Now going to the mall becomes extra special because of SM Mall of Asia at Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. Owned by SM Prime Holdings and managed by a Filipino Chinese, Henry Sy. It is tagged as the largest shopping mall in Paradise Philippines and as the 4th largest in Asia. SM Mall of Asia was divided into four buildings interconnected by walkways – the Main Mall, the Entertainment Mall, and the North and South Carpark Buildings.

What I love with this place apart from its size and structure is that you will find almost everything here. From our favorite SM Department store and SM Hypermarket to individual shops and boutiques, restaurants, cinemas and other fun activities and facilities like arcades, Ice rink, benches and free shuttle ride around the mall and the 1st branch of Taste Asia one of the SM Food Court that offers Paluto(cook freshly bought items). Other attractions to watch out for when visiting SM Mall of Asia are the live performances like the SM Mall Marching Band and their breathtaking fireworks display every Saturday and Sundays and Holidays.

So don’t be left behind, visit Paradise Philippines and SM Mall of Asia.

The park is open Mondays – Fridays (4:00pm -onwards) and Saturdays – Sundays/Holidays (1:00pm – onwards). You can almost find everything at Star City from tiangge, food, rides and games.

Here are some of their rides and attractions you will find at Star City:

Zyklon Loop

A roller coaster that travels at the speed of 60 kph and features a 60 degree drop, banking turns of over 720 degrees. This is the country’s first imported 360-degree loop coaster.

A ride that will definitely turn your stomach upside down…

Grand Carousel

The first double decked carousel in the country. Our own version of European carousel just likes on those Korean novella scenes

Kiddie Bump Car

Enjoying the ride behind the wheels.Let your kids experience the fun and excitement of driving without the hassle of the city’s heavy traffic. (hmmm my baby brother loves this…)

Little Mermaid Boat Ride

Captivate yourself with the fascinating set design artfully made for your touring experience inside this lagoon-like pathway.

Wacky Dragon

Too small for Blizzard but to big for Wacky Worm? Then try Wacky Dragon, one of the roller coasters for the whole family.

Having fun while in the city of Paradise Philippines is easy… just visit Star City and have fun like a child.

Have you heard of the place called Manila Zoo? It is really not a tourist destination because all of the countries have their own zoos. But since we are discussing paradise Philippines; I think it is just right to include our very own zoo in the topic.

I decided to go to Manila Zoo last month with my boyfriend because the last time I went there was when I still wear diapers. And now as I’m on my early 20s already, and I just live close where Manila Zoo is, I think I owe my fellow animals (kiddin’) a visit.

Entrance fee is very affordable. Even more affordable when you present a barangay ID (of course issued by your own barangay), senior citizen ID (for those who are not so young anymore), and school ID (for the kids.. haha..). You get a 50% off if you present any of the following mentioned. The original entrance fee is 40 pesos for adults and 20 pesos for kids 4 feet and below. So imagine how much you would be paying if you have one of those IDs.

As you enter the zoo, the first animal you will be seeing is the ever reliable mr. elephant (whom I have a feeling that he’s been there already about the time that I had my first visit). I can feel that he’s really old and sad since he’s alone on his cage.

The cage at the left side of the zoo is somewhat disturbing because one: the place is not really clean, and two: it is on the corner side of the zoo, contains snakes and iguanas, that almost made me puke since I’m not a huge fan of them. I didn’t even bother taking up some pictures when I was looking at them because I know for a fact that I’ll not appreciate it.

A little pond reveals a bunch of turtles that are so cute. They’re a lot of them on the pond. Big turtles, small turtles, old turtles, baby turtles, all of them are cute.

Then another disturbing corner of the zoo contains the cages of the crocodiles. If I’m not mistaken, there were three to four cages that contain these fierce animals. While I was staring at them, they are so quiet and weren’t even moving. But I saw one crocodile that has its eyes open and looking at his surroundings without moving. That’s the only time I realized that he was biting a mineral water bottle. They were kinda cute but scary. Good thing they’re not in the mood for some fight or else I wouldn’t describe them as cute.

As I walk further, I notice cages that are empty, or so I thought. But when I walked closer, I saw bunch of monkeys. Different type of monkeys, who I know, was hungry because they were asking for some junkfoods that we were eating. Oh, and did I already told you that they were good catchers? One man, who was also a lurker, gave a piece of peanut to a monkey. Imagine how small this peanut is and the monkey successfully caught it with his small hands (even smaller compared to mine!)

The continuation/part 2 of this article is at the Paradise Philippines Blog