On Friday 11th August I had to work because I’d moved my days to accommodate Mark and Kate’s cat and house sitting dates. I worked from 9am to 5pm with a break for lunch. I was also back to eating nice food at home; beans on toast for breakfast, feta and beetroot salad for lunch, then a tandoori style chicken and rice dish for dinner. I even opened a bottle of rosé wine when I finished work and sat on the balcony in my lounge chair. I thought I was going to have a relaxed early night at home but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Kate messaged to ask if I wanted to meet her and Mark at Tez bar so I said yes. After more wine there, it ended up being a rather messy, drunken evening in Dalyan Lounge and then Sofra. Kate fell asleep in Dalyan Lounge so Mark and I left with her on the puff truck to make sure she got home. We had a can of beer and a hip flask to come back in to town with to rejoin Jo, Steve, John, Andrea, Jade and her husband who’s birthday it was. We bumped in to Bakı and we had rather a lot more drinks. Obviously, Mark and I were the last 2 standing in Sofra at about 4am – tomorrow was going to hurt!
I had no idea how I was going to get through all my plans on Saturday 12th August! I postponed my meet up at Goodeer Cafe with Jamie and went back to bed. I couldn’t face going to the market so I slept until about 1pm then went to meet Jamie. I had a lime slushy which made my hangover headache even worse. Jamie had also ended up drinking until 4am this morning with his neighbours so we were both in the same pathetic state, still. Neither of us quite knew how we were going to muster up the oomph to be able to attend Nanny Kay’s birthday celebrations tonight. As I entered the complex back at our apartment I noticed that the garden was overgrown again and was looking a bit dishevelled so I needed to remind the maintenance company to give it a bit of attention. Jamie, Ann and I met at Sofra bar for a livener before the main birthday event. I took more than 30 minutes to get half a draft lager down me and felt absolutely terrible. We went to Meet Meat restaurant where there was about 20 of us for the birthday meal. The free mushroom and bread starters were amazing and I ordered a steak with rice, chips and salad which was very nice. I made a glass of red wine last all night and I was absolutely begging for mercy. My 200g steak meal came to 448 lira (£13.27), which was very reasonable, the wine was 100 lira (£2.96) for a decent glass and a large water was 30 lira (89p). We’d had a reasonably priced night out with excellent food and service. Unfortunately, there was an after-party, back at Sofra where it turned in to another one of those nights! Jamie, Ghislaine and I got in at gone 4am after Teddy, the dog, had gone AWOL meaning Ghislaine was forced to come and collect him from us at Sofra Bar.
It wouldn’t take a genius to work out that I had an easy day on Sunday 13th August. On a positive note, staying out until after the Jazz bar had closed meant I was getting better sleep. I had bread, feta cheese and olives for breakfast, a hot dog for lunch then tandoori chicken with egg fried rice for dinner. I had an early night because tomorrow I had another week of cat sitting.
After I’d fed the cats their breakfast on Wednesday 9th August, Casha went back to bed in the spare room. I met a gecko outside on the meter box too. I took the puff truck over to our apartment, where I made myself pancakes with fruit for a late breakfast. I got weighed and was hopeful for a good result at Fat Club later as I had lost a bit since last week and my measurements were good; no change to bust or hips but -4cm off my waist! I noticed that our complex was looking a bit dishevelled and the gardener and pool man hadn’t been in a while. I worked all morning then went to Fat Club where Carol’s scales said I had lost 1.3kg (almost 3lb). On the way home I went to the supermarket and bought the following;
I had beans on toast with hot dog sausage in plus a hot dog before I took the puff truck back to Mark and Kate’s for my cat feeding action. I was in bed by 11pm, having had another alcohol free day. I was pleased it was my last night staying away and I was looking forward to getting home!
Mark and Kate were due back at 8.20pm on Thursday 10th August and I was eager to get back to normal. I fed the cats, watered the plants, stripped the bed and washed all the bedding and towels. I had strawberries for breakfast then packed up all my stuff ready to leave. I had a last swim before a lunch of lentil soup and a turkey salad wrap. I took all my stuff home in the afternoon, it was very hot. I had a hot dog at home before taking the puff truck back to Mark and Kate’s for one last cat feed. I made sure the house was tidy, that I’d taken anything I’d left in the fridge and that the cats were all happy. I put the keys for the puff truck back where they belonged, it still didn’t need charging and I’d not used any of the electric bikes. I walked home, it had cooled down a little by about 8pm but it was still quite warm. When I got home I had a beer and a Bounty as a bit of a treat. I was so looking forward to my own bed and not having to get up too early to tend to any animals.
I had another healthy day on Tuesday 1st August. For breakfast I had banana, peach, strawberries with quark and a herbal tea. I went to buy another water for the cooler to find it had now gone up to 50 lira (£1.50) for 19 litres but he did deliver it quicker than last time. For lunch I had a chicken and veg pasta then I worked for about 3 hours in the afternoon, once it had cooled down a bit. I was conscious that I was off to Fat Club tomorrow so I was trying my best to be good, it was my third day without alcohol too. I had wholemeal toast for dinner and then decided to pop out to the shops because there seemed to be an increase in the amount of ants we had in the apartment. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
Migros supermarket
Boiled beans 16.90 Bulgur wheat 27.95 Tomato paste 32.50 Ant spray 45.25 Total spent 199.15 lira (£5.96)
Şarküteri 2 tins Heinz baked beans 90.00 Cheddar cheese 110.00 Total spent 200.00 lira (£5.98)
The English products were obviously more expensive here but I really fancied treating myself to beans and cheese.
