The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure
Author: joloyolo
Originally from Sheffield, England. Can be found mostly in Phong Nha, Vietnam, or Dalyan, Turkey. Likes travelling, eating and drinking. Lives with Captain Caveman.
There was no celebrating of St Patrick’s Day for me in Phong Nha on Sunday 17th March. Captain Caveman, Andrea and I started the day with a lovely breakfast at The Villa’s. The 2 of them had Eggs Benedict and coffees while I had my favourite Vietnamese breakfast, Pho Ga, with Jasmine tea. Here the chicken noodle soup was only 60,000VND (£1.90) and I think it tasted better than others I’d had recently. After breakfast, Andrea checked out of Lucky Homes where we had all had a good stay. We waved Andrea off then went back to bed for a lay down and some forward planning for the rest of March. We had put some laundry in and it was already back, folded nicely too. Captain Caveman booked me a hotel in Hoi An, which was near to the bus station so that it was convenient. I was off to visit Caroline for a week later in the month and was going to get the bus from Phong Nha to Hoi An. Captain Caveman would meet me in Danang after completing his Saigon Children’s Charity cycle event, over 3 days. Around 4pm we had a saunter by the river to The Villa’s to meet up with our mate, Tatas. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop long as we had been invited to a family dinner with Mr & Mrs Lucky Homes and 2 other guests. We had a feast and I got to drink fizzy grape juice while Captain Caveman took the rice wines in his stride. We had a lovely evening with great home cooked food and I even got acquainted with Lu and So, the homestay dogs.
I was late out of bed on Saturday 16th March as Captain Caveman and Andrea were ready for our cycle ride. Before 8am we had Lucky Homes’ free bicycles at the ready and I thought I might have been better off getting Bluey from the Glass House. Captain Caveman said I’d be fine on the borrowed bicycle and, obviously, he knows about these things! I wasn’t daft and was well aware that Andrea and Captain Caveman are keen cyclists so I had already got through half a litre of water and put some in my bag, just in case. The idea was that we would cycle the 10km to the Phong Nha Farmstay for breakfast, before it got too hot. I was physically and mentally ready for this torture and off we went, me at the back as I don’t like to ride side by side on narrow roads. We got about 2km down the road when Captain Caveman pulled in to Tree House. Andrea and I were surprised but he wanted a coffee. I ordered a ginger tea which took a while to drink as it was so hot, but eventually we set off. We were nearing where we used to live, not too far from the Phong Nha Farmstay, when I could no longer see Andrea and Captain Caveman. Luckily, I knew the way from where I was and soldiered on, trying my best to catch up with my fellow cyclists. Close to the turn off to Elements (our former home during Covid) I cycled through a wedding tent which was being prepared for the festivities later on. I had a view of a long stretch of the road but there was no sign of Andrea and Captain Caveman. I cycled faster, familiar with the route, and all of a sudden they appeared from a side road to my left, having taken a scenic shortcut through the rice paddies. They said they thought I had seen them turn off near the petrol station, to be honest I didn’t recall seeing the petrol station. At the Phong Nha Farmstay I had a green tea and a chicken noodle soup (without chillies), Captain Caveman had an iced black coffee and a cheese & onion toastie, Andrea ordered a cappuccino and bacon & eggs. Here are the prices before the service and VAT charges, in Vietnamese Dong; Green tea 25,000 Pho Ga 90,000 Black coffee 25,000 Toastie 70,000 Cappuccino 50,000 Bacon & Eggs 100,000 Total paid (with taxes) 408, 240VND (£13)
It’s worth pointing out that only the fancy places itemise the bill to include the tip and the extra fees separately, generally the price you see on the menu, is the price you pay in Phong Nha.
Our next bout of cycling was to visit René at Greenfield Ecostay, where Andrea, Captain Caveman and René all had beers but I resisted and had a rum and coke. René’s place was looking really good and I made a note that we needed to stay here while I’m in Phong Nha, to try it out.
We decided to break up the journey on the way back with a stop off at a newly opened cafe/restaurant, called Lotus. We know the owner and staff from a previous restaurant and were keen to visit this new place in the Cu Nam area of Phong Nha. My fellow cyclists had more beers and I treated myself to a hot chocolate. We paid less than £2 for 2 Huda beers and a gorgeous hot chocolate and it was another place to add to my list to come for food.
From Lotus, we cycled all the way back to Lucky Homes where I was desperate for a shower, after managing the 22km total cycle. I think both Andrea and Captain Caveman were reluctant to suggest we cycle out for dinner, in case I had a melt down, and suggested the short walk to The Villa’s. Captain Caveman got word from one of the cavers, who were back from their caving expedition, that the wrap party was happening at Mr Toan’s, so off he went to that. He did invite us but we were already looking forward to Andrea’s last night in Phong Nha. We shared a half and half pizza (Margarita and Showstopper) with a garden salad and a bottle of wine and had a lovely evening. Captain Caveman arrived back at The Villas, a bit sozzled and near to the 10pm closing time. We pushed it again and didn’t leave there until almost 11pm, with arrangements made to be back again for breakfast at 8am.
Captain Caveman and I had plans for Friday 15th March which included our friend, Andrea. She was due to fly from Saigon on the same flight I’d taken 2 days ago, arriving in to Dong Hoi at 9am. We had arranged to meet her at the airport to pick her up and go to Phong Nha. But first, for breakfast we went to Mr Bull’s for Bo Ne again and, while we were there, Andrea messaged to say her flight was delayed. We thought it might be, as there was fog in Dong Hoi. At 10.15am we were sat in Dong Hoi airport waiting for the flight to come in. I noticed that the cafe sold pho for only 55,000VND (£1.73), which is reasonable. Once Andrea had arrived, we drove the 50km by private car, which Captain Caveman had booked through Oxalis, to Phong Nha. Captain Caveman had also booked 2 rooms at Lucky Homes for the weekend and we were able to check in before 12 noon, which was nice.
We were given a downstairs family room which was lovely with a massive bathroom. Andrea had an upstairs triple room and I gather we got the last 2 rooms of this perfectly located homestay. We have known Mr and Mrs Lucky Homes for 7 or 8 years, have eaten and drank at their riverside restaurant quite a lot but we’ve never stayed in their homestay. Captain Caveman already rents a room at the Glass House but it wasn’t in an ideal state for me to stay there at the moment so he preferred we stay in other places during my visit.
