Ayala Triangle Lights and Sounds !

My cousins from Australia were here for a week stay.  Billeted at Manila Peninsula, it was a short walk going to Ayala Triangle area.  I have heard of the place but have not gone there before.

Rows of restaurants filled the area with both indoor dining and dining al fresco.  Given that it was a Friday and t'was the season of merriment, the place was full packed as expected.

It was good timing that we were there just when the lights and sound show started.  Different array of colors danced among the trees which beckons one to stare and enjoy the season of Christmas! It was such a sight to see!

You have time?  go ! go ! go !

Here are the rows of restaurants that I mentioned.  Ayala triangle is the place to be this Christmas if you like to feel the revelry of the season!

Enjoy !

Fun Farm at Sta Elena !

I had been looking for a place where I could bring my family to enjoy nature; to get close to as much greens as possible and smell  the breath of fresh air.  Well , I found one and I don't have to get on a plane or travel a long long way.  It's just down south at Cabuyao, Laguna and it's called the Fun Farm at Sta Elena.

I was so excited to see a lot of trees ,ponds , farm animals.  Inside the Fun Farm is the Holy Carabao which sells organic produce.   Not many people were there that day maybe because we went on a Sunday.

The farm opens at 9am and closes at 4:30pm.  Make sure you have reservations since security is very strict at the gate of Sta Elena.  Security will ask if you've made a reservation. Am glad I checked out their website first before going.

Fee is P300 per head and already includes all the activities including horse back riding, mini fishing, mini boating, mini zip line, feeding of rabbits and guinea pigs and the most exciting of all - riding the carabao cart!

They do not have a restaurant so do bring food and drinks and go for a picnic inside their hall or at the picnic area.

 

 The 'welcome' sign  beckons you to go in to enjoy and be a child again.

 

My kids enjoying the fishing (more like catch and release).  They each caught a lot of Tilapia but they were small so we just put them all right back in the water.

Meet Choc-Nut, the carabao (or water bufallo)!   I love this sight.  There's something about a carabao-drawn carriage that lets me reminisce my childhood days in the province when we visited our grandparents.  Love it ! Love it !

The staff gives you carrots for feeding the guinea pigs and rabbits.  You could even enter the rabbit's den. After the feeding session, there's alcohol that they let you use.

The rabbits run around and play and there was even one that got out of the pen !

There are team building activties such as this one where somebody needs to call out Left-Right or else all will tumble !

So many things to do especially for the kids !

                                 

Go up the truck and have some fun !

Enjoy !

Sky Ranch Tagaytay !

Now there's another reason to visit Tagaytay -it's called the Sky Ranch !  Not only do you get to enjoy the view ot the Taal Volcano and savor the cold weather,  you could now experience an amusement park amidst all these.  Sky Ranch houses the tallest ferris wheel  in the Philippines called the "Sky Eye".  The Sky Eye has individually airconditioned gondolas - very nice!.  The place also has a Super Viking , a mini Viking, a mini roller coaster and other children's rides. 

Let me show you here the place.  But actually, most of the buildings are still under construction and I can't wait to return again when all are completed.

The entrance fee is normally at Php100 but it was at 50% off so we got it for Php50 per person.

You won't miss Sky Ranch with the huge sign and the tallest FERRIS WHEEL !  Sky Eye is at Php150/person



The Nessi Coaster will be enjoyable for the kids

 Am sure the kids will want to try this. I would suggest though not on a full stomach

The Super Viking and The Sky Eye !

There is also a train that goes around the place.  Fee = Php50

This is always a big hit at Php 250/ 30 minutes

Enjoy !

SM Aura !

All roads lead to SM Aura ! 

I just had to get a glimpse of the new premier shoppping. mall.  Located at The Fort in Taguig, it boasts of an Imax theatre , a Skypark and the most important of all is the green architecture. It had opened last May 17 and has been packed with curious shoppers.

It's SM shopping mall has a first class feel compared to other SM branches.  The Skypark is for al fresco dining.  However, it was raining hard that day so we were not able to enjoy this part of the mall. 

