Hamba Travel Magazine
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From a detour close to home to a long road through East Africa. Pick a part of the world, or read them in order.
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Stories about Asia
42 stories from our editors. Filter by part of the world, or page back in time.
Asia · Indonesia · Solo
In Laweyan, Batik Still Lives at Home
In Kampung Batik Laweyan, batik passes from experienced makers to children, trainees and design students inside family businesses, workshops and organised classes. The neighbourhood is Solo’s oldest and largest batik production centre, making it a strong place to follow how a drawing becomes cloth, work and inherited knowledge.
Asia · Laos · China
A Bowl of Luang Namtha: Rice Noodles at the Night Market
Broad rice noodles fill a bowl, followed by minced-meat sauce and clear chicken broth. In Luang Namtha, khao soi turns rice into supper, and the night market makes that link visible.
Asia · Philippines · Iloilo Province
From Concepcion’s Morning Catch to the Grill
At Concepcion Fish Port, the day’s catch is already for sale in the morning. Buyers choose fish or squid by weight, then carry it across the road to paluto stalls, where a low grill fire turns the purchase into the first cooked dish of the day.
Asia · Laos · Luang Prabang
From Luang Prabang’s Morning Market to the Mekong
Before the souvenir market takes over the main street, Talad Sao handles the more ordinary business of food. In a narrow lane on the Mekong side of Luang Prabang’s historic centre, vendors sell vegetables, meat, rice, snacks and fresh fish to people shopping for the day.
Asia · Bangladesh · Dhaka
Dhaka’s painted rickshaws put pictures into traffic
A film star, a tiger or two peacocks can travel through Dhaka on the back of a cycle rickshaw. Painters turn the vehicle’s working parts into public pictures, even as cheaper printed panels replace much of their handwork.
Asia · Thailand · Pak Khlong Talat Flower Market
Pak Khlong Talat, Bangkok’s Flower Market at Work
After midnight, flower carts move through Pak Khlong Talat while workers bundle stems for florists, temples and hotels. Bangkok’s best-known flower market is also an old trading district, first shaped by the Chao Phraya and then by the road that runs through it.
Asia · India · Mumbai
Before Sunrise, Mumbai’s Flowers Change Hands in Dadar
Before sunrise, trucks reach Dadar with marigolds and chrysanthemums from farms across Maharashtra. Within hours, traders divide those loads among florists, decorators and street sellers who carry flowers into neighbourhoods across Mumbai.
Asia · Pakistan · Lahore
Bread from the Wall in Lahore’s Mozang Bazaar
Mujahid Taj Din Naan Bakers occupies a modest shop on the main street of Lahore’s Mozang Bazaar, where fish and poultry sellers, paan counters, bed makers and hardware merchants work at close range. Behind that small frontage stands a notably large tandoor, and its naan passes from oven worker to owner to customer in a few direct movements.
Asia · Middle East · Europe
Inside George Town’s Working Kopitiams
At lunchtime, Kek Seng on Jalan Penang fills with office workers, returning regulars and visitors under ceiling fans, among old tiles and booth seats. The room shows why George Town’s kopitiams still matter: they give small food traders, workers and longtime customers the same practical place to eat.
Asia · South Korea · Busan
Jagalchi: Fish, Fire and Busan’s Working Waterfront
At Jagalchi, Busan’s fishing trade reaches the city through tanks, wooden boxes, knives and charcoal grills. The market sits on the edge of South Harbour, where vendors, cooks and customers turn seafood into an everyday meal.
Asia · China · Chengdu
Before the Mahjong Tiles Click: Opening Heming Teahouse
Before seven, staff sweep the stone paving at Heming Teahouse in Chengdu’s People’s Park. Bamboo chairs and low tables stand under trees beside the water; soon, hot water will fill porcelain gaiwans and mahjong tiles will begin to click.
Asia · Georgia · Batumi
From a Hauled Boat to Batumi’s Fish Counter
In Batumi, a documented small catch begins with a boat pulled from the Black Sea on wooden runners, not tied to a market quay. Nets and sacks carry the work forward, then scales and scissors finish it in the compact fish market near the port.