By 1.30pm Captain Caveman and Andrea were on the Huda beers at The Villas, which is a restaurant within Victory Road Villas hotel, owned by our friends Ben and Bich. I had a jasmine tea, determined not to have beer. The drinks were 30,000VND (95p) each which was still very reasonable given the location and quality of service.
Back at Lucky Homes we borrowed the free bicycles for guests and cycled to Tree House in town. We shared some wine; a bottle of the Francis Gillot red was 400,000VND (£12.79) and the Benjamin Mendy 450,000VND (£14.39) so quite reasonable. I preferred mine warm but Andrea and Captain Caveman popped ice in their red wine!
We cycled back to Lucky Homes to unpack and freshen up but then cycled back again to go out for dinner. Captain Caveman had chosen Ganesh, the only Indian restaurant in Phong Nha, and a massive favourite of ours. We had a feast to share between the three of us. These are the dishes and drinks with prices in Vietnamese Dong;
1 Huda beer 25,000 1 soda water 25,000 Saffron rice 49,000 Vegetable Samosas 60,000 Garlic Naan bread 60,000 Onion bhajis 85,000 Taka Dahl 98,000 Chicken 65 115,000 Chicken Tikka 120,000 1 bottle of red wine 270,000 Total spent 907,000VND (£29.00)
I’ve not had an Indian meal for a while so I wasn’t sure if that was good value but it seemed it to me and there was more than enough food for the 3 of us – we even took some back to the homestay. On our way back we had to have a couple of drinks at The Villas again for good measure. Andrea and I had margaritas which were still as good as I remembered them, 180,000VND (£5.78) each. Captain Caveman had gin and tonic. It’s worth noting that the bar closes at 10pm and we were certainly pushing that deadline a little as we paid up and went off to get some sleep. I didn’t know it at the time but Andrea and Captain Caveman had plans to wear me out tomorrow.
It was quite cold in Dong Hoi in comparison to Saigon so I wore my jeggings on Thursday 14th March. Obviously, Captain Caveman was up early but I managed to stay in bed until 7.30am. As I’d missed (Not So) Fat Club in Dalyan yesterday, I did my measurements to find that the results were terrible; Bust +1cm, Waist +3cm, Hips +2cm. I put it down to having had 298 syns in the week and water retention. Humidity was much higher here and I could feel my ankles swelling already and I was quite tired. By 8am I was on my way down in the lift to meet Captain Caveman at Mr Bull, as he’d gone on ahead. We only had one more day and night in Dong Hoi so we had a very full itinerary today. Mr Bull is one of our favourite places for breakfast in Dong Hoi as it has the best Bo Ne. The Vietnamese breakfast dish comes on a sizzling skillet and comprises, steak, sausage, pâté, onions, salad garnish, fried egg and a baguette. I obviously donated the ingredients I don’t like to Captain Caveman who ended up with a massive portion of it and I just had the steak, onion and bread.
Our next adventure was to go to the cinema as Captain Caveman wanted to watch Dune 2. I was reluctant as I don’t like that genre of film and haven’t seen Dune 1. But when I was told we were loading up on treats and it was 3 hours in a comfortable seat, I changed my mind. I wasn’t allowed Dairy Milk chocolate bars which were only 20,000VND (63p) but Peanut M&Ms and Korean crisps were in the basket. We paid 180,000VND (£5.71) for 2 cinema tickets and we needn’t have been tight by smuggling in our own snacks as the popcorn, drinks and hotdog combos were reasonably priced. As we took our allocated seats I knew I was going to have a bit of a nap as the massive seats were so good. Captain Caveman loved the film, I thought it was a bit boring and went on for far too long. I had a couple of naps and got confused that Josh Brolin’s character wasn’t the same person as Javier Bardem’s. After the film, we went to the Gold shop so that Captain Caveman could change some money. We walked through the market to the bag repair man so that I could get my bag stitched where it had torn. We left the bag there and said we would come back after lunch.
Ngon Saigon Deli is another one of our go to places for a cheap and tasty lunch. We both had pork, broken rice and veggies for 42,000VND (£1.33) and Captain Caveman had his with a fried egg for an extra 7,000VND (22p). He had a cold Huda beer at a bargain 15,000VND (48p) and I had a peach and lemongrass iced tea for 25,000VND (79p). A small vegetable soup each was served for free. We both really enjoyed our meal which was less than £5 for everything and I couldn’t even finish all of mine. Feeling full, we still had lots more errands to run so we got a taxi to the porter sandal shop where we both got a new pair for about 140,000VND (£4.44). We tried to call in to see Thuy, the physio, but the premises had moved. On the way back in to Dong Hoi, we called at the bike shop so that Captain Caveman could buy a new cycling helmet, the wine shop where we picked up 2 bottles of red, the pharmacy where Captain Caveman stocked up on essential medications and then the phone shop. I needed a Viettel SIM card and the staff member took my passport and my photo, more than a few times, but couldn’t get them to match up. We were in there about 40 minutes before she wrote in Google translate on her phone that they were sorry that at this time I could not get a SIM card as my face in real life and the one in my passport don’t match. My passport photo is 7 years old and I know I’ve lost weight but I had managed to get on 4 flights this month with it, fine. I wasn’t too happy but there was nothing I could do about not having a phone and we would try again in Phong Nha, this weekend. Before we went back to the hotel, we went to collect my bag which cost just 10,000VND (32p) to get fixed and then we walked round the corner to have a fresh coconut before getting a Grab back to the Minh Quang hotel.
