The World's Grossest Places

Whether it's bats, rats or burning bodies, the world has some pretty gross places. Find out more about these not-so-hot vacation spots.

Gross Place - Rat Temple

In Deshnoke, India there's a temple dedicated to rats. The people here believe these rats are the reincarnated spirits of storytellers so they take special care of them. Thousands of rats live in the temple where they are fed milk and other tasty treats, which some pilgrims eat afterward because it's considered a blessing to eat food that has been nibbled by the rats. Mmmm... rat saliva.

Gross Place - Bat Poo Caves

The largest bat cave in the US is Bracken Cave near San Antonio. It's thought to hold between 20 and 40 million bats. The bats have been coming to this cave for more than 100 years so you can probably guess how much poo has built up. Thankfully (for the bats, at least) there are some crazy peeps who venture into the cave to collect what the bats have left behind. The bat poo, called guano, is high in nitrogen so it makes a great fertilizer. Who knew some people loved their gardens that much?

Gross Place - City of the Dead

Varanasi, or the City of the Dead, is one of the holiest cities in India but to Westerners it can seem pretty gross. To Hindus, it is considered an honor to be cremated in Varanasi. Hindus believe that dying in Varanasi allows the soul to escape the cycle of reincarnation - so there are planty of old and sick people in this town who are just waiting to die. The dead are burned on funeral pyres on the banks of the Ganges. As if the smell of burning flesh wasn't gross enough, certain people (kids under 10, people who died of leprosy etc.) aren't burned at all but are just weighted down and tossed in the river. Yikes.

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