the Cacing Diaries #35

Cacing in Surabaya

My travel in the first week this April was to be my first business trip abroad. So for about 8 days, all of us – me, my wife, my daughter Cacing, my mom and my wife’s mom –embarked on a trip to Indonesia.


at times, Cacing can turn serious and lady-like like in this take at the Shang Palace, Shangri-La Surabaya, Indonesia


Cacing’s version of blowing kisses


To make it easy on Cacing, who is just about a year and 2 months old, we decided to slow down the pace and stay one night each in Hong Kong and Surabaya on our way to and from Bali.


three generations of women in my life at the lobby of Shangri-La Surabaya, Indonesia


Cacing actually held up well in the flights. Except for the final flight from Surabaya to Hong Kong which took about 4 hours plus when Cacing got bored and seemed to have trouble with the cabin pressurization, she was her usual ebullient self when awake. Mostly, she was drowsy. The monotonous drone of the plane’s engine probably reminded her of the car and during a drive, she always gets sleepy.


no one can stop Cacing from marching about even if she still could not stand on her own (at the Bandar Udara Surabaya International Airport)


she can be a show off


To kick off Cacing’s pictures of the Indonesia trip, I am publishing here her photos in taken in Surabaya. These are happy pics.


looking glamorous with a caftan over her swimsuit at the pool of Surabaya Shangri-La


tousled hair becomes her


Cacing loves the water and it shows in her face


mother and daughter at the pool


squeal of delight


me, carrying my daughter above water


a big splash

Palm Sunday at the Surabaya Cathedral

a Lenten Special

Palm Sunday was to be our penultimate day in Indonesia. As Catholics, we were to hear mass and this day was a dedicated commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant and final entry into Jerusalem just before he would be persecuted and crucified as a common criminal.


Palm leaves for sale outside the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia


The mass is observed with much pomp and theatrics in the Philippines. For palm stalks, the preferred Filipino version is the intricately woven and folded palaspas that would be worthy of a feature in origami books. The priest, representing Jesus, would be accompanied by costumed disciples and sometimes would be astride a horse (there are no donkeys in the Philippines as what the Bible said). A full Passion reenactment would also supersede the sermon, almost as a stage play with local actors.


Palm leaves were available unfolded


Not in Indonesia, at least not in Surabaya. We chose to hear mass, said in the Indonesian language, at the Katedral Hati Kudus Yesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus) and saw austerity and simplicity. Palms were cleanly cut and unfolded. The officiating priest entered the church the regular way albeit with parishioners brandishing the palm leaves for blessing. Gone too are the costumes. And there were no long passion theatre, only the basic sermon that was short.


Palm leaves were lined inside the main aisle before the mass


All throughout, soberity persisted and hush prevailed. Regardless of the external presentation, spiritually, Lent is really that for Indonesians, and for the rest of the Christian world.


Palms were blessed at the start of the service



the Katedral Hati Kudus Yesus in Surabaya looked grand from the choir loft

going minimalist in Surabaya

So I was in Surabaya on business, alone as always. Mad dash characterizes my visits in this business city of Indonesia. Downtime basically consists of relaxing inside the comforts of the hotel room, or on occasion, lounging in the pool. Way back in October 2005, the time which I took the photos below, I only had my point and shoot.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/125s, f/8, 21.3mm


The water was inviting but I never have been a pool person. Give me the beach and anytime, I will be enticed. Nevertheless, the pool posited several compositional challenges which is good for somebody still learning about photography.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/20s, f/8, 12.3mm


It paid that it was early morning and the lighting was soft and filtered. The water, the leaf blades, the tent canvas, even the lifebuoy became easy eye candies. Besides, I was in Shangri-La – the hotel that is – so how could one go wrong?


