My favorite feature of Mall of Asia is the regulation size Ice Skating Rink. According to wikipedia:

“The mall features the Philippines’s first Olympic-sized ice skating rink. At 61 by 30 meters, the rink is described as the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia. It can accommodate both recreational and competitive figure skating, as well as ice hockey. Along with plain access and skate rentals, the rink’s operators also offer training programs in both figure skating and ice hockey. Several ice skating competitions have been held at the mall’s ice skating rink, the most prestigious yet having been Skate Asia 2007. It was also the first time that the Philippines had hosted any international ice skating event.” I have a video I shot recently while visiting the Mall to show you what the rink looks like.

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A little of a tour of the Pangasinan Provinicial Capital of Lingayen. This place has great historical value during World War II.

Filipinos of all ages are usually very talented when it comes to singing. This was small version of mariachi band type entertainement. The guys came by our house in Macaleeng Pangasinan and sang for a few pesos. What was more amazing is what the guy used for drums and drumsticks.

Thanks to the Governor of Pangasinan Amado Espino Jr, the Sison Auditorium formerly known as the “Grand Provincial Auditorium” is renovated and ready to become Pangasinan’s center for performing arts and cultural center.

Governor Espino felt that the buildings in the capital area needed a facelift and wanted them done by the celebration of the Agew na Pangasinan celebration, marking the 430th founding year of the province.
Previously the auditorium was used for cultural events and other events such as beauty pageants, stage performances and even a badminton tournament.

The name Sison Auditorium comes from the name of the late Governor of Pangasinan Teofilo Sison, who was the first Pangasinese to become Secretary of National Defense.

Enchanted Kingdom, located in Santa Rosa City, Laguna is about 16 miles (29 kilometers) from Manila. It covers an area of 41 acres and is managed by Enchanted Kingdom Inc. Enchanted Kingdom has about 30 rides including 2 roller coasters and 2 water rides.
Some of the attractions include the Space Shuttle Max which is the premium roller coaster, a river rafting ride called the Rio Grande, and my favorite Dodgem Bumper Cars. In the park there is also a nice 4-D theater, actually a couple of them, and a Laser tag arena. If you get tired you can stop at the Lake Spa and get a massage.

Of course, there are differences between U.S. theme parks and Philippine theme parks such as food offerings and the cleaniness of restrooms but these differences make your trip to Enchanted Kingdom a little more special. The prices are much more affordable here compared to stateside theme parks so it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to take your family there.

All in all, I would recommend this theme park as a place to visit while in the Philippines. My only complaint compared to the U.S. parks is that you never know if your favorite attraction will be operating on the day you go. I’ve been there times where a couple of the most popular rides have been down, but that is less than 5% of the time and you can just find another favorite. Go to Enchanted Kingdom and enjoy a day at one of the Philippines best theme parks.

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A few years ago Santa Rosa was mostly known for being the home of a Coca-Cola plant and Toyota facility but more recently it has become more famous for places like the Enchanted Kingdom, a theme park, as well as the Nuvali technological park and several new residential areas.

What I liked about Nuvali is the location of the park which has a lake which you and your family can take boat rides on. Or you can relax at Starbucks or one of the nearby restaurants and watch the workers from the nearby call centers enjoying a sunny afternoon. This place is a growing metro area but is still small enough that you don’t have to worry about pollution or traffic. They have a very environment friendly attitude and it shows with the cleanliness all around. This is definitely one place you should check into as a retirement area. There are new housing developments being constructed as I write that are very modern and inexpensive. I have included a video and links to sites about Nuvali that you can check out. I am in the process of editing a video of a recent trip I made there with my family and will be posting it on YouTube soon.

Helpful Links

Nuvali Evoliving

Santa Rosa Magazine

City of Santa Rosa Website - under construction as of 3/9/2010 but does contain helpful phone numbers and email addresses