I was on a last-ditch attempt to have lost weight this week on Wednesday 2nd August. I weighed myself on the home scales and I seemed to have done ok but we would have to go by Carol’s official scales at Fat Club. My measurements were less favourable; bust -2cm, waist +2cm, hips +3cm. This wasn’t boding well for a loss this week and I had consumed 266 syns in total, on a 110 syn allowance! I’d done an hour’s work when I noticed the water in the cooler was only half full – it was leaking! I googled how to fix it and did, then mopped up the floor! I had slimming world friendly ‘pancakes’ for breakfast which were made from 2 of my least favourite foods; eggs and bananas mashed together and cooked. I drank 2 Lotus teas and a litre of water, I also made 3 omelettes and popped them in the freezer for egg fried rice at a later date. For lunch I had veggie pasta and another litre of water. I finished work at 2.30pm and walked over to Fat Club. I was pleased to find that I had actually lost 0.8kg (1.8lbs) which was great. I went back home to finish off some work before heading back out to the bank and then to Rehab bar to see whoever was left of the pool gang. Mark, Kate, John and Andrea were still there so I joined them for a drink, with it being pay day. I limited myself to 2 pints of draft Efes and then joined Mark and Kate for another drink (a glass of red wine) at Rodrigo’s. Mark ordered a burger from the burger place next door while Kate and I had chicken rice and chickpeas (really tasty and healthier) from across the road. I walked home via the river and took some photos of the boats along the way. After a cup of tea, I had an early night as I was working tomorrow and then off for a week of cat sitting.
It was a day of fun on Saturday 29th July on another Princess of Ekincik boat trip to welcome Annie back to Dalyan. By 10am we had set sail as we drank our morning brew with a cookie. Onboard we had a nice eclectic mix of people; Jackie & Chris, Viv, Linda, Adele, a Turkish couple, a Dutch couple, Annie and me. We had a great BBQ lunch and some amazing swim stops and we even got to do something I’d never done before.
Adele asked Captain Ismail if we could moor up near to The Rock so that, those who wanted to, could swim around it. Adele, Annie, Chris and I managed to swim around it in the fairly choppy sea and it was really lovely. We had a laugh with the Turkish guest who was rather big and hilarious at getting himself on and off the paddle board. On another one of our swim spots we were warned very clearly by Ismail to stay away from the sea urchins. The Dutch guy, who had never been to Dalyan or a boat trip before proceeded to ignore this and ended up with six spikes in his foot. Our Captain had to remove them with tweezers and the man was clearly in agony.
The Rock we swam around.
The food, as always, was incredible and I washed it down with a couple of glasses of rosé wine which were 100 lira (£2.98) for a decent measure. It was such a lovely day that I don’t think Annie, Adele and I wanted it to end. It nearly didn’t end well when there was a problem with the boat’s engine. Luckily, Captain Boris was due to pass and he helped tow us back to Dalyan.
The 3 of us plus Chris and Jackie decided to pop for one drink at Tez bar. Tez had a nice bottle of rosé wine for just 350 lira (£10.42) so Adele, Annie and I shared that. It was nice to sit and relax while deciding if we might go for food. After saying goodbye to Adele, Chris and Jackie, Annie and I popped back to mine for a quick shower before dinner. We had booked a table at Duble, one of our favourite eateries in the old market square. I’d not been there in ages so it was nice to visit and we had a veritable feast between us; cheese rolls, liver and onions, bread and dips to start followed by chicken shish and Adana kebab for our mains – all washed down with another bottle of rosé wine. Our meal with wine was a reasonable 700 lira (£20.83) each, it was amazing and I had leftovers to take home. I’d loved my day and night out and it was brilliant to spend time with Annie who was due back again in a couple of months.
Photo credit – Annie Miller for some of her photos
It was Gayle, Neil, Morgan and April’s last day and night in Dalyan on Sunday 23rd July as they were leaving tomorrow morning. They had planned to have a cleaning, tidying and packing day followed by lounging and swimming round the pool for their last day. They had booked to go out for a meal and I was going to have another day off. We’d had a great time and, surprisingly, not one fall out or complaint. In the afternoon I got flight confirmation from my friends, Kelly and Clare, who were coming to visit me next month. I was looking forward to seeing them after 4 years of not being able to see each other. Later, I went over to where my sister and family were staying and we had a dip in the pool. Some friends from Fethiye and Mark stopped by just to say hello and I met them at the gate for a few minutes. When I went back in, the family were getting ready and said I should join them for their last dinner out in Dalyan.
I’ve not been to La Bohème this year, it was very busy but we had a reserved table by the river, overlooking the rock tombs. We decided cocktails would be a good idea and I ordered a pornstar martini. We shared the meze plate for starters and each of us ordered some really good main courses. My surf and turf was one of the best meals I’d had in Dalyan. We shared wine and had a brilliant last night celebrating a wonderful holiday. As we came to pay the bill, there was a power cut which meant we all had to put our cash in to pay.
The girls weren’t too pleased about that as they had been promised a look round the shops. A lot of the shops were unable to take card payments but we did find a couple that could so the girls could get some souvenirs. On our walk back towards home we decided that it wouldn’t be a farewell send off without a quick drink in Bistro Blue. We must have left about 12.30am as I have a receipt for the drinks at that time and the electric in Dalyan was back on.
