Lonely Planet names top 10 "weird" cities

Top 10 lists are the lifeblood of blogging. How else, dear reader, can we quickly inform you of all you need to know about a topic in a format that is quick to read and simultaneously entertaining? The end of the year is fertile ground for top 10 lists, providing an opportunity to take a look at the previous 365 days and gaze at the marvelous things that have come to pass.

With this in mind, travel publication extraordinaire Lonely Planet has published their 2008 list of the "world's top 10 weirdest cities" as part of their book, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009. Here's a few of their picks:

• Tokyo, Japan - I don't think anyone is going to argue with this one
  
• Las Vegas, Nevada - true only if you find $5 all-you-can-eat lobster tails to be eccentric
• Ashgabat, Turkmenistan - a country with flaming holes and an eccentric dictator definitely qualifies in our book
• Amsterdam, The Netherlands - whoa, cannabis and sex shows. So weird!
• Guanajuato, Mexico - I had always thought of Guanajuato as a charming Mexican colonial city, but that's wrong. Apparently they have mummies. Mummies!

Anyone interested in checking out the full list can find it here. You have to wonder who was in charge of compiling these cities, but considering that Gadling might some day want to publish their own book of top 10's, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

What do you think of this list of top 10 weird cities? Think it's a load of crap? Have any cities you think they left out? Leave us a comment below and tell us about your favorite weird city.

Filed under: Japan, Turkmenistan, Netherlands, Mexico, News