Oddity Central

World’s Worst Hotel Warns Visitors Not to Sue Before They Arrive

Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:45 AM PST

What’s the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in? Never mind, it couldn’t have been any worse than the Hans Brinker Budget Hostel in Amsterdam, which actually prides itself on being the “world’s worst hotel”.

While most other hotels go out of their way to convince potential clients they have the cleanest rooms, the most comfortable beds and the most incredible views, the Hans Brinker hostel lets everyone know just how awful their accommodations are. Some of their most popular advertising slogans include: ”It can’t get any worse. But we’ll do our best” or “Improve your immune system – stay at Hans Brinker!” Pretty funny stuff and although a lot of people who stayed there confirm it’s pretty much all true, it apparently just adds to the charm of the place. Despite management’s best efforts to warn guests about the rudimentary facilities of their establishment, most of the hotel’s 511 beds in 127 rooms are occupied these days. Of course, the fact that no room costs more than €25 ($32) can be considered an incentive.

Photo: Premshree Pillai

You know a hotel sucks when its owners write a book about how bad it is, entitled “The Worst Hotel in the World”. In it, they try to warn guests about everything they can expect to find at the Hans Brinker Budget Hostel, so they can’t complain after they arrive. Also, a ”legal note” posted on the hotel’s website states that guests stay there “at their own risk and will not hold the hotel liable for food poisoning, mental breakdowns, terminal illness, lost limbs, radiation poisoning, certain diseases associated with the 18th century, plague, etc.” But, don’t worry, it’s not all bad, this unique has some serious ecological correctness going for it. That means that when the elevator in Hans Brinker is borken, you can use its eco-friendly elevator – the stairs. and when the shower’s not working you can take comfort in the fact that you’re keeping water consumption environmentally sound. No towels in the bathroom? You can always dry yourself using the window curtains. It’s all about seeing the glass half full.

Judging by most reviews of the Hans Brinker hostel, on sites like Trip Advisor, the place is apparently as bad as the owners claim. Rooms are as small as prison cells, many of them don’t even have windows, the beds are made of metal and if mattresses were any thinner you could probably see through them. Instead of ordinary furniture, they have metal lockers that don’t even close, and the bathrooms will probably scare you. But you have to understand, when you advertise yourself as the world’s worst hotel, you have a reputation to protect. Still, some people did enjoy their stay there, and even recommend it for backpackers traveling on a budget.

Photo: izreloaded2

via ABC News

World’s Worst Hotel Warns Visitors Not to Sue Before They Arrive was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

The Mind-Blowing Sand Paintings of Ilana Yahav

Posted: 15 Nov 2012 12:32 AM PST

Ilana Yahav is a world-famous Israeli sand animation artist who uses only her hands to create wonderful stories out of simple grains of sand. Her incredible videos have been watched by millions of people around the world.

Ever since she was a child, Ilana knew her destiny was tied to the art world, and she experimented with painting, sculpting other types of plastic art. But growing up on the shores of the Mediterranean, she was fascinated by sand. As a young girl, she would always visit the beach on her way to school, and draw a personal story on the sand. “I would draw quickly, trying to finish it all before the wave would come and wipe everything out,” the Israeli artist remembers. “I was totally spellbound. I would stand and watch until the drawing disappeared, realizing that everything is transient and temporary…" The ability to create a unique story using such a simple and natural medium as an exciting concept, so she decided to turn it into an art form.

"I was always captivated by the ability of hand gestures to express emotions such as anger, compassion, and love… Just as in dance, such movements create emotions that play a major role in the creation," Ilana says. But there’s more than sand and hand movement to her art. The light coming from beneath the glass canvas and the music that always accompanies her shows also play a major role in making every performance unique, and making audiences so emotional, often teary-eyed.

Seeing her hands move so naturally through the grains of sand, you’d be tempted to think it’s all child’s play to Ilana Yahav, but in reality, every one of her works requires lengthy preparations, starting with the many sketches that she makes in a notebook, and numerous experiments on the sand table itself. Every design undergoes several changes until she settles on the final version.