On Saturday 15th July we had entered a heatwave coming from Morocco and were advised by the authorities to stay indoors during the daylight hours. Of course, we decided to ignore that and actually it didn’t feel quite as hot as Vietnam so I was doing ok. I decided to go to the market in the midday sun, which is about a 15 minute stroll away. I had my sunhat on and took water with me. On the way I saw the homeless guy, wearing black and looking very warm. I bought him a peach and some water and helped him wash the peach. The market had been exceptionally empty when I got there at about 12.30pm so it was easy to grab what I needed and get back home quickly. I bought cherries, peaches, courgettes, aubergines, carrots and mushrooms so spent less than 200 lira easily. On the way back, I called in to Bim supermarket where I picked up a loaf of bread and a pack of nan bread for just 27.50 lira (82p). I noticed they had air fryers in for 1800 lira (£54), a few people from Fat Club were in to them so I was tempted and I know my mom fancied one.
By 2.30pm my mom and I were back in Bim on Atatürk Road buying the last air fryer then over to the other Bim in the Turkish quarter to buy another one. They were reduced to 1699 lira (£50.76) so we decided to get one each. The bank had been out of order, I only had card so my mom paid for both. They weren’t heavy but in the heat it was hard to walk about carrying the bulky boxes. It was unfortunate that my parents wouldn’t get to try it out just yet, though, as they were leaving late tonight, going back home to England.
That night we decided to celebrate in style and had booked a table for the 7 of us at Bistro Blue, one of our favourite restaurants. Beforehand, we met at one of my parents’ new favourites, Tapa, for drinks. I called at the bank to find that they were temporarily limiting withdrawals to 250/300 lira which is less than £10 per time so it was taking ages for people to get enough money out and it was all in small denominations – I’ve never had so many 10 lira (30p) notes! The drinks at Tapa aren’t the cheapest in town but, despite it’s river location, it is also not the most expensive. The wine is a good one, Angora, for 95 lira (£2.84) per glass. A Turkish cider cost 150 lira (£4.48) which I don’t think is worth it so I no longer drink cider in Turkey. Our drinks bill came to 1,380 lira (£41.23) for 10 drinks, including 4 ciders, 4 pints of Efes and a Tequila Sunrise, which was definitely cheaper than what my family would have paid back in Sheffield.
At Bistro Blue we all had starters and main courses, including prawns, mushrooms, liver & onions, fish and steaks washed down with several wines. It was delicious and an excellent choice for celebrating my parents’ last night. We even splashed out on a couple of the bottles of nice wine with it being a special occasion, the end of my parents’ holiday and the last time we’d probably all be together for a while. The food and service was as lovely as always and I really enjoyed my pepper steak, my parents had their last fix of liver and onions which got great reviews too. Annie & Selahı made sure we gave Ma & Pa a good send off and we all had a cheeky amaretto for our farewell drink.
After seeing our parents off, and trying not to cry, the rest of us went for another drink at Tapa where Gayle tried one of the new marshmallow martini cocktails which was a bit like a dessert and Morgan had a daiquiri. It had been a great night and I was looking forward to putting my feet up for a bit of a rest tomorrow, but of course I had another event to attend.
I worked from 11.30am to 5.45pm on Thursday 13th July so that I could accommodate the evening itinerary. I just ate plain noodles in chicken stock for lunch as we would be eating a feast tonight. It was also the hottest it had been since I’d got back to Dalyan and the temperature was over 40°C in the afternoon. I had to put the AC on! At 6.30pm Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April and I were joining a group boat trip. It was booked a while ago for us to join the Princess of Ekincik Moonlight boat trip from 6.30pm until bedtime and we were all looking forward to it. This trip allowed for a few swimming stops, the first at the lake where we were joined by a turtle while we were all in the water. Luckily, I had taken Steve’s sunglasses with me as my mom had lost her’s while I’d been away, so I gave them to her.
We had a delicious BBQ meal and went to the mud baths. Gayle and Ma had a fish foot experience while I went in the hot sulphur pool. The 3 of us went in the domes where there are hot pools and it was really nice. Captain Ismail sailed to Little Dalyan next, where we could relax, swim and walk on the beach. Later we all looked up at the sky for some star gazing and a few beverages were had. When we got back it was unusually hot in the town and we’d been lucky to have had the breeze on the boat. By 11.30pm we were saying our goodbyes and I paid my bill which was 1320 lira (£39.41) for my trip and drinks. The boat trips were definitely working out better value than going out for a meal! We had a quick drink in Tez bar before going home, just to finish off the night. Tomorrow would be another fun day in Dalyan and I was already looking forward to a celebration.
I had another day off on Tuesday 11th July with more plans from the ‘behind the scenes itinerary’. Gayle and I had put together the plan of what we were doing most days for the following reasons; 1. We wanted everyone to have a good holiday without the hassle of deciding and trying to agree what to do each day, or where to eat for each meal. 2. Being a group of 7 in the school holidays/high season would mean activities, trips and restaurants will be busier than usual and may not have availability. 3. Neither of us wanted to deal with having to decide at the last minute, what to do or where to go, or worse – end up doing nothing! We both felt being organised would benefit everyone better. Mom, Neil and Morgan much preferred to be more spontaneous and for us to wing it but Gayle and I were having none of that and had become a bit bossy. At 9am I had paid the deposit for 5 of us (not ma and pa) to go on a horse riding trip next week and I was scared! By 10am the full family contingent and I were walking towards the ferry as we had a booking for Turkish breakfast over the river. I’d booked the 7 of us in at the Çandır Resort and had arranged the pick up service to take us up the mountain. They didn’t do gluten free food for Gayle but there were naturally gluten free things that she could have that she liked. I often struggle with a Turkish breakfast as I don’t like tomatoes, eggs or cucumber. The pastry and some cheeses often give me a belly ache too, so I took some tupperware to take some home. I was on the end of the table so I was the Turkish tea monitor and we all had a fresh orange juice. The cost of the breakfast for 7 of us, including the pick-up/drop off service, the juice, and a coffee was 3,395 lira (about £100) so not the cheapest but very lovely. I even brought the leftover olives and 2 pastries home with me.
