• Beyond Manila,  Davao City

    The Urban Roamer’s Guide to Davao City (first of a Davao City series)

    So much has been said about Davao City, most especially about its colorful mayor and his policies that has made the city safe and admired. But, wonderful as those achievements may be, there are other facets of Davao that tend to be overlooked. More than just a city being run by a strong-willed mayor, Davao City offers some surprises of its own which has contributed to the city’s unique character. The Urban Roamer was fortunate to discover some of these bits in a trip recently to this wonderful. And since this time happens to be 78th anniversary of the founding of Davao City, this is an opportunity for a new…

  • Beyond Manila

    A Trip South of Manila: Paradizoo and Residence Inn

    Once in a while, the Urban Roamer makes it a point to get away from the urban jungle and explore some new place fora change. It was fortunate that I got to that recently thanks to the good folks at Zoomanity Group who provided this chance to go down south to two rising tourist destinations: Paradizoo in Mendez, Cavite and Residence Inn in nearby Tagaytay. Managed by the same people behind Zoobic Safari, not to mention the recently-visited Zoocobia, as can be expected in Paradizoo and Residence Inn, animals are the star here and much more to offer as well.

  • Beyond Manila

    A Trip to Boso-Boso

    As part of my work as a Wikimedia Philippines Heritage Mapping Volunteer, I took on the challenge to travel to one place in Rizal that I’ve long been interested in visiting, a place called Boso-Boso in Antipolo. (pronounced as BoSO-BoSO, not on the first syllable which would mean something else that is not pleasant to hear) One thing about Antipolo is that it has a very complicated layout in the sense that its different areas do not necessarily connect with each other in a straightforward manner. In this case, to get to Boso-Boso, one cannot go there directly from the city proper (where the famous cathedral is located) but from another part…

  • Beyond Manila

    At Zoocobia

    As the Urban Roamer is about chronicling the sights, sounds, and stories from the urban jungle and beyond, beginning with this entry, a new feature on the site will deal with those adventures outside the Metropolitan Manila area called “Beyond Manila.” Enjoy! The trip was long and the road was getting rougher as we approached our destination…we here being myself and 8 others who were invited to this tour. But it was a trip made worth it by the experience visiting one of the rising attractions up north in the Clark area in Pampanga, the Zoocobia Fun Zoo. Operated by the Zoomanity Group, the same group behind the popular attractions…