Mall of Asia

I must confess that I’m no mall rat. I hate the congested parking area and the fact that they charge you for parking in order to buy something in their mall. I hate walking from one end to the other just to buy another item. I hate falling in line, a very long line, just to pay for a pair of socks. I always prefer a stand-alone establishment, where you can simply park in front, without parking fees, buy what you need, and go home in a flash. No sweat.

So imagine my horror when my wife, who loves shopping (common to women, I guess), wanted to check out the newly-opened SM Mall of Asia. I vehemently protested. She passionately argued that we have to go. But how can passion in shopping prevail over the well-honed debating skills of a trial lawyer? I tell you, the debate was swift and the decision was clear — we went to the Mall of Asia one morning.

The Mall of Asia is situated at the reclamation area in Pasay City, near the Senate and Baclaran, and just behind the Blue Wave (how should I call it, a mini-mall?). I frequently pass through Macapagal Avenue because this stretch of road is not congested. It was the first time that traffic was really heavy when the Mall of Asia or MOA opened. After dropping my wife and company at the main entrance, it took me around 45 minutes to find a parking slot (at the South Wing parking, 6th Floor).

The place IS huge, I tell you. It’s the largest mall in the Philippines and the fourth in the world. They even have a golf cart to shuttle the elderly from one end to another. Now, if you combine an enormous labyrinth, the lack of maps, thousands of people and [some] closed entrances/exits – what do you get? You get foot fungus from all the walking. Kidding aside, it took me another hour to look for my wife.

By the time I found my wife and company, we were already hungry. Restaurants abound at the Mall of Asia, but I don’t know what’s wrong with our economy because restaurants – including the more expensive ones – were all packed to the brim. So, we got a priority number, waited for an hour, ordered food, and got to eat after another 20 minutes. Ahhh, glorious food. It was already 3:00 p.m.

In fairness, maybe it just so happened that everyone wanted to see the Mall of Asia at the same time. Maybe things were not smoothly working beause the mall just opened when we got there. However, if you’re a mall rat or a shopping addict, you’d love the Mall of Asia.

For map and directions, go here.