Taken on 26 September 2009 at 6:30 AM, Saturday
ONDOY’S DESPEDIDA FOR ME
My weeklong vacation in the Philippines was worthwhile. It was mainly a quality time with family and relatives. A lot of eating in and out, chatting, giggling, gossiping and all that you can imagine. Until the not so pleasant one happened.
Whenever I would travel or for anything that I would do, I normally set an “allowance for fortuitous events”. I intended to do a little shopping from at least one of the malls in Metro Manila on the last day of my stay, Saturday. But for no particular reason, I just thought that something might come up that day that I did the shopping part on a midweek (Yes, I was in Megamall/Shangri-la last Wednesday all day long. I avoided going to Makati because it’s impossible for me to hide there. My ‘secret’ vacation would be doomed. Heehee.).
Then something really came up last Saturday. The remaining hours of my whirlwind vacation were spent with flood and in helping out my family in cleaning the mess. This is the first time this happened at the fourth district of Laguna. I took these photos before 7am. That time, it still felt like an adventure. We never thought it was going to be worse in other areas (especially to the nearby province Rizal).
Almost reached the dining table
The flood receded favorably after lunch. Since morning though, the power supply was expectedly cut. Just when I needed my mobile phones’ charge the most, they failed. Since morning before my batteries died on me, I was calling this airline to rebook and/or confirm flight cancellation. I got an SMS from one of my contacts that she saw on TV that all the flights in NAIA 1 were cancelled. I was relieved for a moment and by that time, we were already braving the so unexpectedly waist-deep water in Calamba. (My ranting faded immediately as I learned about the situation of our fellows in Rizal and other worse-flooded areas. I thought my situation was nothing compared to them.)
To the dirty kitchen. The oven floated.
We experienced hell from Pansol to SLEX, Skyway and to the airport. Let’s just say that we reached there at 2:30AM. And my flight was at 1:15 AM. Only to find out that all the airlines really cancelled their flights, except mine and the one by Malaysian Air. NAIA 1 was a nightmare on 27th (carried over from night of 26th) and 28th of September. I was stranded in the airport for at least 20 hours. What a nice way to end a whirlwind vacation eh? Anyway, after a considerable amount of research, I formed a conclusion that this airline* braved the weather and made a last minute decision to fly the 62 (made on time) out of 200 confirmed passengers, just to avoid the cost of caring for us.
And I experienced the worst customer service in my entire life. I might write about it in my next post.
*I’m trying my best not to name the airline. I love its quality flying to pieces. Just that its customer service IN THE PHILIPPINES sucks big time.
HELLO DONORS!
On our way to the airport we were listening to DZRH’s Operation Tulong and it was heartbreaking to know the situation in Rizal, Marikina and other places. As I returned here, I learned about the plight of a dear friend/former officemate who lost everything. Right now, the Filipino community in UAE are sourcing out whatever form of help we can extend to the victims of Ondoy. PLEASE check this list of disaster emergency relief numbers and information on how to help. Please be involved in whatever way we can.
0 thoughts on “Fortuitous enough”
cza
grabe tlaga.. the past weekend will forever be remembered.. and not in a good way. 😦
.-= cza´s last blog ..Love…. =-.
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upto6only
i guess that would be your most memorable experience going back here. Sobra talaga ang nangyari. History in the making.
.-= upto6only´s last blog ..When I Grow Up – An Art Sale and Exhibition =-.
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Rach (Heart of Rachel)
I’m sorry that your vacation had to end with such an experience. Typhoon Ondoy really caught everyone by surprise. I’m glad that despite the experience, everyone in your family is safe.
.-= Rach (Heart of Rachel)´s last blog ..Please Help Typhoon Ondoy Victims =-.
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ever
memorable part of your vacation…salamat at ok kayo ng iyong pamilya.
gusto ko na nga rin umuwi nung time nayun papunta ng pinas, hirapan akong magisip at mag-alala,mabuti naman din at mild lang ang nangyari ilang gamit lang din ang nabaha.at wala sa kanila ang nasaktan…thank GOD!
.-= ever´s last blog ..sAgOT KaY OnDoY =-.
