Egypt Holiday Set

This is my blog from after I went to Egypt on August 2022.

On 2nd August 2022, me and 26 other people went to Jaz Aquamarine Hotel for a week after constant COVID-related cancelations and delays. We originally planned to go to Tunisia but The Pandemic put a halt on that and the holiday company changed our destination several times until we agreed on Hurghada, Egypt where we stayed at Jaz Aquamarine Resort.

DAY 0

This card was made on the 31st July because I wanted to focus purely on packing and double checking everything on the 1st August. That day though, I packed my suitcase and had plenty of time till the holiday so I played one last game of Tekken 7 after recently downloading Lei Wulong. I kept losing though. ._.

Day 1- Travelling

This day was anticipated for three years, finally going on holiday! We headed out at 10am to be on the plane by 2pm. All 27 of us met up at the airport rather than picking everyone up at once as we all live in different parts of the city. My uncle who was in charge of the holiday did most of the work to get us all organised but we still managed to get separated as we checked in and handed in our suitcases because it took ages to get processed by staff! It didn't help that the kids were being impatient and complained of boredom when we don't want to wait either.

The family gathered mostly at the Wetherspoons after security as some people delayed getting pass security to have one more fag before being barred from doing so. Good thing I'm not a smoker, right? ;D
The food was really expensive but I wanted something to eat before getting on the plane so I didn't have much choice so I had...something, can't quite remember. XD
The wait to board felt like forever as we kept an eye on the time due to everyone asking what time is it rather than just look at the clock. I was a bit nervous about the flight because I can't cope well with the ear-popping thing as I never have the courage to simply let them pop.

I had a window seat on the way to Egypt so I got to see the land below. Look at how much the fields are divided, it's weird! XD
I did feel my ears go off but I eventually got used to it and played on my DS most of the journey. I had Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky as well as some ROMs to play on. I'm trying to do the Recruit 'em All challenge cuz I've had the game since it came out and I haven't done it yet. :/

We got over Egypt at night and I got to see all the streets illuminated by houses and street lamps from the plane.
I was worried about taking off but I needed to be worried about landing as not only my ears hurt, my entire head did! I had a raging headache that left me in pure agony during the landing procedure! We landed safely and got into the customs stage of getting into Egypt.

We queued up to have staff to look at our passports and take the VISA thing but it was an unbelievable SLOG to get through! I don't know why but there was one queue where my uncle got there much quicker was stuck standing in the same spot for nearly as long as I was queueing! Then this guy with a ton of kids tried to cut in front of us and nearly held up the queue but thankfully, he made a mistake that required him to GTFO to let us through!

When we obtained our luggage, we took our first steps outside of the airport and WOW, the air felt like it was on fire! Don't know what the temperature was but it was too bloody hot, that's all I needed to know. We got on our coach to be taken to our destination, made one stop to a different resort then arrived at our place. We signed some forms, got our keys and found out who we were grouped with. I was grouped with my cousin(?, I don't know how exactly she's related to me so I'll call her my cousin Jey to make things easier) and we headed to our room together and went straight bed as we were tired from travelling.

Day 2- Starting

We had a meeting at 10am to be briefed on safety, activities and a quick Arabic lesson which wasn't too eventful but before that, we had an all-you-can-eat breakfast as the food was all-inclusive with our payment. During the meeting, all I could think about was going to the pool as I haven't been swimming in a really long time. Once we were let go, I went to the shop to buy myself some sunglasses as I couldn't keep my eyes open during the day. While at the shop, I got myself a crocodile pool toy so I can hold onto it while I swim (I can't swim, OK?). After that, I made a mad-dash to my room to get changed into my swimming costume.

I met up with my family at the pool and jumped in with a newly inflated croc in hand. Turns out the deepest the pool got was 140cm and I'm 171cm so I won't drown but it won't hurt to keep it around. I swam about for a bit until I saw the slides in the distance. My sister said she's not going today so I went on my own. I got to the slides with a rubber ring in hand. I was nervous at first because it was quite high up and I wasn't sure what to expect. When I got to the top, I saw two slides, one for the rubber ring and the other is for mats only. I got on my rubber ring when it was my turn and went down which turned out to be pretty fun! I had another go on that before moving onto the mat slide but...I regretted it when I got to the water as I went down too fast and doing a flip into the water. I hated it because I was panicking to stand up and get the water out of my nose and eyes. I regrouped with my family after that.

At some point, can't remember, I got changed and saw that my shoulders were red raw from sunburn! It got to the point my clothes were irritating it. I made the shiny Heliolisk card its shiny colouration looks like it's sunburnt.

Too bad that it was only getting started and it only got worse from there...

Day 3- The Resort Life

This day was more about establishing a routine so we all knew what we were doing each day. I was swimming in the water while my sister was calling out to her son about a water show going on at the moment. She demanded that he'd come but he wouldn't listen and because he saw the dude on the jet board from where he was, he didn't need to go over. I tagged along because I wanted to see what the show was.

