(keyboard clicking)
- [Mike] Basilan, Mindanao.
For years Muslim extremist groups terrorized the island.
They left scars on its people.
And scars on what it means to be Muslim.
- (speaking foreign language)
(hopeful music)
These days are coming to an end.
I met Kulas and Kumar, of BecomingFilipino,
and I was asked if I wanted to join them
to meet the Governor
of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao,
and to start cracking the shell of negativity
around this beautiful place.
(children cheering)
What I've learned in my travels
is the biggest hearts are found in the most faraway places.
So, I said yes.
This is day one, part one of discovering Basilan.
(upbeat music)
(car horn beeps)
Fearless fam, welcome to the south!
- We are back in Zamboanga, my second time here.
This guy is gonna experience a whole different
universe of the Philippines.
Another happy, cool, cultural, beautiful place.
We're over here! (laughing)
(speaking foreign language)
- Guys, I have forty-four kilos of luggage on this trip.
That's way too many kilos.
Underwater equipment, drones.
My life is in these two suitcases,
and it's forty four kilos.
Here we go.
Need only, need, hold on.
Vlog camera's gotta go.
Need both hands.
He's security! - Yeah, yeah.
- [Mike] Making sure no mice or rats
get in Zamboanga! (laughs)
- Cat security! - Cat security!
- [Kumar] Yep.
- Okay, lechon video uploading.
I've got ten minutes to shave,
and we have
a dinner
with our contacts here in Zamboanga,
planning the next few days.
I've gotta hurry because it's quite important
and I only have eight minutes.
(electric razor buzzes) We are in our hotel room.
We'll be here for a couple days.
We are about to go down
and meet our contacts here in Zamboanga,
to be able to figure out what the plan is.
They have some surprises for us,
I know Kulas has some surprises for me.
I'm trying to shave.
I've got five minutes to look presentable
and I'll probably see you in the lobby in a sec.
(upbeat electronic music)
These seaweeds are delicious!
This is almost like fish eggs.
- You've had them before, right?
Lato? - Yeah, yeah.
No, but these ones especially are very delicate.
This one is another kind of seaweed that has
coconut, shaved coconut on top.
Grated coconut.
We have kinilaw, which is like ceviche, raw fish.
- And we have dessert which is?
- Maiz con hielo. - Maiz con hielo.
Kinda like a corn based halo halo.
- [Kulas] Do you wanna hear a good joke?
- Yeah, I would love to hear a good joke.
- What do fish call this?
Maizda.
- I don't get it. - Yeah, that's alright.
- (laughs) Is that a Filipino joke?
- No, eat, the word eat, aw!
- (laughs) I'm gonna keep it in.
Guys, I'm a little bit excited.
We just finished our briefing meeting
with the governor, Mujiv, who is main contact here,
who is the-- - Yeah,
he is my friend! (laughs)
- His close friend, the governor of the AR...
- Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
- ARMM. - ARMM,
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
- And actually, I'll interrupt quickly.
The first and only time I've ever been to Basilan,
I'd never put it on video,
but it was also, he was my contact.
I usually wouldn't talk politics or anything,
but it's the best way to learn
in this part of the Philippines,
is to know people who help govern it, as well.
I mean, that's how we can become educated.
That's why I think it's the right thing
if I'm taking you here, as well,
that you're protected correctly,
and you understand the situation, and yeah, it's cool!
- Well, I think especially,
we talked about this a bit tonight,
but if you're a local tourist,
like a Filipino tourist, there's not much risk here.
- No, no actually you're fine. - You're fine.
As a foreign tourist,
there has been a history of kidnapping,
but, that's a while ago.
Either way you'd want a good contact,
and Mujiv is a really good contact. (laughs)
- And realistically too, it's still isolated,
so even though these things do exist,
the kidnappings and there has been bad things in the past,
like we learned in there, there's only 59% from Basilan,
And then, mostly, it's civilian, you know.
It's just not really, so again,
it's just the kind of thing where
yes, there are some bad people around
but did you know there's almost
half a million people who live there?
