Dalyan, Toparlar waterfall & Yuvarlakcay – 1st October

To say Captain Caveman was feeling rough and looking peaky on Saturday 1st October was an under statement. When I showed him the bottle of whisky with only a quarter of the contents left he was surprised! He had to have a cold wet makeshift flannel on his head and lay on the sofa. Even when our Aussie friends, Amanda and Greg, came to say goodbye he didn’t get up, which was embarrassing. They understood because it has been a bit of a tradition of their’s to end up with a casualty on the day they have to go back to Australia from a holiday, but it is normally one of their own party! It didn’t help that the weather forecast for today in Dalyan was extremely hot and sunny. The temperature would reach 38°C so it was probably a good thing we were off out this afternoon.

Today we had booked a bus trip with Kate and Daisy to go to Yuvarlakcay. It is up in the mountains and has an icy cold river with some restaurants along it. The bus cost us around 200 lira each (£10) and it left Dalyan bus station at 1pm. Captain Caveman really was struggling as we got on the bus but he had a bottle of water with him. On the way we stopped off at Toparlar waterfall which we had a short walk to and then we stripped off to our swimmers for a dip in the cool pool at the bottom of the waterfall. The rocks were tricky and if you have any issues walking I wouldn’t recommend this bit. I needed help getting in and out as well as guidance on the rocks. I really struggled on one particular bit but Captain Caveman was there to give me a hand up without me hurting my knee too much. I was glad to be wearing my porter sandals from Vietnam to ensure I didn’t slip.

Back in the hot bus Captain Caveman started to feel more unwell. By the time we reached Yuvarlakcay he had to be the first off the bus, despite being sat on the back seat, so he could be sick. While the rest of us found a shady seat by the water in the restaurant, Captain Caveman sorted himself out. Daisy had also had a late night last night so she had a little sleep while Kate and I drank a cold Efes. Captain Caveman arrived, ordered a beer and agreed to share mezes, bread and chips for lunch with all of us. He then had a nap and Daisy fell asleep too, Kate and I were just glad of the cooler temperature. As we left, we did put a toe in the water but it was too cold for a swim and the swings were busy with children, which we couldn’t really turf out.

On the way back to Dalyan the journey seemed a bit quicker, Kate had arranged to meet Mark after pool and we said I’d see Angelique at Rehab. That changed a bit as Captain Caveman went home to bed and Kate had to feed the cats. I managed a drink at Tez bar with Mark, Kate, Roy and Gay Gaz, though, before going to Migros to pick up crisps, wraps and tomato puree. I went home earlier than everyone else to make Captain Caveman a diet pizza.

Photo credit – Daisy, Kate & Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 30th September

Friday 30th September was measurements day and this week they were pretty good;
Bust -3.5cm
Waist -1cm
Hips +1cm
Right thigh no change
Left thigh -0.5cm
Calves no change
Unfortunately I had not lost any weight this week, in fact I weighed 0.15kg heavier.
Captain Caveman and I joined Amanda and Greg for a Turkish breakfast at Melekanne. This time, because I didn’t have to be anywhere for the rest of the day, I indulged in most of it except for the eggs, tomatoes and cucumber. It was very nice and we all enjoyed it very much but, as I half expected, I had a bad stomach before we had even left the restaurant.

I went home while Captain Caveman went to Migros supermarket where he spent 72 lira (£3.70) on pasta, pesto and another ice cube tray. The weather was still lovely so we had balcony beers in the afternoon. It was, sadly, Amanda and Greg’s last night so we decided to have a bit of a soirée round at our apartment.
Amanda and Greg were doing the last of their renovations and had decided to put a table up for sale on one of the Facebook groups. They had not had any viewers yet so they asked if we could keep it at our place and show it to anyone interested, and hopefully sell it. We agreed and Captain Caveman went over to help Greg carry it back from their Reading Rooms apartment. I’d had a chicken curry in the slow cooker all day so we had that for dinner before people started to arrive for our whisky night.

Attending our evening was Amanda & Greg, Jackie & David, the 2 of us and Sonuç. We decided we would open the 17 year old Craigellachie which Mr Huy had sent as a gift and I put out just a few nibbles.
We had a great night and the whisky was excellent. Captain Caveman must have really liked it because, while the rest of us had between none and 2 whiskies each, he drank more than half the bottle to himself. He ate most of the nibbles before the guests could too, so he was in a particularly greedy mood. He also fell asleep in his chair several times, Sonuç was the last to leave about 1.30am and I don’t think Captain Caveman made it to bed for some time.

