Cambodia

If you're after a trip filled with bustling city scenes, disturbing history and aren't afraid of trying some interesting local cuisine or dealing with the not-so-clean vagabonds that plague the streets, look no further than Phnom Penh. It's a city with two sides - shabby but chic, horrifying but heavenly, rough round the edges but home to some of the most stylish shops and restaurants Asia has to offer. Though the city itself has slowly been improving since its liberation from the Khmer Rouge in 1979, be prepared for shortages of electricity, potholed roads and the kind of chaos only found in a city that has barely any traffic lights. Pick a place - any place - and take a tuk tuk (the city's own brand of taxi) to explore all four corners of the city. And this meant in the most literal way possible, as the intersection of rivers on which Phnom Penh is built forms an almost perfect 'X', giving the city four distinct districts. It is nigh on impossible to get bored in a city so vibrant and full of flavours to try and sights to see. Stroll at your own pace around the city's copious markets, or journey out to see the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, a bone'chilling reminder of the country's violent past. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is guaranteed: an impression to last a lifetime.