the Cacing Diaries #44

at Mactan, Cebu, the Philippines

Seems like an eternity when Cacing was able to go to the beach. Blame it on the stormy weather. It is rainy season in the Philippines and we don’t like going out when it’s wet.


tresses gone wild



loving the sea (with my wife’s mom)



testing chocolates


The opportunity came when my wife had her high school reunion. As a fitting finale, their batch decided on family time at the Portofino Beach Resort in Mactan. So we got a room for the day. As always, Cacing was the star of my wife’s family and mine.


gee… my hair is long



checking out her hair



a modelic pose



in the pool with her yaya Jinjin



racing to the beach

pictures from Kiwengwa

Kiwengwa is just one of the many white sandy beaches of Zanzibar. Just about 40 kilometers northeast of Stonetown, the island’s capital, Kiwengwa is popular to the tourists – the village has at least 7 resorts – but more importantly to me, it also harbors a healthy concentration of seaweed farms.


a coconut tree that stoops so low it is almost horizontal


the beach of Kiwengwa



another postcard shot of Kiwengwa

It was high tide during my visit so instead, we just took in the view. Most notable in Kiwengwa are the tall and regal coconut trees. It seems that these trees are not harvested for their lumber as they now reach 50 feet, even more. The pictures, here, show how picturesque Kiwengwa can be.



fishing boats docked in Kiwengwa's natural harbor



a couple of women in Kiwengwa



a desolate beach



resort staff lugging some bananas

the Friday mosque of Kiponda

The Ijamaa mosque is large by the standards of Stonetown. There are at least 30 mosques in this old quarters of Zanzibar and this is one of the oldest.


the Ijumaa Mosque sits in the narrow alleys of Kiponda, Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania



façade of the Ijumaa Mosque



the elaborately carved wooden door of Ijumaa Mosque


Known in Kiswahili as Msikiti Ya Ijumaa Mizingani, it was originally built by Sunni immigrants from Faza in 1831. Like most of the mosques in Zanzibar, it was simple and unpretentious. It underwent several renovations and expansions notably in the 1850s and the 1950s. In 1994, the Ijumaa Mosque was refurbished in a more modern arabesque style with geometric arches and ramparts with funds from Arabic states. A marker in the mosque proclaims it as the burial place of famous Muslim scholars in Zanzibar.


an old gas lamp converted to electric



a small cube of a building right across the mosque



Arabic markers in marble



rampart shadows of the mosque

the Cacing Diaries #43

at Boracay, Aklan, the Philippines

It’s Cacing time!

I’ve made a resolution to post a Cacing entry once a week to clear my backlog of Cacing pictures. The photos here are only a couple of months old but Cacing is growing so fast that she may look quite differently today already.


smiling inside our Cebu Pacific flight



posing inside the plane



Cacing with her mom at Station 3, Boracay island, Aklan



mother and daughter


When we went to Boracay last May, Cacing was just learning how to walk solo but now she zips and breezes too quick for us already. Her awareness of the world around her increases by the day. The games she learns and invents by herself take us constantly by surprise.


my Mom at Boracay



it’s Cacing with her Yaya Jinjin



that’s my wife, Dia



it’s Cacing’s early morning look


And lovable as she is, Cacing keenly knows what she wants and tries to get it. If she were an adult she’d be manipulative. For today, she is just plain endearing.


foray at the church grounds of Balabag’s Holy Rosary Parish



my Mom during a Boracay sunset (she’s 68!)



my daughter enjoying a boat trip around the island



my mother-in-law, my wife and my Mom, with Cacing, after their massage session at the Mandala Spa, the Discovery Shores (talk about real splurge!)



stroll time with her Mom

quick stop: Paje Ndame

quick stop: Paje Ndame

Religiously, I pushed the pin right on the spot where Cebu lies in the world map that is spread over the cork board. I see that I am the 3rd Filipino who took the time to mark the map. I know there are lot more of us who actually have passed by this restaurant of Paje Ndame Village, as it is right where the seaweed farms are.


a standard bungalow at Paje Ndame



beachside huts


For one hot afternoon last month, Paje Ndame was where we grabbed a rather late lunch after visiting the seaweed farms. The menu selection is spare and simple - just a few continental dishes here and there with some Kiswahili favorites and seafood basics. We ended up with kingfish in coconut sauce which turned out to be fresh, delectable and with just the right spiciness.


like an open invitation to the sun and sea



our order: kingfish in coconut sauce


Fancy is not what you would associate this boutique hotel. The accommodations may not be deluxe but the bungalows boast of a beach view and are definitely cozy and comfortable. Prices start at under $100 too and in a renowned beach such as Paje no less. Now if they’d only offer internet!


beachview of Paje


To go: Paje Ndame Village is located in Paje, which is 50 km southeast of Stonetown, Zanzibar or about an hour by road.

crackling the krupuk

Krupuk, kropek, keropok… These crackling chips are ubiquitous in East and Southeast Asia. Coming often as prawn crackers, they are served as starters in a lot of Asian restaurants for the diners to munch while they wait for their main courses.


a collage of krupuk for sale at a village store in Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia



orange-edged krupuk



flower-shaped crackers


In Indonesia though, these crackers are serious business and they come in countless forms, sizes, colors and flavors like nuts, vegetables, fowl, seafood or meat. A visit in a village store in Tabanan, Bali show so much varieties that boggle the eyes. Displayed in sacks or large plastic bags, they literally sell fast as krupuk is basic side dish fare in Bali and is even commonly used as offering.


krupuk with what seem to be peanuts, beans or tempe



fish-flavored krupuk



pink krupuk with yellow trim


As for me, I often would bring pack of krupuk of the Tanjung brand. These are not available in the supermarket though and I have to order them from Sidoarjo, East Java. This city is probably one of the most renowned centers of manufacture of Indonesian krupuk although I hear that West Java’s Garut produces fine krupuk as well.


a typical crowd jostling to buy krupuk at the Tanjung store in Sidoarjo, East Java



colored krupuk


Recipes vary from shop to shop but the basic ingredients are the same: tapioca flour, egg, sugar, salt, spices and flavor essence. These are mixed in large vats and then the dough is rolled thin, steamed, and then sliced or cut before sun-drying. The krupuk are sold wafer-thin but they expand like popcorn when deep-fried. As expected, these crackers absorb so much oil during frying so they are not the healthiest food. But like many fans of the krupuk, I am not complaining.


multicolored-trimmed krupuk



plain krupuk