Following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the Southeast Asian region on Friday afternoon, tourists spending their holidays in Bangkok, Thailand, flocked to the streets to ensure their safety after the tremors were felt in the capital city.
Among those in Thailand was Filipino National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, who took to social media to share his experience. It appears that he and his wife had to extend their stay in the city due to the earthquake’s impact.
"We were exiting a building after lunch when suddenly people started pushing us. Sobrang nagtataka kami ni misis—may hinahabol ba sila??? Maya-maya lang, ang dami nang tao sa daan! Waaaaaah happening? Wala kami makausap ng Ingles," the Filipino musician wrote.
"Anak ng pucha. Lindol ba itooooo!??? 7.3. Ang lakas. Grabiii. So ngayon hindi kami makapasok sa hotel namin. E check-out time naaaa. Meron pa kaming flight," he added.
Rushing back to their hotel room, Cayabyab and his wife quickly packed their luggage and ran to the hotel lobby in hopes of securing transportation to the airport.
"Haba pila sa elevator. We made it to our room and hurriedly put our stuff inside the maletas. Wala nang ayus-ayus. Ambilis namin makalabas ng kuwarto. Takbo ulit sa elevator, baka mahaba na naman ang hintay.
Nakababa rin sa lobby. Next hurdle: sasakyan papuntang airport!!!! Wala kaming makuhang Grab. I think tumutulong ang hotel to get us transport. Syempre challenge kung umabot kami sa airport. Next challenge is kung may flight ba na lilipad," he shared.
In a follow-up post, Cayabyab reassured friends and loved ones that he and his wife were safe and waiting for updates on their flight.
"Salamat. Ramdam ko lahat ng warm wishes ninyo. Do not worry, meron akong auto-switch na flashing in my head: ‘everything’s okay, no worries.’ This is my failsafe reaction to stressful situations—have to prevent my blood pressure from shooting up. It helps that I am already thinking of what to eat later sa airport. If we make it to the airport. E grabe naman ang company ko—Mrs. C, Ramon Eugenio, and Monique—puro mga alpha humans. E di sa isang tabi na lang ako," he wrote.
Aside from Cayabyab and his wife, musician Jugs Jugueta and his wife were also in Thailand during the earthquake but were able to fly out safely.