On the way back we decided to call at Kaunos tea gardens for a beverage where everyone but Dad had soft drinks. We didn’t get home until almost 3pm which didn’t leave much time to relax before our next activity on the itinerary, which not everyone was as enthusiastic about as Gayle and I.
We had decided to book everyone in for a night; Lukka bar had their music bingo night on so I’d booked a table. Joining our family were Debbie (Darling), Roy, Ann, Jamie, Drew and his 2 guests, Karen and Alicia. I’d booked the table ahead of time for the 14 of us but it meant we all had to be sat at the pool table (with a top on it). Debbie (Darling), Roy and Ann had already said they were just coming for drinks but the rest of us decided to eat there. Katrina had already sent us a copy of the menus so that we could work out the gluten free options. We got there early and introduced everyone, Jamie was already quite merry as my dad ordered a pint of draft, Mom and Neil had Efes malt, I had a glass of wine and the rest of our party were on the cocktails. When the drinks came my dad said he hadn’t ordered a pint (he did) but Jamie put him straight and sloshed the pint in front of him. I could already see my dad was not enjoying the night so far. My parents both ordered the Asian chicken, I ordered sweet and sour chicken, April chose steak, Morgan and Neil had lamb or chicken shish, Gayle opted for the salmon. Unfortunately Karen had ordered chicken curry but took my sweet and sour and started eating it, until Alicia mentioned it looked a bit like her yum yum chicken. I had to wait for a new one and Dad should have stuck to something he knew he’d like better.
Jamie was getting very touchy with Dad and I thought the night couldWhen everyone was together and the music bingo started, we all gave the ball a right old kick. As the night went on, more cocktails and wine was drunk. Most of us got up to dance and we had a great time. Our bill for the 7 of us came to 7,418 lira (£220) which worked out about £31 per person on average. By the end of the night Dad was on the brandy and we were probably going to have a hangover in the morning. It was a good job Gayle and I didn’t have much on the agenda for tomorrow, the kids had requested a pool day!
The first thing I noticed when I woke up at 6am on Friday 7th July, was that there was no internet. I didn’t particularly need it as I wasn’t scheduled to work today but it was unusual, given that Steve and Michelle work from home. On entering the living room area I saw the problem, there had been an incident involving cats, a basket from the shelf and the router getting knocked off. None of the cats were forthcoming but Trixie looked like she knew what happend and was keeping quiet. Lulu and Bella were particularly hungry today and were quite impatient for their biscuits this morning. Steve and Michelle messaged to say they were on their way so I stripped the bed and had a general tidy round. I was just getting the hoover out when they arrived back from a lovely jaunt over to Crete. Xena was beside herself with excitement that mom and dad were back, Trixie was also very happy but tried to play it cool by napping on Steve’s bag and pillow. I had a chocolatey croissant-like pastry for breakfast then it was all systems go.
Life is always more lively with Steve and Michelle around so we went out for a lovely lunch at Alabama bar. Steve and Michelle took the healthy options and had wraps which looked great, I had a very good chicken burger with chips. We all had a cheeky beer and I gave people a headache by chatting on too much, not realising we were in a rush to get back. That night was the Greek night in Lardos and I was looking forward to my first one, having not drank much alcohol this week, I was about to make up for it!
We started the night in Cuckoo’s Nest cocktail bar, my drink of choice was red wine. The measures were large and I seemed to get quite plastered as more of Steve and Michelle’s friends joined us. By 11.30pm the Tequilas were out and we were on that slippery slope to extreme drunkenness. I was tired and tried to have a little nap in Cuckoo’s Nest but Steve and Michelle’s friends were having none of it and proceeded to encourage more drunken antics over at Memories bar.
By 2.30am I had made some new friends, including a cute little dog. Michelle and I got in at 3.45am to a passed out half naked (thankfully the top half) Steve on the lounge sofa bed. It was good to have them back in Lardos and, as far as I can remember, we’d all had a fantastic night.
I woke up in Lardos at 3.45am on Saturday 1st July as it was 7.45am in Vietnamese time. I got up, had a pee and then tried to go back to sleep. I woke back up at 8.50am and checked the weather for my stay in Rhodes, it looked nice and sunny. July’s plans were already looking good (not for the diet, though) as I would be spending time with friends and family, continuing to make the most of being able to go on boat trips and live like a tourist for a little bit. It was also the month when Captain Caveman and I would start to get back to how we used to be before Covid, and be able to plan for the rest of the year and in to the next. There was so much to do, so many people we wanted to see that we really needed to get organised. I was also on the look out for a 2024 diary as I had already started to agree to some more pet and house sitting stints, but only for friends or reliable pet owners for short periods. I was looking forward to spending the next 9 days at Steve and Michelle’s house and I hoped that I could get back on with eating healthier before I went back to Dalyan, where I’d catch the last 6 days of my parents’ holiday.
As it was the weekend, Steve and Michelle were not working in their office but they did have some work to do later. I was still so tired as the last time I went to bed was the equivalent of their Wednesday afternoon!
