Places ThaddRok Wants to Go

Prowl through this sprawling bazaar under a massive Soviet-era dome for delicious eats.

Giant cauldrons overflow with Uzbekistan's favorite rice dish at this cavernous dining hall.

Former island in the Aral Sea used to be a top-secret Russian bio-weapons facility.

Once a bustling fishing port, this semi-ghost town is now more than 90 miles away from the shore.

A bustling bazaar with an elaborate facade in Central Asia’s underrated capital.

The first version of this stalwart construction appeared around 3,000 years ago.

The remains of an ancient city-state along the Silk Road.

This medieval citadel once guarded the western entrance of the Pamir Highway.

This remote, abandoned Soviet observatory promises spectacular views for those who can reach it.

This ancient Silk Road outpost overlooking the Wakhan Valley is miraculously still standing.

A building facade covered with the statues of 11 giants of Tajik literature.

This restaurant preserves and serves lesser-known and regional Nepali food.

Nailing a coin to this holy stump is just another way to ask the gods for relief from dental pain.

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

A Himalayan monastery claims to have a piece of a centuries-old abominable snowman.

Last stop before the top of the highest peak in the world.

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

This complex of vertically-excavated Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monolithic temples in India's Maharashtra providence illustrates a spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.

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.

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

This bar is home to what's likely the oldest living jazz band in the world.