Typhoon Pablo

Typhoon Pablo wreaked it's havoc on Bohol yesterday, causing us to stay inside while gusty winds and rain swept over us.  We had planned to take a ferry to Cebu yesterday and then fly to Palawan this morning; but all ferries and flights in the Visayas were cancelled.  Cindy spent a lot of money and time to cancel hotel and flight reservations in order to get whatever refund we could.  She had used agoda.com to book our hotels, but they were less than helpful in making cancellations.  Rather than cancelling directly with the hotel, we had to cancel both with agoda and the hotel.  Lots of follow-up calls were made through skype.  Fortunately, internet remained intact most of the day.

The four of us being confined to each others' company reminded me of Sartre's "No Exit".  The internet, itune podcasts, and my noise-cancelling headphones saved me.

Nevertheless, it seems we were nicest to each other while eating.  At 7 a.m., the wind gusts had not yet started so we were able to have breakfast on the veranda.

What a sharp contrast to Mindanao.  According to a Dec 4, 2012 BBC report, at least 40 people have died so far from mudslides.  

Typhoon Pablo is suppose to hit Palawan today, which was on our itinerary.  We are undecided about our plans, except that Mommy and Maricar prefer to go back to Manila.  Palawan Island would be the highlight of our island tour because it's the least touristy, has the most natural scenery, and is known for the variety of fish to eat and to see!