SM Mall of Asia

As you've probably seen me mention before, Manila is filled with malls - there's a huge one on every block! Some of them are upscale, some of them are cheaper, but there's something for everyone everywhere! One of the largest malls in all of the Philippines is SM Mall of Asia - reports say it has over 400,000 square meters and 600 retailers! It's about a 30 minute drive from our apartment. (It's only 4 miles, but Manila traffic is ridiculous!) When Elias had some time off school to celebrate the Chinese New Year (post about that celebration is coming up next!), we decided to go check out the huge mall! Not only is the mall huge, but the complex also contains a Convention Center (where I went to this bazaar), an Arena (where we saw Disney on Ice), and an amusement park!


We didn't take many pictures of the interior because a mall is a mall (unless it's a replica of Venice, Italy).
However, there was this cool area that they had planted to look like a jungle!

A friend had recommended we try Rita's Italian shaved ice and custard, and we weren't disappointed! Elias is eating a vanilla custard blended with s'mores shaved ice and mixed with Reese's Cups. Whoa!
The mall is right on the coast of the Bay of Manila, so they have this nice walking area along the bay. You can see behind Elias that there is also an amusement park with rides! Unfortunately, we were there on a weekday, and they don't open the amusement park until late afternoon on weekdays. We'll go back and ride that ferris wheel sometime!

My buddy and me at the Bay of Manila
 
Elias got a kick out of this sign with all the pets piping up to ask their owners to clean up after them. :)

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