Thursday 17th October was set aside for book writing and I got stuck in to that straight after my cup of tea and a Slimming World pancake. I had now perfected the odd pancake which uses egg, mushed banana and oats to make a healthy pancake, topped with a sliced banana and a drizzle of honey. It tasted lovely and was on plan so I felt better after veering off plan yesterday.
After getting my proposed book titles for my book completed, I set off to meet Captain Caveman who was at Kefal tea gardens with the other Bummers. He’d been collecting the trash and was now having a beer and a toastie, which I had a little bit of with a lemon soda.
Photo credit – Riverbums
The bill at the tea gardens was;
1 Lemon soda 25.00 1 Mixed toastie 100.00 1 Efes Malt beer 145.00 Total spent 270 lira (£6.07)
I didn’t think the price was bad but some of the expats I knew, had stopped going to the tea gardens as they thought it was far too expensive for alcohol.
Back home, I spotted a caterpillar and learned something new; the eyes on the caterpillar are actually a pattern on their bum. Apparently, this is to confuse it’s enemies. For lunch we had more leek and potato soup with bread so I was already on 88 syns for the week – and it was only day 2! I got on with more book and blog writing and then we had chicken curry for dinner. In the evening I had a few replies on my book title ideas which made me rethink my original plan.
Captain Caveman and I were lucky enough to be invited on a boat trip on Tuesday 8th October. Jamie was on his way back from New York and was arriving earlier than I had anticipated which made it easier for me to leave Norman and Edna after their morning routines. Captain Caveman was scheduled to be playing Bridge but wasn’t going today which gave us a rare opportunity for him to be available. We joined Captain Fuat’s Adil boat at 10am and were off to sea with some lovely swimming and snorkelling stops along the way. We had hot drinks and simit as we sailed out to some beautiful coves for our first swim in a really nice spot. Once I take my glasses off, I can’t see to snorkel so I just had a good swim, going several times around the boat. While Captain Caveman swam to shore to pick up trash, I joined some of the ladies to clamber up some rocks. Back on board, the captain had thought we might be peckish and gave us some chicken nuggets and chips as interim nibbles before lunch.
There was a delicious BBQ for lunch and I had a couple of rosé wines with mine, Captain Caveman started on beer and then moved on to wine as both were 140 lira (£3.13) so the wine was better value. I just had the one plate for lunch as I’m always the slowest eater, on it I had; chicken, salad, köfte, green beans, yoghurt, mushrooms, potatoes, rice and a piece of brown bread. Captain Caveman certainly got his money’s worth with seconds and I gave him my köfte too. There was more swimming and relaxing, we had another wine and enjoyed the hot weather. Later, the captain brought out a cake, as is his speciality, and I indulged even though it would probably not be good on my stomach later. It was gone 6pm when we got back to Dalyan after a really lovely boat trip with a great bunch of people. After overeating on the boat, I didn’t need any dinner but I did have a couple of cubes of feta style cheese to keep the calcium levels up. It is never a good idea doing a boat trip the day before weigh day and Fat Club but I would suffer the consequences tomorrow. This week I had consumed 130 syns more than last week, at 336 syns, as I had expected I would with Captain Caveman being home.
Captain Caveman had arranged the Sunday Walk on Sunday 6th October and I had said I would join him. Linda, Ma & Pa were also able to join and so I fed the dogs and had my overnight oats and a cup of tea before leaving to meet everyone at Captain June’s statue in the Kaunos tea gardens at 9am. I got there 15 minutes early so had chance to take some photos of the river and the other side. Captain Caveman had posted the event on the Dalyan in Winter Facebook group so that he would have an idea of who was coming, but he was surprised by how many people turned up. Before 9.30am, we had chatted to Kate who was looking for her missing cat outside her house. The rest of the group had gone on without us so Linda, my parents and I were lost before 9.40am and were too far behind the group to be able to catch up. None of us had any internet or could decipher the map without any markings on so we decided to go to Kingfisher restaurant for a cup of tea, or even breakfast. Unfortunately as we were nearing Kingfisher, we saw a path the others must have taken and carried on, we walked for ages and eventually a local man came to our rescue and told us a short cut – we must have looked hot and tired as he even offered to go get his car to drive us back to Dalyan. We carried on and came out just slightly ahead of the group and re-joined them. The walk ended at the Kaunos tea gardens where I had a soda and a piece of Captain Caveman’s gözleme (Turkish pancake) which he had with a beer. My parents ordered beers and toasties and a few of the walkers were having a beverage.