Dalyan – 29th September

On Thursday 29th September we had a rather lovely day. After I’d finished my morning’s tasks, it was time to go over to view the bicycle that was for sale. Sarah, who works at Hotel Dalyance, was selling an ordinary basket bicycle for 500 lira (£24 approx). Captain Caveman and I walked it to her house in the hot sun and when we got there, he took it for a test cycle. I went in to the house with Sarah and fussed the dogs, who were really sweet. Captain Caveman decided the bicycle was worth the money, he paid for it and then I had a little go to cycle it. I’m not so proficient on a new bicycle and on a busy road but I gave it a try. I had to stop a couple of times to suss out the gears and then I decided we could go to the Kaunos tea gardens on our way home. The Turkish tea is only 4 lira (20p) and is very good so I had that. Captain Caveman had a lemon drink and we shared a spinach and cheese gözleme (square pancake) which were very nice. It was then I realised my bicycle had a name, Daisy Uğur, so I sent a photo of it to Daisy who was highly amused as one of her friends is called Uğur. I agreed to give her the bike as a wedding present should she ever marry Uğur.

On the way back home we went through town and changed some dollars at Aksoy jewellers. I had to be at the hairdresser’s for 4.30pm for my hair doing so Captain Caveman went shopping in Migros.

Here’s what he bought;
1 brown sliced loaf 24.95
1 ice cube tray 49.95
650g chicken 65.13

Total spent 140.03 lira (£6.83)

My hair cost me 450 lira (£22) which was cheap by UK prices but had gone up by 150 lira in 3 months. Emrah always does a fantastic job so I was still pleased with my hair. I usually like to go out after I’ve had my hair done but tonight we were staying home. The overgrown shrubbery and trees on our complex were becoming a menace and I had to bend down to get to our stairs without getting my new hair in the leaves and branches!
To celebrate Thirsty Thursday and my new hair (although Captain Caveman hadn’t commented on my new look) I opened a bottle of Tılsım red wine.
We were sat enjoying a glass on the balcony when Greg brought us over an orange chair which they had decided to replace. The Aussies had been tarting up their apartments and were getting rid of some really nice items.
Captain Caveman loved his new chair and sat in it straight away to check it out. It was super comfy and we both like the colour so we kept it. For dinner Captain Caveman whipped up a chicken and halloumi salad and we polished off the wine!

Dalyan – 27th & 28th September

Our Turkish class was cancelled on the morning of Tuesday 27th September. This meant I could enjoy an unexpected easy day at home. For breakfast I had peaches, figs, yoghurt and honey while Captain Caveman made himself an omelette to have with fresh bread. Our Aussie friends had took themselves off to IKEA in İzmir and Captain Caveman had started to do some small jobs around the apartment.
I got on with pickling some beetroot and onions and then we got an unexpected invite out. Kate messaged to let us know that Daisy would be singing at River Terrace that evening so would we come along to support her. Of course, we said yes but decided we would eat at home first. Captain Caveman had his first go at making the pizzas on wraps and they turned out pretty nice. He also did a Halloumi side salad and we opened a bottle of Tılsım red wine to go with it.
We got to River Terrace before Daisy started singing and she was a bit nervous, she has a lovely singing voice though. By 10pm she was performing a great version of Country Roads, she was pretty good at an Amy Winehouse song too. The customers seemed to enjoy the music, the regular singer and guitarist were also very good but Ali, one of the owners, was totally impressed by Daisy. Kate and I even got up to dance with some other customers from another table so I’d say she had a successful night.

Captain Caveman went to Migros supermarket twice on Wednesday 28th September. The first time he bought 2 chocolate croissants and an onion loaf which cost a total of 40.45 lira (£1.98) and we had a lovely breakfast. On the second visit he bought eggs and bin liners for a total of 54.80 lira (£2.67). For lunch we had the onion bread with hummus, haydari, carrots, gherkins and olives, which was nice.
I spotted a bicycle for sale and enquired about it as it would be great to have some wheels to get about, especially when I’m doing any house or pet sitting for friends. I arranged to go to look at the bike tomorrow and was looking forward to being mobile.
That evening Captain Caveman and I went to the Retro bar quiz with Gay Gaz, Amanda and Greg. Surprisingly we managed to come joint first in the quiz but when we got home Tom, the quizmaster, had put a comment on Facebook that our score was wrong by 10 points so we didn’t actually win. I replied that we hadn’t marked our own so it’s not like we were cheating! I don’t really like quizzes because I’m not very good at them, whereas Captain Caveman loves a quiz. Tom Cree, the man who does the quiz, is very good and makes it more fun. I also like going to Retro bar as it is one of my favourites.

