Places vijayhm Wants to Go

A Buddhist temple covered in intricate designs and carvings made out of seashells and pieces of coral.

Taiwan's last Chinese character letterpress preserves the dying art of Chinese character mold making.

This third-generation shop has been doling out bowls of tilapia soup since 1977.

Memorial to the father of the Republic of China.

This kitschy, kinky homage to Taipei’s old “grandpa shops” is full of eye-candy.

Enormous pendulum helps keep Taiwan's tallest building from swaying.

Dine on Hakka dishes at a dreamy cottage nestled in the heart of Taipei.

These "50 Fortresses" have been unearthed in the ancient oasis of Khwarezm.

A cemetery with goat-horn bedecked gravestones.

The controversial final resting place of the equally controversial first president of Turkmenistan.

A huge monument to a bizarre book written by Turkmenistan’s longstanding dictator.

Sumptous memorial to a controversial independence.

Final palace complex of the last of 29 Kokand rulers.

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

Once a luxurious flagship of the Soviet Union, this Brutalist structure remains a landmark of Tashkent’s communist past.

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

The heartbeat of modern Uzbekistan’s thriving market culture.

The largest Lenin statue in Central Asia was moved to an empty field rather than being destroyed.

Next to a newer mosque in Khujand’s main square lies the city’s oldest mosque, whose interiors are spectacularly intricate.

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

Every year, massive crowds flock to this 300-year-old temple to celebrate a unique, goddess-centric Hindu festival.

The first memorial dedicated solely to the Black troops who fought for the Union.

People escaping slavery may have hidden inside a corpse vault.

A cavernous three-story, 43,800-square-foot basement that was forgotten about for 60 years.