I went straight back to sort Norman and Edna out, who I had to wake up and then my parents, Captain Caveman and us decided to go for a beer in Aşkin’s. My parents had a bit of a to-do with losing a key so they had to go, luckily they found it once they got home and that was the end of that outing. Back at Jamie’s I made a potato and leek bake for dinner and had to wake Captain Caveman up to eat it. I took the dogs out by myself as Captain Caveman was back to sleep as soon as he had eaten. I struggled as my feet and legs ached from the 9km I had walked this morning.
Captain Caveman arrived in to Istanbul airport at 5.35am on Saturday 5th October. He messaged me to say he was on time for his 7.45am flight to Dalaman. Sonuç was picking him up after he landed at 9.05am and would take him to his apartment. We had already agreed I wouldn’t be there to greet him as I was having breakfast with Norman & Edna. I had cereal and a cup of tea and had hoped I would be spending the day with Captain Caveman but he wasn’t forthcoming with any plans and told me to carry on as normal without him – he would catch up with me later on. This meant that I put off going to the weekly market unnecessarily, as I was waiting to see what Captain Caveman’s plans would be. As Linda was keen to visit Pirates & Skulls, I decided to arrange to do that with her and my parents. We decided on meeting at lunch time at Riverside hotel, getting the ferry over and having some lunch. When I told Captain Caveman that was what I was going to do, he decided to join us. After a bit of faffing about waiting for everyone, we got the 2pm ferry over, which was 15 lira each (33p) and walked to Pirate & Skulls. We had a couple of drinks and ordered some food; Mom and Linda had the spicy noodles, Dad ordered a jacket potato, Captain Caveman and I shared mezes. The food was nice, beers were 135 lira (£3), wine 140 lira (£3.12), soft drinks 70 lira (£1.56) and 4 mezes for the 2 of us was 440 lira (£9.80). It was almost 5pm when we got the ferry back so Captain Caveman and I had to rush to let Norman and Edna out for a wee and give them their dinner. On the evening dog walk, we called at Lukka bar for a quick drink. Captain Caveman had a beer and I had a white wine & soda. The actual total was 420 lira (£9.42) but we did get a very much appreciated discount. Back at Jamie’s, we had leek and potato soup for dinner and I had barely finished mine before both dogs and Captain Caveman were snoring away on the sofa.
Thursday 3rd October gave me an opportunity to sort my banking out for the new month to make sure I put the required amounts in to my Turkish bank. I had already got my 6 months residency renewal but I would need to apply again in 4 months with evidence of 6 months of payments. The weather was hotting up as I gave Norman and Edna their breakfast then decided I was going to apply for some more jobs including a part-time remote Sales Consultant for a UK company. I had tea and toast for my breakfast, followed by a snack of feta cheese and an apple when I got peckish. I was also in discussions with Mehmet, the gardener, again as I decided I was going to complain that he still hadn’t sorted out my bushes to be able to hang my washing out but he had done some stuff on the other side of the complex. He said the lads would be there at 10am, they didn’t come and when I complained he said they had forgotten. They eventually came but it did take unnecessary time out of my day with all the chasing. Mehmet’s lads arrived at Fire Opal around 1.30pm, but I was at Jamie’s so I went back over to check – it had been done, finally! I treated myself to an açma for lunch which I had with some of Vanessa’s jam on.
