Land of the Lost: The Pod Village

As you take a look at this picture right here, you're probably asking yourself, "what the hell is this?"

It's an abandoned 5-Star hotel bedroom, from a resort that never was.  In the last 33 years, many rumors have circulated around the globe, but one thing is certain - it would have been an amazing place.  Imagine waking up to the beautiful morning sunshine, looking out your hotel window, and watching the waves hitting the sandy beaches down below.   You can still see the bed frame where the comfy mattress would have been.

The UFO-shaped pods in Taipei's Sanzhi District were commissioned by the government as a hotel/apartment complex, but it was never completed due to investment problems, several fatal accidents during construction, and rumors of ghosts.  Craig Ferguson visited this place, and took some amazing photography.

Ferguson wrote the following:

Accounts vary on the origins of this complex, and indeed, as to whether it was meant to be a hotel development or a housing development. Apparently, it was constructed in the 1960s and included/was to include a dam to protect it against sea surges, floors and stairs made of marble and a small amusement park. The site was commissioned by the government and local firms and there is no named architect. Local papers at the time reported that there were numerous accidents during construction which caused the death of some workers. As news of these accidents spread, no one wanted to go there, even to visit, and the project was subsequently abandoned. The ghosts of those who died in vain are said to still linger there, unremembered and unable to pass on. The complex was left in its unfinished state because no amount of redevelopment will bring people to the area due to superstitions about ghosts, and it can’t be demolished because destroying the homes of spirits and lost souls is taboo in Asian culture.

These really cool retro looking buildings have withstood the test of time, but not for long, they are slowly but surely decaying and eventually these photos will be all that's left of what once was, someone's dream of paradise.

More amazing photos and a video after the jump...

 

Feel free to check out more photos at Craig Ferguson's gallery of San-Zhr Pod Village



And make sure to check out my previous issues of "Land of the Lost"

Land of the Lost: Inside the Heart of the Navy's Graveyard

 

Land of the Lost: An Empty Ghost City Built For Millions

 

Land of the Lost: The Street Photographer Who Almost Vanished