After our ride to Cat Ba island, we fell into our bed that night. Only to wake up the next morning with lots of activity around. Everything that is loose or might get loose is being lashed down. Sandbags are filled by a row of people. Garden furniture is shifted indoors. So we hear about Typhoon Sarika.
We had to pack up to move to a hostel close by. One night of "luxury" is all my son would allow his old mother. This is our new place. And, of course our room looks like an afterthought high on top of the building, made of something like plywood, or so it looks to me. Here the same activities takes place: the roof of our bird's nest of a room is lashed down with one thinnish little rope!We are in the middle pimple on the top.
This from the other side. We sit on an outcrop, totally exposed to the elements. We have to go down on outside stairs, and already the wind nearly let me fall down, and Sarika was only coming early evening!
I seriously think of moving, but we do read that we will not be in the centre, and that by the time it reaches us it will have lost a lot of its power. But the girl at the hostel warns us to be really careful, it will be no joke and you never know...
Below you can see the garden furniture lashed down.
But the view is good...
Our plywood nest at the top of the tree.. My son sleeps upstairs, right under the roof.
We walk to the little town and buy some food. We see the men using these little boats to go between the bigger boats and land. All the boats are leaving the harbour.... Going to the bigger one on the mainland where it is safer.
The sun goes down and the wind starts blowing really hard. My son ventures down to chat to some other guests. I take the camera to take the photo below, the wind nearly tears the camera from my hand, so I quickly slip back in our room. We were warned to keep all windows closed.
During the night you can hear the wind howling, but our room is surprisingly sturdy.
The new day breaks to a beautiful day, no clouds and no wind.
Well we survived, and I am brave now, saying I wish it had been a really bad one, just to have the experience!
