Places pleiades Wants to Go

An underground unique sacred place in the Kazakh steppe in which Sufism and nomadic tradition merge.

These rugged, color-stained mountains hold the secrets of the Kazakh desert.

This small canyon is home to a treasure trove of geological oddities.

One of the most horrible legacies of the Cold War is a site where the Soviet Union tested nuclear bombs on civilians.

Nicknamed Kazakhstan's Grand Canyon, this natural wonder lies east of Almaty near the Chinese border.

This unique wooden mosque resembling a Chinese pagoda was said to be built without the use of nails.

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

Granny Smiths and Fujis can both be traced back to Kazakhstan, where apples still grow wild.

The world's oldest continuously operating record shop has been in Cardiff since 1894.

Enthusiasts of the mid-20th century magician and comedian erected this statue in the small Welsh town in which he was born, even though the comedian only lived there for three years.

This towering, fire-breathing dragon guards a community’s buried treasure.

This medieval village clings to a cliff in southwestern France.

Order a baked Alaska at one of Hong Kong’s last surviving places slinging “soy-sauce Western.”

Sample Hong Kong’s famous “Swiss wings” at the source.

Order a crunchy sugar-topped treat from one of Hong Kong’s oldest pineapple bun bakers.

Serve yourself from the heaping carts piled with bamboo steamers at what may be Hong Kong’s oldest dim sum parlor.

This cha chaan teng’s pineapple buns are so sought-after that they sell 5,000 a day.

Sip sweet, luxuriously creamy Hong Kong-style milk tea at this cafe.

An otherworldly "cave" created by an artist in a Hong Kong factory building.

A serene space tucked amid the skyscrapers of Hong Kong's bustling financial district.

The iconic egg tart gets an upgrade with a laminated sourdough crust.

A half-century-old handmade dim sum joint opens daily at 3:00 a.m.

A pair of trees near a Hong Kong shrine are said to grant wishes, but only the ones they hold on to.