{ Editor’ s NOTE
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{ Editor’ s NOTE
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Lester V. Ledesma
Over the last several issues, we’ ve been celebrating the incredible colours of Asia – and with good reason. Asia is nothing if not colourful, in every sense of the word: lively, fascinating, and diverse. Its ethnic costumes, its cuisines, its festivals, its wildlife – Asia is defined by its glorious, chaotic, inspiring blend of hues.
Our unique colour-themed special editions – Pink( No. 160), Green( No. 162), Blue( No. 163), Yellow( No. 164), Red( No. 165), and Silver( No. 166) – have explored so much of what makes Asia the truly vibrant continent that it is. What else could we do but cap it all with the issue you now have in your hands? Welcome to the very special Rainbow Edition of ASIAN Geographic.
A sizeable portion of Asia – 16 countries, home to well over two billion people – experiences tropical climates, and nowhere is it more colourful than below the waterline. In“ Rainbow Reefs”( page 24), regular contributors and underwater photographers Anita Verde and Peter Marshall shine a light( quite literally) on these stunning coral blooms, from Indonesia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands to Fiji, Palau and Australia.
Meanwhile, on the surface, Asia’ s cities hum with the constant drone of traffic, but in the Philippines, what assaults the senses is the joyous cacophony from the ubiquitous – and unapologetically flamboyant – jeepneys. Manila-bred writer and photographer Lester V. Ledesma celebrates these uniquely Pinoy symbols in“ Kings of the Road”( page 68), and wonders what the future holds for these not-so-humble national symbols.
And if there’ s one religion in Asia to which the word“ colourful” surely applies, it’ s Hinduism, so how could we not also marvel at the festival that has been called the“ largest gathering of humanity on Earth”? India’ s Kumbh Mela is an extraordinary spectacle that reached its zenith in 2025 when more than 660 million people took a dip in the holy rivers at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. As we discover in“ Maha Kumbh Mela”( page 50), staging a festival of that magnitude is an extraordinary feat – and not without its challenges.
Ian Bongso-Seldrup