Is it a vacation or an episode of fear factor? Sawsan and Richard, mates from the ACS Beirut days, flew over to see us from Bangkok where they're currently teaching (though on their way to NYC next year!). Sandy beaches? Foo-foo drinks? Nah, they didn't get off that easy. Well, in our defense, neither of those treats are exactly scarce in Thailand, either, so we decided to give them a taste of something more unique to the Philippines--the rice terraces of Batad. And, yes, if you know my best friend and maid of honor, Sarah Mueller Carey, these are the rice terraces she accuses me of almost killing her on. (Okay, okay, so she did need emergency surgery in Texas for a deep vein thrombosis right when she got off the plane...I said I was sorry...
sheesh.) Now, I didn't get to go this time (hence the Thornleys are still alive), but Stephen accompanied them on the sometimes harrowing hike through the rice terraces.
Sure, it was a lot of work, but Thornley had to walk off his Oreo Madness lunch from T.G.I. Friday's. Richard is a vegetarian, but when we knew him in Beirut, he was one of the unhealthiest vegetarians alive. You see, he had this one itty-bitty,
tiny problem with vegetarianism--he didn't like vegetables. He was commonly known to order an Oreo Madness for
dinner. Since then, however, he hasn't been able to find this lovely delicacy in any worldwide Fridays--but you just know the Philippines had to have it. It was a lovely reunion. (Thornley does eat veggies now, thanks to the healthy influence of his wife, chef Sawsan. I think she added a good 20 years to his life expectancy and is otherwise too good for him in many, many ways.)
It was a great visit and we thank them for coming. Jaya especially gives Sawsan two paws up for overcoming her fear of canines to stay with us. (If you lived through the Lebanese civil war, chances are you'd be a bit wary of dogs, too. It's not a pretty story.) We had not seen these folks in about eight years, but it was like we all had never left Beirut. We even rang Rich and Naomi Rangi on Skype, who are settling into the hectic pace of parenthood three times over! I think a larger ACS reunion is in order soon. We are willing to host, and promise not to put forced marches through the Philippine wilderness on the agenda. Come on, you can trust us...
(All photos care of Rich and Sawsan. They have a real digital camera that beats the pants off my cell phone.)
Is it a vacation or an episode of fear factor? Sawsan and Richard, mates from the ACS Beirut days, flew over to see us from Bangkok where they're currently teaching (though on their way to NYC next year!). Sandy beaches? Foo-foo drinks? Nah, they didn't get off that easy. Well, in our defense, neither of those treats are exactly scarce in Thailand, either, so we decided to give them a taste of something more unique to the Philippines--the rice terraces of Batad. And, yes, if you know my best friend and maid of honor, Sarah Mueller Carey, these are the rice terraces she accuses me of almost killing her on. (Okay, okay, so she did need emergency surgery in Texas for a deep vein thrombosis right when she got off the plane...I said I was sorry...sheesh.) Now, I didn't get to go this time (hence the Thornleys are still alive), but Stephen accompanied them on the sometimes harrowing hike through the rice terraces. 
Sure, it was a lot of work, but Thornley had to walk off his Oreo Madness lunch from T.G.I. Friday's. Richard is a vegetarian, but when we knew him in Beirut, he was one of the unhealthiest vegetarians alive. You see, he had this one itty-bitty, tiny problem with vegetarianism--he didn't like vegetables. He was commonly known to order an Oreo Madness for dinner. Since then, however, he hasn't been able to find this lovely delicacy in any worldwide Fridays--but you just know the Philippines had to have it. It was a lovely reunion. (Thornley does eat veggies now, thanks to the healthy influence of his wife, chef Sawsan. I think she added a good 20 years to his life expectancy and is otherwise too good for him in many, many ways.) 
It was a great visit and we thank them for coming. Jaya especially gives Sawsan two paws up for overcoming her fear of canines to stay with us. (If you lived through the Lebanese civil war, chances are you'd be a bit wary of dogs, too. It's not a pretty story.) We had not seen these folks in about eight years, but it was like we all had never left Beirut. We even rang Rich and Naomi Rangi on Skype, who are settling into the hectic pace of parenthood three times over! I think a larger ACS reunion is in order soon. We are willing to host, and promise not to put forced marches through the Philippine wilderness on the agenda. Come on, you can trust us...
(All photos care of Rich and Sawsan. They have a real digital camera that beats the pants off my cell phone.)
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