Babadağ, Fethiye and Çalış – 26th September

Monday 26th September was quite a day! Kate, in her capacity of Miss Guided Tours or Miss Adventure, had organised a day trip. Captain Caveman and I called for Amanda & Greg to walk to the bakery opposite Özalp’s to meet the rest of the party; Adam, Kath, Mark, Kate, Daisy, John, Andrea, Janet, Kev, and Gaz. We departed on the minibus towards Fethiye as we were off for a day out at Babadağ, the place where paragliding is a popular sport. We left Dalyan at 10am, by 11.30am I had already had my first nervous wee and had my cable car ticket in my hand. The cost was 170 lira (£8 approx) each so not expensive for tourists. It became apparent that Gay Gaz, Amanda, Daisy and I were not looking forward to the cable car, at all. I’m not scared of heights but I have trouble trusting anything that looks precarious.
As people dallied about waiting for Gay Gaz before getting in to a cable car, Captain Caveman and I were already at the front of the queue. We got told by staff to get in and the maximum allowed per car was 8, I hurried in and sat down as it moved along the platform. No one else had got in with us and the car behind us had a guy with a parachute in. I was terrified and it felt like the longest journey ever as it climbed up to the first station. It was definitely the highest cable car I’d ever been on but Captain Caveman thought it was amusing to see me so scared.

We all reconvened at the restaurant which involved a walk over a bridge with a glass floor down the middle. Ordinarily I wouldn’t have stood on the glass floor but compared to the cable car it was far less worrying and people were standing in the way on each of the sides. There wasn’t enough room at the restaurant for all of us to sit together so, while the rest of the group sat in the sun, Captain Caveman, Amanda, Greg and I sat at a separate table in the shade. Captain Caveman and I ordered burgers and a beer which we really enjoyed and it wasn’t too expensive. Greg had a beef wrap, also good, and Amanda shared her chicken salad with a wasps.

The next part of ascending the mountain involved a chair lift, which I have been on before when I went skiing a long time ago. Both Amanda and I didn’t want to go on it but I kind of talked her in to it, only to regret it. I had a complete meltdown on this one and hated every second. Obviously Captain Caveman and Greg were fine with it but Amanda and I were not and were extremely emotional when we got off. Poor Greg had a migraine coming on but luckily I had medication with me so he was able to prevent it. Captain Caveman took himself off for a laugh and couldn’t believe how scared I had been.
As the guys decided to carry on right to the top of the mountain, Amanda and I decided we would walk down to the cable car station – there was no way we would get on the chair lift again. We managed to watch lots of mental paragliders jumping off the mountainside but we couldn’t get our head round the 5 year old child doing it with an adult.

Video of the chair lift we went on

By 3pm we were back at the 1700m cable car height and about to go back down. Kate had lost Mark, who had wandered up to the mountain top, with John, later than everyone else so she felt like she was herding cats. On the way up I had sat with my back to the sea but on the way down I thought it might be better to face the drop – it wasn’t. Daisy, Greg and I were facing forward while Captain Caveman and Amanda were going backwards. Halfway down both Daisy and I spotted the same fraying rope above us, at exactly the same time. Captain Caveman tried to reassure us by saying it would still be safe but managed to make it worse. I felt like I was hyperventilating for most of the cable car journey and, although the views were amazing, all I could concentrate on was getting out.

The next part of our day involved a drive in to Fethiye, where there was a quick pit stop at Address restaurant and bar where we managed to smash some crockery moving tables. Amanda, Greg and Captain Caveman tootled off to the Turkish delight shop, Kate collected the water taxi tokens for us all to go to Çalış.
Of course no trip is complete without a visit to Charcoal Palace for fish and chips, the draft Becks beer was now 40 lira (£1.95) per pint so some people took advantage of that and most had the fish and chips. Some had battered sausage and onion rings. It was great, as always, and I felt very full and sleepy on the journey back home.
It had been a great day out and now Captain Caveman fancied doing a tandem paraglide jump from the top of Babadağ. I think I will be busy that day!

