The Lotus Farm
The Lotus Farm is basically a large lake producing thousands of lotus flowers which are harvested to create a unique, silk-like textile. Lotus is, of course, used in Khmer cuisine as well. Pretty much all parts of the plant are edible but we prefer the dried seeds. They have a nut-like flavor and are often sold dried in western countries. Lotus farm makes for a nice, non-touristy detour from the main route and you can get a good picture of how people live in Cambodia.

Tailored Clothing
One of the coolest things one can get in Vietnam is definitely a piece of tailored clothing. Numerous local tailors offer all sorts of clothing: from simple summer shirts to three-piece suits. Local Hanoi tailors are known for exceptional and fast work. Hoi An is one of the most popular places to get your clothes tailored at more than 300 tailors and leather-workers.

Communist-Era Statues
Tirana is not the most fascinating city but some parts of the center are quite unique. Enver Hoxa Mausoleum with Communist-Era Statues definitely is the place to visit! Mausoleum is in poor condition as Albanians don't care much about former dictator. The statues of prominent communist symbols used to be all over the main squares of Tirana but now all of them are on one humble location. As a reminder of the times gone by. Cool place to take a photo with statue of Stalin - rare find anywhere else in the World.

Fascist Architecture of Asmara
Asmara is a unique place. With eternal spring weather, it is one of the most pleasant places on Earth for living. It is also a very pretty place with unique architecture reflecting Italian colonial rule. From Cinema Impero, to communal houses and stunning Fiat gas station, walking the streets of Asmara gives a very unique feeling: more classic European than African. And if you are staying at "Albergho Roma" hotel, you will only need Sophia Loren in maid outfit to complete the scene from a Fellini movie. And one more thing, there are no traffic lights in this 600 000 people city. They realized they don't need them after one power outage. Very polite and nice people.

Straw Hats of Yemen
One of the most curious and unusual details you will see in the mainland are the strange, tall hats worn by local women in the fields. Despite the scorching heat, Yemeni women are dressed in black burqas while working in the fields and the only relief, apparently, is coming through these tall hats. The hats are made of dried and braided strips of date palm leaves and are characteristic to Hadramaut province of Yemen. These strange hats are called madhalla and please ask for permission before taking a photo.

A Nation of Poets
In Somalia, poetry is more than art—it’s conversation, law, memory, and soul. Known as the “Nation of Poets,” Somalia has preserved its stories through verse for centuries. At tea stalls or during camel trading, it’s not unusual for someone to burst into spontaneous poetry—sometimes in praise, sometimes in protest. In the absence of written records, the oral tradition lives on, line by line.