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reena
so one week ka nandito last week? 🙂 anyway, oo sad nga. pero buti nlng din you’re house was not as devastated as the others. tc! pareho pala tayo nag secret get-away eh. hehe
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A-Z-E-L
buti na lang safe pa rin ang family mo kahit medyo naglangoy ang mga appliances nyo. you can replace material things pero hindi ang buhay…
and yeah… we might support the walk for a cause in dubai.
we really wanted to help.
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Lawstude
this one really is very tragic. the worst that i have seen hopefully in this lifetime. glad that ur ok.
.-= Lawstude´s last blog ..Sagada’s Underground River and Biak-Na-Bato =-.
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xtin
Thank God, you & your family r safe! We are indeed lucky to be alive, with roofs over our heads, food to eat and clothes to keep us warm. Let’s keep praying for earth’s healing…
.-= xtin´s last blog ..What Tropical Storm Ondoy Brings Out In People =-.
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Nebz
Oh dear. Malalim sya because it almost reached your dining table. But I’m glad your family’s okay now. And boy how you must have suffered a lot on your way to and while at the airport! Kung sa akin nangyari yun, I don’t know what will I do.
We, in Saudi, are also making efforts to collect as much as we can for our kababayans (via Migrante Saudi).
.-= Nebz´s last blog ..Sometimes we need to die =-.
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kayni
wow…the water almost reached the dining table. i’ve also been seeing a lot of photos from the news here. i know manila has been known for floods, but is this really the first time that it happened this bad?
filipino communities in the US have been busy making donations and preparing items to be shipped back home. i hope this really helps and reaches the right people.
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witsandnuts
This was the first it happened this bad in Laguna and in the entire Philippines (after 40 years as the reports said).
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kg
wow! may pabaon pa si ondoy! at least you’re in the philippines when you experienced this! he! he!
hope you enjoyed your vaction though!
.-= kg´s last blog ..Surviving the worst =-.
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Photo Cache
Hope everyone is fine.
We grew up every rainy season with flood waters in our ground floor living area. Every year, when a little rain comes we keep an eye on the furniture, on the appliances if and when they need to be raised.
I also hope the help coming from everywhere gets to the appropriate people.
After the Manila flood, there was the earthquake and tsunami scare in American Samoa and just right now I hear about the 7.6 quake in Indonesia. They come in threes right? God bless everyone.
.-= Photo Cache´s last blog ..For the Next Generation =-.
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Marites
may pabaon pala sa iyo si Ondoy but it’s good to hear you got to Abu Dhabi in good condition:) It will take a long time for our countrymen to recover from Ondoy’s wrath.
.-= Marites´s last blog ..Litratong Pinoy#69 Linis (Clean) =-.
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HalfCrazy
Oh shit, you just went for a vacation to spend quality time with your relatives and friends and you get this at the end? By the way, I noticed Ondoy was not unfair like the previous storms. Even the rich got their share of the catastrophe too!
Our oven was not so lucky too. Now we have to make sure it’s really dry and have someone to check it out before we can totally use it again.
What touches me the most is that even Filipinos abroad go out of their way to help their kababayans. Well, I would have done the same!
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Rico
What a way to go home eh?! Experiencing that once in a lifetime (I hope) event with your fellow Filipinos, hehe. Sure glad we’re all safe and suffered minor inconveniences. A lot lost their families. Let us count our blessings.
.-= Rico´s last blog ..stop and GO =-.
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dennis
Grabe pinasok pala bahay nyo dito sa Pinas. I hope you and your family are okay.
.-= dennis´s last blog ..The Wrath of Typhoon Ondoy =-.
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Nomadic Pinoy
A weeklong trip sounds like a whirlwind jaunt indeed. I’m curious that you call your trip “secret” and that you can not “hide” in Makati. Masyadong pakialamero ano?
.-= Nomadic Pinoy´s last blog ..While I Was Away =-.
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witsandnuts
It’s a sort of secret and whirlwind vacation because I went home (intentionally)unannounced. I wanted to surprise the people back home. Decided and booked the ticket last minute. I cannot hide in Makati because I have plenty of contacts there. Lol. I intentionally didn’t meet up with friends due to limited time. If I met up with one, baka may magtampo kase. =)
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witsandnuts
Thanks everyone. My family and relatives are fine after the storm. I hope it’s the same for you. =)
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