Wednesday 22nd November turned out to be quite a good day, despite the rain. As I wasn’t at home, I couldn’t have a cheeky weigh so I just did my measurements; no change to my bust and 1cm off both waist and hips. I’d had 265 syns this week so it was a bit of a 50/50 chance as to whether that would show a loss on Carol’s scales at Fat Club. Most of the day was spent with Norman, Edna and Captain Caveman (who was playing Bridge on his phone). The selfie taking with the dogs was proving a challenge as Norman didn’t want to but Edna was taking it too far now. I made lentil soup in the slow cooker using Carol’s trusty recipe but without the chilli. It turned out quite thick but using Jamie’s stick blender was great. I definitely needed to get myself one as it makes such a difference to the soups. Fat Club went well with a loss of 0.4kg (0.9lb) so I was pleased about that.
In the evening we went to meet our next lot of Australians, who had come from Vietnam to visit Turkey during the winter season. Veronika, Ben, Bich and the 2 boys were in Dalyan for a short stay and had been in Capadoccia. Caroline had made it there but they unfortunately didn’t get to meet as, on day one, Caroline had a knee injury and had to fly back to Vietnam. The Le Mitchell family, who we know from Phong Nha Farmstay and Victory Road Villas back in Phong Nha, were checked in to the Smyrna hotel and met us at the restaurant opposite, M-Eyhane, for dinner at 7pm. My parents also joined us as they hadn’t seen our friends for quite some time. We all ordered a mixture of starters and mains and, as is usual with a group of 9, Dad ordered the wrong thing and didn’t enjoy his main course. It didn’t help that there was a power cut and we had to eat by our phone torches but Dad has trouble seeing his food anyway. The white wine was very good and went down well as it was only 100 lira (£2.82) for a decent measure! It was great to see everyone and hear about how much they had been enjoying Turkey so far. After saying goodnight, my parents, Captain Caveman and I had a quick drink in Cafe Ivy. We had to get back for the dogs so I wasn’t up for a late one, however, my parents got talking to an English couple and didn’t leave until way past midnight. It had been 5 weeks since we had all arrived back in Dalyan and it was good to see my parents making the most of their holiday.
When I woke up on Sunday 12th November it was to the sound of the heavy rain and I stayed in bed a bit longer than I should have. Caroline, being the spontaneous unplanning type, decided to book flights from Dalaman to Şanlıurfa, via Istanbul, for tomorrow morning! Oh bugger, we had already agreed to go over to Ben & Hilary’s and my parents this afternoon but Caroline was perhaps going to need us around. Surely, another last supper or celebratory drinking session would have to be be on the cards too. Caroline packed all her stuff, gave me two lovely winter scarfs, gave Captain Caveman a pair of socks from Sweden then went to meet Kaan in a quiet coffee shop.
The day continued to be full of surprises when we got a message from Ma saying the curry she was about to make us had chillies in. She’d decided to do us a beef stew instead which was very much appreciated. We haven’t been buying beef much recently as it is so much more expensive so I was looking forward to it. We even bought some wine to take with us and had a really lovely meal and evening.
While we were out, we had a message from Caroline to say to meet her at Tez bar, to have a drink before her flight tomorrow. It was raining still so Tez was closed, as were most places so Caroline said she was already at Tapa and to come there. All 4 of us got our coats on and headed down to Tapa bar. The night took a random turn where we ended up playing games, doing tequila shots, singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ (more than once), razzing around on a kid’s scooter and playing pool. Dad and I beat Mom and Ali, the owner, and we didn’t leave until gone 1.30am.
On Thursday 9th November Captain Caveman brought me a Yorkshire tea in bed and I had a rare lay in. He was off Bumming with the Riverbums until lunch time so I had a leisurely start to the day. As Caroline had stayed in a hotel last night and was leaving today, I stripped her bed, cleaned her room and bathroom. She had more or less packed her stuff so her departure looked imminent. I cleaned the rest of the house too, when Captain Caveman returned I was a hot sweaty mess, tired from cleaning, he pointed out that I had missed a bit. He then moaned that he had to clean the shower drain in the ensuite bathroom which I hadn’t done properly! In the afternoon, Caroline sent a message to see if Captain Caveman and I would like to meet her for a beer and join them for dinner tonight. We had a beer at the Yağmur hotel, which is really lovely and has great river views, while Caroline told us of her plans! She would be staying one more night at the hotel and then tomorrow she would leave for a road trip. She planned to send the barely used motorbike back and the company in Marmaris said they would come to collect it. She’d been here 10 days already and her idea to take in Turkey and all it’s famous sights kept getting delayed further. Caroline decided to mark the occasion of her decision making with a drink and asked us where we should go. I suggested we try Luz, a nearby Mexican place which we’d not been to yet. I’m so glad we went to Luz, it was fantastic. More expensive than other Dalyan places but classy. Caroline was paying but I tried not to take advantage too much; I ordered a hibiscus margarita which was so good and 290 lira (£8.53), Captain Caveman had a Bloody Maria at 270 lira (£7.94). They were easily the best drinks we had tasted in Dalyan and when Caroline insisted on another round we found it impossible to decline. She ordered a cheese fondu and some nachos as nibbles which were amazing. Of course, I ended up accidentally eating some chillies and felt unwell. The toilets at Luz are really nicely decorated and had nice toiletries.
