This week’s  “trippy travel photo” of mine represents a random moment in time that was definitely off the beaten path.
I don’t know anyone who’s ever been there. And that means it might  be challenging (and fun) to figure out… You may guess what this is/these are, but not where/why, etc.
So…I hope you’ll give it a try. I think we can have some fun with this! You can focus your guessing on:
What/where the heck is it?
And what the heck was happening in that moment?
Any idea?
Post your guess in a few sentences in the Comments section. In a couple days, I’ll tell you exactly what it was, where I was and what was going on. Note: This is in the “Offbeat Oddity” category (click here to see all 3 categories I’ll be using).
Whoever comes closest to guessing–or writes the best caption–wins!
What’s the prize?
Well, at this point, I can only thank you and post a link to your blog. Eventually, I may run a contest and offer an actual prize. Click here to see last week’s Trippy Travel Photo. It’s an odd one!
And the Winner Is...
Aaron of Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures. His guess was “a cave, prison, dungeon,” which comes closest to answering “what” is in the photo. (See his comment below).
**********
So…What Is It and Where Is it?
Cave of the Mad!
This unique cave, also known as the Grotto of St. Anthony, was where the allegedly insane and/or possessed were restrained so that St. Anthony might have the opportunity to “fix” them.
This is right next to the entrance to Der Mar Antonias Qozhaya, the largest hermitage in the Qadisha Valley, which has been around since the 12th century. It’s not far from Bcharre, the birthplace of Khalil Gibran.
How’d I End Up There?
I’d been hitchhiking (sort of) in order to find a hermit named Dario and ended up taking an unofficial taxi with a man named Joseph. Before we went there, we visited this monastery and its unique grotto. I was confused and thought the hermit lived in the cave in which these chains were housed. It was very hard to climb up on the slippery bolders, so I gave up.
Turns out, that wasn’t where the hermit lived. It was somewhere entirely different. That, however, is a story for another time.
Is it the Museum of the Inquisition in Lima, Peru????
Brendan van Son recently posted..Unlocking the Code- The Tango
Excellent guess….seriously! But…the photo was taken on a different continent. Nada de America Latina aquî! 🙂
The one part of your guess that could lead you (or another player) in the right direction is the “Inquisition” idea. However, this could totally take you down the wrong path if you’re not careful…and who knows where that might lead… 🙂
A couple more guesses (some from Brandon and a few from others) have come in over on Twitter. Here there are:
Spain–no
Morocco-no
Egypt-no
Someone’s apartment–NO 🙂
Um…. one of the cells on the island of Monte Cristo?! (Which does actually exist, by the way!)
Emily @travelated recently posted..4 Tips for Traveling Over the Holidays
Wow…I love that guess. It’s a very creative and unique one, I must say! But…unfortunately, it’s a little cold… (:
At this point, I’m going to provide a clue to make it easier. The photo was taken somewhere in the Middle East!
Okay so what have I tried so far:
the annual Rockville S&M convention, umm no
Rocky II set apparently not
Syria ……………… or should I just return to my glass of syrah?
OMG…you’re also a creative guesser. Fantastic!! I would say that you should grab a glass of Syrah and think about Syria before making a final guess!
Here is one more clue…the photo was taken in a mountainous region of a certain country. And “it’s not what it looks like.” Although, some have made guesses that are indirectly connected to the answer.
What it is/Where is it…will be revealed tomorrow morning! 🙂
hmmmm is it Oman, only saying that as it is a place I have been and it is a little off the beaten track. Would love to do an article about it actually but I only have one posing thumbnail pic of it haha
maybe for shackling wild camels?
or they could be key fobs for those that are serious about personal security!
thanks for the fun 🙂
Oman? You’ve been there? Wow! I’d love to see you write about it….would be great. Only one pic, though? Must be a story behind that…
Re: your guess…it’s a great one, but no–it’s not Oman. And it’s not for shackling wild camels (my favorite guess so far, by the way). Thanks for playing and making this even more fun! 🙂
Perhaps I need to give another clue….soon? 🙂
Ok, this time I’m just going to take a wild guess. Hmmm…somewhere in Turkey?
Steve recently posted..6 New Year’s Eve Parties from Around the World
Hi, Steve. You did so well (he was the winner last time) that you’re back to try again…and I’m glad to see you! I must say that you’re getting a tiny bit warm in terms of geography…sort of.
A clue is coming very shortly. In fact, I’ll leave it right now.
The country is…Lebanon!
OK….a couple more clues.
The photo was taken in the northern half of Lebanon in the mountains, about 1.5 hours or so from Baalbek. There are some amazing cedar trees nearby… It’s a very quiet place.
Any final guesses? The ID of the photo will be posted today. I promise. 🙂
You either visited Hades and that is the chain for keeping Cerberus in check, (must be another chain somewhere) or as you already let it slip that it is Lebanon maybe a convent to keep the nuns in check haha
You are now in 1st place…seriously!
hmmmmm not like either of us to be serious even for a moment!
but, not been there, and not an expert on convents but research suggests it mught be the convent at St Thecla in Maalula?
No— being serious is not happening (today, anyway). 🙂
As for your guess….great one, but….Maalula is in Syria….and it (what’s in the mystery pic) is not a convent (but connected with a dotted or maybe, solid, line). Still, you’re definitely in 1st place.
Watch out, though…Brendan may be back later and another traveler/photo guesser named Aaron may jump in at a certain point! 🙂
oops kind of got Syria on my brain, you already mentioned it was Lebanon lol
LOL….no prob. It’s understandable. This is such an exciting game that one can easily mix up neighboring countries! 🙂
I will definitely post the answer soon–maybe by midnight tonight. I empathize with you guys and the unbearable suspense you might be feeling. I really shouldn’t allow that to continue… 🙂
haha teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaze
LOL…yup!
I couldn’t tell you where in Lebanon, but aside from the fact that I do believe it’s in a cave, I’m going with either:
-A prison
-A dungeon
or
-A primitive S&M getup.
🙂
Aaron recently posted..Visitors Guide to NYC by Subway
I had a feeling you might win this one, Aaron. I’m not sure if it’s because you joined in after several guesses and clues were posted or it it’s because you’re just really good at this (perhaps it’s the latter). In any case, I’m going to declare you the WINNER because you came the closest!! (LOL on the 3rd guess!)
So…here’s what we’ve been looking at:
The Cave of the Mad, Qadisha Valley, Lebanon
This unique cave, also known as the Grotto of St. Anthony, was where the allegedly insane and/or possessed were restrained so that St. Anthony might have the opportunity to “fix” them. This is right next to the entrance to Der Mar Antonias Qozhaya, the largest hermitage in the Qadisha Valley, which has been around since the 12th century. It’s not far from Bcharre, the birthplace of Khalil Gibran.
To learn how I ended up in this unique location, check the final section of the post where I reveal even more about this special “cave.”
Lucky guess perhaps? Though the cave was fairly obvious, as was the bike last week. But thanks!!!
Aaron recently posted..Visitors Guide to NYC by Subway
Perhaps the cave was obvious, but you were able to get pretty specific, which is why you won. It may be skill vs luck…hard to say! LOL
Great job and I promise that next week, it’ll be something completely different, but just as much fun!
My guess was a teensy bit close! Maybe I’ll get it next time…
Emily @travelated recently posted..Why You Should Travel to the Greek Island of Rhodes
Yes, it was! I hope you do…that would be fun! I promise the next one will be slightly easier and equally as trippy. Will most likely be human or nature or…both. (Oops…that’s almost like a clue.)