FOTOLEXA
Asia
The Porters Who Carry the Mountains on Their Backs
Nepal's mountain porters haul loads heavier than themselves along trails no vehicle can reach. Their work feeds villages, builds schools and keeps the trekking economy moving.
Asia
Politics, society and change across Asia, reported and explained with regional context.
Asia
Manila's Jeepney Drivers Face the End of the Road
Born from surplus army jeeps, the jeepney became the Philippines' beloved, chaotic public transport. A modernisation programme is now replacing them, and drivers fear the cost.
Asia
The Suspension Bridges That Stitched Nepal Together
Nepal has built thousands of suspension trail bridges over its rivers and gorges. Few pieces of infrastructure have changed rural life more quietly or more completely.
Asia
Stepwells: India's Underground Palaces of Water
For a thousand years, communities in Gujarat and Rajasthan built stepwells that sank storeys below the earth to reach the water. Part infrastructure, part palace, they are being rediscovered.
Asia
The Vending Machines That Never Sleep
Japan's millions of vending machines light the streets, survive disasters as emergency stores and stock everything from hot corn soup to fresh eggs. How did a box become infrastructure?
Asia
The Incense Villages That Turn Fields Red
In Quang Phu Cau and its sister villages, families split, dye and dry incense sticks in their courtyards, producing the crimson bundles that burn on altars across Vietnam.