Wicked places in Asia
These girls are not prostitutes, as you might think, but betel nut beauties who only sell betel nuts, cold drinks and cigarettes. Positioned in neon lighted glass booths along the major provincial roads, these skimpily dressed girls try to attract passing drivers' attention (probably mostly men) with their cuteness and lack of outfit. In the good old nineties, the girls were hardly wearing anything, but today no breasts or buttocks are exposed. Betel nut is a mild stimulant and is big business in Taiwan, where the girls are considered as a unique culture feature. They certainly make entering a Taiwanese town a bit more exciting. Just remember to keep your eyes on the road while driving.
Oh boy, another sunrise. Normally will such beautiful moments be sought after in solitude or with loved ones, but in Taiwan it's a group thing. Pretty much everyone who's coming to Alishan will do the sunrise pilgrimage to Chushan viewpoint to catch the first golden rays of the day. Joining the Forest Train bounded for the mountain top in pitch darkness and walking in lines up to the viewing area, where a crowd controller on a ladder entertains through a megaphone, is a great opportunity to meet the friendly Taiwanese.
If you expect a beautiful setting with a natural rock pool, this hot spring might not be for you. Garam Chashma is a strange health spa for locals, particularly for those with skin problems. Men and women each have their open air pool separated by a natural “mud wall”. Warm spring water splashes into the pools where people sit naked and soak. Some rub mud all over their body and then dry in the sun, not something you necessary find appealing after many days on the dusty road.
Somehow Bangkok's strip joints have turned into a tourist attraction for almost everyone, families being the only exception. Skip Patpong (the place for ping-pong-banana shows) and go to the dragon's den, Nana Plaza. It is the real thing without the sleazy touts and money demanding bouncers and some places actually feature choreographed shows. Some come just for drinking, others want to see what those ladyboys are about (yes they are here too), while others again almost feel obligated to experience Bangkok's nightlife once in their life, and then of course there are also those who consider it their second home. Whatever group you belong to, Nana Square will provide in its own calmly chaotic way.
Tucked away behind the Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel stands this small but rather unusual Buddhist shrine. Along the small path and up against the trees on the shrine ground stand loads of penises in any size and color. There is even a penis with a penis. Nobody seems to know why this shrine has turned into a fertility shrine, but worshippers have brought these phallic-shaped gifts over the years. The penis shrine can be hard to find, so when you ask for direction at the hotel, try with the Thai name Chao Mae Tuptim or "Lingam Shrine" instead of something the Thais probably will find embarrassing.
Even if you are templed-out, this wat is still fun to visit. The abbot had this insane idea to cover the pagoda with empty bottles in a statement of half save-the-planet-by-recycling and half religious thoughts about glass symbolizing the search for clarity in one's mind. The official name of the wat is Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo , but most locals simply know it by the name Wat Lan Khuat, Million Bottle Temple. Some travel guides misleadingly state that the temple is built out of beer bottles (Heineken and Chang) but it is "only" the surface that is covered with bottles (concrete is certainly also used) and most of the bottles seem to be energy-drink bottles (from M-150, Red Bull, etc) which doesn't make it any less wicked. Everything is covered with bottles: the monk's huts, the toilets, the water tower, even the crematorium is covered with glass bottles...
Darvaza means 'gate', but it was quickly dubbed 'The Gate to Hell'. It's one of the most spectacular, amazing and wicked sights in the world. 70 metres in diameter and 25 metres deep, it sure lives up to its name. Set ablaze in 1971 by Soviet scientists who were trying to reach the oil reserve under a chamber of natural gas, they estimated it would burn out in six days. More than 40 years later the gas is still burning with no sign of stopping - much to the frustration of a government unable to quell the fire. In the middle of the desert it can be difficult to reach, luckily small roadside restaurants in the nearby village of Derweze will be able to take you there. Best experienced on an overnight visit.
Megalomania can be defined as "delusion about one's own power or importance (typically as a symptom of manic or paranoid disorder)". But as opposed to looking up the meaning in a dictionary, it is best to see in real life. Perhaps nowhere in the world, and no other leader, better personifies self-love than Turkmenistan's former president, Saparmurat Niyazov, and the surreal Turkmen capital of Ashgabat. Serving as president (and later president for life), Niyazov ruled the country from 1990 until his death in 2006, but did he ever leave his fingerprint on the country's landscape. Throughout the capital (and most other cities in the country), massive golden statues stand in honour of the self-proclaimed "Turkmenbashi" (leader of the Turkmen). From rotating statues guiding the sun across the sky to golden babies sitting atop an earth-shaking bull, one monument seems to out-bizarre the next.
When speaking of environmental disasters, things like Chernobyl or the Exxon Valdez might immediately spring to mind. But what is arguably the single greatest man-made environmental catastrophe lies on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea was once one of the four largest lakes in the world. However, an aggressive irrigation project during the Soviet era saw the lakes main tributaries block, leaving the Aral Sea with no lifeline. Over the years, it began to shrink. Fishing villages once on the seashore found themselves further and further from their former fishing grounds. Contaminant and salt seeped into the ground. The list goes on and on. Possibly the best place to try to understand the magnitude is in the Uzbek village of Moynaq. A ship graveyard now lies in the former harbour. There is something beyond surreal about the sight of huge fishing boats rotting away in the middle of a desert.
To mark Hanoi's 1000 years anniversary in 2010 the wall of the Red River dyke was turned into the longest ceramic mosaic in the world (3.85 km). It consists of many parts made by both Vietnamese and international artists, all with their own style and techniques. From the Yen Phu Road it looks really splendid and vibrant, but a closer look will reveal that parts are already crumbling. Despite some complains about the mixed quality and lack of overall theme, the wall is a fresh splash of urban art in the otherwise conservative Hanoi.