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/500s, f/4.5, 17.5mm

Asian noodle indulgence, part 2

To continue my feature on food coma-inducing noodle dishes, here are four more umami-laden selections.

bam-i guisado, Cebu, the Philippines
I grew up in Cebu and bam-i is a popular noodle dish in my hometown. This is served everywhere and anywhere- in parties, fiestas, reunions, and whatever it is that people do when they come together. Definitely a mainstay in the local cuisine and a favorite of many a people including my wife, bam-i is probably a contortion of Hokkien ba (pork) and mee (noodles). Indonesians also call their egg noodles bakmi (pronounced with an almost imperceptible “k”). To complicate the international jumble, guisado is the Spanish term for “fried” so you can tell how hybrid this dish has become. Regardless of its derivation, this staple is a mix of two noodle types: pancit canton egg noodles and sotanghon cellophane vermicelli made of mung bean (rice noodles can be a substitute but rarely used in Cebu). It is cooked in a wok and could contain any, most if not all of these ingredients: onions, garlic, preserved Chinese pork sausage, tengang daga (black ear fungus or wood ear) and other mushroom types, cabbage, carrots, baguio beans, scallions, coriander, snow peas, pork liver strips, meat balls, chicken breast and shrimp. Flavoring comes from sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, black peppercorns and kalamansi (local lime).

Manila Foodshoppe
The Park Mall, Mandaue City
Cebu, the Philippines
105 PHP (2.2 USD)/serving enough for 6


traditional bam-i guisado of the Manila Foodshoppe, The Park Mall, Mandaue City, Cebu, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 200, +1/3EV


La Paz super special misua batchoy, Iloilo City, the Philippines
Batchoy is synonymous to Iloilo, a province in the central Philippine island of Panay. Often appended with the name of the town of La Paz where it was “invented”, batchoy is most probably derived from the Hokkien ba-chui which means "pieces of meat.” The noodle variety most often used is miki, an egg noodle, but there are versions in sotanghon (made from mung bean), bihon (rice) and misua (wheat) which is the one pictured below. You can choose between pork or beef but the meat items are usually innards like heart, kidneys, liver and spleen. Rounding up the ingredients are leeks, shrimps, white chicken meat or beef and crushed chicharon or pork cracklings. The soup is a combination of shrimp broth and chicken stock, with soy sauce to taste. A raw egg can be cracked and balanced on top of the soup as a final flourish, if so desired.

I was in Iloilo last summer and finally, I was able to try out Ted’s, the acknowledged premier batchoyan or place of the La Paz batchoy. I deliberately ordered the super special misua batchoy out of curiosity as this is not at all common in the batchoy versions in Cebu. (Misua is very thin salted wheat noodles.) Batchoy servings in Ted’s come with puto manapla, a small white rice cake which I rather enjoyed. I even ordered extra puto helpings, as I needed something neutral to balance the viscously rich and heartily salty soup. Because of its high fat content, I suggest to always eat the batchoy piping hot.

Ted’s Old Timer La Paz Batchoy, SM Iloilo
Iloilo City, Iloilo, the Philippines
about 50-70 PHP (1.4USD)/serving


La Paz super special misua batchoy, Ted’s, SM Iloilo, Iloilo City, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/80s, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 400, +1/3EV


soto ayam Ambengan Pk Sadi, Surabaya, Indonesia
As comfort food goes, the soto ayam (chicken and noodle soup) fits the bill in Indonesia. The soup is made primarily of chicken breast meat, glass noodles, slices of hard-boiled eggs, bean sprouts, cabbages and leek. It is so popular that ambulant carts roam the streets of Indonesia, from Medan through Jakarta and Bali to Bima. It took me awhile to appreciate the soup but it grows on you. (Again, the sambal chili was the clincher for me.) The chicken may come as white meat or boiled skin and adding egg is an option. The soup is yellowed with turmeric and is topped with peanut koya for additional richness. Sweating is a surefire guarantee, thanks to the spice of lombok chili, turmeric, galangal and ginger.