We had arranged to meet Stu, Max, Jack and Aussie Pete at a fancy new bar in Dong Hoi in the evening. Captain Caveman had been to Regal Legend once before and it was like a very small version of a Marina Bay Sands style rooftop pool and bar. On walking up the stairs to the bar, we were met by 2 staff who presented us with a big board showing the drinks menu. Captain Caveman chose a Huda beer and I opted for a margarita. We sat at a nice table by the pool and I took a few photos of the lovely new place, while waiting for the drinks and our friends. We’d hoped for a sunset view but it was cloudy and Captain Caveman was left disappointed when the bar man explained that they didn’t have any Huda beer, only Tiger Crystal. He had that and I was totally taken off guard by my margarita, which seemed to be more like a vodka martini with Cointreau and lime juice in it. The alcohol content was high so I didn’t complain but I didn’t have another one. When Aussie Pete arrived he was also a bit perturbed that he couldn’t get a Huda beer and had to have the more expensive Tiger Crystal at 22,000VND (70p). I decided I wanted to have a glass of wine but they didn’t serve it by the glass, only the bottle, with the cheapest one being unavailable and the next cheapest red being 618,000VND (£19.52). Captain Caveman was up for treating me so I went over to the bar to look at the bottles where the 2 bottles I checked had been opened. I decided against the wine and chose a whiskey coke from the menu which started a chain of confusion. Neither of the staff were happy with my choice as they didn’t have any coke. I didn’t believe this and decided to nip to the toilet downstairs while the staff tried to find me my ‘cocktail’ ingredients. At the same time Aussie Pete and Captain Caveman ordered 2 more Tiger beers.
At the bottom of the stairs was a fridge, interestingly it’s contents were 2 shelves of Pepsi, one shelf of 7Up, one of water and the last of cold Huda beers. The bottom shelf of Huda beer had just 2 Tiger beers left, which the waitress was getting out. I went to the loo where staff were taking selfies and drinking coffees in there. I went back upstairs to reluctantly let the guys know there was Huda in the fridge. Jack had arrived and Stu was on his way but we all were laughing at the beer situation. I’d been given a large Jack Daniels and 3 staff were now arguing about not having a coke, with a Pepsi in their possession. I took the can, they looked confused and the guys all ordered Huda. When they said there was none, I produced a photo to show the fridge and they dutifully brought them. We weren’t allowed to knock up a tab and had to pay as we went but Huda beers were only 15,000VND (47p), which was ridiculously funny for Stu and Aussie Pete who didn’t have small notes. They forgot Aussie Pete’s change, overcharged Captain Caveman and didn’t think it was weird to charge Stu on a bank transfer for one beer at once. My Jack Daniels and Pepsi was 99,000VND (£3.28) on the menu but I’d definitely ended up with a larger serving than it should have been. We only went there because Stu’s mate worked there. We learned he’d quit when he didn’t get paid over the Tet holiday so we probably wouldn’t be going back in a hurry. They didn’t serve dinner (probably a good job they didn’t) so we left there and went back to Oregano for the second day running. Just Aussie Pete, Captain Caveman and I made it for food where Captain Caveman ordered a potato and bacon pizza. Aussie Pete and I both ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was really nice for 50,000VND (£1.58). Once again, it was an early night as we would be getting up early tomorrow to pick up our friend from the airport, then head to Phong Nha.
I checked out of the Common Inn at just before 5am on Wednesday 13th March. I’d really enjoyed my 4 night stay there and for a total of 3 million Vietnamese Dong (£95.11), it was definitely worth it. By 5.30am I was checked in at Tan Son Nhat airport for my flight to Dong Hoi. Vietnamese Airlines didn’t give a stuff how many cases I had and let me check 2 in. I didn’t board for over an hour so I had a walk around the airport and noted that the Burger King Cheese Burger and fries were 169,000VND (£5.36) but the Pho at Big Bowl was only 132,000VND (£4.18) for the ordinary beef. Vietnam airports in comparison to UK and Turkey seem not to be quite as much of a rip off, but are still far more expensive than in the towns. My flight was on time and we landed before 9am. Mr Minh Quang was there at Dong Hoi airport, with a sign and a smile, to meet me. He took my bags and spoke great English as we went over to the car. Once at the hotel, around 9.20am, I was able to check-in early and I went for a lay down. I fell asleep immediately and only woke up when Captain Caveman knocked on the door. We had a late brunch at Tree Hugger, walking distance from our hotel, which I’d missed a lot. We both had the refreshing frozen lime and mint drinks, Captain Caveman ordered his favourite egg salad sandwich and I tried the yellow smoothie bowl for the healthier choice. Our meals cost 50,000VND (£1.58) and 60,000VND (£1.90) which was reasonable and I noticed that the White Russians were still the same price as last year.
As we were in Dong Hoi we had arranged to meet Stu and the boys for dinner and, as a treat, Aussie Pete would join us too. Stu chose the Laotian BBQ place to meet but I had to insist that Captain Caveman and I would go for cocktails at Tree Hugger first. I knew the BBQ place, which I’d never been to before, would only have beer to drink and I wasn’t going to have any. We had 2 White Russians each at only 60,000VND (£1.90) each and they were so good. On arrival at the Laotian BBQ place I could already sense that it was very basic and I was concerned about hygiene. Captain Caveman, Stu and Aussie Pete were on the beers but I just ordered bottled water. Stu recommended the beef jerky and the sausage, of which Captain Caveman devoured. I couldn’t stomach trying it as it looked greasy so I just had sticky rice with peanut salt. We had some pork scratchings that come in a packet and were tasty. I needed the toilet and went in the back to find it. Unfortunately, I saw one of the staff/owners scraping animal parts (raw and cooked) in to a gutter which was congealed with fat and blood and I almost puked over the closest customer as I turned to leave. I would have had to step over the waste gunk to access the not so sparkling squat toilet and I just couldn’t face it. When Captain Caveman ordered and ate chicken feet, it was game over for me. I made the mistake of comparing it to the time we’d ate at the bird restaurant with Thuy, the physio, and I had to leave. I was dry wretching as I walked back to the hotel trying my best not to be sick. I got ready for bed, expecting Captain Caveman to make a night of it with Aussie Pete. By 8.30pm, Captain Caveman had returned to the hotel to get me and we were off to Oregano for pizza and beers for him, water for me. I still felt rather queasy but did manage to share some of the lovely Hawaiian and Vegetarian pizzas. Oregano was nice but it closed at 9pm and we were back at the hotel for an early night. In Dong Hoi and Phong Nha it’s common to be in bed by 10pm.