Photo Credit – Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 25th September

Captain Caveman went to get bread from the bakery on Sunday 25th September. He chose wholemeal bread which I’m not a fan of but he did bring me back a simit, similar to a bagel with sesame seeds on. I had that for breakfast with olives, cheese, kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) and honey.
That evening there was an event on in Dalyan, live music at the top of bar street, which we decided to go to. There had been 2 previous similar events that we had missed while in Vietnam so we were looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about. Kate had booked a table for a few of us at the White House for dinner so Captain Caveman and I decided to go for an early bar on our way to meet up. We had a couple of glasses of wine at Aşkın’s bar which was rather nice and we got nice complimentary snacks.
At the White House we were given the best upstairs table where the other attendees were; Mark, Kate, Daisy, Adam & Kath, Julie & Issy, John & Andrea.
We ordered wine and decided against starters as there was complimentary lavaş (balloon bread). I had meatballs with cheese, Daisy had steak, Kate had popeye chicken, Mark & Captain Caveman both had beef wellington. The food was great even though it did take a while to come out with it being so busy, but we didn’t mind and the staff were very professional. The beef wellington was easily the best meal of the night and I wish I’d ordered it. I sampled that and Kate’s popeye chicken which was also very tasty. The music was ok but after we had eaten such a lovely meal we were not really up for dancing about. Captain Caveman and I left between 10.30pm and 11pm and had a walk back home to bed. It was probably for the best as tomorrow we had another fun day out planned.

Dalyan – 24th September

Captain Caveman dislikes that I don’t get up early so on Saturday 24th September I had set my alarm to make sure we got to the weekly market. This would be the first time in about 3 years that Captain Caveman had been and he was looking forward to it.
We mainly purchased fruit and veg; onions, potatoes, olives, red cabbage, lettuce, spring onions, figs, plums, peaches, pears and honey. As Captain Caveman was paying and there were no receipts I didn’t note the amount we spent but to give you an idea the most expensive item was a jar of local honey at 80 lira (£3.80).
On the walk back from the market I bit in to one of the pears, only to find it was bad. For lunch we had a lovely salad which Captain Caveman bought a fresh cooked chicken from the butcher’s to go with. That was also 80 lira (£3.80) which is still cheap in English equivalent but the last time Captain Caveman had been here they were only 15 lira but worked out at £2.50 then. I let him know that bread loaves, which used to be 1 lira, were now 3 lira so that he wouldn’t be taken by surprise at the bakery.
In the afternoon we had peaches, plums and figs with a drizzle of honey on – that was delicious.
By 5pm we were in the A101 supermarket buying more essentials, then we popped to Migros for what we were still missing;

A101 Supermarket
Lemons 5.24
Clotted cream 23.50

Total 28.74 lira (£1.37)

Migros Supermarket
Tomato Ketchup 22.00
Gluten Free flour 23.50
Halloumi cheese 28.30
Gherkins 31.90
Mozzarella cheese balls 34.90
Yoghurt 35.95
Fabric Softener 36.90
Washing powder 38.75
Nuts 44.90
Mouthwash 54.90

Total spent 352 lira (£16.77)

We called in to Jiks pub after for a drink where we sat in the beer garden with Sue, Shiela and Ian. I had a cherry juice, Captain Caveman an Efes Malt. We noticed that the service in Jiks wasn’t as sharp as it once was and they had new staff.
Back home, the lights on the pool were on and didn’t seem to be on a timer any more, there were also new additional lights that had been installed. The pool looked like someone had tipped some salt in it but it was still dirty and we hadn’t seen a pool guy yet.
For dinner I decided to try an old favourite from when I used to eat healthy. I think it came from a Slimming World idea to make pizzas from wraps and keep the toppings basic. For each pizza I used 2 spoons of passata as the base, 1.5 slices of salami, 4 olives, 2 mushrooms, a few slices of red pepper and 3 small balls of cheese, sliced thinly. It takes only 7 minutes in the oven and it was the first time Captain Caveman had tried them. We enjoyed the low calorie pizzas, so much so that I got annoyed with Captain Caveman for snaffling it in too loudly. Captain Caveman was annoyed with me for commenting on his lack of manners so I went to bed early.

Dalyan – 22nd & 23rd September

Thursday 22nd September was another relaxing day spent mainly at home. Captain Caveman got up early and donned his scruffy clothes to rejoin the Riverbums on their weekly clean up. Captain Caveman loves a bit of what we affectionately call Bumming and, while he was working hard, I made a chicken casserole in the slow cooker.
I was meant to take myself off to the unveiling of the Kaptan June memorial opening but I got carried away with other tasks. Amanda, Greg and Chris were spending their day at Kaunos ruins and then BC Spa which we had also been invited along to, but I declined. It was a bit hot for me to enjoy walking round the ruins.
That night we enjoyed the chicken casserole with roast potatoes and a gin.
We had a very busy weekend coming up so I needed to take things easy again.