Turns out that it was two guys on water jets, going about in the air and spraying everyone in the process. XD

I stood back because I had my new phone on me and didn't want to risk getting it wet. We only caught the end of the show but it was a pretty cool sight to behold. This was the highlight for the day as the card has a Blastoise instead of the jet board. =)

After that, Dad wanted to go down the slides with me so I went to the other slides with a double rubber ring. That made me nervous cuz what if it caused to tip over? Dad was talking about the slide we were going on but then I heard a woman scream after going down the slide with a steep drop. Dad recognised the scream and knew it was my sister!

It was our turn to go on this slide with the bowl that spins you around. I was scared at first but it turned out to be fun. We nearly went down backwards but managed to spin the rubber ring around enough to go down forwards. We went for another round but when we reached the top, my cousin Bex and family friend Cort was given the wrong rubber ring as they had a family-sized one and weren't allowed to go down as a duo on it so me and Dad joined them down the "boring" slide on the 4-person ring. It was boring at first but it became a game of who's going in back first. When we reached the bottom, it must've been because the ring had heavy people at the front which caused it to tip over and fling us all forward! I felt my hand graze against someone but my Dad said that I was flung over him and we fell into the water. I had a repeat of the mat slide and tried to stand up to regain my senses.
Cousin Chaz who was watching us didn't get her phone ready in time to video it but she took a photo of us laughing. In the photo, I had my hand on my head as I realised that my hat was in the water and I could see it in the photo! XD

Day 4- I Dunno

Ummmm...I don't remember much from this day...This card symbolises that I really wanted to just shed my sun-burnt skin already and heal. My skin was getting unbearably soar that I couldn't even change clothes without issue. It's a shiny Metapod too so it's red instead of green.

Judging by the image, I must have been just chilling by the pool, watching the family have fun as the BG is the area we sat at usually.

At night, we went to the bar, clustered all the tables together to drink and chat, it was a routine at this point so we can all spent the end of the day together as a family. That was the parts I was looking forward to the most while on holiday.

Day 5- Eden

After that boring day, things picked up quite a lot on the 6th.

I gave my Dad my travel card so he can pay for my spot on my behalf on this "Island Trip". I didn't know what we were gonna do there or what to expect but as my sunburn was still aching, I didn't come prepared with my swimming stuff so I didn't want to do snorkelling. We all walked to the harbour and got on the boat that'll take us to this island (we had the boat to ourselves since it was a large group going), waited and then departed. This would be the second time I ever got on a boat but this one was a much longer journey than the last one.

I knew that there would be a possibility of me getting sea sick so I kept my eye on the horizon but also looked for some dolphins cuz I love dolphins! As I saw the resort getting further and further away, I had a tinge of regret cuz I was worried about the journey and the unknown destination.

The kids started crying about bellyaches and all the noise was stressing me out further and then my niece threw up and made me nauseous. Then another child threw up and was crying which made me feel worse! "I really regret going now!" I thought.

After holding down the urge to puke, we arrived at the coral reef where the snorkelling is taking place. I didn't realise that it was on the journey! People started to put on life jackets and goggles then jumping into the sea. My Dad, uncle and one other person went around the coral reef while the rest stayed near the boat. I went down to have a look then one of the crewmates asked if I wanted to go in but I had my normal clothes on but the worker shrugged it off (as it's a safety hazard to wear cotton clothing in water) and let me go in. It was refreshing cuz the water cooled me down and made me feel better. I saw a ton of fish with black and white stripes nearby.

I was given a pair of goggles so I can see in the water and OH MY GOSH!! It was soooo cool! I saw the fish much clearly and they're so cute! A crewmate started to throw bread in the water to lure more fish in then I saw a bigger, darker fish show up! What an absolute spectacle! I continued to look around the water and saw where the coral reef was. It was a cliffside in the water with coral on top! On the ocean floor, I saw a love heart made with stones, I immediately thought that someone did a marriage proposal there. XD

After the snorkelers came back, we continued on our journey to the island called Eden Island. We got off the boat onto a smaller one to take us to the small pier and then we chilled on the beach for a bit.

I spent more than half my time there playing on my DS (playing Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky) under the umbrella made of straw. I ordered some dinner and had it delivered to my spot so I didn't have to leave the shade.
While playing my game, one of the workers shown me this shell, it looked really nice but then it started moving and it genuinely scared me! XD It was a hermit crab and I held it! The poor thing kept falling off my hand which made me feel sorry for it. The photo is my Dad holding it so I can grab a snap of it.

