31-Day Philippine Loop: EP 9 San Fernando, Bukidnon, Mindanao 🇵🇭

We are Jax and Amado living our dream to drive around the world! In episode 9, the Bahay Cruiser takes us from the Taalandig Community deeper into Mindanao and the ancestral domains of San Fernando, Bukidnon—a rugged highland territory preserved by the Tigwahanon Manobo and Matigsalug people. Traveling alongside the legendary musician and cultural icon Datu Alimuwan, we leave modern borders behind to experience a side of the Philippines that most travelers will never see. Our journey begins along the winding mountain roads, tasting the pure abundance of the highlands. We stop to source locally produced volcanic coffee and premium highland milk, before pulling over to eat where the locals eat at a roadside carinderia serving fresh bluefin tuna and hearty chicken menudo. From there, Datu Alimuwan guides us down a hidden footbridge trail into a village to meet a master craftsman of the Kudlung (Kuglung)—the sacred two-stringed Indigenous boat lute. Fresh off being a featured artist at the government-sponsored Tigwahanon Tumoan Kalibolongan (a grand tribal festival of unity and thanksgiving), the master shares his music with us and makes the decision to pass one of his hand-carved instruments into Amado’s care. Back at the road, we open up the camper to give the amazed village community their very first tour of a house on wheels. Finally, we leave our modern machines at the base of the mountain for a steep, vertical climb using handmade bamboo railings to reach Datu Alimuwan’s personal mountain sanctuary. Above the clouds, we share a sacred meal of fresh fish soup seasoned with wild herbs gathered from his yard, while the Datu meticulously tunes Amado’s new Kudlung, filling the mountain air with raw, unvarnished, and powerful ancestral songs. This is overlanding at its deepest—sharing spaces, preserving heritage, and connecting across worlds. *** 🌍 ABOUT NULLA CRUISING We are Jax and Amado. We are crossing oceans, overlanding the African bush in "Nulla" our 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser and the Philippine Islands in our custom 1989 Isuzu Rodeo named "Bahay Cruiser." We share the reality of our global overlanding here! 🎵 MUSIC & AUDIO NOTICE: All music, instrumentals, and singing featured in this video were recorded live on-site with the direct performance, presence, and permission of Datu Alimuwan and the Tigwahanon master craftsman in San Fernando, Bukidnon. No studio tracks or third-party copyrighted materials were used. 📌 FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY: Subscribe to Nulla Cruising for more raw, cultural overlanding adventures across the Philippines! FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA:   / nullacruising     / nulla.cruising     / nullacruising   LISTEN TO NULLA CRUSING MUSIC: https://nullacruising.bandcamp.com #overlandingphilippines #mindanao #travelphilippines #jaxandamado