Amanda, Greg, Chris, Captain Caveman and I went to Saklı Bahçe for a Turkish breakfast on Friday 23rd September. I am still finding that when I eat out, especially Turkish breakfast, I have a bad stomach. Usually, I just suffer it but we had a busy day and I didn’t fancy being ill so I just drank tea and had a few chips while the others had 4 massive Turkish breakfasts. I was so jealous because I wanted to shovel it down like Captain Caveman but didn’t want to risk it.
Next, the 5 of us walked to Mark & Kate’s where we were invited to try out their paddle board and kayaks. With 3 of the group being Aussies it was no surprise that Greg and Chris were very good at it. Kate had put out some nibbles which I was surprised that, after the massive breakfast, Captain Caveman was having Vegemite with bread. I ate some crisps and drank water. Captain Caveman and Mark went off in a couple of kayaks but I wasn’t brave enough to try it because of my old knee injury and not being able to get back out.
Gay Gaz arrived with booze so we started on the wine in the afternoon. We all got to meet some of the cats and the newest one was very cute. Later, we decided to go back in to town while the Aussies tootled off to sort some stuff out. Captain Caveman, Gay Gaz and I went for a drink at Retro bar to see Nazim, Murat, Nusret and Gonca. We noticed that the cafe opposite Retro at M Hotel had closed, Nazim said they were making some improvements and would open again soon. Mark and Kate had plans to go to Lukka bar for the music bingo but, unfortunately, there was not enough spaces for the 3 of us to join them so we decided to take ourselves off for dinner.
I’ve been to Okyanus lots of times but I mainly go for lunch. I had a lovely mushroom pasta dish and I was impressed with it. While we were eating, Kate came over to say there were 3 spaces at Lukka Bingo and so we were squeezed in.
The Bingo is more of a music quiz and Mehmet is just really funny with how he presents it. We had a marvellous evening which ended with Gay Gaz on a chair singing ‘Its raining men’ as his taxi came to take him home.

Kate, showing us how it’s done

Dalyan – 20th & 21st September

I only just managed to get myself out of bed in time to walk to Turkish class on Tuesday 20th September. It was at Casablanca Hotel at 10am and I was hungover.
Nothing else much happened that day except for me eating an apple and Captain Caveman managing to get some turkey on offer for 52 lira (£2.47) so that we could have a salad for dinner. I’d forgotten to do weight and measurements this weekend so I did them today. I was now the heaviest I’d been in a couple of years, I’d managed to put 2cm on my bust, 1cm on my waist but lose 4cm from my hips in about a week. My leg measurements had either decreased slightly or stayed the same. We stayed in that night and took it easy while the Aussies downstairs went to the airport to pick up their friend, Chris. Tomorrow, we had organised another fun day out so we needed to recharge our batteries a bit.

We had booked a trip with Ivona and Ismail on their Princess of Ekincik boat on Wednesday 21st September. Amanda and Greg had suggested we get a private trip together for the 4 of us and their guest, Chris. We decided to extend the invite to more friends and fill the boat.
Onboard with the 5 of us were Linda, Annie, Adam & Kath, Julie & Issy, Mark & Kate, Jackie & Chris, Dawn & Steve.
We went to Ekincik Bay and had a lovely day out. The service and food on the Princess of Ekincik boat is superb and we had such a great BBQ lunch. We also were rather lucky that no one had booked the boat for the evening trip so we got to stay out all day and for sunset too. Not everyone knew each other but that didn’t matter and we soon got dancing to Kate’s party playlist.

When we came to pay for our boat trip and drinks it was more money than Captain Caveman had accounted for. The trip itself was 500 lira each (£23.70) but we managed to spend another 1000 lira (£47.57) in drinks, which was a little excessive for our budget but we had a great time.
We had a bit of an after-boat-trip drink at River Terrace but Kate had to leave to meet Daisy at Sofra bar. She took her bag with Mark’s wallet and clothes in so Mark had to go with Captain Caveman to our place to borrow a t-shirt. Most people had one drink but Mark didn’t even finish his before heading to meet Kate in another bar. After River Terrace, where it was 65 lira (£3.09) for a beer we went to Dalyan Cafe for food and another beer.