- Yeah, so 50 bad ones
in half a million. - There you go.
So I mean, it's just taking precaution.
For us because we're foreign nationals,
who create media especially.
But if you're Filipino, come hang out!
No problem man.
See you man. - Alright,
so we have an early morning, sunrise start
to take a ferry from Zamboanga City to Basilan.
And I haven't, I've barely slept in three days,
so I'm gonna call it a night,
these guys are gonna call it a night,
and we'll pick it up in the morning.
- Sleep Well! - Goodnight guys.
(door lock beeping) (door clicks open)
Oh, ho, ho!
You and me, little lady,
(door closes)
(fingers rustle on sheets) have a date!
(groaning)
Sunrise!
And one of the best feelings
of being a traveling YouTuber is going to bed,
pressing upload on slow wi-fi,
and the video finishing overnight.
(Mike simulates explosion noises)
Here we go.
Watch these guys, come on.
These guys are so strong!
We are now leaving Zamboanga City to go to Basilan.
The capitol actually, Isabela.
We'll be on a fast ferry and crossing over the ocean.
On this trip I have no expectations.
All I know is my mind is gonna be blown.
We have to be a little bit careful,
and the people here are incredibly nice.
(upbeat music)
Kumar is having a religious experience over there.
- Woo!
- [Mike] He's making bedroom noises about the coffee.
(laughter)
Woo, oh! - Yeah.
- (laughs) We are at Basilan Business Cafe.
Business Hotel at the Cafe, and we are having some coffee.
Apparently coffee here is top notch.
I drink a lot of coffee everywhere, all over the world,
and I've never smelled any coffee like this before.
It's a little bit too hot.
- [Kumar] It's very good.
Strong. - Really strong.
- Strong brew. - But
a really interesting taste too, it's very different.
Mm, it tastes like beans.
Like bean beans.
Like beans you would eat.
- Yeah. - Oh, it's good though.
♪ Bangus! ♪ (laughter)
- Bangus, full breakfast!
It is a breakfast of champions.
- [Kumar] Breakfast of champions, man!
- This is the smoked Bangus and coffee.
Do you think it's halal?
- It is very halal.
- It's very halal. - I can't stop eating
with my hands in this country.
I just like it so much more.
Who needs forks and knives?
Who needs tenedors and cochillos?
- Cucharas. - Cucharas!
- (laughs) Cuchillos!
Let's go. (motorcycle revs)
(upbeat music)
Okay, we've just got on a small local boat
to go to Malamawi island and see Malamawi Beach,
also called White Beach. (boat motor purrs)
There seems to be a lot of white beaches in Philippines!
We've been assigned some security personnel.
Not because it's dangerous, because we are foreigners
and we're quite high-profile, given our job,
which is posting everything we do online! (laughs)
These are mostly Bajau people who live on the ocean.
The cool thing about this area, it's a melting pot
of so many different cultures.
(upbeat music)
And here we are, land ho!
Malamawi Island. (boat engine purrs)
This is our van. (laughs)
So, usually when people come to Basilan,
they would come to this beach.
This beach is quite famous.
- Yes, this is the tourist spot.
Basically what happens is,
people take that boat from Zamboanga to Isabela,
like we did this morning. - Yeah.
- Then they go to the pier there.
- Yeah? - Pay 5 pesos,
hop on a bunka, a small boat,
come over here, hop on a motorbike, a Habal-Habal,
and then go to this beach we're going.
This is the tourist spot.
If you're Filipino you can come here, absolutely.
- The, like the tourist spot.
How many tourist spots are there?
Not very many?
- Well, there's actually a lot of beautiful places here.
- Yeah. - I've never really
experienced them, so I don't know yet.
But, this is the one that is most well-known,
and most protected, and most local.
So, there's never been any problems in Malamawi, ever.
Like, if you're Filipino, come here, honestly.
There's no problem whatsoever.
- And last night you called it the Boracay of Mindanao.
- Boracay of Basilan!
- Boracay of Basilan.
- Although, I don't wanna compare though!
