My first Typhoon: Milenyo

Last Thursday between 12-2pm, a Typhoon whipped through Manila at the speed of 280kph. Carlos and I go for a drive around 2pm.... trees are down everywhere. We must have counted ar least 50 trees down in our neighborhood alone. In the middle of all this Carlos and I find the most anazing Italian restaurant, Cafe Milano, that is running on its own generator and makes the most amazing pasta... so chilled white while we watch the rain pour and pour, c'est pas mal la vie quand meme.

We drove to Makati a bit later to pick up Tessa, Carlos' wife, and saw hundreds more. Billboards were also the biggest victims. Those ugly and unruly structures were down everywhere, and most notably the Pancake House billboard on EDSA had cushed a yellow bus.

Thursday night, we had a small party at the house: wine, neighbors and candle light. By Friday I had had enough of living with no power and no water so I became part of the Malate refugees and went to Anita's house in Makati. In fact she is the only person I know with power and water, so there were many of us taking turns at showers and internet.

It's Monday and everything seems back to normal....except for all the massive trees in the streets. It's suddenly a jungle in Manila. Take a look at this tree and the size of its trunk.