PADANG, Indonesia - The last 48 hours have been bewildering. A series of natural disasters across the Asia Pacific has left us scrambling to cover diverse disasters.

CNN's cameraman Mark Phillips, producer Andy Saputra and survivor John Lee chat in a hospital.

First Tropical Storm Ketsana left Manila 80 percent underwater. So we did our best to get there as soon as possible. But almost no sooner had we arrived than an earthquake and tsunami hit the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa.

Frantic calls to various travel agents followed. “How do we get there? Via Seoul?? 35 hours???! You’ve got to be kidding.”

As we were making plans, Ketsana smashed into Vietnam. As other CNN crews were dispatched from Indonesia to Vietnam, suddenly news of another huge earthquake in Sumatra.

It meant we had a logistical nightmare to get to all of our equipment across the other side of the region in double quick time.

A flight through Singapore, Jakarta (endless delayed flights) and finally Padang got us to the heart of the latest crisis.

As our plane glided in over the city I could see the ribbons of light along the roads, but in between, there was dark emptiness. The entire city was blacked-out. Only a few buildings had backup generators. It made live television broadcasts very, very tricky. We had our own portable generator but could bring gasoline on a plane, and now the queue for fuel was two to three hours at the local gas station.

We managed to get a few live shots in the bag before finally our batteries died. Then like the residents of Padang, we too were feeling our way through the night. We found a half-built hotel, which had been slightly damaged. The owner was reluctant to let us stay inside because of the risk of aftershocks, ¬so we instead caught a couple of hours sleep in his bus in the parking lot.

Daylight enabled us to get a much better view of the damage. It’s bizarrely random, as it always seems to be in earthquakes. Some buildings are standing intact, others folded in on themselves.

There is one incident that will stick in my mind forever. It was the incredible story of John Lee. The 55-year-old Singaporean coal trader had been in Padang on business when suddenly his meeting was plunged into darkness, as the quake ”exploded” around him, and before he could react, the building collapsed.

CNN cameraman Mark Phillips spotted some Indonesian rescuers trying to free him, but it seemed like a hopeless effort. They were using a hammer and chisel to try and tunnel through tons of concrete, but Mark spent hours talking to John through the rubble and trying to reassure him that he’d be alright. Watch Phillips talk with Lee, as he's trapped beneath rubble.

Mark left the scene to find out if there was more that could be done but then heard later that John had been freed from his prison of mangled wreckage. On a whim, at one in the morning, we decided to go up to the hospital to see if John was OK. And as we walked into the lobby, there he was, on a stretcher, conscious, awake and smiling.

Finally Mark got to see the man he’d presumed would surely die, and John put a face to the voice who’d given him hope when his situation seemed utterly hopeless.

Amid all this destruction, tragedy and chaos a story of survival and courage that made the last 48 hours seem thoroughly worthwhile.

I recently had the extraordinary opportunity to sit down face-to-face with three of the Bali bombers and ask them anything I liked. Since our interview, the Indonesian government has announced that their execution will take place at the beginning of November.

I have already had a lot of feedback, both positive and negative, about the interviews. A colleague who knew some of those killed in the attack felt the families would have been pleased that finally someone challenged the bombers' rationale and twisted logic. Some of the families of victims we interviewed also said they were pleased that at least someone had asked the questions they'd never had the chance to pose.

But you can't please all of the people all of the time. One viewer e-mailed me describing the interviews as irresponsible and sensationalist. I thought long and hard about whether we should be giving these men any publicity and I certainly understand those who think they should not be given the opportunity to speak. But on reflection, I honestly believe we have a duty to confront these men and counter their ideology - not least on behalf of the vast majority of Muslims who feel their religion has been hijacked by extremists.

For me one survivor, Chusnul Chotimah, summed it up. She received 60 percent burns on her body from the bomb these men planted. She's an Indonesian Muslim and says it is the bombers, not the Westerners they targeted, who are the infidels. She is incredibly grateful that we were able to show them for what they really are - they are not Islamic terrorists, they are simply criminals who have forfeited their right to call themselves Muslims.