Nakhon Phanom (นครพนม) is a Northeastern Province that sits along the Mekong River opposite Laos. The town is a pleasant surprise of great food, friendly people, coffee shops and local living with a very small number of tourists.
The most popular thing to do in Nakhon Phanom by far is to go to their Walking Street. It’s a night market they host every weekend. It is the place to be for locals and travelers alike. It’s one of the best places to get food and drinks along the Mekong. If you are looking for real Issan street food, then this is the place to be.
Set up starts around 4:00 pm and generally is open until about 10:00 pm. It sits right on the bank of the Mekong River. For a small town it is surprisingly a large market with lots of food, clothing and souvenirs to be found. It goes from the huge naga statue near the pier to the famous clock tower in the old town.
The food is much different than what you find in most of Thailand. You can find lots of Vietnamese, ...
The railway network of Uzbekistan traces its roots to the late nineteenth century when the Russian Empire built the Trans-Caspian line across the region. During the Soviet period the system expanded into a dense network of broad-gauge tracks that linked industrial centers and agricultural zones.
After independence the country began modernizing its rails, focusing first on passenger comfort and then on speed. The breakthrough came in 2011 with the introduction of the Afrosiyob high-speed trains built by Spain’s Talgo.
These Spanish trainsets cut the Tashkent to Samarkand journey from more than four hours to roughly two hours and soon extended service to Bukhara. In 2026 Uzbekistan Railways added a new generation of Korean-built trains that pushed the high-speed corridor farther west to Khiva, completing a continuous modern spine across the heart of the country.
The route from Bukhara to Samarkand follows the upgraded high-speed line that runs roughly two hundred twenty kilometers across the open ...
Chor Minor (also called the Madrasah of Khalif Niyaz-kul) is a distinctive early 19th century gatehouse in Bukhara’s historic center, Uzbekistan.
Built in 1807 by the wealthy Turkmen merchant and imam Khalif Niyaz-kul under the Manghit dynasty, it once formed the ornate entrance to a larger madrasa complex that has largely disappeared.
The compact brick structure is crowned by a central dome and four corner towers topped with turquoise ceramic domes; the towers are decorative rather than true minarets and give the building its Persian name meaning “four minarets.” Its unusual design, possibly inspired by India’s Charminar, stands apart from conventional Bukharan architecture.
One tower collapsed in 1995 and was later restored with UNESCO support. Today it remains a protected part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bukhara’s Historic Center.
Chor Minor Madrasah: Bukhara’s Hidden Four Tower Gem & UNESCO World Heritage Site - Uzbekistan 2026
Markaziy Bozor, also known as Kolkhoznyy Rynok or the Central Market of Bukhara, stands on the northern edge of the historic city, close to the Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum, the remains of Talipach Gate, and the green expanse of Samanid Park.
Unlike the sixteenth century covered trading domes that fill the tourist core of the old town, this large marketplace serves the daily needs of local residents and visitors seeking an unfiltered glimpse of contemporary Uzbek life.
Formed during the Soviet period and operating in its present form since the 1980s, it continues Bukhara’s long commercial tradition while occupying a modern site outside the main UNESCO protected monuments.
Farmers from villages within a fifty kilometer radius bring fresh produce each morning, filling the stalls with melons, watermelons, plums, figs, vegetables, dairy products, meats, spices, nuts, dried fruits, honey, and freshly baked flatbreads known as lepyoshka. Sections for clothing, household goods, and simple prepared foods ...