Photo credit – Adam Newton, Princess of Ekincik

Dalyan – 19th September

I usually try to avoid going to the bank on Monday mornings due to it being busy. Monday 19th September was seriously busy and there were no seats left unless anyone wanted to try moving the İş Bank cat. I was in there ages, while Captain Caveman got packed for our day out. It was Mark’s 58th birthday and although he and Kate could appreciate a lot of English people in Dalyan would want to watch the Queen’s funeral on TV, it was no way to celebrate a birthday. Captain Caveman and I also had no wish to watch a funeral on a big screen in a bar, like it was some sort of sporting event. Kate had took the sensible idea of organising a day at the beach from 2pm, that way anyone who wanted to come, could do so. It also meant that we didn’t have to go to a bar where the regurgitated funeral footage would probably be on, well in to the evening.

Amanda, Greg, Captain Caveman and I got the 1.30pm bus from Dalyan to Iztuzu Beach. John and Andrea got on just after us then Mark, Kate and Daisy got on a bit further along the way. A few more reprobates joined us at the beach and we had all taken some drinks. We had red wine and paper cups, we bought chicken sandwiches at the beach cafe for our lunch.
As a birthday gift for Mark we had got him a bottle of port, some cheese, a Vietnamese t-shirt and a cap. He seemed happy with that and put the Phuc Dat cap on straight away.
The sea was lovely and calm, warm enough to swim in too. There was quite a few of us as more people joined; Marion and her husband, Adam, Kath, Wolfie, Irena, Kevin, Janet, Little Corduroy, Gary, Debbie (Darling) and Roy.
Gary (aka Gorgeous Gay Gaz from Gateshead with the Glass eye) excelled himself by turning up with a bottle of vodka and a rogue testicle. I noticed that I could see more than I should have up his shorts and quietly asked Captain Caveman if he thought I should tell Gaz this. He said to leave it to him and then shouted out to Gay Gaz that I had pointed out that the boys were not in the barracks! Everyone laughed, Daisy woke up and got a good eyeful not fully knowing if she was looking at Alan Sugar or half a scrotum. Now 5G became 7G as we renamed Gary as Gorgeous Gay Gaz from Gateshead with the Glass eye and Gigantic Gonads!

Aside from that, it was a great day with lots of laughs. We didn’t leave the beach until the last bus back at 6pm. On the bus, Kate invited us all back to their’s for more birthday party shenanigans which, of course, we agreed to. There was naturally more birthday celebration drinking. Fruit cake and cheese was out for those who wanted to upset Mark by eating it! There was also a touch of sunburn for those people who hadn’t been wearing the high factor suncream, which I rather smugly had!
We got home, by taxi, at gone midnight then Captain Caveman insisted on a Mount Gay Rum for a nightcap.

Dalyan – 18th September

I had in my diary to meet Amanda & Greg, our Aussie friends downstairs, for breakfast at 10am on Sunday 18th September. That didn’t happen on account of us still being in bed. While they went off to investigate where their favourite Turkish breakfast was, Captain Caveman took one for the team and braved a Sunday supermarket shop at Migros.
It had been a while since he had been in a Turkish supermarket for a big shop but he did well, here’s what he bought and the prices in lira:

Plastic bag 0.75
Onions 4.36
Potatoes 5.47
Apples 6.33
Lemon juice 7.75
Garlic 8.55
Carrots 10.50
Cherry tomatoes 11.90
Tonic water 13.50
Rice 14.00
Big tomatoes 15.21
Red peppers 17.11
2 cans of Grapefruit juice 19.90
Orange juice 26.00
Bananas 26.95
Toastie Bread 27.95
Eggs 42.50
Minced beef 48.50
Turkish salami 49.90
Butter (Turkish) 53.95
Beetroot 59.90
Chicken 61.58

Total spent 532.56 lira (£25.77)

Prices had gone up several times recently in Dalyan so it was quite a pricey shop but we needed essentials. We probably could have done without the beetroot but it would easily make a big jar of pickled, that would last a while.
I was rather surprised that he’d not bought any alcohol, especially as we had been invited round to a friend’s house in the afternoon for drinks.

We met a couple at Lukka bar so that Captain Caveman could buy a phone from them, then we ended up having a beer, as you do. At 2.30pm we met up with Brian at Lukka who needed a DVD player so we had a good chat with him then a quick drink at Tez bar because Lukka bar was full, for Sunday lunches.
At 3.30pm we popped to Selçuk Market which is our corner shop and Captain Caveman chose a bottle of wine which he liked the name of. We bought some strange looking soda water which turned out to be diet lemonade. We arrived at Adam & Kath’s house where everyone else was already there; Mark, Kate, Daisy, John, Andrea, Dawn & Steve.
They have a snooker table so we all played pool after a few drinks and they put on a rather nice buffet. We definitely drank more wine than we took with us, though, but we didn’t have too late a night as tomorrow we had a celebration to attend. On the way home we passed a bench with a life-sized doll on it, which grabbed Captain Caveman’s attention.

