On the shores of Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul Lake, a family cooks a feast that tells the sad tale of a people's exile.

An outstanding piece of retro Sci-Fi architecture built into a sacred mountain.

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

Museum dedicated to overthrowing the Soviets, complete with diorama of Soviets being beaten to death with shovels.

200-foot-high minaret and only remnant of Afghanistan's lost city of the Turquoise Mountain.

A strip of neutral ground where the people of Tajikistan and Afghanistan come together to trade.

Rock-cut chamber at top of an outcroup, reached by a mountain stairway of forty steps.

Splashes of blue in an otherwise monotonous lunar landscape.

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery.

Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures.

This magnificent blue mosque in Afghanistan is surrounded by thousands of white doves.

Remains of military submarines built in secret jungle factories by the Tamil guerrillas' naval wing.

Beautiful and terrifying masks displayed in the island’s only mask library.

The trunk of this 700-year-old tree measures more than 60 feet around, making it the oldest and largest baobab in Sri Lanka.

This peaceful sanctuary is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo.

This Colombo wetland is an unlikely wildlife haven just outside the capital city.

The first and only planetarium in Sri Lanka.

This sacred fig tree with a link to the Buddha is one of the oldest human-planted trees in the world.

This rural Sri Lankan village hides a cluster of small, enigmatic stupas.

This Sri Lankan cemetery is the final resting place of sci-fi legend Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

This peaceful, round shrine in the middle of the Sri Lankan jungle acts as a beacon of peace.

This ancient cave temple complex is the largest and best-preserved temple complex in Sri Lanka.

This palatial, 99-doored Colonial mansion is a marvel of architectural fusion.

This amazing mountain temple is topped by one of the tallest sitting Buddha statues in the world.