Michelle drove the 3 of us to Pefkos and we went to the Irish pub for breakfast. We all ordered the full English and I gave my eggs and tomatoes away. The food was nice and just what I needed to sort me out. It came to about €16 (£13.68) each, including coffees and orange juice. In the late afternoon Steve and Michelle had some business to attend to in Rhodes Town so I went along for the ride. They also needed to grab a couple of bits so we popped in to some clothes shops where Michelle and I got a couple of garments each. In Zara I bought a black and white polka dot dress which I thought might be nice for Pamela’s hen party and I also saw a knitted vest which was unusual. I wasn’t going to try them on but thought the queue wasn’t too big, it turned out to be quite a long wait but both items did fit and I bought them for just under €30 (£25.66). Finished in town and each of us with a bottle of water, we set off back towards Lardos, stopping at Intersport for some holiday essentials for Steve. I spotted some canvas pumps which looked like Converse but were comfier and only €14.99 (£12.82) in the sale, so I bought them. On the way back we called for a gyros and a quick beer at a lovely cafe on the main road, Augustine’s it translated to on my phone. The food was amazing and I enjoyed the Alpha beer too. I paid the bill and here’s the prices in Euros; 1 Alpha 500ml beer 3.90 2 Corona beers 8.80 3 Pork Gyros 10.50 Total spent 23.20 Euros (£19.80) I thought the prices were very reasonable for Rhodes but still a little over the prices of similar in Dalyan.
Back home at Steve and Michelle’s, they had a work event that they needed to quickly shower and change to go to, I was begging for mercy with jet lag and said I’d stay in to look after the pets (even though they didn’t need it). I had a lovely night in front of the TV watching something I don’t remember while playing with Xena, Milo, Trixie, Lulu, and Bella. By 11pm I was in bed with a fan on as it was nice and warm. I knew I needed to be up and about early tomorrow as Steve and Michelle had invited me on a day out.
My week started on Monday 26th June with a little bit of a lay in, I wasn’t missing the Casio watch alarm. I didn’t have to work, Captain Caveman had arranged another fun filled day for us, as you’d expect, but today we actually had the day to ourselves. Usually when we are in Saigon we meet up with all our friends but this time, because we were going to be apart for awhile, it was nice to just be on our own. Our first trip of the day was a short Grab ride to another one of our favourite eateries, Lubu. We ordered a lovely breakfast each and I had a pot of earl grey tea to go with mine. The food was quite fancy although I’ve never been a fan of chefs who try to jazz up baked beans by adding chopped green stuff in to them. Our bill came to 452,000vnd (£14.92) including the service charge which was a really good deal for what we had.
After Lubu, we had an appointment with the owner of Masto Designs. Captain Caveman was after a couple of shirts so we went over to his house and workshop to try and select some. It was clear that Captain Caveman and I had very different tastes in men’s shirt patterns so I had to leave him to it while I looked through a bag of reversible sun hats. We had a great time and Captain Caveman chose 3 shirts and we both got sunhats.
After dropping off bags back at the Common Inn, our next stop was for lunch at El Camino’s on Xuan Thuy. Captain Caveman loves a Mexican and so do I if I ever get any of it without chillies. We had a couple of tacos each; me a fish and a pork, Captain Caveman a beef and a pork. They were delicious and I could’ve eaten more but we would be eating out again later. Our lunch bill came to 300,300vnd (£9.91) for 4 tacos and 2 soft drinks. We went back to the hotel room and had Buck’s Fizz using glasses from the communal rooftop kitchen, which was handy.
For dinner Captain Caveman had chosen the amusingly named french restaurant, Chtite Cuisine and off we went in a Grab taxi there. Of course, we ordered a carafe of red wine to get us started. He ordered some kind of cassoulet when it was a pretty warm night, I went for steak which I ordered medium but came still mooing and I had to send it back. The potatoes were covered in dried herbs which were a little off-putting so it wasn’t the best meal I’ve ever had. I decided to go for a pudding though, Captain Caveman had pistachio ice-cream and I had apple pie with salted caramel and vanilla ice-cream, the most calories in one meal that I’d had all year! I was ready for bursting after eating all that and needed a lay down. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had not told me that we were now meeting a friend for beers at Pasteur Street on our way home – if I’d known this I would not have eaten the dessert! We got there and I clearly had a face on and was not able to stomach drinking a beer. Captain Caveman ordered a pint of IPA, I ordered wine, which is not a good idea in a brewery really, and it was a large one. I’d just started to sip it, begrudgingly, when he said our friend had replied to say she was no longer coming – I was not happy! We were back in the hotel before 9pm, me with a terrible stomach ache, wishing I’d not eaten an apple pie and ice-cream.
It was suddenly time to leave Phong Nha, on Saturday 24th June I’d woken up at the Glass House for the last time this year. Our flight from Dong Hoi to Saigon wasn’t until 5.40pm but I still needed to finish packing. Captain Caveman gave me a suitcase to use and I put as much stuff in as I could. We cycled to Oxalis as Captain Caveman needed to go to the office to do a couple of things and confirm our car to the airport which would come about 3.15pm. We both needed haircuts and had not had time to book them in, fortunately Captain Caveman had made appointments for both of us from 9.30am this morning. I went first, while Captain Caveman did work related things then he followed. I was the only customer as it was so early but it was going to be a hot day in Phong Nha. Nghien, our hairdresser, is affectionately called Onion by the foreigners in Phong Nha due to them not being able to say the Vietnamese pronunciation when they first got here. She’s a good hairdresser but speaks very little English so the men get a shave and short back and sides, while the women get the same haircut that Nghien herself has. I didn’t bother with a colour this time as we were in a rush but I did have a wash, head massage (which was amazing), cut and blow dry for just 100,000vnd (£3.30), a quarter of the price I pay in Dalyan and almost a tenth of the price in England. Captain Caveman went next and had the usual full works while I cycled home to finish packing.
