Places deriverative Wants to Go

A mysterious, hidden cluster of Buddha sculptures carved into the rocks.

When the USA donated cement and funds to expand the airport in Laos, the Laotians built a massive monument instead.

This ruined temple's giant Buddha statue bears the scars of the Second Indochina War.

A tangible and sobering reminder of an atrocity that took place during a secret war.

Heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, this small town turns unexploded munitions into utensils.

A quaint village where bomb casings from the Second Indochina War have been repurposed into mundane objects.

The largest hydroelectric project in Laos created this eerie landscape.

This Khmer temple is named after a young woman who sacrificed herself to protect the city from a disastrous deluge.

This mysterious tower is said to enshrine a dormant seven-headed serpent that once protected Vientiane from destruction.

These bamboo and rope bridges cross the Nam Khan River for six months every year.

Giant Buddhas carved into sandstone walls line this Laotian motorbike route.

Mythological depictions of Laos’ national animal make this cave sacred.

The site of an ancient city pillar that was lost and rediscovered.

One-of-a-kind stupa in Laos.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

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

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

Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year.

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

This village was once a thriving Soviet uranium mining center, but is now semi-abandoned and desolate.

An unusual monument to a gentle giant who became a Kyrgyz hero.

The origin of this sinisterly shaped forest is rooted in mystery.

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