Typhoon Nesat (called Pedring here) has hit the Philippines yesterday, as you might have heard from international news. It was the biggest typhoon so far this season, and has caused substantial destruction in Manila. But no worries – we are ok. We spent a few days in Manila last week, exploring the city and making plans for where to get lost in this 7000 islands state. Now we are on the little island of Boracay, 300 km south of Manila. The typhoon also battered Boracay, but I guess it’s nothing compared to the impact it had further north.
However, it was still quite an experience for us. The paradise-like beach disappeared for a few days in the crashing waves which even flooded the beach promenade, the coconut plam trees were bending scarily, and the storm was so loud that we moved rooms in our beachfront accomodation to a more sheltered room. The dives we had scheduled were all cancelled, as the waves were so high that the coastguard did not allow any boats out. But it was reassuring to see the locals just deal with it, barricading their houses and shops, but otherwise just getting on with their daily business.
So, it’s keeping your head down and waiting it out. And as the typhoon is moving further away, we hope to get the paradise feeling back very soon…