In Surabaya, soto ayam Ambengan of Pk Sadi, is legendary. Largely touted as having the best soto in East Java, the restaurant started as a hole-in-the-wall in the street of Ambengan by Pak Sadi (hence the name). A Chinese-Indonesian friend took me there last February of 2007, past 9PM. The eatery is still in its original spot, small, obscure and unassuming. You could not tell that there already are franchises all over the country. Parking was difficult and the late supper crowd was still bustling. Diners who just finished their meals were leaving with a smile. Soon, I did too.

Soto ayam Ambengan Pk Sadi “asli”
Jln Ambengan 3A, Surabaya, Indonesia
tel +6231 5323998
about 20,000 IDR (1.7USD)/serving


boiled rice noodle, the main ingredient of the soto ayam Ambengan Pk Sadi “asli”, Surabaya, Indonesia
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/25s, f/5.0, 42mm, ISO 1600


pancit Malabon
Here is one Tagalog dish that Cebuanos are not so familiar until recently. The first time I tasted this was in 2005, soon after the pancit malabon franchise hit Cebu. Cebuanos are easily familiar with the pancit palabok, which uses thinner noodles and is common all throughout the Visayas. It's a different story with pancit malabon. The larger rice noodles are not available in Cebu, which is a pity.

The platter below is about 18-20" wide and is good for more than 20 persons and only cost around 750 pesos or $15. The toppings include scallions, boiled pork, cabbage, dried shrimps, soy bean curd cubes (tofu), minced fresh garlic, parsley, asian celery, crushed chicharon fried pork crackling, squid and hard-boiled eggs with kalamansi slices for extra citric flavor. Before you say that the toppings are an overkill, the meat and veggies are so thinly-sliced (using a razor blade!). The noodles are also deep but yes, I almost hate to dig into and ruin the arrangement. The next problem is to eat in moderation. One can only try!


Canon PowerShot S40, 3/5s, f/4.5, 12.3mm

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Lahir Bathin!

(Happy Holidays, Forgive my sins and the sins of the world)

This greeting is the felicitation once often hears in Indonesia and the rest of the Malay world, exchanged by all Muslims in commemoration of the end of the 1-month Ramadan fasting. That will be tomorrow, October 1, the Eid ul-Fitr or Eid il-Fitr, which is probably the most celebrated Eid in the Muslim world.

The day will definitely be marked by revelry, feast and personal splurge. Families reunite and people flock back to their villages much like the Chinese do during the Lunar New Year, or the Christians do during Christmas. Gifts will be exchanged, food will be shared and goodies will be given away. The event is also marked by alms-giving and personal introspection.

To all my Muslim friends in the world, Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Lahir Batin! Eid Mubarak!

Here are pictures celebrating the culture of Islam.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 7.1mm
Masjid Agung Surabaya, the biggest mosque in Java, Indonesia; March 15, 2007



Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/5.0, 8.6mm
Masjid Al Markaz Al Islami Jenderal Muhammad Yusuf, Makassar, South Sulawesi, the biggest mosque in East Indonesia; July 31, 2008



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/7.1, 18mm, ISO 400
Girls playing in Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Note the one in front with henna “tattoo”, a traditional ornamentation for the Eid; November 8, 2005



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/10, 49mm, ISO 100
the House of Wonders, a famous Omani palace in Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania, November 8, 2005



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
the vintas or traditional Muslim boat sails, now a symbol of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, March 26, 2006



Canon EOS 350D, 1/10s, f/5.6, 41mm, ISO 800
Jembatan Merah, Surabaya, Indonesia, February 3, 2007. The ladies are wearing traditional hijab, or Muslim headscarves.



Canon EOS 350D, 1/25s, f/5.0, 61mm, ISO400, +1/3EV
another view of Masjid Agung, Surabaya, Indonesia, as seen through a blue-tinted window of the car; March 15, 2007

Photographing mosques: Asia and Africa

Ask any Catholic and an overwhelming majority have not entered a mosque. For Filipinos in particular, the exposure would be slim as not only is the Philippines predominantly Christian (80%), the some 5% of the population who profess the religion of Islam are concentrated in the southern part of Mindanao.

