A Filipina's Epic Road Trip - Lost In The Carolinas

Pea spends a day in North Carolina exploring an apple orchard with quirky activities, trying authentic western North Carolina barbecue from a food truck, and learning to throw axes at a Hendersonville venue. Along the way she gets lost in a five-acre corn maze, fires apples out of a cannon, belts out songs in a singing silo, and experiences the warmth of Southern hospitality firsthand.

Granddad's Apples orchard ​

• The orchard features a corn maze, cow train, apple cannon, freshly baked goods, and apple cider
• Pea examines the pumpkins and notes how different they are from Filipino pumpkins, which are "short and flat and wide and sometimes greenish brown"
• She browses the store: jelly beans, preserves, apple butter, red hot pepper jelly — notes that in the Philippines they don't do a lot of preserves except for strawberry jams in Baguio up north
• The variety of apple types overwhelms her — she only recognizes Fuji, which is the only kind available in the Philippines
• She mentions that ever since arriving in the Carolinas, people have been subtly looking at her — not staring, but noticing: "One of these things is not like the others." She compares it to how foreigners feel when visiting the Philippines

Lost in the corn maze ​

• The maze is roughly five acres and she gets genuinely turned around
• Her navigation strategy: "Always take the right because it's always the right way" — but this fails and she suspects she's going in circles
• She jokes about it being "the corn-ew version of The Shining"
• Eventually switches to going left: "Keep going left — except in politics here in the South"
• Notes the Philippines has cornfields but has never turned them into entertainment mazes

The singing silo ​

• She discovers a silo with great acoustics meant for aspiring singers to practice
• Belts out snippets of several songs including "Cups" (When I'm Gone), a Celine Dion song ("It's All Coming Back to Me Now"), and the Outlander theme ("Sing Me a Song")
• Says she wants to build one at home so she can hold private concerts without embarrassment

Cornhole ​

• She tries the game for the first time after seeing locals play it throughout the South
• Gets one bag in the hole; notes the irony of the name: "I don't know what that's got to do with corn because there is no corn here"

The weeping willow tree ​

• She's captivated by an enormous weeping willow she's never seen before — asks locals to identify it
• Describes the leaves swaying like crying, finds it soothing and beautiful
• Wonders if they'd survive in the Philippines but suspects they need cold weather

Apple cannon ​

• She fires apples out of a large cannon at the orchard
• A local gives her tips: let the pressure build up for more distance and speed
• She makes a mess but lands one shot — declares it "better than any arcade"

Western North Carolina barbecue from the Smoke a Little Smoke food truck ​

• This is Pea's very first food truck meal — she notes the Philippines has sidewalk vendors but not food trucks
• The owner explains the two styles of North Carolina barbecue:
  • Eastern: vinegar-based sauce, usually whole hog cooked for ~20 hours smothered in vinegar sauce
  • Western: sweet sauce, molasses-based (similar to Memphis style), using pork butt cooked separately
• He clarifies that "pork butt" isn't actually the butt — the term comes from the 10-pound wooden barrel ("butt") containers they were shipped in historically
• Secret recipe details: his sauce base is cherry Dr Pepper; he uses ground-up Jack Daniel's whiskey barrels in his smoker for flavor (no actual alcohol, just the wood from aged barrels)
• Pea orders the "chicken cow pig" — smoked chicken, pulled pork, and beef sausage
• The owner gives her the meal for free — she's repeatedly overwhelmed by Southern generosity
• Her verdict: "The meat is so smoky, it melts inside my mouth. The sauce — perfect. It complements the meat."

Ax throwing at Timber in Hendersonville ​

• The owner (Hope) explains ax throwing originated in Canada — Canadians had lots of free time in winter and wanted an indoor activity; it spread south through the U.S.
• Historical roots in Viking and Scottish games, now modernized as a paid recreational activity
• Two ax sizes: large (recommended for beginners due to head weight helping it stick) and small (harder because it's lightweight and easy to over-rotate)
• Technique: one foot forward, come straight over your head (not beside your ear), extend arms straight out; for the small ax, hold at the base and bring it back like a baseball throw
• They serve alcohol (beer, cider, wine) and monitor consumption closely — "We don't let it get to that point"
• They hold a Valentine's Day event called "Ax Your Ex" where people put up photos of their exes and throw axes at them — Pea loves this: "It's therapy"
• Pea struggles initially but eventually lands some throws
• She tries an "Atomic Pumpkin" beer — made with pumpkin spice and habanero chili spice

Closing ​

• Pea asks what "Tar Heel" means (North Carolina's nickname) but couldn't find the answer, asking viewers to explain in the comments
• Promotes Patreon for bonus features, exclusive videos, and chatting while she's on the road

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