The session started with a simple lecture on dos and donts of travel writing and then we were assigned some independent work on writing about a ‘dream vacation.’ I didn’t have a particular destination in mind and found it more difficult to imagine a ‘fictional’ travel. So, I scribbled some notes about my last out of town trip. I’m sharing to you the article which was written for roughly 7 minutes before we had to break out into group discussion:
Braving ‘Typhoon Emong’ in Mimosa Leisure Estates We were at the Mimosa Golf and Country Club in Clark, Pampanga (about 1.5 hours drive north of Manila) when we heard about Typhoon Emong last Wednesday. There was a free wi-fi service accessible only in the reception area and that’s where we were when staff from the National Disaster Coordinating Council started pouring in. And with them, came the rains and strong winds of Typhoon Emong. Luckily, the villas at Mimosa are well-equipped to accommodate guests even through a Signal #2 typhoon. The villa where we were staying in is a two-bedroom executive suite with ample space for indoor activities. Feeding ourselves even through the storm was not so much of a challenge – you can either order from the front desk (a bit pricey!) or cook on your own with the villa’s kitchen. Aside from the lack of internet connection, being stuck in Mimosa due to a typhoon is pretty much like hanging out at home on a severe rainy day. It’s just a wee bit more expensive since it sets you back at around Php8,000 per night. But, we brought books and there’s a cable connection so we were kept abreast with the news. It turned out to be quite relaxing even if there was a big change of plans. If it wasn’t for the stormy weather, we could have done more outdoorsy stuff like swimming or golfing but hey, anything can happen when going out of town. Yes, including a typhoon.
