Travelling south along the Russian border, from the rebuilt town of Narva to the capital Tallinn.
Surreal presidential vanity projects and Soviet-era debris overlay traditional cultures of yurts, camels and animist beliefs.
From Khabarovsk to Birobidzhan to Vladivostok, reminders of Tsarist and Soviet rule give way to growing sophistication.
Known for its wine, Moldova, austere and landlocked, sees fewer visitors than any other country in Europe; in Stalinist Transnistria, an unofficial state carved out of the country, there is a police officer for every citizen.
High-altitude headaches and bone-shaking drives aside, this lonely corner of the planet offers adventures aplenty, with hospitality as genuine as the air is pure
From Moldova in the south to Chernobyl in the north and to Lviv, western Ukraine retains a timeless charm for all that its past is filled with grief
Madrassas, minarets, mosques and mausoleums form a stunning backdrop to the Central Asian nation’s colourful culture
A beautiful coastline and rich, if turbulent, history reward the determined visitor to the Baltic enclave
The landlocked country in Eastern Europe has weathered the storms of war and now offers a taste of true Soviet life, albeit with the modern advantages of widespread Wi-fi access to an unfettered internet
Be it the chaos of the country’s capital or the serene Unesco-listed mangrove forest, Bangladesh is a land of contrasts, this writer discovers, as he helps himself to fiery fritters and seven-layer tea along the way
From the shouts of the livestock traders in Kashgar’s market to the Kyrgyz yurt we sleep in beneath the remote, majestic Muztagh Ata mountain range in Xinjiang, it’s China - but not as you know it
Reaching the summit of Mount Fansipan takes 20 minutes by cable car or two days on foot. Chris Taylor takes a hike, and enjoys a hot coffee in the restaurant at the top.
A gruelling ascent of Kilimanjaro turns fantasy into reality for Hong Kong-based teacher Chris Taylor
The country may not seem an obvious holiday destination, writes Chris Taylor, but from frenetic Tehran to the calm of Shiraz and historic Esfahan, there is plenty to see and do.
