About
Mabuhay, and Welcome to the Philippines!
I’m Brian, and I made the Philippines my home over eight years ago. After spending some time in Thailand, I stumbled upon this gem of a country while roaming around Southeast Asia. I chose the Philippines because it had always been a place I wanted to visit to explore and experience all of the wonderful things I had heard and read about it.
One of my first memories after arriving in Manila from Bangkok, Thailand, was thinking, “Everyone speaks English here!” A far cry from the ‘Land of Smiles’. I instantly felt less like an outsider since I could easily converse with the friendly locals I met; no need for Google Translate. What a relief.
After immensely enjoying my vacation, I returned to Thailand, pondering my next move. Since my condo lease in Bangkok was coming to an end and my visa was about to expire, I packed my extra-large suitcase full of all of my belongings and booked a one-way ticket to Manila to embark on my next adventure.
I won’t bore you with a play-by-play of the last eight years of my life in the Philippines, but I’ll tell you this – it has (mostly) been amazing! From all my traveling throughout the country, visiting interesting and exotic places, meeting warm and friendly people, enjoying the amazing weather, and so much more.
I say “mostly” because I was in the Philippines during COVID, and that majorly sucked. I was living alone in a condo in Manila at the time, and was trapped inside a “box in the sky” for twenty-plus hours a day during the hardcore lockdowns (they were police enforced, so you better have had a really good reason to be outside!). It was an interesting period of self-reflection and discovery because being in such a situation forces you to look inward and see what you’re truly made of.
A quick story – I had been wanting to buy a bicycle for some time before the lockdowns, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. Once they started being enforced, I was more incentivized than ever to get one and regain some freedom, so I did. And ride it, I did. Sometimes racking up hundreds of miles/kilometers in a given week, I eventually decided to test myself by cycling around the Philippines’ largest lake, Laguna de Bay.
That wasn’t the plan, at least not initially. The morning of, I hopped on my bike for a ride, just like every other time. But this time, I kept pedaling and pedaling, and getting further and further away from my usual route. Eventually, I checked Google Maps to see where I was, and to my surprise, I was nearly halfway around the lake!
“There’s no use in turning back now, so I might as well go around the entire lake!” I told myself. So, I kept pedaling. Several hours and nearly one hundred miles later, I was almost home when I got a flat tire and had to take a taxi for the last few miles.
Phew…I was glad to be home.
This was just one of the countless adventures I’ve had in the Philippines (albeit impromptu). From visiting the hanging coffins of Sagada to picking strawberries in the strawberry fields near Baguio. Trekking through the jungle to a hidden waterfall near La Union, to island hopping and snorkeling in Moalboal. Hiking to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo, an active volcano, to meeting Indigenous Filipinos, and much, much, MUCH more.
My lust for travel, exploration, and adventure throughout the Philippines is insatiable and never-ending. There’s always something new to discover and get lost in.
That brings me to Lost on Luzon – my passion project that combines three of my favorite things: the Philippines, travel, exploration, adventure, and blogging (OK, five things 😅).
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m only covering Luzon (the Philippines’ largest island) and not Boracay, Palawan, Siargao Island, Dumaguete, and other popular tourist destinations. The answer is in the question: they’re all popular tourist destinations, which means a couple of things:
- There’s already a ton of (great) content on those locations.
- Since they’re popular tourist spots, they’re more commercialized, expensive, and crowded, and less authentic.
I live on Luzon at the base of an Mt. Pinatubo, active volcano (please don’t erupt again!), so the places and activities I write about are things I have done, plan on doing, and/or have researched extensively.
People visiting the Philippines often land in Manila just to catch a connecting flight to somewhere else in the country because they saw a YouTube video or read a blog. But little do they know that literally everything they’re looking to enjoy in the Philippines (white sandy beaches, warm ocean water, island hopping, diving, snorkeling, mountain towns, hidden gems, off-the-beaten-path destinations, tours, lots of palm trees, big cities, and just good ol’ fun and adventure) is on the island of Luzon.
My goal for this travel blog is to be the best resource for all things travel on Luzon for both Filipinos and international travelers alike.
Anyway, thanks for reading my blog about traveling on the island of Luzon, and enjoy!
Brian