I’m attending Redeem the Airwaves this Saturday at the Union Church in Makati. I wonder what the fastest route is for my Hyundai Getz to take to get there. I’m coming from Caloocan. EDSA to Ayala or Nagtahan-Manila-Makati? Plus, what happens if it rains?

Argh, the perils of a short car!

Driving to the church in the Philippines that I work for can be tough because I live so far away. I live in Caloocan, and my church in Taguig is in, well, Taguig. Getting there from my place means driving through Quezon City (Banawe, Nagtahan and sections of Espana/Quezon Avenue), Manila (Taft Avenue), Makati (South Superhighway or Buendia), and Paranaque (if I take Nichols). Going home, I may pass through Quiapo, including the treacherous Dangwa.

The entire route is open to floodwaters during the rainy season. Driving through these floodwaters terrifies me every single time. This is probably one of the most difficult things about owning such a small car; it gets pretty scary driving my Hyundai Getz through those floods. I remember being taught to drive at a high RPM so water doesn’t come in through the exhaust pipe and “flood the engine.” I’m not really sure what the technical reasons are behind this, but I’ve never been one to question old husbands’ tales, and hindi pa naman ako namamatayan ng makina, so I guess I must be doing something right.

Why are our exhaust pipes so low to the ground? Kakatakot!

Kayo? Do you have a hard time driving through floodwaters? Any tricks of the trade you can share?