In the evening, Caroline invited us to join them at Balıkçım, which was Caroline’s favourite place where her and Captain Caveman had eaten on the first night of her visit. I don’t tend to eat there as I don’t like fish but Captain Caveman loves it. Everyone shared octopus and fish, I had a bit of the shared mezes (the ones without fish or chillies) and plenty of bread. We had half a litre of rakı between us too, which went down rather well. Here’s the prices of what we had at Balıkçım; 5 meze dishes 450 Octopus 400 Fish with chips & salad 510 50cl rakı 800 2 bottles of water 60 Total cost 2220 lira (£65.29)
The evening wasn’t cheap and I did well on my diet, more because of not being able to eat most of the dishes than good choices. It had been a very pleasant afternoon and evening.
Friday 10th November started off with some bad news; I was meant to be getting paid today but my boss had let me know that, due to some banking changes, it would be delayed by 4 days. Not one to let having very little money worry me, I soldiered on! Caroline was up for afternoon drinking and I was quite glad of the distraction of her company. Captain Caveman was back from Bridge and the 3 of us cracked open the rosé wine from the fridge. The highlight of the afternoon was Caroline’s bang-on pouring out of the bottle between the 3 of us. I said I’d cook for Caroline, Kaan, Captain Caveman and I and made an enchiladas type of dinner from various left overs and some lavaş wraps. It was a good night and we were merry by 8pm.
Captain Caveman had took himself off on a bicycle ride to Gökbel on the morning of Saturday 11th November. He was keen to see how well the bike could do as he fancied doing more cycling while in Dalyan. Caroline was sorting the motorbike collection and was liaising with Tez for the guys from Marmaris to come to collect it. She was also talking of leaving after the weekend. I had the pleasure of doing the weekly shopping at the market and supermarket. With not getting paid on time it was going to be a bit tight but I would be as frugal as I could be. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira.
The cabbage I bought at the market was huge but Caroline had said she had a great cabbage recipe that she would do for us. I thought I’d done really well in Migros and even got a 50 lira (£1.47) cash discount on my Migros card. I decided not to buy any meat unless it was on offer and we did have some in the freezer so I could wait until after pay day for the more expensive items. I bumped in to my parents in Migros who were also trying to stock up before the predicted rain came that afternoon. It looked like another couple of days/nights of staying home. While I’d be gone, Caroline had texted to see if she could join me at the market to help carry things, I’d not got WiFi so I didn’t see her message until I walked near Jik’s. I said I’d see her back home for some lunch with Captain Caveman. When I got back, she’d gone out for lunch at Çağrı so I put the shopping away and tidied up.
Captain Caveman returned and seemed in a good mood, he was concerned the weather was going to be too bad to go out and that I didn’t get everything on the shopping list. He’d also spotted some bargains that we needed to get while they had offers on. We went back to the shops and bought the following;
A101 Supermarket Mandarins 5.20 Wholemeal bread 14.00 Pears 14.65 Apples 32.00 Clotted cream 47.50 Cheese 55.50 Kitchen roll 149.90 Total spent 318.75 lira (£9.38)
Migros Supermarket 1kg red lentils 22.50 4 X 500g bags of dried pasta 30.00 1 jar peanut butter 45.90 Total spent 98.40 (£2.89)
We really didn’t need the kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) but Captain Caveman loves it. The kitchen roll had a sign on saying it was on offer but it wasn’t and it turned out to be scented. Still, it was only £4.40 for quite a few rolls so wasn’t too bad. Everything on our second Migros visit was on offer so I was happy with that. I messaged Caroline to say we were off to Kefal tea gardens, by the river, to meet our friend Adele and that she was welcome to join us. She didn’t respond or come to join us so she must’ve been busy. At the tea gardens we chatted with Adele and had food and drink. As it’s a council run cafe, the prices are really good, here’s what we paid; 1 Turkish tea 10.00 2 cheese toasties 90.00 2 Efes Malt beers 150.00 1 white wine 100.00 Total spent 350.00 lira (£10.29)
It was a cheap and cheerful lunch which we all enjoyed, especially as we saw a turtle in the river as we sat and chatted. It was too quick for me to get any photos though. By the time we got home the rain was here, Caroline’s plans for a Saturday night out were scuppered as I told her we were staying in tonight. Captain Caveman made pasta which is one of his go-to meals – simple but tasty.
I cracked on with work on Tuesday 7th November and had already done over an hour’s work by the time Captain Caveman left for Bridge. For lunch I had more left over veggie curry with egg fried rice. I decided, as I’d lost quite a bit of weight (just over a stone), I’d have a sort out of my clothes that were too big and either sell them or put them in the charity bag. As I my earnings had reduced, but with Captain Caveman here and friends visiting, I could do with some extra beer money to supplement my income. When Captain Caveman got home he went to fetch a water refill then made a sandwich. Just as we were deciding what to cook for dinner, Caroline messaged to say she was on her way back from Göcek and would meet us at Tez bar for sundowners and would like to go out for a meal tonight. We were up for that, as it was her treat and to say goodbye. I did say she would miss sunset but we agreed to meet at Tez bar. My parents love a Tez-pat sundowner so they were up for it and we then made our way over to Okyanus for dinner. We shared some amazing starters of samphire, halloumi, stuffed mushrooms, carrot dip, beetroot, bread and Dad had soup. For mains, Captain Caveman and Caroline both had stuffed veggie dishes, Dad ordered casserole, Mom a peppered steak and I had a chicken shish. We had a great meal and, as the portions were generous, we took quite a bit of it home. By the end of the night Caroline had found a stray cat to pet and we were all ready for bed. I was particularly tired and I wanted to be up early for work tomorrow, so that I’d be finished in time for Fat Club.
