5 Days in Ain Sokhna

Ain Sokhna is about 2 hours drive from Cairo. I had booked into a hotel south of Porto Sokhna called "Romance Hotel". Doesn't really live up to it's name unless all those young families were conceived there.

Anyway the idea was to have a break from the hustle and bustle of Ma'adi. What I hadn't really researched well enough was that there was no alcohol and the nearest alcohol was probably at the Movenpick Hotel half an hour back towards Cairo. Five days without a beer isn't such a bad thing I guess. The other major letdown was the lack of a decent coffee - latte that is. However, we did survive and we did enjoy our R & R, as the photos will show.

Our very big room even had a dining area and double deck
overlooking the pool and beach.

The view of the pool from our deck.

Luckily the hotel wasn't busy. Plenty of beach chairs to lie on.

First swim in a long time. The sea was warmer than the pool.

Time out from the sun playing chess and pool.

Afternoon walks on the beach.

Managed a bit of jet skiing in between reading and swimming.

View across the Gulf of Suez to Sinai Peninsula from our hotel room.

 Next holiday? Homeward bound in July.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

We informed our school before the Italian trip that we would finish our contract at the end of this June and head somewhere closer to home. The news of our first grandchild and a wedding next February influenced our decision but MAC's owner has persuaded us to stay one more year, with time off in Feb for the wedding. So back to NZ for good at the end of the 2015 - 2016 school year. We will head home in July / August, to catch up with family and friends, thanks to Raymond's staff rates. A stopover in Brisbane for a few days on the way to NZ and in Singapore on the way back will hopefully mend our winter blues. This will be the second summer opportunity we have missed.
Who would have thought when we started this journey that we would be in Egypt for three years and we would be heading home to be grandparents?
These are a few photos taken over the last term:

International Day we studied Samoa.
Nofoali'i is famous in Ma'adi.

3Y made lolly leis and performed a sasa

March performance - looking cool
before hitting the stage

View to the stage and art gallery during the finale.

Sports Day for Grades 1 - 3. Ten different ways to run a relay.

Our icecream sundae party for learning our timestables. It was also Autism Awareness Day, hence the blue.

Meanwhile on the streets of Ma'adi  Balady dogs rule...

... and sheep continue to be driven past our school gate.