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