Travelogues EN

Tatarstan? If that name doesn't immediately ring a bell, you're likely not alone, even among seasoned travelers. I confess, I was one of them.

Imagine a city whose population exploded 500-fold in roughly 30 years. A city drawing young people and entrepreneurs from across China and the globe, hailed as a mecca for drone development and smartphone production.

* Continued from Part 1

My journey through Central Asia – Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, lands where the proverb "A sudden visitor is a guest from God" holds sway – continues. In Part 1,

Gazing at a world map, pondering the question, "Where is the heart of Eurasia?" my eyes land on Central Asia. This is the region where the ancient Silk Road once thrived, an area that still feels open and connected in countless directions.

Nestled in India’s northeasternmost corner, where Nepal, Bhutan, and Chinese Tibet converge, lies Sikkim—India’s least populous and second smallest state. On the map, it appears as a sliver of India thrust deep into the heart of the Tibetan-influenced Himalayas.

Yunnan Province, with Kunming as its capital, lies in China's southwestern reaches, roughly 1,700 miles from Beijing. Bordering the Tibetan Autonomous Region to the northwest, one might imagine it a remote frontier at the edge of the world.

We’ve all heard the phrase "so close, yet so far," and perhaps no place embodies this better than Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Brunei.

Penang: an island nestled in the Strait of Malacca, just off the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Ask anyone what Penang is like, and you’ll receive a tapestry of answers.

Luang Prabang, a tranquil ancient city nestled in the northern mountains of Laos, along the middle reaches of the Mekong River, once served as the capital of an independent kingdom.

Our flight touches down on the runway at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport. It makes the way to Terminal 2, the international terminal completed in December 2014.