Eating your food from a toilet bowl and savouring chicken testicle soup

Sometimes quirky is a good thing. And on other occasions it can be a very, very bad thing. 

What, then, to make of an app that extols eating dried tiger penis soup, or a restaurant where you sit on a toilet while eating your food out of mini toilet bowls? 

Eating out in style the Taiwanese way 

The Crooked Compass Travel App says it is "full of rare experiences travellers have not heard of before" and it covers 134 countries covering categories ranging from unique accommodation, adrenaline-fuelled adventures, animal encounters, eating like a local, festivals and many more.

A lot of the ideas are very good ones; like eating in the Hobbit House in the Philippines, or sleeping in a silver mine in Sweden. 

Quirky? Certainly. 

But is recommending eating chicken testicular soup a step too far? Well, for a start chickens don't have testicles. Roosters do. But we'll put that little factoid to one side. I think I'd much rather sample chicken tikka masala, which is also listed but is not even the slightest bit quirky.

Giving the app the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that quirky is in the eye of the beholder, I bring to you a "holistic travel platform" which includes information on over 1,000 unique travel experiences along with interactive maps and insider information.

Creator Lisa Pagotto says: “The Crooked Compass Travel App is a great tool for travellers who have 'been there, done that' and want something exciting and unique to add to their travels. 

"It’s also for those who are not interested in seeing the stock-standard tourist sights and want to discover the soul of a destination or experience the culture like a local.”

Fair enough, so if you like the idea of swimming in hidden caves, bungee jumping over an active volcano, or sleeping in a vintage Boeing 727 aircraft then you've come to the right place. 

“With all this information in one platform and insider tips personalising each experience, travellers can spend their time discovering these unique experiences rather than being stuck in an internet café researching what to see and do," Lisa says. 

So that's great for adventure seekers, or those who want to visit a toilet museum (India) and well worth a look, although I must say I frown on anything that could promote the of eating of bits of an endangered species like the tiger (China), while the toilet-themed restaurant (Taiwan) sounds disgusting. 

It is a "well-kept secret" that should remain a secret. 

On the other hand I quite like the idea of a camel caravan, and getting up close and cuddly with a baby panda. To each their own - just leave those endangered species alone! 

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Download the Crooked Compass Travel App from the App store or Google Play and #FollowADifferentPath on social media.