I probably would not have ventured into a mosque were it not for my frequent travels. As a photo hobbyist, I am fascinated by the architecture and grace of mosques. Motifs feature repetitive and rhythmic patterns, radiating and concentric structures and even Arabic calligraphy. In replacement of the human form common in Christian art but as a rule forbidden in Islam, geometric forms come into play, suggesting the shapes of nature, like leaves and flowers and on occasion animals specifically birds. Architectural attractions closely identified to mosque include domes, vaults, courtyards and minarets.

While mosques are open to any practicing Muslims, some do allow visitors. Most of the photos are exterior shots though as often, time is not on my side when I pass by these mosques. Whatever interior shots I have of the few mosques I have entered, I am sharing them below. Hopefully someday, I will be able to take more.

Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo, Surabaya, Indonesia

As there are Chinese churches, there are also Chinese mosques. Sino-Islamic architecture are distinct from traditional dome and minaret design. Think of pagodas and Chinese scroll paintings.

One gorgeous example is the Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo in Surabaya. Established to commemorate the arrival of Chinese Muslims who sailed from Mainland China to Java several centuries ago, the mosque has to be seen to be appreciated.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.3s, f/4.5, 18mm, ISO 400
Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
phototip: night exposures are dramatic… be careful of bleeding.

When I visited the mosque last year, it was during nighttime. Fortunately, the watchmen still allowed us in and here is a glimpse of geometrically sharp interiors.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 0.5s, f/4.5, 18mm, ISO 400
Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia


Masjid Abdul Gaffoor, Singapore

From the outside, one thing is clear with the Masjid Abdul Gaffoor. This mosque has walls and minarets embellished with a plethora of celestial bodies. Crescents shot up profusely from the minarets around the central dome.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/4.5, 110mm, ISO 100, +1.0EV
Masjid Abdul Gaffoor, Little India, Singapore
phototip: Focus on the extraordinary, that which makes the architecture unique. In the case of this mosque, it is the profusion of crescents adorning the roofline. Getting them in one shot is difficult. I had to overexpose the shot by 3 stops (a full 1 EV) to provide the contrast and drown the noon sky a bright white.


the Sultan Mosque, Singapore

Back in August 2006, I was having a wonderful dinner meet with Singapore flickr friends in a place called Zam Zam at Arab St. The Muslim restaurant just happened to be across the Sultan Mosque so we had plenty of time to shoot the mosque after sundown. Some mosques, I think, are perfect for night photography. Such is the case of the Sultan Mosque with its beautiful golden dome.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 20s, f/18, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
Sultan Mosque, Arab St, Singapore


Masjif Nurul Huda, Bali, Indonesia

This is mosque is probably an early 20th century structure right in the heart of Klungkung regency. We stopped over this mosque one afternoon to take a toilet break. Mosque toilets are open to everybody and are known to have clean running water. This one takes the cake: every one of the 12-15 cubicles in the men's and women's rooms have 2 taps of fully running water that just stream down the drain! I hope they get their source from a river somewhere or else that's a wasteful use of a resource.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/400s, f/8.0, 8.6mm
Masjif Nurul Huda, Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia


Masjid Raya, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

This is a fairly new mosque that was made by the initiative and benefaction of the current vice president of Indonesia. Reputed to be the richest man of the country who made his fortune in holdings from real estate to forestry, Hj Jusuf Kalla made sure that this mosque stands out in lime and soft yellow. The exterior and interior furnishings are said to have come from Turkey.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/500s, f5, 7.1mm
Masjid Raya, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
phototip: Use noontime sun to make the marble gleam.