I had my first pho for breakfast on Tuesday 12th March, it was only a Family Mart supermarket one but it was nice and I was able to leave out the chillies. I spoke to Captain Caveman who had some good news, he was not joining the others on the last trip of the caving expedition as he was going to Dong Hoi to renew his Vietnamese Driving licence tomorrow, which meant he would be able to meet me there! I was excited until I realised that he had probably remembered me saying he would miss Steak and Blow Job night on the 14th – and he does love a steak! Captain Caveman had booked us a room at the Minh Quang hotel in Dong Hoi for 2 nights and it was near all of my favourite food places. I was going to visit Soma again for lunch but then realised that Micro Boulingerie was open again today and I fancied a nice sandwich. I really like their cream cheese and cranberry one but they had almost sold out of everything as it’s so popular. I had to make do with a Bluebaba sandwich which I thought wouldn’t really be my thing but it turned out to be such a great combination. Nutella, banana and blueberries on a fresh baguette – definitely not diet friendly but it did have 2 lots of fruit in it. Given that a tablespoon of Nutella is about 4 syns, I was still within my daily allowance so it wasn’t too bad and I ate both halves despite trying to save some for tomorrow’s breakfast.
In the afternoon, I created a little more excitement for myself by venturing out on foot, without a phone or purse, in pursuit of a cash machine. Thao Dien is not a cheap district of Vietnam and it tends to have some really good international places to dine so I’d not be sticking to a budget. It was hard to know how much the car to the airport would be as well as from Dong Hoi airport to the hotel. I found a cash machine and tried 3 times, with my Turkish bank card, but to no avail so I walked a bit further on to find an HSBC. It worked but taking out just 1,000,000VND (£31.65) cost me an extra 13% which was a bit steep. I got back to the hotel and packed as I was leaving at 5am tomorrow morning and didn’t want to be faffing about. I also bought some sourdough from Micro Boulingerie to take to Phong Nha with me. That evening I got a Grab car over to District 1 to meet Quyen, I was early on purpose so that I had time for a quick beer in 7 Bridges and could find the restaurant. My 240ml Yuzu Wheat beer cost 75,000VND (£2.38) and was very nice but I was severely limiting how much beer I drank this year. I’d worked out my maximum was 3, before I noticed my waist size increase. When I arrived, Quyen was outside the closed Japanese place. Luckily, she had a backup plan and we went to Izakaya Ten, another authentic Japanese restaurant which was fantastic. We ordered lots of little sharing dishes, 5 vegetarian, 3 meat and a bottle of plum wine. The prices of them varied from 35,000VND (£1.11) to 68,000VND (£2.16) each and the 360ml of spirit was 230,000VND (£7.30). Everything was so tasty but our favourites were the pork and the steamed gyoza which we ordered a second portion of. We paid 425,000VND (£13.48) each, including tip, which was an absolute bargain and one of the best meals I’ve had. Quyen is also so lovely and easy to spend time with too, she called me a Grab car to go back in and we said farewell until next time. I was in bed by 10pm but I was watching something on Netflix to help me fall asleep. My alarm was set for 4.30am and I was looking forward to my trip to Dong Hoi.
I had a really good day on Monday 11th March and I think I made the most of it on the food and drink front, yet again. When I got up I decided I needed some exercise and to try to stick more to the Slimming World plan for the next couple of days. I didn’t want to be putting the weight I’d tried so hard to lose, back on. It had only just sunk in that I was the lightest weight I’d been in a few years so I was quite proud of myself for not giving up. I walked to Soma, which wasn’t that far but it was quite warm, for a fairly healthy breakfast. I ordered the Berrylicious breakfast for 120,000VND (£3.80) which is definitely more than I’d normally pay for a breakfast in Vietnam but it was absolutely lovely. It contained mixed berries, banana, coconut, strawberries, granola, chia seeds and cocoa nibs so wasn’t exactly diet friendly but it would do. I washed it down with a hibiscus and rose tea which was pretty powerful for 60,000VND (£1.90). I sat and did a bit of editing in the Air Con of Soma where lots of people were working on their laptops. A guy next to me ordered a detox drink which I liked the look of and a woman on the other side was boring a man to death while she talked about how good her business idea was. Neither the man nor I found out what her actual business idea was and I was surprised to see she didn’t tuck in to her breakfast straight away. I was still there for lunch so I decided to have the Masaman udon noodle soup with poached chicken as an added extra and a Red Detox juice. The soup was full of vegetables with a sprinkle of peanuts in and a bargain at 180,000VND (£5.69) and I really enjoyed the drink at 65,000VND (£2.05). I felt so much healthier but the soup did have chillies in which I picked out, only to realise the broccoli had chilli flakes all over it. Soma was lovely and I really enjoyed my meals there, the total bill with the 8% tax on came to 459,000VND (£14.68) so was a bit more than I’d usually spend but I was on holiday and it was excellent value for money.
I walked back to the Common Inn hotel, via a quick look in the Family Mart supermarket and had a bit of a rest and a couple of video calls. My first one was with Captain Caveman who was back in Phong Nha for the night and wasn’t sure if he was on the next expedition tomorrow. He was happy as they had found a few more kilometres of new cave and hadn’t ran out of rope! My next video call was with a contact I’d made from the Race to Recurring Revenue Challenge with Lisa Johnson. We were booked in for a chat at 4.30pm (9.30am her time in the UK) to get advice about setting up an online business without having to do live/speaking on social media. Later, I used the hotel’s free washing machine and dryer to do some laundry and the security guard/handyman helped me, which was kind.
In the evening I managed to install Grab and get a car to take me to one of my favourite wine bars, Soho, where I met Andrea and her friend Wanda. We drank a lovely glass of red wine each at only 80,000VND (£2.53) for a decent portion. We walked to Blu Bar and Grill for dinner where we met Elena and had more wine with dinner. I ate pork wontons which were amazing then shared a chicken dish with Andrea. It had blue cheese in it and came with potatoes and nicely cooked vegetables. It was a lovely night and I really enjoyed myself. I was proud I had managed to get a Grab there and back without issue too, as I’m not great at maps and I still didn’t have a SIM card yet (nowhere in Thao Dien sells Viettel ones). I stopped at the Family Mart to stock up on water and snacks and ended up with a rather tasty pork gyoza for 9,000VND (28p). By 11.20pm I was ready for bed and looking forward to my last day in Saigon tomorrow.