Not all shops are open yet and the parking is not finished yet either (we parked at the lowest basement parking - does that make sense ?, that still smelled paint).  The restaurants are not all open yet so the volume of all people created a lack of seats so we just ate at the food stalls of the supermarket. Do try the dimsum there - it tastes good ! 

I must admit, I like the feel of this new SM Store

A new cupcake place called The Royal Touch gourmet cupcakes.  Had tried the chocolate flavor and I like it (it doesn't crumble at all).  I learned that the creator Carolyn Robb was a peronal chef to the Royal family of  UK.  So much class here even inside their store.



This is the food court called Food on Four (on the 4th floor, of course).  Not a lot of food stalls opened yet and the line is very long (it loops!).

The Skypark is supposed to be for Al Fresco dining but I think the rain was just too much that day

Stores like Kultura , I think, should be in all malls to showcase Filipino products and ingenuity

The main celebrity who graced the opening of SM Aura - Ms. Sarah Jessica Parker!

Enjoy !

BGC Passionfest weekend!

My family had  nice walk, talk, play and eat at the Passionfest at Bonifacio Global City (BGC).  There were giant game installations, a picnic area , mobile concerts and more.

BGC is a place where families could unwind and walk with their dogs.  We don't have a dog yet to walk but we love going to the place to see different kinds of breeder dogs.

Some of the booths and stores we visited :

There was  the PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) which rescues dogs and rehabilitate them both on the physical and behavioral side.  They had a free photo booth where they ask only for voluntary donations.

Sperry Topsiders was also on opening sale at 20% off.

Lego land had a big display.  There were game booths for playing I think you'd have to have tickets to join.
There's a big game installed also  - what's the name of this game? (I forget)

There's also the BGC Hop On-Hop Off Bus tour where you could explore around the BGC area/

The BGC Passionfest is running until tomorrow, Nov 25 so you still have time to catch it.

Don't forget to see the giant outdoor movie with schedules as follows :
          Toy story 6 pm/ Finding Nemo 8pm/ The Avengers 10pm

Enjoy !

Indoor Wall Climbing at Market! Market!

This is first time I've seen wall climbing of this scale inside a mall.  It is about 44 ft high.  When I saw this at Market!Market! I just to stay a while and see the climbers do it with ease.  It makes you think that it is as easy as A-B-C but hhmm I just have to  think again.

Camp Sandugo offers indoor wall climbing at Market!Market! for beginners, enthusiasts and thrill seekers.  It's at P50 for a single climb and P340 for unlimited climb with an instructor. It's less P200 if you don't need the belay assistant.  They also have a store there where you could find a lot of adventure packs. 

It's probably a great stress reliever too..

Of course there are rules to follow just like any sports activity

Enjoy !

Mall of Asia weekend !

My cousin visited from Davao and the first place that I thought of bringing her was Mall of Asia.  Why ? Aside from being the largest mall in the Philippines, it has everything we needed and wanted - Time zone for the kids , nice resto's, snack shops, a bowling center , skating rink - everything !  But what we really wanted to see was the big EYE ferris wheel and be able to walk around near the bay.

Location :
SM central business park 1, island A, Bay City, Pasay City

What we tried :

Magnum ice cream from Selecta.  This is new and it really tastes yummy.  It's rich vanilla coated with Belgian chocolate.  Or you could opt for the chocolate truffle which is chocolate in chocolate. 

Pancit ng taga Malabon.  It's rice noodle with shrimp and fish sauce.  Yummy ! 
Tip :  Try the small bilao for a group of 5 to 6.  It's worth the price.

MOA from the bay view

Time Zone.  My kids just love this place and they got to use their VIP certificates (a gift from my friend).

There was even a musical band that performed during that day which made me feel like we were in a fiesta !

Here are some of the resto's in MOA

Fish and Co.

Krispy Kreme invades MOA

The Tokyo Cafe

You can opt to go by the bay and try the 4 wheel scooter.  Looks like fun !

The 4 wheel scooter

You can go to the Nido Science Discovery Center which has a planetarium.  Fun learning for the kids !

My kids love this !

Or ride the ferris wheel which is , I heard, about a 10 minute turn

The Ferris Wheel

For my finale , the Team Pacquiao shop !

The great and famous boxer from the Philippines

All this and more from Mall of Asia ! Enjoy!