It was weigh day on Wednesday 8th November and I was not feeling optimistic at all. I love going to the Fat Club group as the members are very supportive, however, when you know you’ve not really made as much of an effort as you intended it can feel a bit like playing at it. I got on the scales at home and took my measurements to find I’d put on 0.5kg (1.1lb), I’d put 1cm on my bust and hips but my waist remained the same. I worked until 12.30pm then had finished for the week, Caroline was not at home and Captain Caveman had gone on his Sunday’s postponed walk. I don’t mind saying it was bliss to have no interruptions as I made myself beans on toast for brunch with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I went through our book stash to see which I could swap or lend Dad then I went through more clothes to donate or sell. I sorted out a few Slimming World recipes for future use, wondering what we might have for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, Fat Club was cancelled due to Carol being sick so Captain Caveman suggested a bit of a walk for some fresh air. That evening he decided he would make dinner and did airfryer quesadillas. He did set fire to an airfryer liner when he put it in the airfryer loose and to heat up. It was a good job I have a sensitive nose to smell the burning but, of course, he didn’t listen when I interfered. We were going to watch Netflix and chill but it was more like choose something to snore to. The weather was still good and looked to be for another couple of days at least – perfect weather for Caroline’s motorbiking trip, which had been postponed for a couple more days.
It wasn’t raining when we woke up on Sunday 5th November but the forecast was very bad. Captain Caveman had to postpone the Sunday walk this week and by 10.20am there were dark clouds forming. I’d invited my parents and Kaan to join Captain Caveman, Caroline and I for a Sunday dinner around 5pm that evening. Caroline had a banana for breakfast, Captain Caveman cooked himself a menemen style meal (tomato and eggs) and I had toast. It started to rain heavily and it looked like no one was going anywhere. I got on with the preparation for our Sunday roast, I cooked the whole chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, leeks and Yorkshire puddings. I messaged Mom to bring the gravy as I realised I had none in. Kaan brought a bottle of red wine and some rakı, my parents brought a bottle of white wine and some beers. Caroline had already started us on the gin with rather ample measures! The meal was nice but I didn’t take any photos, mainly as I was too busy being the hostess with the mostest. Conversation was mainly about Caroline’s forthcoming trip to see the archaeological ruins in the East of Turkey. Kaan stressed his concern of her riding all that way alone as a woman but she is a strong, independent woman. I went on to wine and tried to limit my booze, my parents were the first to leave and Captain Caveman was keeping up with Caroline on the gin. Kaan doesn’t drink much and was taking it easy on the rakı. It was a good job as once a litre of gin had been polished off Captain Caveman and Caroline were keen to move on to the rakı. I was taking it easy as I was scheduled to work tomorrow, talk of Caroline leaving around 10am was fleetingly mentioned but I doubted that would be a good idea. By the end of the evening, I had gone to bed after Captain Caveman started being argumentative (well, more than usual) and I couldn’t be bothered with it.
I did the right thing by moving my working day from Monday 6th November to split it between Tuesday and Wednesday. Captain Caveman had gone dogging so I spent time with Caroline. She had decided she would postpone her motorbike adventure to Wednesday but she was going to go on a couple of outings in the meantime. She said she doesn’t like to plan too much and would rather go with the flow. I had a couple of Slimming World muffins, strawberries and some cherry juice for brunch then managed a bit of blogging while Caroline got ready to go out for the afternoon. Captain Caveman arrived back home from the dog shelter, showered, then went to the shop for essentials. Here’s the info:
That night Captain Caveman and I had an impromptu night in on our own as Caroline had been asked out on a date. We watched a bit of Netflix and had leftover veggie curry with steamed rice for dinner.
On Saturday 4th November Caroline was deliberating driving somewhere on the motorbike so she just took it around town and back. Captain Caveman and I needed to go to the weekly Dalyan market. As it looked to be a rainy weekend we thought we’d stock up, ready for lots of home cooking after Caroline’s imminent departure. Caroline got changed and we all went to the market where we bought the following, with prices in lira:
Stall 1 Potatoes, onions & garlic 59
Stall 2 Peppers, aubergines & pumpkin 57
Stall 3 Samphire 20
Stall 4 Tangerines 10
Stall 5 Tomatoes 35
Stall 6 Bananas 25
Stall 7 Apples & Strawberries 50
Stall 8 3 Gözleme (pancakes) 170
Total spent at the market today was 376 lira (£11.06).
