The pandemic locked down many and made them homebodies. But in 2022, married couple Celine and Dennis Murillo left home and spent more than a year on the road, traveling around the Philippines in a camper van they called Eli. They shared their awe at the wonders of the country on YouTube before Celine began a Tiktok series on the native trees and plants they saw on their journeys.

In this first part of her conversation with Howie Severino, Celine talks about the practicalities of life on the road – where did they shower and go to the toilet, did they ever feel unsafe, how did they earn a living?

Solving those issues enabled her to produce unique educational content about Philippine biodiversity, including showing live specimens of colorful species depicted in monochrome on the country’s money (“Saribuhay sa Salapi”).

Celine explains that focusing on the nation’s native species is part of her mission to “decolonize” the public’s view of nature.