I had no idea what time or day it was when I woke up on Sunday 10th March. My watch said 5.30am but it was hot and sunny. I just remembered getting a Grab taxi with Andrea and Elena after the first set of the band at Acoustic bar last night. I’d paid 850,000vnd (£27.19) in total for my Mexican food and drinks. I recall not paying for the glass of wine I had in Acoustic and Andrea had paid for the Grab. I remembered getting the quiet Vietnamese group next to me to dance and then we were headbanging to Highway to Hell just before we realised it was definitely time to leave. The others had work in the morning and I was starting to get a bit of jet lag. Today, wasn’t to be wasted though, as I had people to see. I met Keith (from Grimsby) and his girlfriend, Trinh, at the Bia Craft bar near to where I was staying. We had water, beer and some nibbles. I ordered BBQ pork and edamame beans which were lovely. Keith noticed the increased price of a small craft ale being 39,000VND (£1.25) now so we didn’t stay long. My total bill came to 225,000VND (£7.20) which I didn’t think was too steep. We called at a roadside bar, called Twister, for one more beer where a draft Tiger lager was 60,000VND (£1.92) so quite pricey really. Our next place to visit was a favourite of Keith’s, where he gets all his lunches from for work. Soma was really nice and we ended up chatting to the owner, Scotty, who seemed familiar but we couldn’t work out if we had met before. The food there was healthy so I made a note to come here while I was staying at The Common Inn. Scotty bought us some beers so I couldn’t work out the individual price but I remember they were less than Twister, which was good. That evening, I stayed in at the hotel and for my dinner I had a ham sandwich from Micro Boulingerie, next door, where they do the most amazing sandwiches. I also forgot that I had supposedly given up chocolate for lent and ate a chocolate cookie which I’d bought at Soma. My Netflix had issues with my device being in Vietnam, instead of Turkey, even though it’s a Vietnamese account so I had to faff about getting a code from Seamus to be able to finish off a series I’d started. At 9pm (2pm UK time) I video called my parents for my first call with them from Vietnam. I didn’t go to bed/sleep until gone midnight as my head still thought it was only 8pm.
I was served another inflight meal at 3.15am on Saturday 9th March. I almost declined it as they said it was omelette but it consisted of chicken sausage and garlic spinach with the omelette on the side so it was edible. At 5.30am (local time), I was off the plane and walking through Bangkok airport. My next flight was due to fly at 7.45am to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) so I didn’t have an awful lot of time for fannying about. We boarded my third plane at about 7am and, after taking off on time, I got given another nice Thai Airways meal; fruit salad, prawn spaghetti, a hot drink and a water. By 10am, Vietnamese time, I was in the very long immigration queue at Saigon airport. I met a nice couple in front of me in the queue who were in Vietnam for the first time and were on their honeymoon. They had the 45 day visa exemption which is available for UK passport holders. I had purchased a 90 day multiple entry visa online for $50 prior to coming to Vietnam and had it printed out ready. The man at immigration checked my 90 day visa and all was smooth with the stamp in to Vietnam, allowing me to remain in the country until the 5th June. Just 52 minutes later, I was outside in the humidity and hot sun. I got a taxi from the domestic terminal of the airport, which should have cost less, to the Common Inn in Thao Dien (District 2). I ended up paying 350,000vnd (£11.25) but at least it wasn’t as bad as the last trip where they tried to con me out of 2,000,000VND and we had to report it.
The check-in time at the Common Inn was 2pm but I was allowed in before noon, glad of a shower and a lay down. That evening, I met Andrea and some of her friends for margaritas and Mexican food at District Federal, in Thao Dien. The margaritas were great te food so tasty and we had a good laugh. It was a brilliant night, ending in watching a live band at Acoustic bar who finished the first half of their gig with an amazing rendition of Highway to Hell.
I was up and about early on Thursday 7th March making sure that I was organised for my departure. The baking paper had been forgotten about yesterday and then I had not had chance to go shopping before Migros closed last night so I went early in the morning. I bought the baking sheets which were on offer for 48.96lira (£1.20) as I needed to get the fruit cake started pretty sharpish so that I could pack it. Back home, I just had fruit for breakfast and a cup of tea before getting my mixture in the slow cooker. After 4.5 hours it was done and I left it to cool before cutting it up. I’d almost finished my packing and had also packed up our belongings to be stored in the lockable cupboards while we were renting out our apartment. I didn’t go to Zumba as I had too much going on but I did manage beef stew with Yorkshire puddings for a late lunch/early dinner. I attempted to drink some rosé wine which was in the fridge from when Jamie came round but it tasted terrible and I poured it away. I don’t like to consume anything that might make travelling difficult. Before bed, I made Carol’s Slimming World friendly cheese pasties to take to the airport tomorrow. Dalaman airport is one of the most expensive airports for food and drink so I made plenty. Jamie was giving me and his brother a lift to Dalaman airport in the morning so I shared some pasties and some cake between the 3 of us. I didn’t end up going to bed very early, I think I was excited to be going back to Vietnam, even though I wasn’t due to see Captain Caveman for another week. I set the alarm for 6am so that I had plenty of time to be ready to leave at 8am. I was flying from Dalaman to Istanbul, then to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) via Bangkok with Thai Airways.
The weather conditions weren’t good on the morning of Friday 8th March and I was half expecting a flight delay. I made a cheese sandwich to have with the rest of my packing up and stored the rest of my belongings away. I bought 1 day of phone credit with data for 91 lira (£2.22) just in case I should need it while still in Turkey. The rain was tipping down and at 7.30am there was a little wobble of an earthquake. Jamie messaged to say he was on his way, 10 minutes early. The drive to the airport was swift and I hated saying goodbye to Jamie as I was going to miss him the most. My flight was first at 9.50am to Istanbul, Barney was slightly later to Sabiha Gökçen. I had booked the flight for just less than £30 which included 20kg hold luggage, 8kg hand luggage, a booked seat (12C), a sandwich, water and a hot drink. I said bye to Barney and went to the gate ready to board my flight which was on time. I had 5 hours in Istanbul as my flight landed at 11.20am but the next flight wasn’t until 4.30pm. I’d been tempted to book a lounge but I couldn’t justify paying for it when I couldn’t check in at Istanbul until 1.30pm which, by the time I got through security, would leave me with only 2 hours in the lounge. I found a nice spot to sit in the airport where I ate my pasties and some cake. A couple came and sat next to me and gave me a piece of baklava, which was kind. Captain Caveman had booked my one way ticket with Thai Airways from Istanbul to Saigon for £425, which included seat selection, meals with alcoholic drinks, a 10kg hand luggage and 23kg hold luggage (not that they checked and I was allowed to check-in 2 cases which totalled 24kg). My second flight of the day, Istanbul to Bangkok, took off on time and I was pleased to find myself with a row of 3 seats all to myself. By 5.45pm I had an inflight meal and some red wine, all of which was very nice. I watched some random film with Rebel Wilson in which was a bit rubbish and then watched old episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Thai Airways, for a budget flight, was pretty good so I was pleased Captain Caveman had booked me this one. I was due to land in Bangkok airport at 5.35am tomorrow, which would be 1.35am Turkish time.
