While planning we were faced with the choice of the Ambacang or at a Homestay (it's a home/hostel). We decided during the last few days at home that we would go to the Homestay to save money. We were also deciding on how long to stay in Padang and when to go to Muara Labuh. We decided that we wanted to spend the bulk of our time up there and then spend the last three days in Padang. A friend’s acquaintance has been in touch with us and had someone drive us up there. We arrived around 3pm or so. The gempa happened around 5pm.
I was taking pictures on a common area balcony overlooking the main road and the mountains. Really, I was just really playing around with the camera. King was inside our room. I had been dizzy from all the traveling we’d been doing and from jet lag. So I was just thinking that it was me being light headed, but it didn’t stop. King told me he was yelling my name and ran out to get me. He grabbed my hand and we started to run down the stairs. Before we got to the bottom a three foot vase fell and broke and blocked the path we should have taken to get out. We went around the side of the hotel and went through their kitchen to get to the open area near a field at the back of the hotel. King was barefoot.
It was just too uncanny that the two countries we were in both experienced a natural disaster. We looked at each other after we got to safety and looked at each other and couldn't help but let out a little laugh. I felt bad, though, after I looked at the people around us and saw how afraid they were. During the earthquake one man was running the same way we were in front of us and he was praying to All ah while I, on the other hand, was praying to Jesus to save us.
We had no idea what the devastation was or where the epicenter was because the people I was talking to couldn't really understand nor speak much English. In addition to that we were without electricity, water, or cell signal that evening and into the next morning. We wanted first to get a hold of the people we knew in Padang and couldn't.
The news the next morning broke our hearts and freaked us out as we still did not hear from anyone.
(More later...I'm soooo hungry!)
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