Our next stop was for a quick shop for essentials as Captain Caveman needed proper coffee, Caroline wanted Sanpellegrino soda water and I needed a whole chicken for our Sunday lunch tomorrow. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira:
Migros Supermarket Chickpeas 39.92 Soda water 65.00 Coffee 76.90 Chicken 122.72 Total spent 304.54 lira (£8.96)
After dropping off the shopping, Caroline rode her bike to the beach and we caught the 2pm bus to meet her there. I didn’t bother taking my swimmers but both Captain Caveman and Caroline went in the sea for a dip. It was very windy so the sand was blowing about quite a bit and I’m not too keen on sand. We took some photos then headed back, calling for a drink in Waterfall. Recep was impressed with Caroline and her motorbike as she told him about her plans to ride to Şanlıurfa tomorrow. He, like Kaan, advised her it was risky to go alone especially as there was a storm coming tomorrow but she explained she was a strong independent woman who had driven a motorbike with Vee (her dog) all over Vietnam.
After a couple in the Waterfall, on Caroline, she thought it would be a great idea to pop to the shop next door to stock up on booze and snack essentials. She got a load of wine and I also bought wine and the mixer drinks to go with the gin we had back home. I have no idea how much she spent in Muhtaroğlu Market but the total I spent was 1,824.80 lira (£53.65)! Hopefully that would last us a few days though and meant we wouldn’t be spending it going out drinking and eating!
Of course, it being Dalyan, that didn’t happen and we were in Tez bar with my parents by the time it went dark. Caroline ordered french fries and beers for dinner, despite the amount of alcohol we had at home. While sat at Tex, the man on the next table to us proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes! I eventually managed to get Captain Caveman and Caroline back to the apartment where they carried on drinking but I just had the one wine. Tomorrow, rain was forecast and I had a house full for Sunday dinner. Due to the weather prediction, Caroline had, sensibly, decided to stay until Monday.
In my head I had planned to have an easy going, low-cost day on Friday 3rd November. Captain Caveman had gone to play Bridge and Caroline had taken 2 buses to Ortaca then Marmaris. She had decided she was going to collect her rented motorbike from Marmaris so that she could have a practice drive back to get used to the roads. I had some berry ‘muffins’ for lunch as was trying to stick to the Slimming World plan. When Caroline returned she insisted that, as it was Friday night, we were going out for dinner and drinks, it was her treat for letting her stay with us as she would be off on her road trip soon. Captain Caveman pointed out that some bad weather was expected, possibly stormy on Sunday and that she might want to hold off until that had passed. For dinner, the three of us ate at Çağrı where we ordered some random dishes and a beer each; 2 pides, green beans, baked beans, salad, yoghurt, chillies, bread and beers which came to a total of 980 lira (£28.82) for the 3 of us and Caroline paid.
The night did not end there as Caroline was in hot pursuit of the best frozen margarita in Dalyan. We decided to join Mark, Kate, Linda and a few of their friends at Aşkın’s where I was certain they would know how to make a frozen margarita. Unfortunately, we ended up with a mix of strawberry daiquiri and margarita minus a salty rim which İpek insisted was just what we had asked for. We soldiered through it but it took me quite a while to drink the strange cocktail. Our next stop was at Tequila bar where one of the Toprak brothers was manning the bar, surely he would know how to make a frozen margarita. This one came without the ice and we couldn’t seem to make him or Kaan understand that we wanted a margarita which was made with crushed ice. Another street dog joined us so we soon forgot about the frozen margarita and gave it some attention. On the way home we stopped at Sofra bar where the frozen margarita came just as requested. It was about 1.30am when we got home, Caroline had decided that she wouldn’t leave for her motorbike adventure tomorrow as she’d drank far too much, she would plan to go on Sunday.
Photo credit – some from the Riverbumsand Caroline
I was surprised to learn it was Caroline’s birthday on Wednesday 1st November. Not only had she arrived a week earlier than we thought she would, but I would not get paid for 10 days and even then it was only half the pay I had planned for. Ironically, we had a very full fridge, freezer and cupboards at home as I was expecting not to be going out too much in the lead up to our friend’s visit. I didn’t hear from Captain Caveman or Caroline first thing as I let the dogs out then fed them and made a cup of tea. Norman was cute when I got my cuppa as he wanted to go upstairs ‘back to bobos’. We sat on the sofa for a bit of an extra sleep until it was time to go for a walk. I did my measurements to find my bust was the same but I’d lost 4cm from my waist and 3cm from my hips. This looked promising for Carol’s scales at Fat Club later. I worked in the morning and then I made my taster session food for Fat Club. I made the flour-less syn free muffins which look terrible but taste quite nice. Captain Caveman popped round and he’d been out with Caroline last night for drinks then food. Captain Caveman was very hung over and there was still no word from Caroline. I suggested we go to one of our favourite restaurants tonight for Caroline’s birthday and invited my parents too. It turns out that Captain Caveman and Caroline had been drinking at Bistro Blue last night but we would still go again tonight for an impromptu birthday meal. I left Jamie’s place and the pooches to go to Fat Club. I was disappointed to only have lost 0.1kg (0.2lb) but a loss is a loss, as they say at Fat Club. I couldn’t share the lentil soup that Carol made or the fritters by Janice, as they had chillies in but I did get the recipes to make my own without the heat. I couldn’t eat the fishy offering either but I did try and I enjoyed the mushroom paté as well as the hummus. My berry and banana ‘muffins’ were tried and people agreed they weren’t quite as terrible as they sounded or looked. Jamie was back by tea time and he’d unfortunately inherited a street dog on his complex who some holiday makers had brought home. He asked me to take the dog back to bar street as they aren’t allowed to have them wandering around the complex. I did, and the dog seemed genuinely happy to get back to his fellow pooches for the night. That evening, Captain Caveman had said he would pay for our meal so I didn’t even take my purse to Bistro Blue or Tez bar, where we started the birthday celebrations. My parents danced with some of the other Tez-pats to ‘Sweet Caroline’ as a thoughtful birthday treat for our friend. Caroline was happy to meet Tez who was going to help her organise a motorbike for her adventure tours to Şanlıurfa and Cappadocia next week. We had some amazing food at Bistro Blue although I noticed Caroline didn’t eat all of her’s. She said she felt unwell so she left before we had finished our drinks. When we came to pay Captain Caveman didn’t have enough on his card and I hadn’t brought any way of paying with me so we had to borrow the money from my parents. It was 1,740 lira including wine, which was just over £50 and not an expense I had budgeted for this week. The food and service had been great and I’d really enjoyed it but we now needed to make sure we stayed in to eat what we had at home.
