But where are the holds? Herein lies the beauty and the differentiator between gym climbers and rock climbers — in the gym, there’s a general beta which you can dial and repeat-send. In the outdoors, there are suggestions (from either leftover chalk residue or a book that you can purchase from the park centre) but the real skill lies is in reading the rock and trusting in your ability to top out. Think of it like a high stakes game testing your ability to real-time solve a problem in relation to your current skills and attributes, and move intuitively with confidence that you won’t fall (because falling can be dire).

Dream Chase Or Bust - Toronto, Canada.

Hands down, one of the coolest moments ever was getting to watch my cousin Dave open for one of his biggest musical idols Zel Bautista of December Avenue.

Going by David Ursolo now, I remember first meeting him as a kid in the Philippines — both energetic and full of life, it was literally like he was bred to sing.

canada, photography, photoshoot, torontoUrvil James VillaruelNovember 27, 2025portraits, musicians, music

"There's no place like Casitas!" - El Dorado Casitas Royale, Rivera Maya, Mexico.

Our second time visiting El Dorado Casitas Royale (and certainly not our last), Tara and I really wanted to know if it was just a fluke as to why we liked the place so much (essentially, chasing after a feeling we could never achieve again) or if there was something truly magical about this place. And after 10 days at the resort (granted, some say 10 days might be a lot), we are even more hooked than before!

mexico, photography, travelUrvil James VillaruelNovember 9, 2025el dorado casitas, casitas, mexico

The Difference Is In The Dose - Toronto, Canada.

The real key is understanding the ramifications of your decisions and to realizing that you do have a choice. Just because I was brought up eating Filipino food, doesn’t mean I have to make it my go-to choice for every meal. Just because heart disease, diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver are all common to Filipinos doesn’t mean I have to fall victim to these diseases. Just because I was brought up believing everyone’s body breaks down and you just have to live with disease doesn’t mean that that has to also be my fate.

Anonymity & Unlocked Doors - Toronto, Canada.

As a practicing photographer for over 10 years now (fun fact: Tara actually taught me how to shoot photography — Wab taught me how to shoot video), it never ceases to amaze me in regards to how much access and anonymity you can get just by holding a camera.

canada, torontoUrvil James VillaruelJune 19, 2025obc, events, event photography

Exploring the Ancient City of Cobá - Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

Hands down, one of the best travel recommendations I’ve received — mark my words, one day Cobá will be more famous can Chichén Itzá!

Admittedly, upon visiting the famed Chichén Itzá site I was a bit taken aback by the level of commercialization at the site and it ultimately left me feeling disinterested in checking out the second ancient site on our list, Cobá.

Countries, travel, mexicoUrvil James VillaruelApril 8, 2025mexico, coba, traveller, travel photography, travel

Same Same, But Different - Chichén Itzá, Mexico.

Having been to a number of ancient sites now (from Angkor Wat, to Giza, to Machu Picchu), it’s become a fascinating pattern to me to see how commercial these supposed “spiritual” sites have become (if you’ve ever been to Angkor Wat, the vendors at Chichén Itzá are like that on steroids when it comes to getting you to buy souvenirs or grift you into spending more money than you initially intended).

Countries, mexicoUrvil James VillaruelApril 5, 2025mexico, travel photography, traveller

Our New Favourite Getaway - El Dorado Casitas Royale, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Truth be told, Tara and I were a little incredulous about going to an all-inclusive before embarking on this trip. Spending most of our travel adventures in hostels, hotels, and Airbnbs, while mainly taking the time to explore outside meant we paid very little attention to “relaxing” when travelling. Not to mention, most of the people we knew who went to an all-inclusive didn’t speak very highly of their experiences…

Countries, mexico, travelUrvil James VillaruelMarch 23, 2025mexico, traveller, travel photography, travel

Revisiting My Favourite City - Las Vegas, NV, USA.

From the shows, to the venues, to the food, to the architecture, Las Vegas really shines in its ability to create cool stuff. Granted, I’m still a huge proponent of Asia when it comes to technological advancement, but what really sets Las Vegas apart from other Eastern technology-driven locations (like Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, and Japan) is its central focus on entertainment consumption.

Don't Sleep On Halifax! - Halifax, NS, Canada.

For all you gamers out there, Halifax’s boardwalk kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy 8’s Balamb Town, and is loaded with many great spots to eat, with some of my top recommendations being: The Bicycle Thief and Dave’s Lobsters (home to easily the best Lobster Roll in Halifax—trust me, I tried a bunch!). Though, if you’re in for a bit of a drive, my other top two recommendations in Halifax would be The Canteen and The Knot Pub.

canadaUrvil James VillaruelOctober 16, 2024halifax, travel, travel photography

Petroglyphs Provincial Park - Woodview, ON, Canada.

Located roughly two-hours away from Toronto next to Peterborough in Woodview, Ontario, contains the largest collection of Petroglyphs in North America with carvings dating as far back as 6,000 years ago with newer carvings etched in as early as 600 years ago.

canadaUrvil James VillaruelJuly 15, 2024petroglyphs, travel, travel photography, traveller

Climate Social Innovation Labs (BC, ATL, ON) - Toronto, ON, Canada.

A project I’m pretty proud to have been a part of; in an industry traditionally divided, we were able to bring together over 60 outdoor organizations nationally across Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto to discuss building program resiliency as it relates to climate change.

Dr. Tara - Toronto, ON, Canada.

The world is lucky to have you, Dr. Tara, and you’re just getting started! Can’t wait to witness the difference you will be making in the future (and I secretly can’t wait to have one of my photographs be used in a future magazine article about you)!

Capturing Adonis - Vancouver, BC, Canada.

To think that those little made-up adventures were just over 10 years ago (that’s when I picked up my first camera, though Brentley has been shooting ever since early high school and has already been on international shoots without me—that’s why he’ll always be my senpai; aka “upperclassman”), it’s wild to imagine that what was once fantasy has now become reality.

Expectation vs. Reality - Austin, Texas, USA.

If you’re even a casual listener of the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, you’ll know that Joe’s been promoting Austin, Texas, pretty hard; with many guests also talking about how amazing the city is, even going so far as to move there themselves (most notably, Elon Musk with his new Tesla Gigafactory).

Views from the ‘Hilltop Lodge’ - Boracay, Philippines.

Though it’s still a work in progress, the vision is clearly there and the bottom-floor rooms are now built up enough to be used, along with the fourth floor rooftop balcony/event space. I’m now pretty stoked to help my dad further it along, even coming up with the name ‘Hilltop Lodge’!

Countries, photography, philippinesUrvil James VillaruelJune 26, 2023boracay, philippines, hilltop lodge

Pearls are in - Boracay, Philippines.

Interestingly enough, it turns out that pearls actually hold a strong cultural significance in the Philippines (the South Sea pearl even adorning the Philippines’ 1000-peso bill), with many women (and, more recently, men) sporting them as luxury items in place of other materials like gold and silver.

Definitely worth the wait, Boracay 2.0 - Boracay, Philippines.

Voted as one of the top islands to visit in the world by Condé Nast Traveler magazine and the Best Island in the World by Travel + Leisure magazine, Boracay has come a long way since I first visited in 2008.