TYPHOON:Santi A great disaster in Philippines

We were going to Banaue to see the world famous UNESCO World heritage Rice Terraces.We were hurdled up in the super cold bus of  Ohayami  from Lacson avenue in Manila.Bus travels around Manila and enters the Districts.Good Nice sleep after a hard travel from El Nido. Suddenly I woke up after hearing noises from outside.I was expecting to be in Banaue. and it was 6 AM..

I had a rude shock.Vehicles lined up for Kilo meters.What was the matter I wondered .The Typhoon Santi has devastated the countryside in night before .Got down and found that a bridge was overflowing ahead.Coffee was selling like hot cake and sold out immediately . No more hot water as no electricity to boil .Trees have fallen blocking the road.May take hours to clear and I decided to walk down to see

the devastation that Typhoon has Left behind. Electricity has been cut off..People were moving their valuables from houses to safety.Flood water running furious and we can see people huddle together and watching us from first floor windows.Water has submerged their ground floor and it was raising by minutes,

Trees were uprooted and washed away in flood waters.The rescue team with their power saws cutting the huge trees which were blocking the road.One Man comes and said that more than 73 trees  have blocked the highway.May take 24 hours to clear the roads.One person decided to go back to Manila.

Time was running out.All of us were stranded on the road.It was 4 pm in the evening when the bus driver decided to take a bypass road and started the engine.Road blocks everywhere by low hanging electric poles.

Finally we took a narrow road and reached the bypass,.Serpent of vehicles all along the road.Driver halted the bus near one restaurant.People scrambled down to finish dinner.We reached Banaue  Sanafelodge  next day morning at 5 AM .Two nights and one full day in the bus.