I had quite a few plans on Tuesday 5th March; a hair appointment, Leanne coming over to video the apartment and meeting Becky for a leaving drink. As I went to Emrah’s for my hair appointment it was getting a bit blustery outdoors. I was nearly late on account of going back for an umbrella and me carrying a bag full of jars for Drew to pop his kumquat jam in. My hair looked good, until I stepped outside in to the wind as a huge storm was likely on its way. I had tea and a banana for breakfast and made a Slimming World friendly lasagne for lunch. I didn’t go to Zumba as it started to rain and I had a leak in the bathroom to sort out. I’d just repainted the bedroom wall but then some water came in through the Air Con and ruined it. Leanne came over and we had a chat for quite a while, she took the video for the new tenants moving in so that she could see everything was in good working order. We were using King Emlak for our long term rental and Leanne was going to be overseeing that as well as some repairs prior to the tenants moving in. I arrived late at Mono and More where I was pleased to see Becky, Jamie, Barney (Jamie’s brother), Norman and Edna. I was also glad to find that the new coffee shop now sold alcohol and I ordered a nice glass of white wine. Edna was funny as the glass table top confused her when she could see my wine but couldn’t get to it. It was nice to sit out and it was actually quite warm. The Aussies, Greg had to meet a friend but Amanda joined us. Basrı also joined us and then after it got a bit cool we all said our goodbyes, apart from Amanda who was waiting for Greg with the keys and the money. It was at this point that we wanted to get in touch with Greg to find out where he was, when the whole Facebook and Social Media crashed. We walked to their villa but no one was there, Amanda managed to call Greg who was in the barbers. Amanda invited herself over to mine to wait for him there, on account of not having her keys. We waited a while at mine and then the rain came just as Greg was walking to my place. We chatted a bit then they decided they needed some food, I only had my Slimming World friendly meals in as I was leaving in a few days. Greg decided he fancied Hatay kebabs, Amanda did too but I said I really wanted to avoid temptation. Hatay kebabs are one of my favourites but I had Fat Club weigh-in tomorrow and I had been quite good all week – the last kebab I ate gave me a bad stomach. Greg got up and left the apartment just as the rain absolutely trounced it down. He arrived back at the bottom of the stairs with 2 kebabs, chips, cokes and a massive cramp from running in the storm. Amanda had to help him as he couldn’t get up the stairs and I got him a towel out as he looked like he’d had a shower while fully dressed. It was hard watching them eat their food, but I was determined to lose weight this week. The rain got worse as I listened to their travel plans for the next month, until they arrived in Vietnam in April. It was 11.15pm when they left having invited me to join them for a Turkish breakfast tomorrow morning. I explained I was eating healthily and had Fat Club tomorrow afternoon so didn’t want to eat a big breakfast beforehand. They said they would call round first thing in the morning to say final goodbyes and pick up the paint I had borrowed as they were leaving Dalyan for a few weeks. I ate some reheated leftover Slimming World friendly lasagne then went to bed. This week I had consumed 241 syns, of which 79 were alcohol so I was really hoping I’d done enough to get a loss this week. I wasn’t confident I’d have reached my next milestone of one and a half stone loss though.
I’d got up early on Wednesday 6th March to apply another coat of paint on the bedroom wall beneath the AC unit. The Aussies were planning on going for breakfast at Kefal tea gardens and said they would call round to pick up the paint they loaned me. I got on the scales at home and the result was good but I wanted to wait and see what Carol’s scales said this afternoon before I got too excited. My measurements were really good as I’d lost 2cm each off my bust, waist and hips this week and I was now quite a bit under the measurement targets I had set. After strawberries and 2 bananas for breakfast I did a bit of packing and tidying up, while waiting for the Aussies. Bonnie popped round at 10am and we had a little chat. The Aussies turned up while Bonnie was there having not had their breakfast yet. I gave them the paint and gave them hugs goodbye. They would land in Vietnam in 6 weeks and were heading to Phong Nha. I helped Bonnie downstairs with a charity bag and then popped to the bank and stationers to finish off my errands. I went to have my last catch up with Adele at the Kefal tea gardens where I had several Turkish teas and some peanuts before going straight to Fat Club. Unfortunately, it meant that I had forgotten to take some of the food I was clearing out before I left for Vietnam. This was the last Fat Club before my trip so I was so glad when I had lost 1.7kg (3.7lbs) on Carol’s scales this week. I was so happy that I’d now lost a total of 10.5kg (22.7lbs) which meant that I had finally got my 1.5 stone loss sticker! I was just under my original target weight but I’d adjusted it more recently so that I still had 0.7kg (1.5lb) to lose to hit target. From now on, the group would have to be known as the Not So Fat Club, especially as lots of others were all doing well and losing weight. I’d been so grateful to have managed to lose so much and Carol had been a massive help. To celebrate I went to Ozzy’s for a bit of wine with Jamie, Ghislaine and Christine. We bumped in to Kate, Pamela, Andrea and John and I had a few celebration last drinks. That evening I joined Jamie, Barney and Nanny Kay at Mahir’s again. This time I ate the batter off the fish and thoroughly enjoyed my treat night. After dinner we had one more in Ozzy’s and I gave Kate the dress I’d been wearing as she liked it. I said goodbye to Mark and Kate who were going home on their mobility scooter. Tomorrow was my last day in Dalyan and so I planned for an uneventful, but productive, day.
