It was the perfect day to go island hopping in Cebu. The sun was up and shining brightly, there was a soft breeze blowing and it was an ideal trip  for our   summer's last hurrah. I took up the invitation of the School of Law- University of San Jose de Recoletos where I am one of the law professors, to join them in this outing. We all first  assembled in the old  school campus in Magallanes, Cebu City and rode  the  school bus which took us to the wharf in Mactan Island. The new wharf is ... Basahin pa

Are airlines obligated to provide accommodation during long stopover' Before we flew out from Jeddah, my hubby kept on prodding me to check with Cathay Pacific if they would provide accommodation for long layovers beyond 8 hours as other airlines do.  I knew that airlines are not required – but others do it as goodwill and courtesy to their passengers. Knowing that, we still did not know how to spend the 11 hours layover when we landed at the Hong Kong International Airport. Here were the... Basahin pa

MOA in the Philippines is the popular, ?Mall of Asia' found in the reclaimed area of the southernmost tip of EDSA. MOA in Jeddah on the other hand, is the ultra-modern ?MALL OF ARABIA', the newest and the largest mall here. It houses over  300 stores and restaurants and occupies three levels  with a covered parking garage, amusement park and spacious luxurious restrooms.  The architectural design of the mall is a work-of-art-in itself. It has a nautical theme and shoppers inside the mall will... Basahin pa

Ta’if means ?encompassing' in Arabic.  Visitors to this mountain city which is  5,600 feet above sea level have enjoyed the magnificent  views of the  wind-sculpted granite rocks, the cool climate, the  scenes of lush greenery , not to mention the variety of fruits, growing  in its fertile valleys.  King Abdul Aziz was said to have loved  the natural setting of Taif  that  after the unification of the Kingdom in 1932, he was a frequent summer resident. Staying at the Shubra Palace, and... Basahin pa

A few minutes drive from the Ciy of Ta’if is the  Al Rudaf Park. This is a huge natural park where visitors can view a variety of trees as well as spectacular granite rocks, all of which add to the beauty of the place. A highlight to our visit to  this park is our camel ride. The  camels here  are provided with  elaborate and colorful  seats mounted on their backs where the passenger can safely sit.  For photo ops , one has to shell out 5 Saudi Riyal (SR)  or equivalent  to  60 pesos and... Basahin pa

After making a quick decision of visiting a new place and  before Gabrielle flies back to the Philippines, we made a road trip to Ta'if. Driving along the winding roads passing in between the granite hills, we were greeted by fresh cool breeze and troops of baboons as we ascend to the city. It was a weekend escapade… to temporarily escape the steamy summer heat of the Red Sea. The uphill drive to this mountain city elevated 5,600 feet above sea level was worth it as we enjoyed the... Basahin pa

Moving into a new home is an experience that many people enjoy and describe as "fun." But the move can totally consume you for a long time -  planning, packing, cleaning, painting, moving... When you arrive in your new home, you'll be faced with even greater challenges.After two years with blogspot.com, Desert Aquaforce has arrived at the crossroad of change. It is taking its first steps of moving out from its old home and moving into the new home at... Basahin pa

After almost two months of hibernating in the sand dunes that were formed by the previous season's sandstorms, I'm back again (for the nth time), courtesy of the onset of the summer sandstorms... The myriads of sand grains bouncing and rolling up the windward surface of the dune that I was in, finally exhumed me out of oblivion.It is indeed nice to be back again especially with a blogpost that will give an opportunity to our 'kababayans' who are qualified for the position... Basahin pa