Filipino National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab has safely returned to the Philippines after experiencing the magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Thailand.
Taking to social media, the acclaimed musician updated his friends and loved ones, sharing his experience of the earthquake alongside his husband and their friends.
"Good morning, QC! Lunch beckons. After we survived this yesterday," he wrote on Instagram, referring to the quake. He paired the caption with photos of comforting Filipino dishes, signaling his relief at being home.
In a previous post, Cayabyab detailed the challenges they faced in leaving Thailand following the earthquake.
"8:25 PM BKK time update:
We waited four hours for our Grab transport to take us to the airport. Walaaaa! Still, we decided to just head to the airport and figure out what to do next—knowing we would surely miss our flight.
Thinking back, if there was no earthquake, we would have been at the airport much earlier. The MRT stopped operations, and all Grab and other airport transport services were unavailable because they were stuck in traffic. Kampante pa kami just waiting, pero panic time na talaga kasi hindi gumagalaw yung mga booked Grab cars.
We had a huddle to decide if we should book a hotel room for the night. I said no. I wanted to be at the airport and wait there. Besides, ayoko sa 26th floor matulog at baka meron pang earthquake.
I must say, ang galing ng staff ng hotel. Hindi sila sanay sa ganito dito sa BKK pag earthquake, pero wow, ang alaga nila sa mga tao—highly professional. Bow talaga.
So now, we are in a Grab car on the way to the airport. For sure, hindi na kami aabot sa flight, pero at least there is hope to catch the succeeding flights kahit bukas.
Malaking pasalamat ko kay Poppert—nakahanap siya ng makakatulong to help us book a Grab car from whatever available company that would accept us. (Just to remind you, we had booked quite a number that ended up canceling).
So ayan, ipinauubaya ko na sa Maykapal kung ano ang susunod na kabanata nitong adventure namin. Pumunta lang naman kami dito para kumain e."
Despite the ordeal, Cayabyab maintained his humor and gratitude, praising the hotel staff for their professionalism and expressing relief at making it home safely.