Cities and Towns in Asia

Once a mayor Silk Road city, Herat would be flooded with visitors was is not for its Afghan location. The city has a lot to offer and can rival the most famous of Central Asia's Silk Road gems: The 800 year old Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) stands out in particular, but the city also hosts a huge citadel and mosques, madrassas, mausoleums, and minarets - most of these dating back to the days of the Silk Road golden age. Add to the history a lively market, legendary glassblower Sultan Hamidi's shop and a number of idyllic villages in the surrounding countryside, Herat is a quite the destination for those few visitors it sees every year. Just be prepared to stop for a lot of offers for tea and a friendly conversation with some very curious locals.

Warning: Kidnapping for ransom of locals have been on the rise the last few years. Precaution is advised.
On a positive note, the Herat province is one of the most peaceful in Afghanistan and Herat is accessible from both the borders of Turkmenistan and Iran as well as with flights from Kabul.

The dusty border town of Ishkashim is the entrance point to the Wakhan Valley and the high mountains of Afghan Pamir and Hindu Kush. It's located 4 km from the Tajik border with views to snowcapped mountains and green fields. It's a real (dysfunctional) Afghan town with bearded men sporting army vests over their traditional Afghani dress and women in blue burkas. So if you are coming straight from Tajikistan, it will be bit of a culture shock. The main reason to come here is to arrange Wakhan permits and transport into the spectacular Wakhan Corridor, something that isn't as easily done as it sounds... after all, this is Afghanistan!

Even though Chittagong is the second biggest city in Bangladesh, its old town feels less claustrophobic than its insane big brother, Dhaka. There is not much to see or do here, beside the usual Bangladesh activities like people watching and getting lost in the streets and bazaars. Though Chittagong has once been a proud seaport, these days the town is probably most famous for the many ship breaking plants along the coast, where huge ships are pulled apart by pure manpower for scrap recycling. Unfortunately, these plants can be difficult to get into, for no site manager is happy to see a happy-snappy tourist lurking around these polluting death traps.

Let us be hornest, Cox's Bazar is not the prettiest place on earth, or Bangladesh for that matter. A more appropiated name for this beach town would have been Cox's Bizar, for it is quit frankly hiddious and bizar. It is everything that can go wrong with a holdiday resort area, and makes Costa del Sol looks like an architectorial masterpiece. The shore is lined with neverending concret sceletors of upcoming hotels in the worst third-world design, so ugly that they hurt your eyes. The wide beach is a different story and the reason to come here. It is a surprisingly nice stretch of sand and part of the longest beach in world (see also Inani beach). But even here it can get crowded with lazy cows, stray dogs and curious gawkers. Funny enough, hardly anyone swims in the sea, a group photo knee deep in the Bay of Bengal is the main idea of beach fun. And the scary part, local tourists just adore the place.

The town of Rangamati lies at the bank of the Kaptai lake and is among the most charming towns in the whole of Bangladesh. It spreads out over several bridge-connected hilly islands in the man-made lake, which is a result of the Kaptai dam. The beauty of the place is not just restricted to the nice lake views, but span to the whole countryside around the lake. Here you can find indigenous tribe villages, waterfalls and plenty of lush scenery, that make Bangladeshis believe that they live in the most beautiful country on the globe. Keep in mind that along with Cox's Bazar, Rangamati is a favorite with local tourists who adore boat trips on the lake.

Haa is a small town with lots of character. Its natural setting at 3,056 m at the bottom of the beautiful Haa valley is its main attraction. In any direction your look will be met by traditional farm houses, gushing rivers, chiming prayer wheels, and pristine forest. Just to complete the postcard perfect scenery there are several monasteries perching on hill tops.

Most visitors end up spending a night or two in small Paro. Not only is the airport here, but Paro also has two major sights in Rinpung Dzong and Kyichu Lhakhang. Furthermore, Paro is close to the starting point for the mandatory hike to Tiger's Nest monastery. So it's understandable that one end of the main street is lined with handicraft shops, but you just need to venture down a sidestreet to the vegetable market to experience a less touristic Paro.

Punakha used to be the capital of Bhutan, but in 1961 it was officially changed to Thimphu. Though Thimphu is a pleasant town with about 100,000 inhabitants and no traffic lights, it's mostly interesting due to the number of sights: National Memorial stupa, Tashichho dzong (Bhutan's administration centre), and the Giant Buddha. You will probably notice that no buildings are higher than 6 floors, which are inforced to reduce damages in case of an earthquake.

Brunei River, which snakes through the capital, is home to about 30.000 people who live on stilts in water villages. Neighbourhoods are connected by a maze of wooden walk boards balancing several meters above the water level. Longer distances are done by zigzagging water taxis that shuttle between the city and the villages, and every point in between. Some have called it The Venice of the East, though that might be stretching it a bit too far, but it's probably the liveliest area you will experience in Brunei.

Though Battambang is Cambodia's second largest city, it isn't big in any way. It is nicely located along Sangker river and very easy going. Beside the well-stocked central market (think fruit bonanza), Battambang doesn't boast many sights inside town but there are many just a tuk-tuk drive away, including serene Angkor-period temples, the Killing Caves from the Khmer Rouge period, and rural villages. The town and countryside are littered with pagodas where the monks usually are eager to practice their few English phrases. Battambang is just one of those places, like Kampot, where you easily end up spending more time than planned.