Epecuen: The Town That Spent 25 Years Underwater

Once a lake country spa town south of Buenos Aires, Epecuen is a lagoon with a salinity level only topped by the Dead Sea. For decades, tourists visited to take its waters believing they were good for one's health.

Everything came crashing down in 1985 when a long period of heavy rains sent the lagoon bursting over its banks, and it swept over a busy small town.

A town of about 40 square blocks, Epecuen was submerged beneath 10 meters (30 feet) of water.

Even when the waters eventually receded, the country town, 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of the capital, was never rebuilt. Its welcoming little hotels seem frozen in time, rot and rust, glistening with the salt in which they were steeped.

Visitors pick up on Epecuen's spooky vibe eyeing abandoned beds from a former old folks home; dozens of stranded, toppled night tables from local hotels; and upended materials visitors and businessmen tried to pry out of the rubble to reuse as construction materials.

The town's surreal silvery cast has inspired filmmakers including Roland Joffe who in 2009 filmed the Spanish civil war-drama "There Be Dragons" here; and Argentina's Pino Solana who filmed scenes of his "El viaje" ("The Journey") locally.

Source www.asiaone.com