I felt bad that there were still friends in Phong Nha who I’d not had chance to see but now there was no more time left, 30 day visas just weren’t enough. I’d been away for 6 weeks in total and it had gone so fast with still lots of things to do and see not having made it. By midday I was packed and we were having left over pizza for lunch. We still had not drunk the red wine or the champagne we bought in Thailand so Captain Caveman decided we would take the fizz with us. We were booked in at the Common Inn for 3 nights, a hotel we often stay at and really like the location of. It was too busy for us to stay any longer so Captain Caveman found us somewhere else to stay for the rest of the holiday. At 2pm we cycled to the nearest beer place, on the corner next to the Volley Ball court, on the way to the Jungle Boss homestay. We had farewell beers, at only 15,000vnd (50p) each, with Buu and Kat before I had to go back to get a shower before the car came.
Unfortunately, the car was late but finally, we were on our way to Dong Hoi airport, about 50km away from Phong Nha. Check-in was swift, we got seats sat together at the back of the plane and we could board at 5pm. Beers were an outrageous 40,000vnd (£1.32) at the airport so I didn’t bother, I’d taken some water. Captain Caveman had a couple of beers with 2 of his customers and I had some biscuits from the small shop. As I was paying the 65,000vnd (£2.15) for them, the cashier started hitting her colleague with them so I had to snatch them off her and tell her not to do that – broken biscuits anyone!? By 5.40pm we were on our way to Saigon, bye for now Phong Nha.
When we landed at Ho Chi Minh airport, Captain Caveman was reunited with 3 of his guests from the last Son Doong tour and I took a group photo while we waited for my luggage. The ‘no drama’ taxi to District 2 (Thao Dien) was 252,000vnd (£8.32) and, of course, we were both quite peckish by the time we arrived. ‘When in Rome’ we decided Baba’s Kitchen would be a great idea and got there before it closed to have an amazing Indian meal. They had Sapporo beer on draft so we both had a couple of pints of that, we shared poppadoms and samosas for starters but then Captain Caveman had Chicken 65 and and a Masala Dosa (both with lots of chillies in), I had a chicken tikka roll. The food was great and I really enjoyed our first meal in Saigon. Here’s what we paid for our delicious Indian meal; 2 plain poppadoms Free 2 spicy poppadoms 50,000 Chicken Samosa 85,000 Chicken 65 150,000 Masala Dosa 175,000 Chicken Tikka roll 135,000 4 Sapporo 240,000 Vat 83,500 Total spent 918,500vnd (£30.31)
It wasn’t the cheapest meal I’d had in Vietnam but it was certainly good value for money and we both love Baba’s Kitchen. We walked back to the hotel as it wasn’t far and we were both a bit tired from a full day. The place we had chosen to stay is an old favourite and at only 750,000vnd (£24.75) per night for a double room in Thao Dien it was perfect for us. Tomorrow we had an extremely busy day planned so it was good to get some rest at the Common Inn.
On Tuesday 20th June Captain Caveman was off back in to the cave for the last time while I was in Vietnam. We were obviously up before the Casio watch alarm and I was replying to a message from my sister just after. I had booked us all in to a music bingo night at Lukka bar in Dalyan for when we were all there next month. We went to Oxalis Home but didn’t have any breakfast as Captain Caveman often just has a coffee. I went to see Captain Caveman off from Ho Khanh’s homestay and say hello to a few of the Oxalis team, including Yen who is due her third child in 4 months time. Captain Caveman left, I went back to the Glass House and had a cereal bar and yoghurt for breakfast. I got on with some work and had a cheese spread sandwich for lunch. Tonight there was another meet up of the Lazy Ladies Club (LLC), I finished work at 4.45pm so that I could have a shower and get ready. Unfortunately the bread at lunch, which is sweet, hadn’t agreed with me and I had a bad stomach!
Chung met me at Bamboo Cafe (now called Bamboo Chopsticks Restaurant) as she’d cycled to work today and was already in town. Kat also joined us and had to walk because her caver boyfriend, Buu, had accidentally taken the motorbike keys with him and wasn’t back from work yet. We were now the current CWAGs (Cavers Wives and Girlfriends) and had lots in common where our other halves were concerned. I still had a bad stomach and spent the first 10 minutes in the toilet at Bamboo and then just ordered water to drink to take my imodium with. Chung ordered fresh pork and prawn spring rolls, Kat ordered the veggie volcanoes and I had sweet and sour chicken with steamed rice. The food was great and I managed to enjoy the dinner. Buu arrived with the keys and Kat had to leave for an appointment before 7.30pm. What should have been a Lazy Lady Club healthy Tuesday evening should probably have come to a close then, but it didn’t!
I was about ready to call it a night and cycle home, when Chung suggested we go for one drink at Central Backpackers Hostel. At 7.30pm we cycled there, narrowly missing an overtaking bus and parked up in the busy car park. The first thing I noticed was that there were no fans and it was very hot and humid! Could I survive a drink in this place? We went to the bar and Chung ordered in Vietnamese for her drink and I couldn’t decide which healthy drink to go for. I asked for fresh coconut which they didn’t have so I ordered a Huda beer! Chung laughed as she had a soft drink and I was already on the booze. As we went to sit down outside, where it was just as hot as anywhere else and had mozzies, we noticed there were a lot of tourists here. Then we spotted it; it was Cocktail Night and happy hour was 8.30-9.30pm with buy one get one free. We waited until 8.30pm then tried the I Love You and a Mojito. It was a bargain at 70,000vnd (£2.31) per cocktail anyway and then we got a free one! So it was 8.36pm and we had 2 cocktails each and they were really good! The I love You was like a White Russian and the Mojito had enough alcohol in it!
