we met up with shirley and mandy at a farm and restaurant that is one of tacloban’s best-kept secrets — san rafael. the farm’s gorgeous landscape, along with its old world decor, is the handiwork of the very family who owns and operates the place. before the photo shoot, eileen and i sat down at the restaurant with maybe 20 people for a feast that now (almost a month later) i can still taste. exquisite!

while we were eating, the bottom dropped out of the sky and beat heavily on the thatched roof over the open-air restaurant. needless to say, things didn’t look ideal for a photo shoot. but, hey, these are the tropics! so what’s a little rain, right!? shirley and mandy showed up dressed to kill, and with an amazing adventurous spirit that didn’t think twice about walking through the rain (or even wading in a pond!). so you can imagine, we had a brilliantly fun and soggy time with these two.

thanks for getting all wet with us, shirley and mandy! we loved getting to know you and having this exciting experience with you both. we wish you all the best. hope to see you again!