Book excerpt: Featuring communist bunkers, burning gas craters and at least one sponge-rock fluorescent grotto built by Polish monks, this book reveals weird and wonderful sights the crowds don't reach. We've all heard of India's Taj Mahal, but what about Karna Mata Temple? It's a building teeming with rats so revered they enjoy A-list treatment with daily offerings of milk and fruit. It's no secret that visitors to Berlin can see parts of its infamous Wall still standing in the city. Not so many people know that segments of the wall have travelled all around the world and can be found in places including Los Angeles, Japan and Iceland. Stonehenge is one of the UK's most popular tourist sites. So why not beat the crowds and head to Nebraska instead, where you can marvel at a Carhenge - a replica of the great monolith site constructed entirely from vintage cars. This packed and fascinating title takes its readers on a journey through the world's lesser known marvels. Dive into an underworld of the planet's most surprising, fun, perplexing, kitsch and downright bizarre sights - and explore human stories and mysterious happenings that you won't find inside a regular guidebook. From eerie natural wonders to historical oddities and bizarre architecture, this is a travel companion for the incurably curious. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' -- Fairfax Media 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.