Back at Jamie’s with Norman & Edna, they had a bone each, I had some leftover chickpea curry and then got ready for a rare night out in Dalyan. I had decided to invite Vanessa on a dog walk with me, Norman & Edna where we would call for my parents and then meet Linda at Ela’s Kitchen. I was keen to see my parents and hear all about their recent trip to Cappadocia plus it was 2 days since Linda had arrived for her week’s holiday in Dalyan so I was looking forward to checking on how she was doing. It was also Happy Hour at Ela’s and I know the dogs really enjoying going there on their evening walk along the river and through town. Vanessa got lost and ended up at the wrong end of the street and had to rush to catch me up. Norman and Edna were on a mission to eat cat poo so Vanessa and I shared the holding of the dogs. Vanessa was so busy telling my parents all about her recent trip to Datça that Edna got away with munching a little bit of cat shit outside my parents’ place. Edna and Norman were as excited as me to reach Ela’s Kitchen where Happy Hour was very welcomed. At only 120 lira (£2.67) for a decent glass of wine, I managed to polish off 3! Vanessa was on water and was updating my parents on all her trips she had planned. Linda hadn’t got my message until later due to having been down Iztuzu beach all day, but joined us still in time for Happy Hour. When Vanessa left to go back home, the rest of us decided we would like to all eat out together this evening. My parents suggested to Linda and I that we go to Firat’s for food as it is one of their favourite Turkish restaurants and I agreed. I had to wait until the sausages, which Sev had cooked for the dogs, were a bit cooler before I could walk them home. Norman & Edna love Sev’s sausages and were so happy to get one each. We paid and I left a tip to account for the sausages and water bowls, as not all establishments are that welcoming to pets. While the others finished their drinks, I hurried back to drop the dogs home and then rushed back.
I was back to join Ma, Pa & Linda within 20 minutes of leaving Ela’s Kitchen and I had even got changed. The 3 of them had managed to get a great table at Firat’s and it was a busy 9pm already. We ordered a bottle of Angora wine which was 650 lira (£14.50) between the 4 of us and we had complimentary balloon bread (lavaş) to start with. All of us went straight for mains and I had a delicious chicken shish. My mom had the fish as it’s her favourite thing on the menu, Linda ordered lamb and dad chose chicken. The main courses ranged in price from 400 lira (£8.90) to 600 lira (£13.36) and our total bill with wine came to about £60 for the 4 of us, which I would say was very reasonable. We all had a really good meal and then decided it would be a good idea to walk Linda back to her accommodation, at Riverside Hotel. I’d never been before, the 4 of us sat on high stools at the pool bar and ordered a nightcap, or two. Ramazan, who my parents and I knew from his previous locations, was working the bar and had a good chat and a drink with us.
The alarm went off at 7am on Sunday 29th September and I got up to see the sunrise over the opposite block in the complex. I had tea and toast for breakfast and then made my way to the meeting point for 10am. I noticed that a small miracle had occurred and that Mehmet’s Dad had been and cleaned all my cuttings off the floor beneath my balconies. He had not done the rest of the trimming and, when I asked Mehmet, he said not until the end of October. I said he had to do it sooner, as I still couldn’t hang my washing out, and he said tomorrow – I didn’t believe him. At the corner shop I bought a 19 litre water bottle top up for the cooler and it was now 100 lira (£2.19) which had gone up more than I had expected. I had decided to join the Sunday Walk which one of the Dalyan Dwellers had organised. A couple of friends had said they were going as well so was a good opportunity to see them. It was about 10km so would be a challenge for me after sitting at a laptop most days and not moving much. The walk was lovely and 18 people turned up, which was good. Michele, the organiser, asked me if I thought Captain Caveman would run the next one, with it being the day after he arrived, and I said I would ask him.
