The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.

Six times a day a train runs right through the middle of this Thai street market, sending vendors scrambling.

A tall karst islet popularized by 007.

A white Buddhist temple with a golden restroom.

The oldest Hindu temple complex in Nepal serves as the seat of Nepal’s national deity, Lord Pashupatinath.

This historic square in Nepal is home to temples dating back to the third century.

One of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world keeps an eye out in every direction.

Sacred Buddhist home of some spiritual monkeys.

According to myth, there's a bloody explanation for the beautiful bright red color of this rock formation set amidst alpine vegetation.

Dedicated to a Bolshevik revolutionary, this museum is a true time capsule of the Soviet era.

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

A stunning blue-green lake located in the Terskey Alatau mountain range.

A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.

Built entirely of interlocking pieces, construction of this Chinese Muslim house of worship required zero nails.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

Many Hindus make the long pilgrimage to this holy city to have their remains burned on the banks of the Ganges River.

World's most expensive home.

At 8,000 feet, the world's highest tea estate draws visitors for both its products and its panoramic views.

A blooming house of worship for the masses.

The world's second-largest sundial, made entirely out of stone.

Once an indicator of social class, the color blue has come to define this city on the edge of the Thar Desert.

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.