While Captain Caveman went Bumming on Thursday 2nd November, Caroline had a lay in. I popped to the shops for sanitary towels and milk which cost a total of 36.75 lira (£1.08). Surprisingly, milk was more expensive than sanitary towels in Dalyan and it’s not usual or easy to find tampons in Dalyan supermarkets – they can be purchased at the pharmacy. When Caroline got up she had a banana for breakfast as she doesn’t eat breakfast and then went to ask Tez about hiring the motorbike. She was heading over to see the famous archaeological sights at Göbeklitepe, Şanlıurfa, and wanted to do it on a big motorbike. Both Captain Caveman and I do like to plan things but Caroline had said she was much more of a non-planning type of traveller. Her mission on this trip was to ‘search for people’s truth’ which I was sure that I fully understood. Captain Caveman and I had a walk to the water company to get his deposit back from when he had the water in his name, unfortunately they didn’t understand our English or my Google translated Turkish, which was convenient for them! At 2.30pm Captain Caveman and I met up with Caroline at Kaunos tea gardens where I had a double çay and a chicken döner, Caroline a juice and a chicken döner and Captain Caveman had an Efes beer and a mixed toasted sandwich. I paid the 305 lira (£8.97) but I did say we would be eating in tonight as we were on a budget and I was meant to be on a diet! My words fell on deaf ears as we bumped in to Kaan at Tequila Bar and joined him for a drink, sat in the sun. Captain Caveman and I just had beer but Caroline, who was on her holidays, had a couple of Aperol Spritzes. Another stray dog or two joined us, one was particularly cute but a bit smelly. When the sun went in, Caroline decided she needed some white tops ready for her motorbiking adventure. We popped to the shop where she picked up a couple of t-shirts/sweatshirts. On the way home we stopped at Tez bar to finalise the bike arrangements for tomorrow and for Captain Caveman and Caroline to have a beer.
I’d previously been invited, but declined, an invite from Kate to go on a 12 island boat trip from Fethiye on Thursday 19th October. At the time of asking I’d not known when my residency renewal appointment or me having to leave Turkey date would be so we couldn’t commit. My parents, on the other hand, didn’t have these problems and had said they were going and were being picked up from Lukka bar at 10am. More recently, Jamie had invited Captain Caveman and I on Drew’s private boat trip for his brother’s birthday and we had agreed. This one was with Ünal, Sioned’s husband, on Duran Duran boat. My diet started badly with a homemade (by Sioned) Welsh cake and a cup of tea as we set sail and got introduced to everyone. There was Jamie, Drew, Robert, Lucie, their 2 (well behaved) teenage children, Ann, Sharon, Ali and us two. Drew’s family were lovely and we all had an absolutely fantastic day out with excellent company and amazing food. I ate fresh bread, courgette fritters, şakşuka, spinach, pasta, green beans, carrots, chicken, meatballs, chips, red cabbage, couscous and more bread! I pushed the boat out a bit and had a beer (just the one) too.
We all went swimming, walked on the beach and generally had a really good laugh. There was numerous stops (beach and the lake), there was crab fishing, which I didn’t do but all the crabs caught were females so they had to be put back in to the sea. Ünal really spoiled us in the afternoon with fruit platters and a delicious cake. We sang Happy Birthday to Robert and I probably should have said no to finishing off Captain Caveman’s piece of cake too.
When we left the boat, everyone went back home but we reconvened at Lukka bar, where there was another surprise singing of Happy Birthday. An impressive chocolate cake was shared out and I managed a slice. Norman and Edna had joined us and wondered why they didn’t have such treats. I didn’t need any dinner that night and we were quite sensible with an early night. My parents, on the other hand, were still giving the ball a right kick!