Masjid al Markaz, Maros, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Indonesians love to express their faith by building mosques. This one in Maros, a town south of Makassar, was just a skelelon last June 2005 but when I took the photo in October of the same year, it looked almost finished. In primary yellow and red, the architecture is stunning. The tiles are said to have come from Australia.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/800s, f5, 14.7mm
Masjid al Markaz, Maros, South Sulawesi, Indonesia


Masjid Agung Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia

This is a truly eye-catching mosque by the ~10km Gresik-Surabaya toll highway connecting Surabaya and the Juanda Airport. Its construction started around 1993 but was finished in about 8 years. It is so big and so blue. The mosaic, the tiles and the minaret are visually arresting.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f8.0, 17.5mm
Masjid Agung Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
phototip: If possible, do not crop minarets! Unfortunately, I was traveling in a speeding car when I took this.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.0, 37mm, ISO 400, +1/3EV
Masjid Agung Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia


the Mosque du Nord of Diego Suarez, Madagascar, East Africa

In Madagascar, about half of the population are Christians who are concentrated in the central highlands and half are Muslim who are mostly in the coast. You therefore see a lot of small quaint mosques in the northeast city of Diego Suarez. The Mosque du Nord in beach of Ramena in the Emerald Bay is particularly small. Not only is it built on the sand, it sits on such a parched and arid landscape which could only be described as unforgiving.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/80s, f/10, 40mm, ISO 100
the Mosque du Nord, Ramena Beach, Diego Suarez (Antsiranana), NE Madagascar



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/10, 30mm, ISO 100
the Mosque du Nord, Ramena Beach, Diego Suarez (Antsiranana), NE Madagascar

Sunset Moments

This is an accompaniment of my sunrise moment blog. Sunsets remain the ultimate romantic moments, immortalized in many a movie scene, a storyline and a photograph. They remind us not only of day that just came to pass but also of another new one coming just around the bend.

Zamboanga del Norte, October 17, 2007, 5:28PM

The tidal flats of Jose Dalman in Zamboanga del Norte appear nondescript. But slather the rocky coast and the lonely waters with the colors of the sinking sun and you get affirmation that just about anyplace can be deemed romantic.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/30s, f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 200, +1/3EV
Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines


Canggu, Bali, Indonesia, November 11, 2007, 6:26PM

The place is Canggu and the occasion is Banyu Pinaruh. Although this ceremony of ritual bathing is prescribed during sunrise, the beach was still full of people until late in the afternoon as it was Sunday. After six, the sky started to dim and the crowd began to leave for home. The tide was just rushing back to shore and the sealine began to change. The ocean was seeking its own level and the earth can only oblige.

Canon EOS 350D Digital, 5.00s, f/22.0, 24mm, ISO 100, +1.00EV
Tibubeneng Beach, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia


Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, February 3, 2007, 5:38PM

Surabaya is a historic city in East Java, known as a city of heroes. One of the most celebrated battles in Indonesia’s struggle for independence from the Dutch transpired in this city, specifically in Jembatan merah or the “red bridge”. Smack in the center of the old Chinatown district, the bridge remains busy and became a perfect spot for my panning experiments. I remember standing in the island in the middle of the road, cutting a figure in the busy late afternoon, hoping to catch fleeting scenes like the one below.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/5.6, 31mm, ISO 800
Jembatan Merah, Surabaya, Indonesia


Singapore, August 17, 2006, 7:06PM

I normally request for a window seat when I travel. I also check the direction of the plane so that if the flight is late in the afternoon, I’d ask for a seat facing west. It even pays to get a seat at the back of the plane to get a clear window view without the obstruction of the plane’s wing. Getting a clear and clean window pane is another matter. Luck always plays a part.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 400, -2/3EV
over the South China Sea, near Singapore


New York City, December 23, 2005, 4:42PM

New York City does not just qualify as a metropolis, it defines the word. Skyscrapers soar right vertically into the sky, traffic chokes mercilessly the concrete streets and lights flicker sizzlingly all night, all day. Laid on a grid, Manhattan is segmentized to upperside (northside), lowerside (south), westside and eastside. This makes it much easier to traverse on foot and simpler to orient when trying to capture the sun as it is about to set, need I say at the westside.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/20s, f/20, 55mm, ISO 1600
NY, NY, the US


Kutuh, Bali, Indonesia, August 25, 2007, 6:27PM

Business can be mixed with photographic pleasure. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived in the seaweed farms in Kutuh, Bali. Light was fading fast. The farmers have already left home and the boats were already tethered to shore. Empty cultivations lines confirmed the recent seaweed die-off . Replanting was ongoing. Tomorrow would be another day.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 3.20s, f/25, 55mm, ISO 100, +2/3 EV
Kutuh, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

Loving Masakan Padang

Whenever I visit Indonesia, and it could be anywhere in the country, I inveterately find myself in a Masakan Padang restaurant. Masakan Padang or Padang Cuisine is the unique and popular cooking of the Minangkabau people of Padang, West Sumatra.

