The 3 Largest Shopping Malls in the World

Shopping malls - something city dwellers can't live without. It's like a watering hole for buffaloes and hippos; it attracts all kinds of animals who either need the cooling rejuvenation of water or just simply to be part of the herd. You know how it is - you just need to be in one whether you really need to be or not.

I found out that the world's top three largest malls, based on gross leasable area according to Forbes Magazine, are:
1. South China Mall, Dongguan, China - opened 2005
2. Golden Resources Mall, Beijing, China - opened 2004
3. SM Mall of Asia, Manila Bay, Philippines - opened 2006

South China Mall covers 600,000 square meters of total floor area, which allows a leasable space for over 1,500 stores. Unfortunately the mall suffers from lack of retailers, believed to be due to its locality which is in the suburbs and only accessible by car, and is due for closure in July 2008.

Golden Resources Shopping Mall has about 680,000 square meters of area but allows for less retailers at 1,000 outlets only. It also faces the problem of being "under-shopped", again believed to be due to locality as well as high pricing, which does not cater for your average Chinese.

SM Mall of Asia has a total floor area of 386,224 square meters and is built on 19.5 hectares of reclaimed land. It consists of four building interconnected by walkways.

I'm not much of a mall visitor myself but I find it very interesting to see humans congregate at these places which they believed to be their source of everything and anything, come weekends or hoildays especially. Maybe it's an Asian thing. But then again, you also have the Mall of America.

Travelling in Asia

When one speaks of Asia, one is most inclined to imagine the myriads of different people that exist in Asia since Asia is ever so huge. India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Phillipines, the list goes on. Tourists from Europe and countries in the West love to come to Asia simply because there's just so many different cultures to experience and appreciate. Even in one country you can have so many different, shall I call it, sub-cultures that has created different languages and different foods, etc.

Asian themselves love to travel wihin Asia, and I've come across some very interesting and hilarious travel stories in Asia, thanks to this great mixture of so many different cultures. I've got friends from Denmark and Australia who have traveled quite extensively in South East Asia for the last couple of years and they say, Asia is so diverse that it gets to the point of becoming uniquely strange. I'm not quite sure what they meant by that but I'll share with you some examples. Have you ever been to Thailand? Well if you have, then I'm sure you would have heard of lady boys, i.e. men who become women. And really look like them, physically. Sometimes even much better than real women. How to recognise them, you ask? I'm not sure myself, but I found some tips on the Net on the top 5 ways to spot lady boys in Thailand. Good luck to those who are keen to find out!
Sun, sea, sandy beaches and fine hot weather is what most of the equatorial Asian countries hold a trump card for. I'm a beach freak myself and I'd go down to the beach any opportunity I can get. Some of the best beaches in Asia are found in Thailand, Indonesia, India, the Phillipines and Sri Lanka. Not forgetting of course some world-famous diving locations such as north part of Borneo Island. It's a heck of an experience to dive into the crystal clear, warm sea waters or go explore the marine flora and fauna in the reef areas of the coast.

Asian tourists are a funny bunch. Whenever you see them on a holiday somewhere and taking photographs, you are bound to see strange and hilarious actions not just while posing for the photos but also while taking the shots. I kind of figured it out - they have to do all the awkward statures because of the limitations of their camera; it's most of the time a small, light, absolutely-as-compact-as-you-can type of camera. Which is what Asian love to go for. Because it's small. If you're planning to watch Beijing Olympics next year, then you will appreciate tips on how to take photos in Beijing, China.

Asia, simply marvellous!

(Photo source: Katathani Phuket Beach Resort, Thailand Beach Resort)