On Sunday 15th October I woke up without a hangover, which was quite a surprise. We sorted out the remainder of our laundry, which had been hung out to dry, and Captain Caveman went to get some much needed water as we had none in the house. We decided to pack all our stuff and leave the traditional Greek house earlier to go for a hot drink/breakfast rather than go to come back again. Our ferry from Rhodes to Fethiye wasn’t until 4pm but we needed to be there for 3pm to get our tickets. I got a message from Steve at 10.40am to say he would send us our ferry tickets shortly. We left the house just after 11am and went to the bakery and Cuckoo’s Nest for everyone (except me) to get pastries and coffee. Even though I no longer have gluten intolerances, I still avoid pastries before travelling as I always get a dodgy tum. I did buy a sandwich to take with me for when we got to Rhodes Town though. Steve and Michelle joined us for a coffee and to say their goodbyes, not knowing exactly when we would see them again but the ferries were going to be running in the winter months. Taxis in Rhodes are extremely expensive and would not have comfortably fitted 4 adults and all our luggage in so we had opted for the pretty reliable public transport option. The bus cost us €5.60 (£4.71) each to get to Rhodes Town and was meant to take 2 hours. We got in to town before 2pm and decided to go straight to the port rather than messing around. It was a bit of a walk but we took it steady as the weather was nice and we were in no rush. At the port, it was the busiest I’d ever seen it and there was no available seating. Eventually we got a seat, I got the tickets and I managed to eat my sandwich around 3pm. It was a long trip back to Dalyan, especially as we took the decision to go all the way by public transport after our usual taxi guy, failed to respond to messages. The ferry crossing was fine and quite relaxing, we took a short but speedy taxi ride to the bus station only to find that a bus to Ortaca was already in. Captain Caveman ran ahead to get on with us rushing to keep up with him. We got on and paid the less than £2.50 fare each to get to Ortaca, about an hour away. The bus ride wasn’t too pleasant, it was rather cold with the windows open plus I soon needed the loo. When we got to Ortaca the bus to Dalyan was in so Captain Caveman was keen to hurry to get it but we had a falling out when I said I didn’t care if we missed it. Even after a pitstop for Mom and I to go for a pee, we still managed to catch the Dalyan bus that was waiting but I had to squidge on to the back seat with a nice Turkish family. It was cold and rain was coming in the open window so we were all glad to finally get off at Dalyan where Captain Caveman had a cunning plan. He needed to redeem himself for us all being so hungry and thirsty but yet being in Dalyan with all our luggage at gone 8.30pm. Since leaving Lardos at 12 we had not stopped and my parents hadn’t eaten since that pasty for breakfast at 11.30am. Captain Caveman would take our bags home while my parents, their bags and I would go to Duble restaurant and order some food. I think my dad was a bit too tired because he couldn’t decide what to have and said there was nothing he liked despite going to Duble a few times and enjoying it. By the time Captain Caveman got back we still hadn’t ordered either. Mom chose chicken and mushroom pasta, Dad went for a chicken shish he didn’t really fancy and Captain Caveman and I both ordered the same; lentil soup and liver starters as a main. Dad and Captain Caveman ordered alcoholic beverages but Mom and I could not face booze after last night. The food was excellent and Ma insisted that she paid for the meal which was very good of them. It was easily after 10pm as we headed home, Captain Caveman took my parents case to their’s for them so there was no chance of either of them struggling with it on the stairs.
Not only was Saturday 14th October the last full day and night of our Rhodes holiday, but it was also Ma & Pa’s wedding anniversary. We’d not been able to celebrate it properly for one reason or another these last few years so I’d decided it would be lovely to do something special. Nothing gets past my Mom, though, so I had to hatch a plan that everyone but my parents were in on. Yara Yachting were booked for a day’s private boat trip and I’d invited Steve and Michelle to join my parents, Captain Caveman and I. I told my parents that we were going to meet Steve and Michelle at Cuckoo’s Nest for coffee at 9.30am, which was quite early. I pretended it was the only time Steve and Michelle could fit us in with work so we could all go to the beach. Everyone had a coffee and some had pastries (bought from the bakery) at Cuckoo’s Nest, I didn’t as I knew I’d be sailing. When the Yara Yachting car came to pick us up in Lardos Square I lied and said it must be a friend of Steve and Michelle’s, giving us a lift in the hot sun to save us walking. Even when we got to Kiotari Beach they were none the wiser and my Mom started looking for which sunbeds we might want to sit on. I went to pay for the trip while Captain Caveman kept my parents from rolling out a towel, then I told them. My Mom was so surprised that she hugged and thanked everyone for their anniversary surprise. We had to get a small tender to the yacht in 2 trips, Captain Caveman escorted my parents so they could safely be first on to the yacht. I followed with Steve and Michelle and, once on board, the 2 captains gave us a bit of information while we got seated. My parents were given 3 choices of where they wanted to sail to and they chose Hawaii Beach, aka Pink Floyd beach. By 10am we were on our way for a private all day tour with just the 6 of us and the 2 captains – how exciting. The trip ran from 10am to 4pm with all food and drink (alcohol) included. I’m surprised we lasted until gone 11am before I asked if we could pop some fizz. The crew were lovely, amusing and one was a great story teller. We were also asked if we wanted to sail the boat, so my Mom had a go and was quite good. Captain Caveman, who has experience, followed with a go and really loved it so we left him to it. I was glad that he’d worn his Masto Designs stork patterned shirt too as he looked the part and I got lots of photos of him, posing. Even though I once sailed a speed boat down the Saigon river, after a gin tasting event, I decided I wouldn’t do that again and risk an incident. I was quite happy to indulge in some sparkling Greek Cair wine with my parents, who were still a bit in shock at the surprise. When we stopped for a swim near to Hawaii beach, Steve went off snorkelling while Dad and I braved the cold water. It was rather chilly and my legs were going a bit numb but I knew we might not get another chance to say we’d swam in Pink Floyd’s bay. Ma, Michelle and Captain Caveman were happy to sit on board sipping their drinks while Dad and I attempted to swim round the (fairly big) yacht. Realising we were missing out on the all inclusive drinks was enough of an excuse for us to get out and join the others. Steve returned having seen lots of sea life and even he hadn’t explored this area before, so he was pleased.