After the walk my friend, one of my friends talked me in to a beer with her at Tapa – so that she could take her dogs too. As I’d not seen her for a while and she was limited as to where we could take her dogs, I agreed and messaged my other friend to say we were there if she wanted to join. She had been at the front of the walking crowd and I am always at the back of the group as I walk slowly compared to everyone else. I introduced the 2 ladies who got on well and, despite me chatting to another friend about how well I’d been doing on not drinking any beer, I had 3! My drinks came to 270 lira (£5.92) in one of the cheapest places in town for draft Efes. By 3pm we were over in Okyanus having some lunch and another beer. My friend had a new dog from the shelter, called Polly, and she was a real cutie. I ate a chicken wrap with salad and chips and it was very good. My friends ordered a chicken wrap too and a pizza which the lovely waiter, Üstün, ordered in from Pamukkale restaurant. My lunch and drink came to about 300 lira (£6.58) which was very reasonable, especially for a riverside restaurant.
When I got home, shortly before 6pm, I messaged Captain Caveman to ask if he would do the next Sunday Walk but Michele and he had already arranged that he would. Later, Jamie and Drew were taking Norman & Edna for a walk and I suggested they call in. While the pooches had a snooze on the sofa, the boys had a drink and I only had tea because I had already overdone it today. I was now on over 170 syns for the week so far and had spoiled the idea of getting some exercise. I made myself a vegetable and egg fried rice for dinner and had another relatively early night.
I felt like I was incredibly lucky on Friday 20th September as I said goodbye to the villa and got in the taxi, with Liz, to go to the port in Rhodes Town. In my bag, as the girls had insisted, was the bottle of red wine we didn’t drink and my leftover ham and mushroom calzone. My ferry back to Marmaris wasn’t until 9am but check-in rules are to be there an hour before. Liz had planned to explore the old town and wait for the other girls to get up and join her for the day. I took my sea sickness pill expecting that it could be as choppy going back as it was coming, and that was not doable for me without medication. Liz and I said our goodbyes and had the privilege of a couple of knights to see us off. It was an emotional goodbye and I had been so grateful for being able to spend time with Liz, Clare, Kelly and Louisa. We had laughed and talked so much and I even had more ideas for my book which they were all very supportive of. I felt I had a renewed energy and belief in myself that, although things were tough at the moment, I was going to be ok. The ferry left over 30 minutes late and there were no fresh sandwiches on this one so I had a peanut bar from my bag and a bag of salt & vinegar crisps with a cup of black tea. I wasn’t quite up to cracking open the wine and eating the calzone for breakfast as I didn’t think it would be too pleasant if I couldn’t keep it in. I fell asleep and woke up as we approached Marmaris, realising that I did not have very long to get my bus connection. The crossing had been relatively calm too so there were no sick bags out. The queue to get off the boat was long and I wasn’t at the front of the immigration queue. I got through and found that there was only 1 remaining taxi and jumped in it. I used my best Turkish to ask to go to the bus station and established it was 200 lira (£4.41) which turned out to be less than a 5 minute journey. I was so lucky to make the bus from Marmaris to Ortaca as it pulled out. It was a small dolmus type bus with only one seat remaining right at the back corner and it was hot and very full! I still had the ham and mushroom calzone which was now in the top of my rucksack as I tried not to offend any muslim passengers who might be getting a whiff of pork products. When I got to Ortaca there was no time to waste as the Dalyan bus was also in and about to set off so I squeezed on, also on the back seat. I made it back to Dalyan just in time to drop my laptop and bag at Gayle & Neil’s and grab my travel towel and swimmers because we were off on one of my favourite things to do in an afternoon.