Fethiye to Dalyan – 17th September

Our first day back in Dalyan on Saturday 17th September was certainly interesting. This was also the day I had noted in my diary that our Aussie friends would arrive. Amanda & Greg had not been able to leave Australia during the pandemic so they were also glad to be coming back to Dalyan after almost 3 years away.
We checked out of the lovely Downtown Fethiye Suites and went to the Mulberry Tree for breakfast. Captain Caveman went off to check the Fethiye to Ortaca bus timetable while I had a toasted teacake and a cup of tea. When he returned he also had a teacake then off we went on our journey back to Dalyan. The bus was busy, hot and not too comfortable but we made it in one piece.

By 5pm we were in Backyard No.9 taking advantage of the Happy Hour before 6pm and ordering a pizza each. Efes beers were 45 lira (£2.14) so we had a couple while they were on offer. While we were there a few of our friends came over from Rehab bar to say hello and we got to see Mark & Kate on an invalid carriage!
Our Aussie friends and neighbours, Amanda & Greg, had arrived so Captain Caveman and I went to welcome them back and have a drink at Lukka bar. The 3 of them ate at Lukka but I wasn’t hungry after my mushroom pizza so I just had a large draft Efes. We had a wander to see Amanda and Greg’s new apartment, The Reading Room, which is lovely and we celebrated it with a gin!

When we got home we were about ready for bed when I noticed our Dutch friend, Angelique, had put on Facebook that she had arrived in Dalyan but had tested positive for Corona. We decided to go back out and Captain Caveman took some medication for her while I joined Mark, Ged and Tommy for a drink. The Favipiravir medication had an expiry date in October so it needed to be used and had been provided by Oxalis for if Captain Caveman had got Corona. At Rehab bar everyone was pretty drunk so we didn’t stay long and Captain Caveman was keen to get home to get some sleep.

On our way home we noticed Daisy and Andy at Rumours so we went over to say hello. Obviously we got chatting, as you do, even though I don’t usually frequent Rumours bar. Andy bought Captain Caveman and I a beer while Daisy introduced us to her friends. Needless to say it was a messy night with us leaving just after Andy, at around 3.15am!
On our way home we passed Sofra bar where people were still drinking and tried to sit down for one more beer. Şükrü, the owner, said no and to go home as he was trying to get the other punters to do.
It was a sign we were back in Dalyan!

Photo credit – some taken by Captain Caveman

Rhodes to Fethiye & Çalış – 16th September

We were up and packed super early on Friday 16th September as we were off back to Turkey. We were booked on the 9am ferry from Rhodes to Fethiye with Sky Marine ferries. They run only during the holiday season, until the end of October, and when we arrived at the port it was busy. The walk from our hotel to the port wasn’t too far but it started to get a bit warm carrying the rucksack, on the way we saw a massive cruise ship too. At the port, I had a sit down and some water after carrying my bag which was about 10kg, Captain Caveman’s was heavier as he was carrying the booze. We noticed the ferry queue for Marmaris was quite long but the one to Fethiye was very short, we were at the front and we didn’t have to wait long to pick up our tickets. The crossing takes a couple of hours and cost around €50, Captain Caveman had the good idea to get me a sea sickness pill. When I took it the ginger and size of it made it difficult, but I got it down.
The ferry was empty so we sat at the front where we could stretch our legs out. Strangely, the next passengers to get on sat right behind us, despite having the whole ferry to choose from. I fell asleep almost immediately and we think it was the seasickness tablet as I’ve experienced that before.

We had planned to spend a bit of time in Fethiye when we arrived and had even asked Mark, Kate and Daisy if they fancied a trip to Çalış but they were already busy. Captain Caveman decided we would stay an extra night in Fethiye and booked us in at the Downtown Fethiye Suites. With it being a weekend we had trouble finding a place to stay so we got lucky with this little apartment. We arrived early expecting to drop bags but we were allowed to check-in. After unpacking our stuff and putting the cheese in the fridge we decided to go to The Mulberry Tree for brunch. Its a popular little cafe with great food, I had a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea while Captain Caveman had pide and coffee. We even bought some crumpets to take away with us for the freezer.