I didn’t sleep well and still had a bad stomach when I woke up on Sunday 3rd March. I put it down to the sausages I’d brought back from Rhodes and they had to go in the bin. I managed a cup of tea and a banana but had to cancel any plans to join Mark, Kate and the Aussies for Turkish breakfast at a museum. There was also the Sunday walk which Carol had organised to go from Ley Ley restaurant which I skipped too. I was hoping to be ok for later as I’d organised that tonight would be my leaving meal and drinks with an eclectic mix of just a few friends. During the day I managed to eat a fruit salad, some broccoli and potato soup, a small pasta Bolognese and lots of oresol, water and herbal teas. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was heading back in to the jungle on his Laos/Vietnam month long cave expedition that he was half way through. They had found some new cave which was good and it was nice to talk to him after a couple of weeks of him being in the Laotian jungle. This might be the last phone call until I saw him in Phong Nha in 12 days time. I arrived at Mahir’s kebab place at 7.30pm to find that Jamie and Drew were already there and a random bag and jazzy jacket were placed on the middle seat so I moved it along one space to my left and sat down next to Jamie. Jaxx sat opposite me when she arrived, as Bill was away, then Carol (from Fat Club) arrived with Ian and moved the bag to sit next to me and Jaxx. I’d now worked out the stuff on the seat was perhaps Adele’s. She sat next to Carol which left the 2 seats at the end for Amanda and Greg, who arrived last and instantly got on with Adele. Mark and Kate had declined the invite as they had already eaten out today and they didn’t fancy the leaving drinks. A few of us ordered the fish and chips at Mahir’s. I tried to be good and took most of my batter off, mainly because of my stomach more than the diet. Jaxx and I went thirds on a bottle of wine with Adele, then shared a bottle between the 2 of us. We had a lovely meal, I seemed to have made a full recovery and was feeling well enough to move on to the after party at Sofra bar. Adele, Carol and Ian went home as they had to be up early on Monday morning but the rest of us decided to move on for a bit of a drinking sesh. As it happened, Mark and Kate were still out and were the only ones waiting in Sofra for me. Of course, it turned in to one of those nights. Jamie and Drew had been sensible and gone home once it started looking messy. Greg took Mark and Kate home then returned to Jaxx and I where we put Jaxx in a taxi then Greg insisted that they drove me home. The night turned in to a very very late finish! Amanda and Greg were still at mine after 4am! Once upstairs I realised I’d left loads of coat hangers on the bed and then at 5.30am (9.30am in Vietnam) I had a drunken video call with Captain Caveman who had popped back to Phong Nha in between cave expeditions. We were both glad I had decided to have the leaving drinks in advance of my leaving date.
I was surprisingly chipper when Jamie picked me up at 10am on Monday 4th March, despite my 3 hours of sleep. We drove to Ortaca where we got to the shop and bought 2 grey sunbed cushions for 1200 lira (£29.93) then went straight back to Dalyan. The cleaner was hard at work so I dropped the cushions off then had a wander round Dalyan. By the time it got to 11.50pm I knew I needed a bacon sandwich but Ela’s Kitchen was closed. I went to Jiks where I bumped in to 3 other Dalyan Dwellers before finally going back home to start on my packing for Vietnam. I’d called at the bank a couple of times to sort things out and try to get holiday insurance but the computer was down and I had to go back. The lira was now at the highest it had been at 40.1 lira to the pound. For lunch I had left over pasta Bolognese then for dinner I had chicken stir-fry with bulgur wheat and chickpeas. I had heard from one of the Fat Club that there was a restock of Quark and on offer so I went to the shop to get them and some cheese to make Carol’s pasties. Here’s what I bought and prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25 3 Quark 59.85 Cheddar 76.90 Total spent 164.95 lira (£4.11)
Later, I spoke on video call to my parents which was good and we spoke about my plans for Vietnam.
Before I left home on Friday 1st March I had 0.5 litre of water, and a banana. I was meeting fellow Sunday walker, Debbie, for an impromptu Friday walk, just on our own. I was early to meet at Migros so I bought and ate a croissant. It was 21.95 lira (55p), a bit too many syns but delicious. The walk was very nice and Debbie had kindly downloaded an old walk of Captain Caveman’s so we could just follow something and not get lost. We walked for about 3 hours and later Debbie confirmed it was about 15,000 steps and 10km. It was our farewell walk as she was off to the UK and I was off to Vietnam very soon. At home I had another 0.5 litre of water and a cup of Yorkshire tea. My lunch was potato and broccoli soup with a bit of cheese in it. I needed something to line my stomach late afternoon as I was off to a soirée. I had more of the leftover chicken stir-fry with egg rice, more water and a rose tea. I was only on 27 syns so far this week so I was ready to treat myself at the first 3G night but first, I managed to fit in a video call with Vanessa. She was recovering from surgery on her hand so it was good to catch up and see she was making great progress.
I arrived at Jamie’s with a bag full of bottles, instead of the requested gin. Even though it was 3G (Gin, Girls and Gays) night, I’d checked it was ok to bring drinks I already had in the house, to get them finished before I left in just over a week. I arrived a little late for the first Gin night feeling quite warm and with a loaded bag. I simultaneously said hello to people and dogs while emptying my rucksack of the tonic, bitter lemon, coke, pink grapefruit, vodka and rum. I was poured a vodka and coke which must have been extra strong as I could definitely taste the vodka. I had a lovely evening with our newly formed 3G attendees; Jamie, Drew, Nanny Kay and Ghislaine (and the dogs of course). For dinner we had a gammon joint with carrots, broccoli and dauphinoise potatoes which was amazing! Lots of drinks were had and I don’t remember putting the dogs to bed with the nice soft blanket. I don’t even recall the end of the night after Ghislaine called a taxi.
Saturday 2nd March was a struggle as I woke up not even knowing where I was. I’d slept over in Jamie’s spare room as Drew had thought it safer for me not to walk home drunk. It was only when I got up for a pee that I realised I couldn’t find the bathroom in the place I thought it was. The first Jamie knew I had stayed was when Drew told him to put clothes on if going out of the bedroom because I was still in the house. I left there about 10.30am and headed back to mine to sort myself out a bit before meeting Jan. I had arranged to meet her at Lukka bar to buy some sunbed cushions and I hoped I didn’t stink of booze. I got home and got ready, making sure I was on time. Jan was already there with a coffee and she kindly bought me an orange juice. Luckily, she seemed not to notice I may still have been drunk and we had a good chat. At noon I had to leave as I needed to get to the market. I bought the 2 cerise pink cushions for 700 lira (£17.63) and they were like new so I was pleased with them. As I walked to the weekly Dalyan market, I knew I’d not be making the Zumba party tonight at Ozzy’s bar as I was feeling quite delicate. At the market I couldn’t focus on buying what I needed so I just bought the following (prices in lira);
On the way home, I saw the stork for the first time this year. Back home I’d only just made it in time from a storm that was brewing. For dinner I still wasn’t feeling too good so I cooked some sausages to make a casserole. I ate one with a wrap and then had a really bad stomach straight away. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the Zumba party that night, but Nanny Kay did – what a legend! I had an early night as I had a mega busy day tomorrow.
