Places AlexOnAdventure Wants to Go

A white Buddhist temple with a golden restroom.

Stunning wetlands ablaze with pink lotus flowers.

A symbol of Islam in oil-rich Brunei.

Ferdinand Magellan dubbed the world's largest water village the "Venice of the East."

A stupa built to protect Bhutan from evil forces and help bring peace to the world.

Legend has it a sacred treasure hidden by an ancient guru was revealed with a burning butter lamp from these waters.

This 17th-century Bhutanese monastery is ensconced in Buddhist legend.

The largest and, arguably, most scenic fortress in Bhutan.

This penis-focused monastery is dedicated to Buddhism's "Divine Madman."

This garden is very fertile.

The small sanctuaries lie just off the beaten path near one of Bhutan's most famous attractions.

The small cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest is said to be the meditation site of an 8th-century Buddhist master.

On rare days, this abandoned castle's gatekeepers open its doors, revealing the eye-popping splendor hidden inside.

Nobles would stage mock naval battles on this large lake at the Royal Palace of Caserta.

Two planes stand abandoned after the closure of an aircraft-themed restaurant.

This small but lovely sinkhole lake is the last remnant of a great prehistoric water basin.

A fascist-era rural village abandoned since the early 1980s.

An abandoned building that once tightened a power line that stretched across Messina Strait.

Nestled in the hills of Tuscany are gorgeous, multicolored hot springs.

This amazingly well-preserved villa just outside Pompeii boasts rare examples of ancient Roman paintings.

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.

A magnificent Neogothic tomb hides within this Italian fairytale-like forest.

The Bourbon royal family had this unique octagonal hunting "cottage" built on a tiny islet in Lake Fusaro.

This overgrown mountain village has been abandoned for nearly a century.