By 9.01pm Chung had bought us another I Love You and a Pina Colada each, by this point the bar staff had started to give us plastic cups. By 9.15pm I was back at the bar, taking photos of the staff, Chung’s friends, and at 9.18pm I came back with a Cosmopolitan and a Blue Ocean each and we’d still not spent 500,000vnd, the equivalent of £16.50! We proceeded to drink through our triple parked cocktails after happy hour finished and were grateful we weren’t there on a Wednesday, for Bucket night. It’s worth mentioning we thought we were fine for cycling home, just a little merry I would say. The chef thought differently and decided to accompany us home, even stopping at Chung’s work to pick up a bag and riding her motorbike super slowly at the side of us. At one point it was too slow for me and I needed a pee so I overtook her and zoomed off on Bluey. I waited once I got to the Glass House to say bye and thanks for a great night and then realised the chef had to ride back to where she lived. No doubt, while our Cavers were away, we’d be the talk of the town as it was after 11pm! When I got in I was peckish and ate an entire bag of marshmallows which I didn’t remember doing, Chung got in and cooked a whole meal as she was starving! I lay in bed thinking it was genius to name the best cocktail ‘I Love You’ so that the bartenders were constantly hearing this!
I’d intended to work on Sunday 18th June but Chung, fellow member of the Lazy Ladies Club (LLC) had invited me for an early lunch. Phong Nha Vegan restaurant was having their monthly all you can eat buffet for 49,000vnd (£1.62) and I’d never been in town on the right day before. I met Chung there at 10.30am and it was already pretty busy. In fact, there were so many familiar faces there and I got to say hello to quite a few friends and neighbours.The vegan food was amazing and I was so surprised at how the fake pork was like belly pork. I had 2 lots of food but then was stuffed.
In the afternoon, Chung and I discussed a plan to get ourselves doing some exercise, she was doing a clean up litter picking mission but I couldn’t make it. We decided we would cycle out for drinks and dinner later tonight and arranged to meet outside the glass house at 8.15pm. We cycled down the street to Jungle Boss pub where we had a couple of cocktails and some food. Here’s our bill; 1 Tequila Sunrise 100,000 1 Margarita 100,000 Fresh spring rolls 60,000 Veggie fried rice 75,000 2 apple ciders 110,000 1 pineapple cider 55,000 Total spent 500,000vnd (£16.50)
While we were there, we got to speak to an ex Jungle Boss Colleague who was in Australia and then Kat, Buu and their friends came to join us. We had a good night and the locals were surprised to see Chung riding a bicycle. As we rode off, Kat and Buu went past on their motorbike chanting LLC. It was a fun night and I enjoyed my leisurely Sunday with Phong Nha friends.
I started my week with a cereal bar and a sugar free yoghurt for breakfast on Monday 19th June. For lunch I had my leftover rice from last night and I worked in the afternoon. Captain Caveman came back from Hang Son Doong but was rushing about as he had to speak to a colleague, meet up with a couple of friends from up North, and go to his briefing. Our friend Lucie and her family were leaving to go back to the Czech Republic so we said we would go to have a goodbye beer with her at The Villa’s. I cycled to Oxalis to meet Captain Caveman, who was saying hello to his friend, Josh, and his fellow cavers. We arranged to meet them later if Captain Caveman’s briefing finished in time for a late dinner. After hurrying to The Villas we sat and had beers with Lucie, her mom and son. They were sad to be leaving but hoped to be coming back to holiday in Vietnam soon. I had a couple of shandies with Captain Caveman as we both had work to do and we said a sad goodbye to Lucie – perhaps we will see them in Prague. I was peckish so had some veggie spring rolls and a jasmine tea before getting the bill. Four beers, 1 7Up and the spring rolls came to 300,000vnd (£9.90) which was cheap by both UK and Turkey prices. I finished work at 7.45pm after learning something new and cycled to meet Captain Caveman, we both cycled to meet Josh and his friends at Ganesh. We had a lovely evening and the food was as fantastic as always, we even shared another Sagwala but I forgot to take photos as I was too busy chatting. We were still awake at midnight looking at air fryers, they were much cheaper here than in Turkey.
A question I often get asked is ‘Don’t you ever learn?’ Judging by my actions on Wednesday 14th June, I think it is fair to say that I don’t . Captain Caveman and I were up early to find that the weather was cloudy and the forecast predicted thunderstorms. I think I may have been over ambitious but I suggested another outing, it was Captain Caveman’s last full day off and I wanted us to make the most of it. I quickly took my measurements after my shower and was surprised that I didn’t ache much from my cycling 23km yesterday. I measured everything and here are the results; Bust -1cm, Waist -1cm, Hips +1cm. I suggested we should visit the Pub with Cold Beer as the owner had been following all my updates on Facebook since I left Vietnam, she’s a lovely woman and I’d missed her family and their place. Captain Caveman offered to drive the motorbike and, looking back, I should have agreed. I said we should cycle because Bluey would miss me when I’m back in Dalyan and it was cloudy. I drank rehydration tablets for my breakfast to keep from having any issues as I’d been getting a bit of cramp. As soon as we got out of the door I had to put on my sun hat as the sun came out! We pretty much did the same route as yesterday but I managed to cycle all the way to the Duck Stop without a break. When we got there Quynh, the owner, gave us a free drink and peanuts – I looked like a beetroot and was beginning to wish we’d gone by motorbike.
