Cities and Towns in Asia

Litang is the next Tibetan town coming from Kangding on the Southern Sichuan-Tibetan route. The road trip from Kangding to Litang is long, but offers amazing views over snowcapped mountains and vast grassland, and can be quite breathtaking, literally since the elevation of Litang is 4000 m (400 m higher than Lhasa). The first impression of Litang might be a bit rough and uninviting, but the Tibetan culture is strong here so please endure. In the cold morning, hordes of yaks are led through the dusty streets, which during the day will be filled with tough looking Tibetans in fur vests and monks draped in red robes. Old ladies with prayer wheels soak up the warm sun on benches along the path leading up to the town's large monastery, Ganden Thubchen Choekhorling, which was founded in 1580 by the 3rd Dalai Lama. Tibetan sky burial (where corpses are fed to vultures) is still practiced on the slopes outside town.

Nanjing is the old capital of China and whilst like many east coast Chinese cities there are shopping malls, and KFCs abound, Nanjings real draw is its history. The massacre of Nanjing by the Japanese in the second Sino-Japanese war is still fresh in many residents minds and monuments and reminders are everywhere within the old walls of the city. The somewhat hazy view from purple mountain is well worth the trek up (or the cable car). Little visited by tourists, Nanjing feels super Chinese; loads of unique streetfood and a crazy Chinese nightlife make it a great place to stop inbetween Beijing and Shanghai.

To boost it's tourist potential, the small Tibetan village of Zhongdian changed its name to more fame-sounding Shangri-la (and got a new airport). The old town is surprisingly charming with real flavours of Tibet with traditional Tibetan houses, prayer flags hanging down from stupas and town squares with group dance in the evening. Everywhere you go, you will be offered yak butter tea. There are elaborated Buddhist temples in and around Shangri-la, including the biggest prayer wheel in the world and the huge temple complex of Gandan Sumtseling Gompa. Shangri-la does draw a fair amount of tourists just as the authorities had planned, but is nothing compared to Lijiang and Dali.

Tagong (alt. 3700 m) is a small rough Tibetan town located at a bend of the northern Sichuan-Tibetan highway ("highway" should be interpreted in the most lightly way). It lies at the foot of hills adorned with colourful prayer flags with scenic snow covered mountains in the distance. Lovely Tibetan houses built of rocks and giant timber make up this small settlement along with the town's monastery, which dates back to the seventeenth-century. Along the dusty street, long haired Tibetan guys dressed in traditional chubas (Tibetan cloaks) race by on motorcycles, while old ladies swirl their prayer wheels. Horse treks should apparently be excellent on the grasslands outside of town.

Long a fertile oasis centre and a real hotspot on the ancient Silk Road, the town of Turpan, in Xinjiang province, has a surprising number of excellent sites on offer. Everything from Grape Valleys to the Emin Minaret to Gaochang Ancient City to Buddha Caves and more... Turpan has a cavalcade of hits that are relatively unvisited. Although it could possibly be done as a day trip from the capital of Urumqi, overnighting is highly suggested. Any hotel can set up an easy day tour around the main sites, then the opportunity to freely wander the market in town is a great way to spend a day (or even two).

Wuzhen Watertown is an ancient town famous for its canals and old houses. It is a scenic place, so it can get rammed with Chinese tourists on tours throughout the day. It is not uncommon to watch a Chinese tourist poking a telescopic lense into someone's house and photograph someone doing their laundry. There are some good restaurants overlooking the water where you can sample loads of odd Chinese food and there is loads of Chinese street food especially the contentious "smelly fermented tofu". Wuzhen is two hours from Shanghai and one hour from Hangzhou and worth visiting for half a day of sightseeing and people watching - especially Chinese tourists. Don't bother buying the expensive ticket for 7 or 8 local buildings unless you can read Chinese characters.

The ancient city of Xi'an is surprisingly inviting. It was the imperial capital for more than a handful of Chinese dynasties and the end/beginning of the Silk Road. As a result, there are charming quarters, ambient temples and tall pagodas to keep any traveller busy for a couple of days. The old town is fenced off by a massive city wall that is so wide that you can cycle on top of it, which is a great way to take in the city (bicycles can, of course, be rented up there). The booming Chinese economy has turned the main streets into high class shopping malls and you have to zigzag your way through the luxury cars parked on the sidewalk. Away from the centre and the swarms of tour groups, you can find parks with group dance, fountains and hip-hop spinning teens. Outside Xi'an, you find the famous Terracotta Army and the mountain Huashan.

Beside being the second biggest town in East Timor, Baucau can also boast of a bit grand architecture from the Portuguese period. Sure, the old colonial buildings are falling apart or covered with weed and graffiti, but hey, this is East Timor. The old Mercado Municipal would certainly have been impressive if it was still in use. Now it just lies as a ghostly reminder from the past with grazing goats as the only visitors. Other points of interest are the Catholic church and the public swimming pool, if there is any water in.

A colonial leftover from the Portuguese. It has been through a lot of war, massacres and general neglect. Burnt-out buildings are still a common sight and the roads are dotted with bottomless manholes, but it has edge and charm like a street urchin. The packed Santa Cruz cemetery along with the Truth Committee center CAVR can give some insight of the violent recent history of this young nation. For a bit of tranquility, head for the nice waterfront which has several narrow beaches and clear view to Atauro island. These days the town is fueled by UN and NGO money, meaning there exists a surprisingly good selection of eating places. The best part though, is the locals are still friendly, honest and welcoming.

The small village of Dudu, located in the province of Rajasthan along the highway, is a town where you only stop if your bus has a flat tire. There are no other tourists, and people stare at you just as much as you stare at them. But if you come this way anyway, visit the local market, which is the natural meeting point of the little town. Here, people are shaved and are having a haircut in the middle of the market, different kinds of food are sold along with pretty water jars, shoes, old tools and harvesting tools. Meanwhile, the men sit in small groups on little wicker chairs and discuss everyday issues and news.