Nightmare after the wake.

A nephew shouted at his facebook account how he got caught in Araneta Avenue during a heavy downpour last week, how flash flood suddenly happened and that he started to panic. His warning, "avoid Araneta Avenue." Remember last year's Habagat which completely submerged the Centerpoint?

Yesterday we had to be in Araneta Avenue despite overcast skies; we were visiting the wake of my godfather. Then, just when we were leaving the funeral home, rain poured cruelly. Non-stop for almost an hour.

Rainy night merienda, hot champorado at Tapa King

We avoided going back home via Ortigas Avenue and had to drop off a sister and a cousin so we took the seemingly easy route via San Juan and out to Kalentong and on to Boni Avenue. Mistake.

At the cemetery near the church, vehicles were turned away by traffic enforcers; the road leading to Boni Avenue was flooded. We decided to take Shaw Blvd. And the nightmare began.

An incline at Shaw Blvd, just after the Jose Rizal University was also flooded and we followed a detour which led to Addition Hills. There, traffic grounded to a halt.

It was like we prepared for the event; Earlier, I'd loaded a grocery bag with bottles of mineral water and biscuits: Rebisco, Skyflakes and Marie-type biscuits and we bought "ensaymada" (Philippine sweet bun) at a local bakery. The only thing missing was a commode to make life easier.

We were at Addition Hills for one hour. Both private and public vehicles used the re-route and some public utility vehicles abandoned their jeepneys by the side.

We got back to Shaw Blvd and a humungous traffic jam greeted us and stayed with us up until the brink of Pasig City. It was sorry state as commuters waited for cabs and utility vehicles to no avail; more people decided to walk home carrying their shoes and doing it barefoot.

We ended up at a Tapa King ordering bistek Tagalog (shredded beef steak on white rice)  and a hot champorado, (Philippine porridge).

It took us three and a half hours to reach home which normally would take us an hour or less.

 Philippine beef steak (bistek Tagalog) on white rice at Tapa King