Warning: This post is photo-heavy!
It took me a week to post the awesome trailing adventure with out-and-out adventurers Jeena Llamas, Jason Afable Luengo, Jacq Yu, Jun and Mylene Flores, Isabelle, and Jeena’s twin daughters Isis and Sabrina. If the names ring a bell, it is because Jeena and Jacq were in Amazing Race Asia, and Jeena, Jason and Jun are from the Philippine paragliding team for the SEA Games. There’s a cute story behind Jeena’s finding Adams. I’m really grateful to Gillian Caballero, A-list photographer Melvyn Calderon’s niece, who was in Adams with Melvyn before the new year (BlauEarth story here).
This travel and adventure post is morphing into a motoring post. It will look like a tie-up with Toyota, hell yeah, the FJ Cruiser meets the Land Cruiser Series 75 and the legend extends to the Laoag Sand Dunes, home of the Ilocos sand adventure, with LEAD’s pimped Land Cruisers.
Did you catch Adams on the frontpage story of Yahoo Philippines at the start of the new year? Adams made the top 15 PH destinations to visit in 2015 (story here). I was not surprised, I’ve been blogging about this heaven on earth since day one. LEAD Movement and yours truly are so happy other bloggers have reached as far as the northernmost Cordillera mountains where the once obscure town is quietly resting.
Mallards at Saud Beach Resort, where we met Jeena and company..
Jason Afable Luengo is the creative soul behind Tribu and Headware.
Adams. I don’t know what to call a person who will not love this timeless town up North. Isis says Adams is her second most favorite place. And AOTW, Jeena says, they can’t get the whole Ilocos experience out of their hearts and minds, with an exclamation point. (So sweet of you, Jeena.)
The Baset Bridge, the longest hanging bridge in Ilocos Norte.
Meet Mang Kiko Jun Flores, Singapore’s Top 10 Filipino Entrepreneurs. With wife Mylene and daughter Isabelle.
The clear jade Bulo River.
Paul Acupan and son Paolo at the Lover’s Peak, a famous spot named by LEAD Movement member Boyet Leano.
Adams is also known to be the producer of premium bugnay wine in these parts. We did wine tasting and also bought indigenous coffee.
Bugnay wine aging.
Tadek dancing to the beat of the gong. A mini Iyapayao cultural show was performed by the cute teeners from the Adams High School. 
Move over chicken joy, 2-way forest frogs for dinner.
Isis and Sabrina and Mylene’s Isa spent the night quietly in Jeena’s FJ Cruiser and tent.
Jeena, Jacq and Jason.
Adams’ new product — baraniw (lemongrass) juice concentrate.
Teresa and Susan Basingan, two of the original mountain guides of the AMO (Adams Mountaineering Org) trained by LEAD-DOT Regional Ofiice and SMOC’s (Sierra Madre Outdoor Club’s) Pio Munoz in 2005. 
Brandon’s photo op with FHM’s 100 sexiest, Jacq Yu.
Check out LEAD Movement’s fave comfy homestay in Adams. It’s named Mama Anna’s.
Head lamps on.
With fondest thanks to Jeena, Jacq, Jason, Jun, Mylene, Isis, Sab and Isa.
Photographed by Brandon Tan, Paul Acupan and Blauearth.
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