Saturday Fun: SM Mall of Asia

Last Saturday was another busy weekend for us. We went to SM Mall of Asia to meet our friends from Tagum City Chorale again before they go back home in Tagum. We arrived at around 1:45 PM and saw them after about 20 mins.

We dined in KFC (btw, may I just say that all food establishments were super crowded at this time) and satisfied our hungry tummies first before we strolled MOA. I'm glad we were able to have a short chat before they left. One of the choir members, our youth pastor, is like a brother to us already, so I'm happy we met and had a short chat before they head home.

Since we live in the North, SM MOA is a mall that we don’t visit too often. The nearest from us are SM North EDSA and Trinoma mall. So if I'm not mistaken, this was just my sister's and Nate's 2nd visit to SM MOA. I’m happy because I know they’re happy. :) They were both enjoying their views and it’s such a lovely sight for me. We were tired but happy. Nate even slept on our way home! Lol. I wish my sister next to me was also here, but she had to attend her class in school, and that’s more important, so she wasn’t around. My mother-in-law, on the other hand, chose to stay at home.

Finally able to eat after more than 30 mins of looking for a place to eat, ordering and waiting for our food! lol. 

For a commuter like us travelling from the North going to SM Mall of Asia, here are the greatest challenges that I see when deciding to visit and have fun in the biggest mall in Asia:

1. Traffic

Well, traffic is everywhere now, so, this is given! And if you are someone like me who’s no longer familiar with rush hour times and commuting, you’ll certainly spend hours and hours on the road to SM MOA! This was what happened to us. I knew it would be very traffic to travel by bus so we chose to commute via MRT. It was around 12nn, so there were lots of people there, and on to of that, it was also a weekend! To stay in long queues just to get a ticket, wait in line for the train (still unsure if you’ll be able to sit or not), what I’m thankful for is that Nate is with us so we can stay at the priority lane. I can’t really imagine squeezing ourselves with so many people in the train (I’ve experienced that so many times in the past!).

We had such difficult time going there, specially going home when it was exactly during rush hour at 4PM! I can't imagine how I'd do it without my sister! One needs to take care of Nate and one needs to fall in line to get a ticket. Makes me wanna go home and live in the province already! lol. 

Them enjoying MOA eye while I wait for them 'coz I'm kuripot and I didn't like that Nate had to pay 150 pesos already, which means that 450 pesos for the 3 of us for just a 10 min ride, haha. never mind! I'm so happy that Nate enjoyed it, he was never scared! 

2. Crowd

This visit to MOA made me not want to visit it again on a weekend. It was just too crowded! The fast-food chains are so filled, it took us time to find a place to eat. There were just too many people everywhere. Or, it could just be me because of the nature of my job; I am now someone who works at home and isn’t exposed too often to crowds, that's another factor to consider. Not to only that, we now live in Rizal, which is also a quieter place.  

3. Distance

Distance shouldn’t be a problem, without traffic, I think it should only take about 30 mins from SM North to SM MOA via EDSA. But that’s without the traffic. Because of the nature of EDSA, the distance seems to become even farther! Sometimes, the time you spend going from end to end is also the time you spend going to Pampanga or any provinces near Metro Manila. I’m glad we commuted via MRT, if we chose to ride by bus, I don’t even know what time we’ll get there anymore! Lol! 

Nevertheless, we Filipinos who are always known for being able to smile in spite of all hardships, we still had so many reasons to enjoy this stroll. This traffic and huge inconvenience is nothing compared to the smiles that I see on my son’s face, the time I was able to spend chatting with our pastor, the wonderful photos, we can keep and share and just the memories I can keep forever, the time I was able to spend with my son. That’s nothing compared to all the hassle! :)

sis and Nate on our way home. 

What’s the solution to all this if you ask? What I can only say is: avoid rush hours and weekends. Leave to early, lol! And by too early, it could mean dawn! Omg! Nate is still fast asleep at that time! Haha! Or, get a car and find alternate routes. I wish it’s that easy to get a car, haha. But you need money bruh, more money to be able to buy a car, and we’re not at that point yet for now. If you can’t do both, just like us, just find ways to still be able to enjoy no matter what happens! Lol! 

What challenges about commuting did I miss? :)

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