I could not find a more UNIQUE way of serving food in Indonesia than here. Custom is to deliver all the dishes in an elegant yet efficient stack of platters on one hand and spread them all in your table.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 800
at Sari Bondo at Jln May. Jend. Sungkono, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
phototip: Waiters are quick and don’t wait for your shot. Prepare your camera at it a wide aperture and high ISO to prevent blur.


Typically, everything that is already cooked will be offered right in front of you. In fastfood Padang-style, the table will quickly be set with dozens of small platters filled with highly-flavored and often spicy food.

This is no ordinary buffet. Everyone is expected to follow an honor system. You eat what you like and you get charged only with what you consumed. If you didn’t touch the dish, you don’t pay for it. And quickly, the unspoilt food are passed on to the next table for the next hungry customer.




People from the West probably would find this buffet unhygienic. Health risks are definitely present but for Asians, it is all about proper etiquette and care. Masakan Padang is certainly not for the faint or sensitive stomach. More so when the cuisine is known for being spicy hot. Just the way I like it.

The best known Padang dish is rendang, a dark spicy stew of beef. There would also be curries or fried spicy dishes of beef (sapi), squid (cumi-cumi), fish (ikan), chicken (ayam), vegetables (sayur) like water lettuce (kangkong), string beans (kacang panjang), jackfruit (nangka) and eggplant (terung). Padang is Muslim so there would be no pork. On the other hand, you could find other delicacies like shrimps (udang), dried fish (ikan asin), egg (telur balado) and selected beef parts like brain (otak), lungs (paru), liver (ati). Of course there would be a ubiquitous selection of sambals or chili sauces in various colors and degree of spiciness


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/30s, f/2.8, 7.1mm


Masakan Padang recommendations

1. Sari Bundo. This is a popular chain found in Jakarta, Surabaya and probably other major cities in Java and Sumatra. My favorite one is just a few hundred meters from Shangri-La Surabaya at Jln May. Jend. Sungkuno but I heard from a friend that they have already moved to another location early 2008. Too bad.

2. Minang Saiyo. This chain from Sumatra is in Bali so this is my haunt when I am there. Their branch is in Jln Bypass Ngurah Rai near the airport.

The restaurant also has a wedding banquet hall. For the photographer, the embellishments there are fantastic! After all, the Minangkabaus are difficult to beat when it comes to traditional use of colorful sutra (silk) and songket (brocade) fabrics and to the incorporation of glitter, sequins and metallic threads in just about anything. Here are a few pictures.


Canon EOS 350D, 1/60s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 1600, -1/3EV

In the collage below, you can see a triangular ceiling overhang (upper left) made of fabulous Minangkabau songket brocade and bright buntings. By the banquet hall’s walls are large drapes of (polyester) silk hangings featuring unique embroidery using gold and silver threads and sequins. Also prominent is the 2-layer payung or umbrella (lower right) which is reserved for the bride. The Minangkabau ethnic group of West Sumatra, while Islamic, remains strongly matriarchal.




3. Khas Minang Surya . This is probably another chain. Last April 11, we were on a road trip from Bali to Surabaya and we found ourselves hungry. We decided to have lunch in a popular East Java stop at Pasir Putih (literally White Sands), Situbondo and chanced upon this Padang restaurant. For me, their food isn’t up to par to the other two but their spicy chicken is good.


Canon EOS 350D, 1/80s, f/5.0, 40mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV