I joined an 8 day package tour to Yunnan and Hainan from 30 Aug to 6 Sep 2024. When we arrived in Haikou Hainan on 4 Sep, the tropical storm from the Philippines had morphed into a super typhoon about to hit Haikou on 6 Sep. All flights out of Haikou on 6 Sep were cancelled and all modes of transportation were halted on 5 Sep to facilitate safety preparation. My youngest son hoped I could attend his army basic training passing out parade on 7 Sep and we had also planned and booked an overseas holiday together from 8 to 13 Sep. The return flight rebooked by the airlines was scheduled so far out to 11 Sep as all flights from Haikou back to Singapore from 7 to 10 Sep were fully booked. Knowing the near impossible odds of making it to the parade on 7 Sep and going on our overseas holiday on 8 Sep as well, I prayed to the Lord anyway that somehow the impossible could happen.
In this package tour, the owner of the travel agency also joined us surprisingly. He checked on a possible flight to return from Sanya in the south away from Haikou in the north. (See the path of the super typhoon Yagi.) He made a quick decision to transfer us down to Sanya on the 5 Sep. We were actually on the way to drop one couple who preferred to stay in Haikou and in the nick of time, we made a U turn back to Sanya and as a result, we avoided a lockdown on all modes of transportation out of Haikou on the 5 Sep. And he managed to get seats on the Cambodian Airways 12.50 pm flight out of Sanya on 7 Sep. I prayed that the Sanya airport would be opened to allow inward flights on 7 Sep morning or the 12.50pm flight would be cancelled too and that would nullify the alternative effort. And it was a direct 3 hour flight back to Singapore. Had there be a stopover in Cambodia, I would have also missed the passing out parade held at 5 pm.
Hallelujah ! All thanks to the Lord for answering my prayer to clear all obstacles. I made it to the passing out parade on time. The ceremony was held in a stadium just 10 mins away from the airport.
PS – Another typhoon was on the way to Shanghai when my son and I were in Shanghai from 8 to 13 Sep. We left before the typhoon hit Shanghai in 75 years on 16 Sep 2024. I would normally rest for a few days before embarking on another trip and not immediately the next day after returning on 7 Sep. Had our holiday been delayed to 13 to 18 Sep, our holiday would be ruined due to the arrival of the Bebinca super typhoon on 16 Sep 2024. All thanks and glory to our Lord !