Wednesday 28th February was weigh-in and Fat Club day, we also had a taster session arranged at the group meeting today. I got weighed and took my measurements at home, to find I had stayed the same weight, my waist and hips measured the same as last week but my bust had increased by 1cm. I was convinced now that I just wasn’t going to lose that final bit of weight before I went to Vietnam. I had 2 bananas and a linden tea for breakfast, then a rehydration tablet in water. Jamie popped round with Norman and Edna and my remaining bags and I was astounded at Norman running up the stairs to my door – he was like a new dog. We had cups of tea/coffee, the dogs had some water and a sit on the sofa while we chatted and waited for Drew to come from the barbers. I ate broccoli and potato soup for lunch while attending the 3rd day of Lisa’s challenge. Today’s training was focusing more on content and it was a little easier to do the homework. My next task was to do some shopping, where I caused a bit of a furore at the check out counter. I bought a bottle of drink which was on offer but there was only one left and it didn’t have the right price on. The cashier had to get help while I bumped in to and chatted with Sioned, then a couple of women who were new to the area and then Nuri so the queues all got bunched up and it was quite the social gathering. Here’s what I ended up buying and the prices in lira;
At Fat Club we all placed our wares on the table and then eagerly got weighed, it was great to see the progress of everyone in the group. Unfortunately I was not as lucky on Carol’s scales as at home, I’d actually put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) and I was gutted! This meant I had to still lose 2.4kg (5.3lb) to hit target and I was not going to do that within a week. I troughed lots of delicious food at the taster session. There were cheese pasties, quiches, chestnuts, bhajis, fruit skewers and my offering of rainbow veggie bulgur wheat. This meant I didn’t need to eat my dinner that night until later than planned and I resisted any alcohol on treat day.
On Thursday 29th February I had overnight oats and a cup of tea, before getting on with laundry and some other chores. I had an apple before Zumba and then rushed back for a lunch of soup while joining Lisa Johnson on the final day of the Race Recurring Revenue challenge. This session was all about getting things launched and covered various aspects which made me realise that I needed to create a brand, think of a business name and even design a logo. I felt a bit nervous and out of my depth but I would mull it over this weekend and see what I could come up with. I got peckish in the afternoon so I had a chicken and onion wrap, then an orange. Dinner was more of the chicken stir-fry, served with steamed rice and chopped omelette in. No alcohol was consumed and I was doing well. I added up my spending for the week, and then the month to see how that £10 per day budget had fared. It had been really difficult to keep saying no to invites where it would cost more than my budget but I was determined to survive, especially as I’d not yet found more online work. This week I’d only spent a total of 1,253.72 lira (£31.93) thus proving that you can definitely live very cheaply in Dalyan, especially if you limit the booze. Overall, my self imposed February budget of £290, which did not include accommodation or bills, had been achieved. I was actually £47.47 under so I was very pleased with myself. I wondered what my friends and family had as a daily, weekly or monthly budget and how February had gone for them. I intended to give the ball a bit of a kick this weekend as a bit of a reward for my dedication, especially as this would be my last week in Dalyan before I flew to Vietnam for 3 months.
Monday 26th February was another busy day in my Dalyan world, the last day of looking after Norman and Edna who I was going to miss. They had been a great tonic for me while I did my best to stick to a tough budget and my healthier lifestyle. I was certainly feeling the benefits of being over a stone lighter too. In the morning I had my cup of Yorkshire tea in bed and the dogs came back to bobos for one last time. They snored away until almost 11am when I got up for a fruit salad while I started to make a list for my course preparation, which started at 1pm (Turkish time). I had pasta Bolognese for lunch and got myself ready to hear what Lisa Johnson had to teach me about Recurring Revenue. It was only for about an hour but it was really interesting and insightful. I took lots of notes and we even had some homework to do. I had some gold bear jellies while I pondered over my answers but managed to complete the first task of the challenge. At 4pm I joined another live session which focused on Mindset and seemed to be quite obvious at first. Renée, the speaker made a lot of sense and it really peaked my interest even further. After the dog walk, I took some stuff back to my place and called at the shops, here’s what I bought (prices in lira);
For dinner I had another Slimming World style pizza made from a wrap, a couple of glasses of wine to finish the bottle off and some chestnuts. There was a recap session from Lisa at 7.30pm which was useful for us to check we were on the right track and I was already feeling inspired. Meanwhile, Jamie and Drew were leaving Thailand to return back home. It was hard breaking the news to the dogs but I thought I’d better prepare them for being less spoiled.
Much to Norman and Edna’s disgust, we were all up early on Tuesday 27th February. I did the usual stuff of stripping the bed but didn’t put a wash on as it had been raining yesterday and I wasn’t sure if it was going to stay fine enough to dry it. After an almost 2 week holiday I also thought Jamie and Drew would need to wash their clothes and they were due back before 10am. Nanny Kay was picking them up so we had to assume she wouldn’t sleep in! After feeding the dogs their breakfast I decided to video them both as I let them know Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew were on their way and would be home soon. Edna was a good listener and was in the armchair looking out, Norman didn’t give a toss. After my cuppa and overnight oats, I packed my belongings up, leaving some things I couldn’t carry, behind. I had a ginger tea and half a litre of water before saying bye to little Norman and Edna, perhaps for the last time. At home I unpacked and then went to Zumba, which was good. I rushed back to log on to the second day of the Race to Recurring Challenge with Lisa Johnson where we took our knowledge lists from yesterday and started to look at how we could share that knowledge with others. It was really interesting to me and I cracked on with the homework straight after, feeling motivated. At 4pm I joined another mindset session with Renée who was definitely good at helping build my confidence. For my lunch I treated myself to chicken nuggets and chips as I was rather peckish. At dinner time I cooked a healthy veggie stir-fry with bulgur wheat and had strawberries with kaymak for a pudding. At 7.30pm I was back on a live summary call with Lisa and things were starting to come together nicely. It was also good to be back home in my own bed, even if it was just for 9 more nights!
Video of Edna being told Jamie and Drew are on their way homeVideo of Norman’s response to being told the same news
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