Captain Caveman hates it when I moan, in fact he says I complain a lot, so I had no choice but to soldier on. Even Bluey was having trouble and I had to push her up the hill from the Duck Stop until I could get back on for the downhill bit. I arrived at the Pub with Cold Beer in blazing sun, another drippy mess, any sun cream I’d had on had definitely sweated off. Nhat and her daughters were so pleased to see us, they got Captain Caveman a cold beer and me a water straight away. We decided to order chicken, pork, rice and morning glory because we hoped our friends, Chung and Uy, would join us. While Nhat killed a chicken and I rested in a hammock, Captain Caveman cycled up to the Wild Boar Farm to see Cuong. I couldn’t manage any more and was regretting cycling 13km away from home, not knowing if I’d be able to make it back.
Uy and Chung couldn’t make lunch but we arranged to meet tonight for dinner as it was their 6 year wedding anniversary. For lunch we had an absolute feast, including 2 bowls of the famous peanut sauce which we both love so much. Captain Caveman said it was only 10 minutes more to cycle to the Wild Boar Farm and wanted me to go after lunch but I decided another 10 minutes in the opposite direction would be foolish. Instead, I suggested we have a swim, seeing as there is a lovely swimming pool at the Pub with Cold Beer. I went to the toilet and, as I flushed, a frog jumped up from the bowl, I’d peed on it’s head and it wasn’t thrilled. I shouted Captain Caveman over to bring a camera as this wasn’t the first time I’d been startled by a frog in my toilet, in fact it was the third! (Once, while camping in India and the other while on Safari in Kenya). When it got to 3pm we decided we had better start making our way back, we had really enjoyed our time and food at the Pub with Cold Beer. We said our goodbyes and Captain Caveman and Bluey had already decided we would go the other way back, over a narrow, grid floor, suspension bridge which I was scared to cross. At first, Bluey was going to ride us across but I had to get off and push because I was having a panic on.
We cycled back through the valley and some of it was shaded which I was grateful for, some of it was steep and I had to push Bluey uphill. We soon ran out of water and I knew I wouldn’t make it back to Phong Nha in one go so Captain Caveman pushed Bluey for a bit and suggested a slight detour. Half an hour later, we were sat in Multi and Diem’s kitchen at the Pepper House being offered rice wine. I declined and had loads of much needed water while Captain Caveman had rice wine and beer (he’s an animal)! There were kids’ swimming lessons going on in the pool and I’m sure they were laughing at my red sweaty face. We finally left Multi’s to cycle home but I was a little tender on the undercarriage. Captain Caveman could tell I might not make it home so he suggested we cycle past where we used to live in Khuong Ha and stop off at a new place, he even got another video of me and Bluey.
Captain Caveman’s video of me and Bluey, in Khuong Ha
Phong Nha Funky Beach is a new venture owned by our friend, Mo (ex Oxalis colleague) and the previous owner of Greenfield Homestay. We arrived and sat overlooking the river on one of the platform style seating areas. It wasn’t particularly comfy for my achy legs but Mo was pleased to see us and was with another colleague of Captain Caveman’s, Nu, so they joined us. We had a cold beer, Mo brought us some vegan spring rolls and Nu gave us some vegan Banh Ep. Both were lovely but I was a bit distracted as it was already gone 5pm, it goes dark around 6pm and I hadn’t brought any lights. We said our goodbyes after a brief overview of the various activities that can be done there and set back off.
Our next stop was a quick nip in to Jungle Boss HQ, the boss was still not around to say hello to, but it was a good place for me to stop off to rest and use the toilet. We were due to meet Chung and Uy at 7pm but I was a sweaty mess and needed to go home for a shower. I’d drank all of the water we had between us so we had to stop for a coconut at Tree House Cafe on the way back home. I had a shower, then a naked lay on the bed in AC before rushing to get ready to go back out for dinner.
Captain Caveman and I met Chung at the Bia Hoi BBQ duck place, next door to Victory Road Villas. Uy was still on his was so we ordered the Bia Hoi beer which was about 60,000vnd (£1.98) for a small keg. Chung ordered food without Uy as it got to 8pm and he still wasn’t there yet but he arrived, a bit merry! It certainly was one of the more unusual anniversary celebrations I’d been on and turned out not to be much better than our own last year! Uy just drank and smoked but didn’t eat and another keg of cheap weak beer was consumed, mainly by the fellas. By the end of the meal, which tasted fantastic by the way, Uy was telling Chung she needed to do more exercise because she was fat. Luckily, the events of the last 2 days meant that Captain Caveman couldn’t possibly say the same about me today. Somehow, the birth of the LLC came out right there and then as Chung and I pledged to cycle together as the 2 founder members of the Lazy Ladies Club. The BBQ duck, veggies, noodles and beers came to a total of 400,000vnd (£13.20) which was a bargain.
We said our goodbyes and then instead of going home ourselves we had a sneaky bottle of red wine (also 400,000vnd) in The Villas to finish off our night. It was a good job, so that I could stop moaning that my bits were on fire from the 28km I’d managed to cycle on Bluey today on a very hot day! That was 3km more than yesterday, the furthest I cycled since before my injury and we did it in the height of summer. On the way home, I spotted a snake in the Stick or Snake game and it was alive in the Dead or Alive game, so I shouted to Captain Caveman behind me to stop so he could take a photo. It was heading back to the river after a spot of sunbathing and was slithering across the road, it was beautiful. I was glad to get in bed that night and at least we could have an easy, restful, quiet non-cycling day tomorrow, couldn’t we!?
joloyolo 