The Russian author's writing desk remains inside the house where he spent part of his Siberian exile.

A theater with world-class acoustics, neo-Classical architecture and Kazakh ornaments.

A pocket of pine forests, healing lakes, and legendary rocks rising from Kazakhstan’s endless steppe.

An abandoned Soviet-era mining town in the mountains of South Kazakhstan.

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.

This Jewish bakery, among the last in the region, sells legendary sweets from a century-old storefront.

Nestled among the artifacts of the National Crafts Museum, this hidden gem offers hard-to-find regional foods from all over India.

This ancient Hindu temple is covered in thousands of colorful statues and has a long mythological history.

A blooming house of worship for the masses.

This peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals every day within its gilded walls.

A palatial sculpture park was built illegally and in secret by a self-taught artist over 36 years.

Rock-cut cave complex filled with ancient Buddhist artwork.

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

Sacred Indian temple that’s all monkey business.

A lake with hundreds of ancient skeletons surrounding it. The surprise is what killed them.

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

The 953 windows undoubtedly make this the world's most beautiful screened porch.

An old adobe structure first built in the 1890s is a desert watering hole plastered with dollar bills and odd West Texas finds.

A small but industrious mining operation that allows visitors to touch precious gems while they are still in the rock.

This magnificent abandoned hotel has long been haunted by its Nazi past.

The most southern point you can drive to in the Western Hemisphere.

This beautiful fountain was sculpted by a female artist who was ahead of her time.

A beautiful young girl said to have been buried alive in her coffin…