I arrived in the Philippines not knowing what to expect. I packed my gear and my bicycle and quickly drafted a plan to leave the city of Manila and head to Northern Luzon. I had gotten in touch with Valerie, who lives in Baguio, and she had offered to ride together in the Cordillera mountains for a few days. And what a great idea that was. Sharing the road with her was a lot of fun, and as a local, she gave me such a valuable introduction to the country. After a few days on the road together, I felt confident enough to continue on my own, discovering more of the provinces. Come with me on my first days on the road, riding from Manila through Benguet, Mountain Province, and Ifugao, and discovering a lesser-known side of this beautiful country.
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During the first week of each video, I disabled mid-roll ads to ensure a more immersive experience. If you’d like to support my storytelling, you can do so by donating via Super Thanks here on YouTube.
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Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belletoscan
Follow Valerie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeridess_
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Check out the route in Northern Luzon: https://www.komoot.com/tour/2740769180?share_token=aJ3D2rOzpHkZbsM9mYSWAQajPHW50gFMTOlUdthkXgmFSm9Rpa&ref=wtd
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My affiliate links:
– Get a 15% discount on ALL Ultralight Helinox gear (automatically applied at checkout): https://bit.ly/4226Bgi
– Get a 5-10% discount on HOLAFLY, my trusted e-SIM company: https://holafly.sjv.io/556oJo
– My favorite bike mount (from Peak Design): https://peak-design.pxf.io/q4gnOq
– Get a 10% discount on DEHANCER, the Colour Grading Plugin I use: https://www.dehancer.com/ (use BELLETOSCAN at checkout)
My partner’s links:
Tout Terrain Outback: https://tout-terrain.de/en/bikes/x.ov…
Gates Carbon belt: https://www.gates.com/bicycle
Pinion gearbox: https://pinion.eu/en/
Ortlieb bags: https://www.ortlieb.com/en_us
Schwalbe tires: https://www.schwalbe.com/en/start
Wechsel camping gear: https://wechsel-tents.de/
26 Comments
I love your reflections on your experience. I am glad that you explored the road less taken by many foreigner vloggers. The Philippines has so much to offer. Wishing you another great adventure to the south – Visayas and Mindanao.
Wow, Belle. Thank you for this. What a beautiful video you’ve delivered and a fresh perspective. I love how you do your storytelling. Simple, real and most importantly…. present. Thank you for embodying presence in exploring our beautiful land, Philippines. It is rare for me to see a video about my country where poverty porn or the typical tourist spots is not the content and you did exactly that. Thanks very much! I cant wait to see more videos of you. Cheers 🎉❤
Have fun and take care!
Just Subscribe here! I love tough Cycle Gurl!
I'll follow your travel here in the philippines! Praying for your safety and that you have fun, make great memories and meet awesome people!
take care ladies 🚴🚴
Wow. Ur amazing! 🎉
What brand of bag do u use?
I'm a Filipino Doctor who has lived and worked in California for 20 years and watching videos like this that shows the beauty of my country and it's people makes me cry. It saddens me that the extreme corruption of our government has turned my beautiful country into a place of despair for a lot of my countrymen instead of a place of beauty and comfort for the soul. Thank you for showcasing my beloved country in a way that most westerners never have. Take care, enjoy, and God bless
I hear a lot of good things about Valerie from other vloggers like you. I wish she also has a Youtube channel.
Great video by the way. I love how you focus more on the story rather than on cinematography.
pinag babawal ng teknik ah
Two types of travel less expences or more expences.
It ok to start down you mis enjoy travel you learn more don't scared..
Baguio using bike vs very hard this road is to much higher
Fantastic. You have a new subscriber. I visited the Philippines last year. It was a month I will never forget. Now you have put the thought in my mind about bike touring in the country.
Are you planning the Philippine loop?
for your south trip you should definitely try LOMI in Batangas
Maganda Kasi may Kasama KA na Filipino 😂❤ nice Trip very tired 😂😂
I am also a biker and seeing you bikepacking alone in a foreign road, made me curious of what would be life travelling with you virtually. I'm from Davao City,hoping to see you here soon. But for now, I have to follow your journey if you're planning to do the Phil. loop
welcome to Philippines po
Be careful..new subs❤
Good luck keep you safe 😊
I have no business watching a cycling video. But the gorgeous landscapes and amazing storytelling got me tuned in. Love your adventure. Some cool shots. Good shout starting in Baguio
Spain enslaved Philippines for hundreds of years
beautifully crafted video!
Love how you tell stories ❤
Was this filmed during the Philippine Summer season? If so, then that's impressive coz the summer heat of the Philippines is no joke.
That's like travelling in the middle of the desert.