Madura

It was only a day trip in Madura.

Time was a constraint so as expected, we could not stay overnight in this island northeast of Surabaya. My flight out of Surabaya was early the next morning so we had to squeeze the visit in only one day.

I have done this before. This was probably my third visit in the last 6 years. The tactic is to leave at sunrise. Madura island is one of the poorest regions of East Java and a vast number of Madurese work in Surabaya but still opt to live in the island. The morning rush from Madura to Surabaya is therefore notorious, as is the traffic late in the afternoon from Surabaya back to the island. Luckily, we are moving against this human mass flow.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/4.5, 75mm, ISO 400, -1/3EV


Getting to Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya was uneventful. The streets at Surabaya were generally free-flowing at 6 in the morning. At the port of Tanjung Perak, there was no long queue so our car promptly got a berth in the ferry.

By about 8AM, we already were in the busy port of Kamal in Bangkalan, West Madura. Our destination was about 120 kilometers away in Sumanep, the easternmost regency of the island. Barring any bottlenecks, we should be there in 3 ½ hours. Basically, the hitches would be the public markets (different days of the week would be market days in various places). We went there on a Wednesday so we missed out too potential Friday throngs at the roadside mosques.


a mosque in Bangkalan, West Madura. The more than 4 million people in Madura are predominantly Muslim.
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2500s, f/5.6, 155mm, ISO 200


It was past 10 in the morning when we pulled into the village of Lobuk in Bluto, Sumenep. Quickly, we checked on the seaweed farms.

Madura uses a unique system of seaweed cultivation, using rafts instead of long off-bottom ropes. (The other place which prefers this mode of plantation would be Serewe, East Lombok).


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2000s, f/5.0, 230mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


October, being hot season in Madura, is a productive month for seaweed. Productivity is high. Farmers were busy, either planting seedlings or harvesting mature fronds.


line-stripping the seaweed that are ready for drying
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/4.5, 80mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV



harvesting the seaweed from the rafts, called raket in Indonesia
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


More work proceeded in a flurry. At about 11AM, we decided to call it a day and made our way back west. Lunch was to be at Pamekasan, the capital at the eastern central part of the island. I was not surprised when we pulled in at the Hotel Restaurant Putri. It must be Pamekasan’s better places as I always got to have lunch there. Menu is Chinese Indonesian and specialty is fresh seafood. Delicious.

While waiting for the food to be cooked, I had some downtime and took some photos of a fully carved wooden screen. It features the distinctive Madurese wood carving. Referred to as Karduluk carving for the village in Sumenep where it originates, the style is generally larger in size and cruder in stroke than the Javanese. The finish is often polychrome paint, usually in red and green. The motifs are Chinese- bird, flower or dragon. (I’m planning to commission one for our home in Cebu so I know lots about carvings).


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/40s, f/4.5, 100mm, ISO 100, -1.0EV


After lunch, we were on our way home. In the same haste, we had no time at all to stop inasmuch as I wanted to. All I did was merely put to mind several scenes that I would love to photograph someday. My photos are just “drive by”, that is, taken only from a moving car.


children by the roadside at Sampang, Madura
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1250s, f/5, 150mm, ISO 200


Maybe some day, I would be able to go there on a more leisurely pace. Next year, the long delayed 5.4-kilometer bridge connecting Surabaya and Madura might already be finished. It would then be the longest bridge in Indonesia. And it has a nice name to boot: SURAMADU. I couldn’t wait for it to be completed.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2500s, f/5.6, 155mm, ISO 200

10 tips in Aerial Photography, part 1

I am enamored by aerial photography. The patterns one can see from above are different and mostly are left unknown to the ordinary viewer on the ground. The earth from above takes on a whole new form. No wonder a lot of people attribute to flying as a spiritual experience.

Being a frequent flyer, I always try to get that window seat that provides the best view of the earth down below. But getting that right spot in the plane, away from the obstructing wing, is easier said than done. Luck plays a great deal in getting that enviable seat. Over the years of flying, I’ve learned some tricks of the trade which I am sharing here.

1. Study the flight direction against the map. Is the direction going northeast or directly west? If you’re a sunrise and sunset hound, determine which side of the plane faces west or east. What are the most likely attractions that one can pass? Short of asking the pilot, the actual flight path can only be acquired by experience so if you would take the same flight sometime in the future, check out now what the sights are below.

2. Be conscious of the flying time and the direction of the light. Sometimes, I purposely would sit where the sun is at the other side to get strong backlights against bodies of water. Check the weather too of your port of embarkation and the place of destination. Aerial photography is impossible in bad weather.

3. Be early in the airport. If it is possible to book a seat before the actual flight do so. International carriers allow you to choose a seat online although some of the good seats are often blocked. I have not tried this with domestic Philippines airlines which don't offer this service yet.

4. If you cannot get a window seat at the front, a section often reserved for the business class, settle for a seat at the back. The view of middle seats are blocked by the wing and the engine.

5. Keep a wet tissue. I find it useful in cleaning the windows (yeah, people stare at me).

to be continued

Here are a few samples of my aerial photographs.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 200
Laguna de Bay (?), Luzon, the Philippines



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, -2/3EV
rice (?) fields at Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 31, 2008



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 200
ponds near Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, November 8, 2007



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
ponds in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, September 13, 2006



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1500s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 100
salt farms in Madura, East Java, Indonesia, September 13, 2006



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/800s, f/9, 55mm, ISO 100
river tributaries in West Madagascar, East Africa, November 16, 2005



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 200
Biddeford Pool, Portland, Maine, the US, December 18, 2006



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.6, 25mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
an unknown development project near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/6.3, 55mm, ISO 100
Tango Island, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines, March 27, 2006



Canon EOS 350D, 1/1000s, f/6.3, 51mm, ISO 100
an islet near Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Sulu archipelago, the Philippines



Canon EOS 350D, 1/200s, f/11, 47mm, ISO 100
sanddunes north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa



Canon EOS 350D, 1/200s, f/11, 47mm, ISO 100
sanddunes north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa


For other aerial photos, check out My Islands of Sulu