We decided to get the 5.30pm water taxi from Fethiye to Çalış so that Captain Caveman could experience the delights of Charcoal Palace. The ride takes about 20 minutes and costs 40 lira each way and on the way there it was a full boat. When we got to Charcoal Palace it was quiet so we sat outside and ordered a pint of Beck’s draft beer each. It was 35 lira (£1.68) which is a lot cheaper than what we had been used to. I noticed that the menu had gluten free batter for the fish so I decided I would try it, for research purposes more than anything. We both had fish and chips which come with tartare sauce and mushy peas. I don’t eat either so I gave mine to Captain Caveman. If you didn’t know the gluten free was served, you wouldn’t have been able to tell as it was very good. The colour was slightly different and the price was the same as the regular one.

After dinner we walked to the seafront to see the sunset and had an Efes at Summer Breeze bar, they were out of Beck’s draft.
We were ready to go back to Fethiye for an early night when we got a message from Julio. He was at Terras bar in Fethiye with friends and invited us to join them. We had a great night, a few more drinks and a good laugh before we walked back to our apartment and the others carried on their night.

Rhodes – 15th September

We stayed in bed late on the morning of Thursday 15th September, which was nice. Our room at Lefka Hotel had a shutter on the outside of the patio doors which made it dark and quiet.
By 1pm we were eating leftovers for our lunch and decided to open the bottle of Cair red wine, which was great. In the afternoon we went to the supermarket to stock up on cheese, salami, crisps and deodorant before getting ready for our last night in Rhodes.

Michelle and Steve had kindly booked us our ferry back to Turkey tomorrow morning so we made the most of our last Greek evening. Captain Caveman changed some more dollars and we had a walk around the old town, including a mooch about the Gate of St Anthony. We watched sunset at the beach and had a cold beer at the Malt House, which was lovely.

Captain Caveman had booked us in for an eleven course tasting menu at Piatakia for dinner and it was great. The food was excellent and I was brave to try everything except for the tuna and mussels.
On the way home we had one more drink to break up the walk back to our hotel, at a bar I forgot the name of.

Photo credit – some taken by Captain Caveman

Rhodes – 14th September

Captain Caveman and I had originally planned to be back in Dalyan by Wednesday 14th September, however things had changed. Unfortunately, we would miss Sausage Dick’s departure without having seen him this time and there was still no sign of the missing sausages. One of the reasons we decided to stay longer in Rhodes was that Captain Caveman can only stay in Turkey for 90 days which means that he has to spend a month elsewhere this winter.
At 6.20am I was waking up Captain Caveman to look at the stunning sunrise from our hotel balcony. We went back to bed after taking photos and I had an extra snooze before we got ready to check out. We were moving again and we were disappointed not to be staying for longer in Vlycha as it was really lovely.

Our next stop was back to Rhodes Town where Captain Caveman had booked for us to stay at Lefka Hotel & Apartments for 2 nights. We got the bus from Vlycha, outside the TUI Blue hotel, to Rhodes Town. We got off in town and then had to walk, via one of Captain Caveman’s shortcuts, which I was convinced was longer. When we arrived at the hotel there was no one in reception and we were too early to check-in. We left our bags and walked back in to town for some lunch. We went to a restaurant, called Nimmos, which was friendly and fairly busy. We both ordered beer, Captain Caveman had fried cheese and I had chicken kebab. The food was tasty, not the best in the world, but we had been rather spoiled recently. On the way back to the hotel to check in we called in to the supermarket to buy water. I happened to spot the same Cair Cabernet Sauvignon wine from Vlycha for €10 so we bought a bottle.

Lefka Hotel was very nice, we liked our room and the small, clean bathroom. We got ready and went back out for sunset in Rhodes Town. Captain Caveman insisted we try Piccolo Pizza which was a small stall in the old town that had the best pizza and had been recommended by Google. We found a gorgeous little wine bar, called Obscura, where we enjoyed a couple of glasses of very good red wine.

It was after 8pm when we set off walking back towards our hotel for a delicious meal at 4 Rhodies, which was on the way. We over ordered on the food which was outstanding and we had to take a doggy bag back to he hotel. Captain Caveman had liver and I had a huge cheese salad but we kind of shared, there was lots of bread. We had a carafe of the cheap wine which was actually very good for the price. The mains were an egg and potato dish for Captain Caveman and a pork dish for me, both excellent. We walked home stuffed and ready for bed, tomorrow would be our last day in Rhodes.

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Author: joloyolo