I recently travelled to Uzbekistan in Central Asia. I visited Tashkent the capital and three cities on the ancient Silk Road. The country is safe and up and coming. People are very friendly. Tashkent has modern and Soviet era architecture. The state museum contains centuries old Buddhist manuscripts. Next t Khiva a real medieval walled city known for its clay mosques and huge mud fortresses. We drove to Bukhara . This is the best shopping city with its 3 covered bazaars. It is the holiest cities with its abundance of Mosques and Madrassas( Muslim theological schools). Take a look at the Kaylan Minaret. Lastly was Samarkand, the original capital of Uzbekistan. The Registan is a plaza surrounded by 3 gorgeous Madrassas. They look wonderful lit up at night. We visited the Gur e Amir Mausoleum, the tomb of Amir Timur. I have been to China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. They all have such different cultures and all are so interesting to visit.