Hiroshima Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Dome, Japan

Hiroshima in Japan - the site of the world’s first atomic bombing - isn’t exactly the first destination on a traveller’s list for a cheerful holiday. But it sure is moving.
The spot where the first atomic bomb used in warfare exploded is now known as the Hiroshima Peace Park, with the most striking sight being the Atomic Bomb Dome. This was a former exhibition hall, and it has been deliberately left as a ravaged shell to remind visitors of the destruction wreaked.
Also in the park is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which goes into depth about the horrors of the atomic bomb and the effect it had on the city.

World’s biggest cave – Sarawak Chamber, Malaysia

If size of cave was a status symbol, then only a Stone Age King would be able to claim the Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia.
Discovered only in 1981, this huge cavern on the island of Borneo is the biggest in the world, and is part of an extensive cave system.
To get some idea of scale, it takes an hour for even experienced cavers to get from end to end, and headlamps usually aren’t strong enough for them to see the walls.
In terms of what could fit in it, then think St Peter’s Basilica in Rome or a decent collection of jumbo jets.
To get there, you’ve got to make your way through a few tricky passageways, so the guides at Gunung Mulu National Park insist that anyone they take must have previous experience.
However, they do allow you to get that by doing a trip to other caves in the recently-declared World Heritage Area.

World’s oldest hotel – Hoshi Ryokan in Awazu, Japan

Shrouded in ancient Japanese mysticism, the Hoshi Ryokan in the village of Awazu, Japan dates back to AD717. This makes it the world’s oldest hotel.
The story goes that Buddhist monk Taicho Daishi was ordered to the village on the foothills of Mt Hakusan, Honshu, to find a divine spring and show it to the locals.
Find it he did, and the hot spring baths are now the central point of this popular retreat.
The hotel has passed through 46 generations of hosts, amazingly from the same family. It’s the second oldest family business in the world.
Awazu is two-and-a-half hours on the train away from Osaka.

Hobbit House bar in Manila, Philippines

Anyone who says they don’t fancy a jar or two in this bar is a complete liar... the Hobbit House in Manila is staffed entirely by midgets.
Just in case your conscience is twanging at the thought of this, don’t fret, it’s not some kind of exploitative venture cruelly targeted at diminutive Filipinos.
The Hobbit House was set up by the little people themselves in order to give themselves work, and it’s proved incredibly popular.
It has a reputation of being a somewhat smoky drinking den, and also has regular live music performances which see it turn into a somewhat sweaty, smoky drinking den. Previous acts include Little Richard and Heather Small. OK, so that last bit is a lie.
The Hobbit House can be found at 1801 A. Manibi Street, Manila, The Philippines.

Clinic Bar, Clarke Quay, Singapore: Hospital theme bar

Sometimes wildly expensive drinks are worth it, purely for the comedy value. And nowhere is this more true than at Clinic in Singapore.
Inside an extremely extravagant indoor shopping and entertainment precinct at Clarke Quay, Clinic is Singapore’s premier (and only) hospital theme bar. And it takes things to almost tasteless extremes.
The cocktails are presented in various innovative manners — whether it's in a blood bag attached to a drip that you suck through a straw or test tubes, but they taste darn good. Shame they cost the GDP of a developing nation, really.
The most fun to be had, however, is with the seats. Instead of a boring old bar stool, you get hospital wheelchairs to whizz about on.
Now in a real hospital, this would the sort of behaviour that would invite some severe tutting and castigation from matronly nursing harridans, but here the staff just roll their eyes until a whole tableful of beers goes crashing over.
Just mind you don't bump into other patients, and you’ll be alright though.

Getting to Clinic Bar in Singapore

Nearest international airport: Singapore Changi.
Using public transport: Clinic is a short walk from Clarke Quay Station.

More information: Clinic bar

Hounen Matsuri Penis Festival in Komaki, Japan

Forget February 14th and try March 15th if you prefer the romantic sight of twelve foot penis being carried through the streets to flowers and chocolates.
Hounen Matsuri is an ancient Japanese fertility rite, which involves a group of 42-year-old men (42 is thought to be an unlucky age in Japan) carrying a comically oversized phallus towards a shrine.
They are backed up by a group of ladies carrying smaller versions of the big bruiser, and it is considered lucky for members of the crowd to touch the traditional todgers as they make their way through the streets.
Those who can’t quite get close enough to gain the immeasurable benefits of handling the goods can settle for second best with all manner of genitalia regalia that is sold in shops and souvenir stalls on the day. Maybe a lollipop? Or a keyring? Either way, there are plenty of phallic presents that will make an excellent present for grandma.

Rungnado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea

When neighbours South Korea were handed the Olympics in 1988, North Korea’s barmy dictator Kim Jong-Il decided whatever they could do, he could do better. So, he built a venue that was twice the size of Seoul’s Olympic Arena - Rungnado May Day Stadium
With a 150,000 capacity it is the biggest stadium in the world, and will probably never see a sporting spectacle worthy of that scale due to the country’s isolationist policies. Still, it’s the perfect location for all those preposterous military displays that Kim is rather fond of.
The biggest two shows to date have been somewhat strange. The latest was the Dear Leader’s 60th birthday party in 2002, which involved an astonishing 100,000 participants and was largely designed to overshadow South Korea’s World Cup opening ceremony celebrations.
The other, in 1995, was the biggest ever attendance for a wrestling event, where a scarcely believable 190,000 grappling aficionados piled through the gates to watch some obscure Japanese C-grade wrestlers in action.

Neutrality Arch, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

They don’t get much more egocentric than the former self-declared President For Life of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov.
Given that this is the man who declared a public holiday for melons and named one of the months of the year after his mother, it comes as no surprise to learn that he went on many a building spree.
Niyazov pledged to bring the wonders of the world to his country, and has been using oil and gas revenues to create palaces for horses, and a colossal ice-skating rink in one of the hottest places on earth.
The most puffed-up, ridiculous piece of the lot, however, is the Neutrality Arch in the capital, Ashgabat. The tallest building in the city by a long chalk, it was built in honour of Turkmenistan’s policy of staying out of any international arguments. It is topped by a highly comical, gold-plated statue of Niyazov, which rotates so that it is always facing the sun, shining light upon the city.
Fortunately for Turkmen suffering from Niyazov’s grotesque human rights abuses, and unfortunately for journalists needing wacky dictator stories, Niyazov has now passed away.