When I moved to Cambodia a few years ago, I had to do a lot of research to find a decent place to ride my bike. My expectations were quite high as I used to spend my whole summers in the French alps MTB mecca's of Morzine and Portes du Soleil.So far I had the opportunity to explore Northern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and I must say that each exploration was very rewarding. MTB has a fast growing scene all over South East Asia and the area offers a great combination of adventure, amazing landscapes, friendly local riders sharing the same passion, genuine atmosphere and of course incredible ride.I have to admit my addiction for riding new trails and finding new spots ... I'm completely hooked as well as most of my friends , especially FT!Are the Philippines a Hell or a Paradise for MTB? Let's find out!First we had to meet in Manila home to 17 million peoples. The traffic is crazy and we felt relieved once we left the megapolis.Our ticket to Filipino Heaven.We were a little worried while driving on the highway to the north, the landscape was pretty flat and boring (from a mountain bikers point of view), then suddenly the view from the highway changed dramatically.Time to leave the fast and almost empty highway, back on the local roads, a great opportunity to have an insight on the life in the Philippines.It's pretty common for the locals to dry their rice crops on the side of the road.Go overloaded or go home! That may be the motto of many side car rider in Asia.Baguio was built in 1900 by the Americans... you can feel and see their legacy all over the main island of the Philippines, Luzon.The famous jeepney, the most popular way to commute in the Philippines.Before you jump aboard one of those pretty jeepney make sure it's heading to the right direction! You may need to learn some Tagado to communicate with the drivers.The bikes were properly loaded in the truck, Mount Ugo here we come!Unpacking and packing our stuff before starting the long climb to the summit of Mount Ugo.Last minute bike tweaking for FT.Big up to the local riding community who was eager to bring us to their favorite playground.The weather was quite cloudy which was a good thing during our long ascent but got our photographer quite frustrated.We would soon find out that this place has a great potential for us mountain bikers.From that mark we had ⅔ of the long ascent to Mount Ugo summit completed.The breathtaking view was our best motivation to this long journey.It was good to pedal up between the steepest sections were we had to lift our bikes.The landscape was sometimes confusing as it is very similar to what you would find in the south of France.Yes the climb was undoubtedly exhausting.It took us 5 long hours to reach the top of Mt Ugo.Time to ride the mountain down.As we loose altitude, the forest gets lushy and tropical.A glimpse of the exciting 17km ride downhill.Those seldom encounter with the local villagers living in such remote place reminds us that there wouldn't be any great trail riding without their input.One of the tastiest filipino snacks we had during our trip, it's actually a chinese delicacy adapted to the local taste.This first trip in the Philippines was definitively too short and we definitively need to go back to explore more. Stay tuned for more Adventures!