that have been carved into every imaginable building.
They lived there, worked there and worshipped there. This was a completely isolated and completely self supporting monastery with 15 or so places of worship and over 100 dwellings. It's had a bit of a wild history being taken over by Mongols, Ottomans, and Soviets and others over the years. Later excavations revealed that the location has been inhabited off and on since the Bronze Age. Today, it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you would like to visit this place, It's open daily from 10 am to 7 pm most of the time. It costs the equivalent of $5.50 to get in. They have a visitor center and audio guides for you if necessary. There are buses and taxis to go out there or you can drive it yourself in a rental. If you'd rather not put in that much work, you can book a tour through TripAdvisor, Viator, and GetYourGuide.
https://www.getyourguide.com/vardzia-l90039/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g7092359-d1598757-r391347834-Vardzia-Aspindza_Samtskhe_Javakheti_Region.html
https://www.viator.com/tours/Kutaisi/Vardzia-cave-city-and-Rabati-castle-Tour/d50207-45676P5
https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5236/
https://georgia.travel/vardzia
2. Jingyin Temple, Gujian Mountain, Chongqing, China. Another mouthful, but an interesting temple complex on quite a cliff. This place dates back to 960 or so and it was a Buddhist Complex mostly. It sits 3,760 feet up from the ground below the cliff and has views you can't imagine.
It's built so that it blends in with the stone around and there are several parts to it. It was a sanctuary for centuries and is now a place to go and visit. It's about a 2 hour drive from Chongqing. You can take a bullet train and then a taxi if you like. Tours are available and the property is open all the time. There are some accommodations in the area if you'd like. Tours are very affordable. Allow a couple of hours for exploration. The one kicker is you have to walk and it's got over 700 steps to get up there.
This one is for the slightly adventurous, or you can just visit to get a look at it.
3. The Volcano House, Newberry Springs, California. This wild one was built in the late 1960's by architect Harold James Bissner Jr. Why? Creativity I suppose. It drives a lot of people in California. It's built atop an ancient volcano cone. It's in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert and has 360 degree views from its perch.
This is a private home and not open to the public, but if you drive out there you can at least get a look at it. It's a functioning house and its design reportedly reflects the heat of the desert. Thought it was an interesting one.
4. Linshi Town, on a bridge, Chongqing, China. A lot of interesting stuff goes on in the province of Chongqing, apparently. This is a village on a bridge. Can't say much more about that.
People live on this bridge. People have businesses on this bridge. There are restaurants on this bridge. It is a town, so you can visit this bridge. One of the strangest things I've ever seen, but it was built that way. It was built in the 1980's and it's on a viaduct 400 feet above the river below. Simple as that. It's a completely functioning town.
You can take a bullet train to Fuling and visit from there. Catch a ride share or taxi. There's an elevator up to the village. You can also book a tour. There's a small fee to visit.
5. Bonifacio, Corsica, France. This is a village, on a cliff that's not in Asia. It's on the island of Corsica off the coast of France. You may have heard of Corsica. It's where Napoleon was born. It has a rather interesting history, mostly because of that.
This place is perched on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. It's medieval. It's not accessible and you climb 189 steps to get up to the village and bastion. It's a great day trip on a lovely island in the Mediterranean Sea. What more do you really need to know? If you come to Corsica in early May, you might also get to celebrate Napoleon's Birthday. It's a local holiday in Corsica.
Bonifacio is also the city around the hilltop village. You can fly in, drive in, come by boat or take a tour. There are many accommodations, just check the listings.
There you have it! Some odd and unusual things to take a look at and experience. The world is full of wonder, and if you'd like to know what I'm up to right now, check out my YouTube Channel, "Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon." That's me!
Remember, the world is full of amazing things, so never stop Adventuring! Enjoy!!!!!
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