After finishing my session of Mystery Dungeon, I joined everyone else in the sea for a bit of swimming before we go. Turns out the water is really nice and clear, free of seaweed for the most part unlike Skegness. My clothes are already damp so it's no biggie getting wet again. After swimming, I thought I'd challenge myself to dig the biggest hole at the edge of the water to see how deep I can make it but didn't make much progress.
I garnered the interest of my nieces and they joined the quest to dig. We made another hole further back so only bigger waves can reach it but it still hampered our progress. XD

We had to go back to the boat but the water was a lot more bearable on the way back so I didn't get seasick but the new source of stress was the loud-as-heck music. Dad went absolutely insane as he did Dad Dancing in front of everyone and the crewmates but they were having fun too.
I just kept my eye on the horizon and waited for us to return to the resort. As we pulled up at the harbour, I saw a crab on a rope attached to a wheel, I wish I got a snap of it but I couldn't get my phone out fast enough.

I made a beeline to my hotel room to wash off all the sand on me and get changed. We had the usual drinks and stuff after returning and recouping.

Day 6- Family Watching

I unwinded after that very eventful day yesterday. My sunburn was starting to feel better but I took it easy just in case. I mainly chilled by the poolside, watching my family swim again. I think I did some card drawing, making this card and maybe some others? Don't quite remember as it was another routine day.

Even in the WhatsApp group, there weren't many photos posted on that day so not much to report on.

I picked Krookodile as it's a ground type and they're weak against water types and I didn't want to go in the water. When I drew this though, I forgot the "Evolves from" bit and had to add it on by cutting out a bit of paper when I got back home. =v)

Day 6- Family Watching

A couple days ago, I've paid to go quadbiking in the desert but because I was suffering in the heat, I didn't want to go anymore so I gave my spot to my cousin's daughter. My sister went but she wasn't taking her kids with her. She left her daughter in the care of my Auntie but wanted me to look after her son so I accepted this big responsibility of entertaining a child.

We mostly stayed in my hotel room (with air conditioning) and helped him make some progress on Little Nightmares 2 as he couldn't get past one spot in particular. I didn't know how to play the game so I had to bring up a lets play on YT to see what they did.

I did most of the work and I tried to explain to my nephew that he needs to play games himself to learn how to get better. I never had much help back in the day so I had to do everything myself but I don't know if I got through to him or not on that.
Side note: Why is that game rated 16? That wouldn't even scare younger me and any gore is heavily implied, not explicit.

After a bit of gaming, I took him to the usual restaurant for some food. When we got our chips, we put a tiny bit on the floor and all the sparrows came flocking in and when the chip was eaten, they looked at us for more like we were their deity! My nephew kept throwing little chunks of chips to watch them scramble to get them. Dinner entertainment, I guess. XD
After that, we had ice cream and went back to gaming.

I let him play on my 3DS which had Sonic 1 to Knuckles which he only played the first two. He didn't get very far in either games but when I was his age, I only could reach Marble Zone 3 and Metropolis 3. Kinda wish I bought my Switch so we could play a game together but I didn't want to risk losing or breaking it while away.

My sister got back from the day out and picked up her son and then I just crashed for a bit until the nightly meetup.

I picked Minccino for this card because I wanted something cute that day and Minccino has a card with a move relating to family on it.

Day 6- Family Watching

The last day was just me waiting to go back home. I did go for one final swim cuz I knew that I wouldn't go swimming for a very long time. The water was very cold and because I wacked my knee on a table the night before, it hurt to swim plus the filter near our location wasn't working so there was a ton of grime and bugs in the water which put me off a lot so I got back out after 10-15 minutes and went back to card drawing.

I don't think I have to explain this card, it's obviously the resort we stayed at. The ability the card has relates to the pool (water) and the hot weather (fire).

It was really windy that day so I had a hard time keeping everything together and at some point, the card pictured above got blown away and when I tried to sit back down, the sun bed next to me was in the way and I fell and scraped my leg. In a fit of frustration, I pulled back the chair so it was far from mine, composed myself again and resumed.

I didn't do much of note outside of getting my luggage to Dad's room and then staying there when the heat got a bit much. Thinking back now, cuz everything's all inclusive, I should have celebrated the last day with a double dinner serving but past me isn't smart.

After a while, people started to show up at Dad's room to double check they've got everything and pass the time till leaving time. It was sooo hectic because the kids were being loud with their phones, the adults trying to talk over it and the TV was on so I stepped out for a bit of peace. My sister had some nausea which wasn't pleasant to listen to (bless her).

After getting on the coach (seen in the photo), we spent several hours getting to the airport, through security, finding the gate and finally headed off back to England. I was so happy to finally be on British soil once more but I went to my Dad's house as we reached our home city about 3am so I didn't want to disturb my family...plus, I'd have to pay extra to get taken to my house afterwards. Too fussy and I was too tired to bother.

After getting back home, I had to adjust to the fact I was back home and still had dreams about being on holiday still. XD

But yeah, that was my trip to Egypt in a nutshell. =)