Gayle & Neil had wanted to book on to one of the Captain Boris’s Cheese & Wine boat trips and had tried to get a space before they arrived in Dalyan. Rebecca and Basrı had been fully booked but I’d asked them to let us know if they had any late availability. We were very lucky to get on the trip although the timings were cutting it a bit fine for me, to say the least, but I was determined not to miss it. On board there were no other people we knew but that was quite nice as it meant the 3 of us could relax and enjoy what would probably be our last night together. The boat trip departed at 2pm and was 5 hours of absolute bliss. There was so much cheese, meats, fruit, nuts, olives, jams, honey, gherkins, breads and crackers, as well as the wine now being included in the £50 price tag per person. We got talking to some of the other guests and everyone seemed lovely, especially after a few wines. We even got to see a gorgeous sunset before heading back to Dalyan around 7pm.
To top off the night, it wouldn’t have been complete without being able to say bye to Captain Caveman’s tenants, Ann & Stuart, who were leaving tonight. The 3 of us had arranged to meet for a drink or two at Aşkın’s and as Neil had insisted on paying my £50 for the Captain Boris trip I insisted the drinks were on me. I think everyone warned Gayle off ordering any Marshmallow Martinis this time but even I had a gin cocktail. Here’s what we all had and the prices in lira:
I didn’t think that was bad considering we had 8 cocktails and spirits are expensive in Dalyan. I found it certainly cheaper than where we had been in Rhodes. It was a great end to Gayle & Neil’s stay who were off back to the UK on Monday and I loved the fact that we had made new friends of Ann & Stuart who were flying later, hence the cokes. We were all sad to say bye but knew we would see each other next time that everyone was in Dalyan at the same time.
There was a bit of bad news on Wednesday 18th September and it wasn’t just that I would have put on some weight from overindulgence with my family and friends over the last week or so. I did my measurements, as usual, to find that I had put 2cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips, my bust had stayed the same. Liz and I were up and about much earlier than everyone else, she had been doing her exercises and I had already done a couple of hours work. I saw 2 big black crows on the wall of the villa and they stuck around for a while, one of them let me walk up quite close and I vaguely remembered that superstition suggests that seeing 2 crows is lucky. Apparently it means new beginnings in a relationship or career. I’d had a reply back from my boss’s wife, to say to speak to him about why I hadn’t been paid yet. It was 4 days overdue and I knew from her response that it didn’t look promising. I decided to stop work until I had spoken to my boss to find out what was going on. I had a feeling he no longer could see the need in keeping me on during the quiet winter months. I closed the laptop so that Liz and I could go for a walk, get some breakfast and a coffee for Liz. By 9.30am Liz was getting us something from The Cake Box. She had a croissant, a coffee and a detox juice while I had a sundried tomato and cheese ciabatta and a juice. It was once again lovely, although Liz didn’t reckon much to the coffee as it wasn’t a brand she preferred. We walked around and I took her to Creamland to see if the coffee was any better and, luckily, it was. It cost €5.50 (£4.58) for her Cappuccino with a Freddo Espresso in it. Our next stop was a nice walk along the beach where a lovely Dutch woman had been making a cute heart and some writing out of stones on the beach. We got talking to her and her friend then decided to have our photos taken by her over her art work – I bet she thought we were daft, but Liz and I did not care! When we got back to the villa it was gone 11am, I was hoping to get a call in with my boss, for an update on the work situation. While all the girls were busy enjoying their holiday, I got a message from him. It said ‘things were getting very quiet and he was canning our project’. He thanked me for my help, apologised for the late notice and that I had ended up working 4 days over what he had already paid me for. I already had a feeling this was going to happen so I just replied with best wishes for flood season and to let me know if there was anything I could help with in the future. It was quite a blow that, just like that, I had no further income and I would now have to wait to rely on Captain Caveman once again, until I found another job. I made a decision not to say anything to the girls, I was doing all I could to hold it together lately as it was and didn’t want to ruin their (or my) holiday. I made myself a promise to find another job within a month, though, or set up my own business. As luck would have it, only 2 days ago a friend had suggested I talk to his boss as he thought I would be a good fit for an opportunity at his place. I decided to tell the girls that I had the rest of the week off, which wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth. We only had 2 more days together and I wanted us all to have a good, and happy, time.
