Our access road got cleared up on Friday so we were able to drive away in the afternoon for several reasons - groceries, visit the father-in-law, and the farms too, and buy a generator for us to use temporarily until our power grid comes back up. The weather seems undecided as it kept switching between rain and drizzle, lol!
Whilst in the valley, we learned that there was a house that had been pushed away by a huge landslide above it, killing 4 people inside which is truly saddening.
That unfortunate accident happened somewhere on this mountainside (below photo). Wasn't able to take a shot of the exact area for we cannot slow down because the street had been reduced to a single lane. Most parts eroded and are yet to be cleared. Pardon the poor shot too.
From the town center, we headed straight to my in-law's place. Mobile reception is too bad in their area and it was hard to reach him so we decided to personally check on him. Glad he was alright and the typhoon seems to have not bothered him at all.
Then we visited Mr. B's crops. Whilst his potatoes are looking good, the cabbage seedlings which recently germinated on the potting trays have been ravaged by the rains and winds. I got sidetracked with the discussion on what to do and have forgotten to take photos of the fields, lol!
And on the way back to the old man's house, we met a friendly snake. This fella didn't even budge an inch when we were passing by. Others would crawl away at once when there are movements around them but this was different, it stayed put even after we have taken photos of it.
We spent around 2.5 hours chitchatting with the old man. He had lots to say about various things which is quite amusing. We left his place around 4 pm. We could have stayed until dinner but we needed to find a generator and purchase some supplies too.
This by the way is one of my favorite spots (same as the first photo), some 500 meters away from my in-law's place.
There was a traffic jam near the town center "There must be a police in the crossroads," the husband muttered getting impatient. It's funny but yes, when a police is on the streets, there's traffic, lol!
We pulled over by a gas station and crossed the other side of the road to check on the first shop.
We went to several smaller ones and most of the generators have been sold out. We wanted one that uses diesel instead of gasoline but none was available.
We had a wee conversation with a man in one of the stores. He was buying a generator too. He shared that there were a lot of electric posts damaged in their town and he thinks it will take some time for things to get restored. He jokingly added that his house doesn't feel like a home without a power supply which is very relatable.
It was good to see that business is back as usual in town. It looked as though nothing had happened the previous days.
As there were not many options, we ended up taking home a gasoline-operated portable generator from this shop that sells almost everything from farming machinery (power sprayers, tractors) to builder tools.
After testing and such, we left for our next stop - groceries.
But then we spent more time on the road, being stuck in traffic. We later found out that there was indeed a police by the cross-section waving his hand, stopping this and that. Well, he's just doing his job, lol!
Anyways, we arrived home safe and sound, the storm has passed and we're so hopeful of brighter days ahead.
It's now Monday, the end of July too. The weather is clearing up. Might take the chance for a good walk. We'll see.