Our lunch was amazing, I’d been a little worried that Mom and I wouldn’t enjoy it as we are quite fussy eaters but we both loved it. At one point people went on to beer but I carried on with the fizz mostly and we were all quite merry by the time our day trip came to an end. As us ladies still had full glasses, we sent the 3 men in the first tender while we carried on drinking and laughing. Michelle didn’t seem as drunk as us as I concentrated on getting off the yacht in to the dinghy. I’d been concerned about my parents being able to get off and on but they were better than I was. The boatman on the tender dropped us off on the beach where the guys were waiting for us.
Photo credit – some taken by Mom and Captain Caveman
After a wonderful day of sailing for my parents’ anniversary, the Yara Yachting pick-up service took us back to Lardos Square. I’d envisaged we might go straight back home for showers and to get changed for dinner but Steve suggested a beer in Memories bar and we all sat down. At one point I went off to get a cardigan and put our wet swimmers and towels in the washer to get them done for us leaving tomorrow. We decided we would go for a meal at Savas Restaurant round the corner which started well. We ordered carafes of wine, I don’t remember what Captain Caveman and I ate as Steve had started cutting off bits of his pork and was trying to feed it to my mom and I. Dad’s poor eyesight benefitted him as he was at the other end of the table eating his Pastitsio. I don’t think the restaurant owner and staff were too impressed with the loudness from our table and then, the card machine wasn’t working for any of us to pay. We should all have gone home at that point but a rather merry Steve was insistant on more drinks as I escorted him back over to Memories. Ironically, we would all have some rather hilarious memories of today as we tried our best to keep Steve from getting shots. As things got rather messy it was up to mom to give her excuses to leave. Steve wanted us to stay for more drinking but Mom was having none of it, she wanted to enjoy what was left of their anniversary with Dad. Captain Caveman and I had also had quite our full and wanted to escort my parents back to make sure they didn’t get lost. We all had such a great time for our last day and night in Rhodes but tomorrow we were off back to Turkey!
The breakfast at Lindos Athena on Thursday 12th October was pretty good and I enjoyed it. My parents sunbathed by the pool, Captain Caveman kept covered up and out of the pool due to his rash. I did a bit of work and organised for Steve and Michelle to come over later on.
When Steve and Michelle arrived they gave my parents a lift down Cardiac Hill, in to Lindos town, while Captain Caveman and I walked. My parents had a look over the edge to the sea, next to the bust of Ionnais Zigdis, a Greek politician. We walked to Mario’s as we were off to introduce my parents to the curry sauce. It was very busy, we ordered drinks and food. Dad had pork with curry sauce which was a normal size but Mom had a huge pork chop. It was so good and we got given free shots from the owner at the end of our meal. After our meal we had a walk through the streets of Lindos, calling at Pals for a drink. We bumped in to an old friend and ex-colleague of mine, Elaine. She was in Rhodes, staying in Pefkos, with her hubby and friends and we had been trying to meet up for a few days. Steve and Michelle had work the next day so couldn’t stay out out but they kindly dropped my parents back off and picked up some luggage to take back with them to Lardos, where we would be going tomorrow. We had a couple of drinks at the bar before going back to our rooms for the last sleep at Lindos Athena. It was a lovely hotel but not one of us had been in the pool which was a shame. We managed to pay our bills for drinks and breakfasts, which came to €135 (£115.81) for Captain Caveman and I on our room for the 2 nights (not including the accommodation). Our last round of drinks for the evening was €36.50 (£31.31). Tomorrow we would be up early and off to Lardos but at least we didn’t have to carry as many bags on the bus.
On Wednesday 11th October Captain Caveman was up and about before me, unpacking his bag. I got so excited when he gave me my 2024 Diary as I’d been wanting (needing) one for ages. As it was a Wednesday it was weigh day but I had no scales, probably a good job considering how many syns I must have had this week! I did do my measurements though and they were as follows: Bust -2cm, Waist +2cm, Hips +1cm.
