At home in Baclayon

It has been raining a lot in Manila. The other day and the day before was a really strong downpour in the afternoon, then yesterday was a really frightening thunderstorm. Today was rain and rain and more rain from morning to afternoon.

Well, it is the rainy season.

But it was different in Bohol, at least in Baclayon where we stayed. The rain is not as violent - sometimes in the early morning, sometimes in the middle of the day, but not like an endless river as here in Manila.

The sound of the rain is also different, because in Baclayon there is more soil and foliage, the rain falls on soft surface and not concretized ground. Many houses are also made of wood or nipa and thus the rain falls on soft roofs rather than galvanized iron sheets. The sound of rain pouring at sea also has its strange comforting sound, a bit frightening in he beginning because the sound seemed to amplify the sound of the wind.

I have learned to love the sound of rain in Manila. I have even learned to love the endless pouring, not of drops, but of buckets and buckets of rain. As a child, I also found it fun and exciting whenever it rained really hard and flooded the house. Luckily, floods didn’t turn life-threatening.

The wind in Baclayon can be quite strong. I remember during my stay in the convento the evening wind would come in from the sea. Our friend Evelyn advises that if you stay in a nipa house to keep the windows open in the event of a typhoon lest the winds carry your house away!

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