A Ugandan food and travel creator, based in Bangkok
Hi, I'm Kayiwa, the creator behind Kayiwa Craves. I make food and travel videos, and write travel guides, about eating in places I don't know yet: the street food stalls, night markets, family kitchens and tucked-away restaurants that tell you more about a city than any landmark.
It started with a phone camera and a notebook in Kampala, filming the food I grew up with because hardly anyone else was. Then life took me east, through China and across South-East Asia, and the channel came along. I've queued for one-dollar conveyor-belt sushi in Shanghai, walked Singapore's Bugis Street, and found a Nigerian chef serving fufu and egusi soup in Vientiane. Bangkok is home base between trips.
Food is the fastest way into a place. Everything else on this site follows from that.
What you'll find here
- Food and travel videos: street food tours, restaurant reviews, market walks and everyday Bangkok life
- Country travel guides with real budgets in local currency, the dishes worth ordering and a route that works
- Notes from the road, like how I budget a month in South-East Asia
Where I've eaten: eleven travel destinations
Every country here has a full travel guide behind it, written after the trip: when to go, what it really costs in local currency, the dishes worth ordering and a route that works. Tap a card to open the guide.
South-East Asia
- ThailandHome base. Four regions and one of the deepest street-food cultures on earth.
- MalaysiaMalay, Chinese and Indian kitchens side by side, and the most underrated eating in Asia.
- SingaporeExpensive to sleep in, cheap to eat in. Three days is a masterclass in hawker food.
- VietnamThree food cultures along one long coastline. Do not try to see it all in ten days.
- LaosThe slowest country in the region. Give it two weeks or give it a miss.
- IndonesiaBali is worth it, but Java is where the country actually is.
East Asia
What matters to me along the way
Buying my own meals
I pay my own way at the table, so what you hear from me is simply what I thought. If a trip is ever sponsored, I'll always tell you.
Celebrating the cooks
The people behind the food are the real story. I love sharing their names and where to find them, so you can pull up a stool there too.
Sharing real prices
I show what things actually cost in the local currency, to help you plan your own trip with a little more confidence.
Returning to favourites
Some places deserve more than one visit. I'd rather go back to a spot I love than rush on to the next new thing.
Where the channel stands
Three ways this usually starts
Long-form placements inside a real trip, scripted with me rather than for me. Media kit on request.
Multi-week trips with a video series, a written guide and social cuts. Editorial control stays with me, which is why audiences trust it.
Footage licensing, quotes and speaking. The fastest route is the contact form.
Questions people ask about Kayiwa Craves
Who is behind Kayiwa Craves?
Kayiwa Craves is run by Kayiwa, a food and travel creator from Kampala, Uganda, who films and writes about street food, local restaurants and culture across Asia, East Africa and Turkey.
Where is Kayiwa Craves based?
Bangkok, Thailand is home base between trips, which is why there is so much Bangkok street food and city life on the channel.
Which travel destinations does Kayiwa Craves cover?
Eleven countries so far, each with a full travel guide: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia in South-East Asia; China and Japan in East Asia; Uganda and Kenya in East Africa; and Turkey.
Are your food reviews sponsored?
I pay for my own meals and say so on camera. Any sponsored content is clearly disclosed, and editorial control always stays with me.
How can brands and tourism boards work with Kayiwa Craves?
Use the form on the contact page. Brand integrations, destination coverage, press and footage licensing are all handled there, and a media kit is available on request.
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