When I travel, I love visiting fascinating places with history and beautiful scenes but I do also love weird and wonderful places and therefore it is always thrilling coming across something new..

However with Lonely Planet’s Secret Marvels of the World book, you can now look up all the weird and wonderful sights that might interest you, and some even where people sometimes overlook and where the crowds don’t always reach.

You can find eerie natural wonders, historical oddities and unusual architecture all in this book to inspire you whether you should go visit the place or not…

Secret Marvels of the World is a travel companion for the incurably curious — featuring communist bunkers, burning gas craters and at least one sponge-rock fluorescent grotto built by Polish monks.

Asia is represented in the book by multiple entries, including:

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* China: Zhangye Danxia National Geopark (Zhangye), Harbin Ice Sculpture Festival (Harbin), Fuxian Lake (Yunnan Province), Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (Beijing), Zhengbei Tower (Yan Mountains), Longyou Caves (Zhejiang Province), Upside-Down House (Near Shanghai), Houtou Wan (Shengshan Island), Porcelain Palace (Chongqing), Toilet Fountain (Foshan)

* Hong Kong: Buffalo Beach

* Malaysia: Portugese Settlement (Melaka), Thaipusam (Batu Caves), Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Temple (Johor Bahru)

* Singapore: Haw Par Villa

* Taiwan: Rainbow Village (Nantun District), Beneficial Microbes Museum (Yilan)

* Thailand: See Uey Sae Ung (Bangkok), Chao Mae Tuptim Shrine (Bangkok)

And yes that is not all, there are many other fascinating places from Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam

“This book celebrates under-the-radar places, from the mysterious and the mesmerising to the downright bizarre,” Lonely Planet says. “In these pages are rainbow eucalyptus trees, a stomach-churning cocktail, ghost towns, a bridge made of trees, an underwater museum, a town called Hell and a band of Caribbean swimming pigs.”

Hmm.. It sure was eye opening.. I did not even know our Portuguese Settlement was interesting enough and though I have encountered and am so fascinated too by the rites and sacrifices of those Thaipusam devotees, I have certainly not heard of the Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Temple (Johor Bahru). But neverthe less, it is on my list of place to visit there on my upcoming trip there…

So if you love fascinating places which can be weird or wonderful in their own way, do get yourself a copy of the Lonely Planet’s Secret Marvels of the World…..

LONELY PLANET’S SECRET MARVELS OF THE WORLD
320pp, full colour; H240mm x W185mm, hardcover; USD $24.99