Welcome to rainy season near Boracay

Last Updated on May 27, 2023 by Ellen

Think: Florida thunderstorm on steroids. That comes close to the rain I experienced today. Filipinos say: welcome to rainy season.

I am amazed at how people can live with this much water crashing down onto the earth around them. And I’ve seen some heavy rain on our travels.

Check this eight-second video:

It was like a waterfall on the stairs to the roof at our apartment rental.

I was lucky during this downpour, because I was already ‘home.’ About an hour earlier, I returned from a trip to Caticlan where I ran some errands and picked up a few supplies. There, I was stuck in the market for awhile.

Welcome to rainy season

It started to rain when I was at the coconut stand. I could hear big drops of water on the roof as the vendor cracked my nut. He poured the coconut water into a bag, and then put the flesh into the shredder.

By the time I paid and moved on, I saw other vendors putting tarps over their goods.

When I saw that, I realized it was about to get serious: the locals always know when it’s going to really rain. I put my phone and some medicine I had bought in my tote into a plastic bag.

My outer bags became wet during the half hour I stood at the entrance of a shop getting splashed by an intense downpour. There was simply no escape from the deluge.

When it was over, the sun was out within seconds. I made my way up the road with small shops back to the main road. Only… there was no road. It was a small stream, and there was no choice but for everyone to go through the dirty water: drivers, riders and pedestrians.

Because I’d been on these streets before, I knew there were ditches along the sides for drainage. If I hadn’t known, I might have inadvertently stepped down into them and hurt myself. Not all spots are covered with grates.

I warned Tedly and Mom Diane in case they’d never noticed the ditches before. Notice in the pictures above and below, pedestrians are in the middle of the street.

A little water won’t hurt us. We didn’t plan to be here during rainy season, but we can handle it. Maybe it will be like living by an airport or a train station (or roosters!) in that after awhile, you don’t notice it.

The locals say rainy season goes until October. On the positive side, it will be a little cooler.

We should be OK cooped up inside more often in rainy season, as long as we have the internet and our devices………….

Wet iPhone

Mom Diane was on a hike with her walking stick and had to take cover under a tree. Unfortunately, her iPhone got wet.

I took the SIM slot out to create a vent and hopefully it will dry out within 48 hours. The phone was never fully submerged, but it was wet for awhile.

We’ll hope for the best, and have let family know in case they try to reach her and she doesn’t respond to a text.

Mom kept a good attitude about the temporary loss. She mused how she would survive without a phone for the next day or more.

Indeed. Whatever did we do with ourselves before mobile devices?

If I were to be disconnected from devices and the internet now, out here, in a rural area of the Philippines, during a killer pandemic, how strange would that be? And also: how wonderful?

Thanks for reading, “Welcome to rainy season.”

Earth Vagabonds are renting an apartment to ride out the pandemic on mainland Panay Island, across the channel from Boracay. They advocate for travel when borders reopen.

Plan your next trip with resources from the COVID-19 page.

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