This photographer visited an abandoned hotel in Bali and the photos are hauntingly beautiful

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Former Member

This photographer visited an abandoned hotel in Bali and the photos are hauntingly beautiful

Sarah Schmalbruch, Jun. 23, 2017, 12:51 PM, Source -- http://www.thisisinsider.com/r...hotel-in-bali-2017-6

Abandoned Hotel Bali The interior of the hotel is haunting.Romain Veillon

French photographer Romain Veillon has traveled around the globe capturing abandoned places that range from a ghost town in Namibia to the Soviet remains of Bulgaria.

The photographer's book, "Ask the Dust," includes photographs from his various excursions.

His most recent photo series, "The Ghost Hotel," features a hotel in the highlands of Bali that has stood vacant for over a decade. The photos are striking, but in a haunting way.

Keep scrolling to see Veillon's work.

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Former Member

According to Veillon, the hotel was never named because it was never actually in operation.

10/12/172:46 AM

Former Member

Located in Bali's highlands, the hotel sits in the north of the country, near the village of Bedugul, which is about 30 miles from the capital city, Denpasar.

10/12/172:47 AM

Former Member

Veillon says that not much is known about the hotel. The locals he spoke with offered little to no information.

10/12/172:47 AM

Former Member

"Mystery surrounds the hotel's construction as well as its owner's origin, and many theories surround its legends," he told INSIDER.

10/12/172:47 AM

Former Member

One of the legends claims that all the guests suddenly disappeared one night, and now their ghosts haunt the hotel.

10/12/172:48 AM

Former Member

Veillon says the most likely explanation is that the hotel was an investment project of Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of the former Indonesian president.

10/12/172:48 AM

Former Member

Suharto abandoned the project after being sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of a judge who had sent him to jail for corruption in 2000.

Source: The Guardian

10/12/172:49 AM

Former Member

The hotel has stood vacant for 15 years.

10/12/172:49 AM

Former Member

Although a local guide led Veillon to the hotel, he left him at the gate, allowing Veillon to explore and photograph alone.

10/12/172:50 AM

Former Member

Veillon was struck by the vegetation that had taken over the hotel and the eerie atmosphere it created.

10/12/172:50 AM

Former Member

"Even if it's impossible to know the truth behind this hotel’s origin, the feeling you have tells you something went wrong there," Veillon said.

The overgrown vegetation gives the hotel a haunting atmosphere.

10/12/172:51 AM

Former Member

On his website, Veillon explains that he's always been "fascinated by this notion of abandonment."

10/12/172:51 AM

Former Member

"Smells, dust, vegetation, or even mold, all these remnants of the past remind us that we are only passing here and that in the end, everything returns to Earth," he said.

10/12/172:52 AM

Former Member

Veillon says that he thinks of abandoned places as being frozen in time, and that their past history allows us to imagine what life was like when they were in use.

10/12/172:52 AM

Former Member

Just as Veillon was leaving the hotel, a dense fog swallowed the area.

10/12/172:53 AM

Former Member

He took the fog as an opportunity to take a few more photographs. Not long after, Veillon said he couldn't see five steps in front of him.

10/12/172:54 AM

Former Member

"The ghosts were back in their home and it was time for me to leave," the photographer said.

He took one last foggy shot before leaving.

10/12/172:54 AM

Former Member

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