That dude who suddenly invaded the Philippines is celebrating the birthday of his travel blog.

When I first met this foreigner at a hostel - I didn't know he was "that guy". After forcing him to eat in a street carinderia, stroll through the red-light district of Makati during daylight, take lots of crazy selfies on roofdecks, do his own laundry with Perla soap - it took a while before I pieced the puzzle of who he really was.

Maligayang kaarawan sa iyong paglalakbay sa Pilipinas, ginoong Nathan Allen!
(Tagalog > English: Happy anniversary to your Philippine journey and travel blog!)

And YES - I WOULD DO IT AGAIN! I mean, you can turn back time so I'd know beforehand that you're one of the top travel bloggers in the world -BUT- I'd still sweet-talk you into dining in a carinderia. Or drink taho. Or talk Pinoy politics. Or tell tales about shamans (Babaylans) and supernatural places. Or bump into each other in Boracay. Or tell you that we have the best Adobo in our region. OR ...

There might be plenty of ways I could've to met you - but one thing is for sure: Your love for the Philippines and our people stays the same!

I KNOW THAT FOR SURE ...
Even if I were blind or deaf, I'd still sense his oozing love (and deep curiosity) with everything Pinoy. Well, because Nathan can't freakin' stop writing about our country! :D

So, on behalf of all ~110 million of us - let me pay tribute to Nathan's awesomeness.

Let's put that in Filipino slang.

Tingnan natin kung alam mo iyan. Ready ka na ba?

ASTIGGGGGG!

NAKS NAMAN!

GALEEEEEENG MO!

KA-LEVEL MO NA SI RIZAL!

IKAW NA!

TULOY KA LANG SA AMING BAHAY.

MANO PO!

Let's see if you got one or two of these local expressions ;-) You might be reading this now while riding a jeepney or a boat somewhere in the country. So safe travels ~ and beware of falling coconuts.

Coconuts are still the #1 killer in our country.

Support Nathan's journey in the Philippines

Nathan is in our country with no work ties to any company or agency. He's relying on his personal savings to visit and chronicle the lives of many Filipinos in different regions.

When he arrived this year, he has with him one small backpack with a set of clothes, his computer and camera. He's living the life of backpacker. Minimal is good. That doesn't mean he shouldn't eat, not pay travel expenses, or sleep in the pavement.

You can support Nathan by reading his "How you can help" page.

Samakatuwid (in other words) - before booking your accommodation, use his Agoda link: http://goo.gl/II0dED