A Frightening Experience

In 1996 I visited San Andres island in Colombia. My family and I were staying in a hotel just opposite the beach. We were having a wonderful time there when a lovely breeze became a strong and fast wind. Since it had been announced through loudspeakers that a hurricane was approaching, everybody started rushing around sealing the hotel windows and placing sand bags on the ground in order to prevent water from the sea coming into the hotel. Suddenly, as the wind began blowing even harder, guests were told to go and stay in their rooms under their beds. We were also warned against walking around the hotel garden because a coconut may fall on our heads, causing a severe injury. Despite being scared to death, I was brave enough so as to open our room door and record part of the disaster with my video camera. It was hard to believe believe how huge waves had become. We stayed all that awful day long in our room waiting for the violent hurricane to go away. On the following day, luckily safe and sound, we could witness the trail of devastation it had left and know that the eye of it had been in Nicaragua.


SPARKLING