This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

This bridge made famous in a novel and on-screen wasn't actually built over the river Kwai.

This elephant kraal is the only one remaining in Thailand, dating back to the 16th century when these massive mammals were integral players in war and trade.

A shrine built to combat the bad karma of a commercial venture.

On the small Thai island of Ko Mak, there is a forgotten garden of erotic statuary.

Self-mummified monk who wears sunglasses and has become a gecko hatchery.

A tall karst islet popularized by 007.

The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.

The second building of its name to occupy this location might be the finest flatiron building in San Francisco.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

Bangkok celebrated its shifting monarchy with a militaristic homage to democracy.

For centuries young Thai men used this Giant Swing as a slingshot to heaven.

Bangkok's men with dangerous jobs come here in search of protective talismans.

A treasure trove of pathological, forensic, parasitological, and anatomical specimens.

A century and a half of research in the sciences and natural history, still going strong.

The best place in the park to test out your throwing arm.

Over 315,000 preserved amphibians and reptiles in jars.

San Francisco's most expensive hotel suite includes a secret passageway rumored to have been used by JFK.

Nuclear waste dump site now an environmental sanctuary.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.