Ondoy: Worst than Milenyo. Worst in Four Decades in the Metro!

Fact: Typhoon Ondoy (International Name: Ketsana) brought us the worst on 26 September 2009, Milenyo wrought havoc 28 September 2006. Fact: Milenyo was terrible at 130 Kph, Ondoy even at only 85 Kph handed me in a nicely wrapped waist-deep floodwater, my worst present in my 23 years of stay in Manila, and to all others the worst flood ever in the National Capital Region in 4-decades!

My Garage. 4:06 PM. 26 September 2009

Earlier in the day, I went out for some errands before lunch. Before going back home, I decided to drop by my friend’s house a block away where I live. Rain was relentless even from the night before but maybe because of the absence of strong winds, no one can anticipate of any impending disaster! At about 1:00 PM, flood was coming in my friend’s driveway and in 30-minutes flood started to come inside. Much as I would like to go home and check my place, the flood in the street was already deep. Aside from that, I was thinking that water may possibly get inside my garage but based on my experience for 23 years in Manila living in the same area, the worst flood that I have experienced was only about 6-inches high. I was thinking that even if my car is somehow flooded, 6-inches would be bearable. Aside from that, you take a 4-step stairs going inside my house which made me more complacent. Malacanang area was never flooded with such an alarming high water – that was what I knew, and I should have known better!

Inside my Place. Unspeakable.

At about 4:oo PM, I decided to brave the high waters even if it was rising to check my place. Walking through the flood from hips to the waist is difficult- with slippers. I have to take them out and walk bare feet. It’s like walking in a swimming pool sans the unexplainable sensation of brushing and passing garbage through your feet, short of raking them through your toes! Terrible! You can not walk as fast as you would like to because you have to be cautious of anything that you step on which may make things worst.

My Callao Cave on Northbound Magazine

As a photo enthusiast, being acknowledged for uploaded images is good. As a blogger, being invited to write for a travel magazine is flattering.

Northbound Magazine: Issue 3

[You may DOWNLOAD HERE a free copy of the magazine and please find time to read my article ("Exploring Callao Cave")on Pages 27-30.]

Sometime July, I received an e-mail from a certain Robby Torres asking if I was interested to write an article for Northbound Magazine on Callao Cave of Cagayan Valley. I did not ask why and how it came to be me. My intuition was telling me, however, that he might have read my Blog, and that was enough for me not to ask any further. Inspired, I wrote the article with interest and pleasure. Unfortunately, my archive of images of the Cave is not suited for a glossy magazine spread. While I supplied some borrowed images, apparently, they provided their own.

It was only after submitting the article that I became curious about the magazine. I later found out that the Robby Torres who was earlier communicating with me is the Associate Editor and with Ivan Henares as the Editor.