We checked out of the Kahlua Apartments and made our way to the bus station as we were off to stay in Lindos for a couple of nights. Michelle had recommended the Lindos Athena hotel where my Mom had booked the last two rooms for us. On the way to the bus station we stopped off at a cafe for breakfast. My parents and Captain Caveman ordered omelettes which were lovely but I made the mistake of ordering a cheese and bacon pancake. It came smothered in mayonnaise both inside and on the top and I couldn’t eat it. My parents paid for breakfast, and we walked to the bus station where Captain Caveman had already bought our bus tickets. It was only €5.50 (£4.72) each and took about an hour and 20 minutes. My parents had a big case and a couple of bags between them but it wasn’t too cumbersome to get it on the bus. Captain Caveman and I had 3 bags between us so we all filled the bag area with our luggage.
The journey went well and we got off at Lindos bus station for the short walk to the hotel. When we arrived, we insisted Ma & Pa have the best corner room, with (distant) views of the Acropolis and we took the smaller, but perfectly adequate, double room. Lindos Athena was very nice and, while my parents and Captain Caveman went down to the pool and bar area, I did a bit of work. The internet was good, I used the chest of drawers as a desk but I didn’t work for too long.
We met for a drink at the bar then walked in to Lindos for our evening meal. We called at Lindian House for a pre dinner drink so that my Mom could see the Acropolis lit up from their roof terrace area.
Captain Caveman had chosen a nice rooftop restaurant called Kamariko for dinner and it didn’t disappoint. Dad and I had pork, Captain Caveman had lamb and my Mom had a seafood dish which was massive. We all enjoyed our dinner, Dad particularly enjoyed the complimentary dessert. The cost per couple for the meal was €51.65 (£44.29) including wine. Back at the hotel, we had a nightcap at the bar before bed, where our bed was super comfy.
On Monday 9th October I worked a full day at Steve and Michelle’s. When we finished work, Michelle decided she would drive me to Rhodes Town, instead of me getting the bus. We went to Gyro and Burger in Afandou on our way, where the food is always great. This time both Steve and I had the burgers and Michelle had the Gyros, all of which were very tasty and big portions. I was conscious we still had a car journey to go so I took the rest of my burger with me. For 3 soft drinks and the 3 meals it came to €23.90 (£20.90).
I said bye to Michelle and Steve who dropped me right across the road from Kahlua Apartments – it was raining. Our holiday plans included coming back to Lardos so we would meet up again very soon. I went upstairs to the reception area only to realise I needed to check-in at the shop downstairs. Back down in the very well stocked shop I got given the keys to both rooms and a nice gentleman showed me round one of them. I decided Captain Caveman and I would take the one with the single beds on the top floor, giving my parents the room nearer to reception, with a double bed. I ate the rest of my cheese burger and had a brief lay down.
When everyone arrived, it was almost 10pm so we decided to go to the Mexican place round the corner for beers and snacks. I was that excited to see everyone that I forgot to take any photos. We all had a big Alpha beer each then ordered some food, I had a fish taco without chillies and it was great. Mom said her burrito was excellent too. We had more big Alpha beers before paying our bill, which came to €70.50 (£60.41), beers were €5 (£4.28) each. We had a walk to a bar not far from where we were staying and called for a nightcap; red wine for Captain Caveman and I, gin & tonic for Ma and brandy and lemonade for Dad. We chose Koykos bar as we had been there before with Jamie, Drew & Nanny Kay and it was nice but it was quite dimly lit and already after midnight. We paid €27 (£23.14) for our 4 drinks and walked back to the hotel for some sleep. Captain Caveman slept in the furthest away bed from me so I wouldn’t touch him and his shingles. He was feeling better but still had a scabby rash so we didn’t want to chance me catching it.
I had a bit of a sleep in on Saturday 7th October and did a bit of work in the afternoon from Steve and Michelle’s. They were working for some of the weekend too but had some people to see in Afandou. I got dropped off at a bar where I caught up on some blog editing while drinking peach iced tea and eating a bacon sandwich – I couldn’t remember when I last had one!
That evening we went to Lindos to meet a friend of Steve and Michelle’s and they introduced me to one of their favourite eateries, Mario’s. They were so enthusiastic about the Thai style curry sauce that all 3 of them ordered it with their pork or chicken. Being a bit fussy with my food, I couldn’t bring myself round to ordering the two together so I settled for just a pork chop with chips and salad. When the food came I had a dip of the sauce and it was incredible. I then had to order an extra portion of curry sauce as it was just so good.
Back in Lardos, to say it got a bit messy was probably an understatement. We ended up meeting Mark, Maria, Lu, Az, Hannah and some other friends of their’s. We drank in the bars around Lardos square and Steve decided it would be a good idea to drink shots (it wasn’t). We spent a small fortune that night and it got a bit out of hand, Steve borrowed a pineapple off the bar and we didn’t get home until around 4.45am.
As you can probably imagine, Sunday 8th October was pretty uneventful for me! I spent most of the day feeling very ‘tired’ while Steve and Michelle went visiting friends and work contacts. I was happy for a day off and was looking forward to seeing Captain Caveman and my parents tomorrow night. Captain Caveman had booked us 2 rooms at Kahlua Apartments in Rhodes Town and he sent me screen shots so I could work out how to get there from the bus station. Michelle had offered to drive me, after work, but it seemed easier to get the bus as I’d done it before. I fed the animals while Steve and Michelle were out but had gone to bed before they returned home. Meanwhile, my parents were getting ready to fly from Manchester to Rhodes and Captain Caveman was enjoying his last night in Naples.
joloyolo 