(laughter) I never been to Boracay.
This is just Basilan, no need to even say Boracay.
This is Basilan. - Fair enough.
- Malamawi, white sand, perfect water,
and we're lucky it's not raining.
- Yeah the weather's cleared up.
- The weather is clear.
It was meant to be, Kuya.
(upbeat music)
- I'm trying to change into my bathing suit,
and I went to go put my bathing suit up here
and then walked into
this giant spider. (laughs)
Oh my God, wow!
I think he's angry, but he's beautiful.
We'll just, we'll let him do his thing.
Be careful in the bathrooms.
(suspenseful music)
(group cheering)
(laughing and cheering)
There was a million fish down there,
and you can't see it on the GoPro.
Actually, you know what?
Let's get in the water!
Let's go for a swim and explore.
(upbeat music)
Three, two, one!
(water splashing)
(bubbling) (upbeat music)
Fam, I've only been here for a day, but I love it!
These are the kind of adventures
(laughs) that make me smile.
We're in for some good things.
We're in for some cool things.
Let's stop hiding under the bridge like a troll,
(laughs) and go find Kulas and Kumar!
And you guys speak Tropicana?
- Yeah. - A little bit.
- Si, can you teach me some Tropicana?
- Tropicana. - Tropicana.
How do I say what is your name?
- (speaking foreign language)
- (repeating foreign phrase)
- (speaking foreign language)
- Ah, so it's a bit like Spanish, yeah?
- Exactly. - Si.
- Si. - Si.
- In Spanish it's (speaking foreign language).
- (repeating foreign phrase)
- [Mike] In Spanish, yeah.
Okay, okay and how about, Basilan is beautiful?
- (speaking foreign language)
- Huh? - (speaking foreign language)
- [Mike] (repeating foreign phrase)
- Yeah. - This is
for all my Mexican subscribers who are literally
on the other side of the planet right now.
You can come to Basilan, you can come to Zamboanga.
- Zamboanga! - Zamboanga,
and you can speak Spanish here,
'cause it's called-- - Broken Spanish.
- Broken Spanish, called Tropicana.
- Tropicana language.
- How do you say nice to meet you in Tropicana?
- Uh... (laughter)
- Wait, wait, uh... (laughter)
- Okay, how about the-- - Exactly I don't know!
- [Mike] Thank you very much?
- (speaking foreign language) - (repeating foreign phrase)?
The same in Spanish.
Alright, thanks guys! (laughs) - Thank you!
- [Man] A groufie!
- Groufie, what's a Groufie?
A group selfie?
- Selfie! - Filipinos
love their selfies. - Yes, exactly!
- A groufie!
It's my first time hearing the word groufie.
Yakan food, what do we got?
We got... - This is purtoo.
- [Mike] Purtoo?
- Yeah. - What is purtoo?
- Cassava. - Cassava.
We have two kinds of fish, and we have this one?
- [Man] This one is pule.
- Pule? - Pule ti no no.
- [Mike] Pule ti no no, and this one same?
- Yeah, same. - And this is?
This is, this is, um...
- [Man] Kinilaw, kinilaw.
- [Mike] Kinilaw, what's, sardine?
- Uh, bangalao. - Bangalao, is that sardine?
- Yeah, sardine. - Uh huh,
like pickled sardine.
Pickled sardine!
Cafe de Basilan, mwah!
This guy's favorite drink, cafe de Basilan!
- Cafe de Basilan. - Ooh, ooh!
Wait, which one is American sauce?
(laughter)
- [Mike] The soy sauce, which one?
- [Man] Is this for sasawan, or for the isda?
- It's for sasawan! - Aw nice.
(men speaking foreign language)
- It's good, it's chewy.
Tastes good!
In the next episode, we discover Langas Island,
and find a traditional Filipino war helmet.
I lose a basketball game.
I miss every shot.
And we speak about what the first day
on Basilan was actually like.
Super excited, and super impressed and super!
My heart is just overflowing
with happiness and love that we're getting here
on day one in Basilan.
(contemplative music)