..horror labs and rooftop jaunts [pics]
 

I realised last night that I hadn't posted much for a while, and that as some of you enjoy my off-topic adventure banters, scroll down for your fix.

It all started w/ a weekend roadtrip to Belgium. 500 miles in 3 days, lots accomplished.
First stop, the abandoned halls of a pre-metro system in Antwerp..

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...-belgium-1.jpg
Three guys, a tiny car and no GPS for the win.

There's no visible trace of the labyrinth below, except for a 10m wide, 30m deep concrete blowhole that sits in a shitty part of town next to a 4 lane highway. Jump the fence, anchor rope to the fence, scavange some cardboard for edge protection, and hally ho!

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...premetro-1.jpg
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...premetro-3.jpg

Three hours later and a rather grueling ascent up the rope, a quick car hop and a lucky break in the weather found us making camp on the rooftop of an abandoned powerstation, that featured perhaps the world's first electric car, and friend local pigs.

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29/Lumix/qx-ps-1.jpg
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29/SLR/qx-ps-1.jpg

Forcefully refreshed by a brisk morning breeze, redbull, the breakfast of champions split 3 ways, next stop: train grave yard.

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29/SLR/qx-loco-2.jpg


...rest of the post coming in a bit

kick ass tunnel pics! fuck that would be an amazing film location.

Once again, just fucking amazing!


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Great looking pix man

Great pics :thumbsup

Wow, those are some really amazing pics. Just curious, what's the backstory on the abandoned metro? Why was it abandoned?


Spanx!
Jack

Belgium is filled with awesome shit. You should have hit up Petr Kazil to explore with you there. I know he doesn't mind taking a trip out from Holland.

good stuff dude :thumbsup

As always, great stuff.

I really like the yellow, green, red and brown colours on the trains.

anticipation...

Rock on. Looks like a unique experience with great photos to top it off!

great pics :thumbsup :thumbsup

nice pics

The train yards having proved a most interesting distraction for a few hours, and having popped into an abandoned theatre, it was off into Brussels. Brussels is a right clusterfuck of a city - grey, depressing, and totally-fucking-impossible to navigate by car - there are no signs indicating anything, and if you manage to get to where you're going, good luck attempting to get out again.
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...-theatre-2.jpg

Having braved a very dubious falaffel, we ventured out in the night to take on scarier things - the horror labs.

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-horror-1.jpg
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-horror-2.jpg

Ex-vetenary school - 4 stories of abandonia, but the most gory of treasures, naturally, were stored in the basement - decapitated kitties, sub-sectioned puppies, cow heads and more. Unsurprisingly, the initial gush of the macarbe turned .. macarbe rapidly.

Out and scooting across the city to find our evening's accomodation - the Palais du Justice (equivalent of the surprime court). Scaffolding went up 30 years ago, sending the company promptly broke - granting a permanence to the decaying girdwork.

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...-palais-4a.jpg

Climbing up in the pouring rain, in plain view of security and passer-bys alike, we skirted the rooftops, slipped inside, popped a door with a bra wire, and found ourselves in the tippy top of the cupola - the perfect place for a squat, after shooting some photos.

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...-palais-1a.jpg

Nothing like a warm, dry room with a view and a beer after a cold wet day:
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-palais-3.jpg


...rest coming :D

awesome pics and locations. Keep them coming :)

Very cool locations, most of those would make amazing sets!

Wow great pics you did!

you are all over the map!

omg you're insane. and skinny!

fantastic pictures and storytelling as always.

great work !

nice place....amazing!!

I would only take pictures if they resemble the ones you've just posted... awesome!

Awesome pics!

Living vicariously through your photos and stories.

You can and should do your own TV series! Amazing!

absolutely fantastic:thumbsup:thumbsup

More pics of the vetenary school?

Awesome pics as always man

Waking up at 7 am, working down the labyrinth of scaffolding...
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-palais-2.jpg

Moving on from there to the abandoned brewery of Stella Artois - really gorgeous place..
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-stella-2.jpg
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29/SLR/qx-brew-1.jpg


For more (and better) photos from the 'horror labs' - http://www.sleepycity.net/posts/fres...d_again_part_1

Dashing off to an huge, sprawling abandoned ironworks / furnace proved interesting for photos, climbing, and running-like-fuck-from-security-dogs-and-cars

http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...s-forges-2.jpg
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-forges-2.jpg
(find the person for height reference)

Subplot??

fucking amazing photography and scenery as always!!!

have you explored anywhere in Asia, far east? if you did, would love to see those documentaries

Love your posts.

so off the charts bad ass. beautiful photos as per usual.

Cool photos, thx for sharing dude! :thumbsup

wow awesome photos :)

awesome stuff. so glad I checked back into the thread today!

Nearly missed this thread due to the title, but saw who started it and clicked right on in. Awesome pics as always.

Warning for those with weak stomachs, or kittie lovers, the vet lab pics on the linked page are a little gruesome.

awesome pics

Awesome work as always.. Man I Really wish you would put all this stuff on a blog. I'd love to show some people some of your work but for obvious reason I don't want to point them to GFY.

I am really amazed by this picture!

That's actually an intrepid co-adventurer.. The photo of myself isn't as nicely composed:
http://ninjito.com/images/2010-03-29...x-palais-1.jpg

Subplot was that we knew that security patrolled the premises every hour or so, but we'd been there for a good 3 - 4 with no problems, no sign of security. Finally, we were down at the footing of one of the blast furnaces, friend was taking photos, I was strolling round.
Saw a security van approaching, only one story below, told my friend to keep an eye out. Went back to the edge to see what was going on, and one guard was out of the car, with her german shepard off leash, coming towards us. We grabbed our shit, hauled ass to an elevated walkway, up a flight of stairs, and across another elevated walkway.

As I was crossing the second one, I looked down to see the dog crossing the lower - amazingly didn't hear, see or smell me. When my friend crossed, the guard arrived, but was too busy looking at the dog to look up, so we skipped across the rooftops, down a bit of piping, over a fence and took the rail-lines outta there :)


Cheers - travelled a lot in hong kong etc, but never really had the nuts to take on chinese police. Did a bit of Japan a few years back, with a lot of success :)


Yeah, the place was fairly gory to be honest. Was even worse that we were there at night, skulking around the basement and stepping over slews of broken vials, beakers and spilled formaldehyde.. With that said though, I guess it all served a purpose (the decapitated cats, that is)


http://www.ninjito.com ;)

If you're all good, I might be tempted to reveal the story and location behind finding this gem..
http://ninjito.com/qx-xx-3.jpg

Amazing pics and stories!
I always look forward to them and you NEVER disappoint.

Keep it up!

Have you ever encountered anything "paranormal" in any of the places you visit at night?

Hey. Nope, never have sorry. I'd quite like to, because I'm a firm cynic, and it'd be refreshing to be wrong. However, I've been in many a messed up place (crypts w/ stacks of kiddie coffins, bone depositories under cemeteries, etc etc) - and nothing.

Saw some awesome pics of some of the abandoned high rises in Bangkok and thought about you :D
Might be an idea as well :)

Amazing photos!

I wonder.. where do you find out about these locations??

Wow, you got some really nice pictures there. You showed me some parts of Belgium I haven't seen before and yes, Brussels is a bitch to navigate in. I try to avoid it as much as I can. I usually take the train there if I need to be there..

i feel the same way. what's the story behind the plane?