As if the girls knew to cheer me up anyway, the fizz was out of the fridge and it was jacuzzi time. Not before being dragged through a yoga/HIT session with Liz and Clare. It was far too difficult for me on a concrete floor with my knees but I gave it a go where I could. Louisa kindly took photos of us and pointed out when I needed to adjust my position. The jacuzzi was fantastic and the bubbles were very much appreciated as I secretly celebrated being unemployed once again! By 6pm we were showered and changed, ready to hit the town – I even wore one of my dresses. Clare and I took photos of each other by the pool while we waited for everyone to finish getting ready. It was pretty windy and it took a couple of goes to get some without our hair all over the place.
Clare had took the liberty of booking a table for the 5 of us at Cosa Nostra and it certainly did not disappoint. I was very conscious of being on a budget but I ordered a margarita cocktail at €12.50 (£10.41), a Gnocchi starter at €10.50 (£8.75) and a mushroom risotto at €18 (£15). The steaks started at €45 (£37.50) so I avoided those and we all shared some fancy bruschetta with various toppings.
The food was excellent and the service on our VIP table, second to none. We ended up having more cocktails instead of wine with our dinner and I threw caution to the wind a little having 2 more drinks. At the end of our meal we were brought out free shots of something ridiculously sickly sweet. As we were getting the bill, one of the girls had already paid and it was on her! Wow, I was both grateful and speechless. More free shots were had and a group photo with the staff before heading back to the villa. Of course, that would have been the best thing to do at gone 10.30pm but it was Liz’s first night out and she really fancied another drink somewhere. While Louisa and Kelly headed back home, Clare and I accompanied Liz to a bar which I think was called Blaze Bar. It had a band on and we must have been a bit tiddly as Liz ordered a Bloody Mary, Clare had a cocktail which looked like Sex on the Beach meets a Pina Colada and I, very foolishly, ordered a draft lager. The band was a lot better than we were expecting with 3 members who looked like famous people with our beer goggles on. We joined in on the singing and stayed until closing time. I paid for the round of drinks and had one of the best nights in years for just £20!! It was gone midnight when we got back and then Liz and I stayed awake talking for a few hours – at least I didn’t have to worry about getting up for work in the morning!
My day on Tuesday 17th September started with a healthy breakfast but would not continue in that vein – it was probably a good thing I was missing the Dalyan Fat Club tomorrow! I ate a banana and a plum with my cup of tea, then got on with work. At lunch time the girls were going for a walk so I decided to close the laptop and join them. On our walkabout, we spotted a lovely rooftop bar and went in for some lunch and a drink. Kompologaki restaurant also had sunbed rentals by the beach across the road and we had nice views of the sea from our corner rooftop table. There were lunchtime specials on so we ordered from that menu where it came with a beer or wine included in the price. It had one of those QR code readers to view the menu so we used that and I made a list of who wanted what so that I could go back downstairs and order, here’s what everyone chose; Kelly: Pasta Carbonara + beer + Sprite + Mai Tai cocktail Louisa: Gyros plate + beer + Sprite Clare: Gyros plate + wine + soda water Jo (me): Gyros plate + beer
We also ordered a bottle of still water for us all and the total came to 62.30 Euros (£51.76) and I really liked my lunch. I also ended up with 2 small beers because the lovely waitress had miscalculated the included ones, thinking all 4 of us wanted the beer and not 3 plus a wine. We also got a good deal on 3 bottles of decent wine for 30 Euros (£25), split between Clare and I.
On the way back to the villa, we called at the supermarket for provisions too. Back ‘home’ I did a bit more work while the girls relaxed by the pool. I was happy to close the laptop and join them for crisps and a wine in the early evening. One of our other friends, Liz, was on her flight to come and join us. We were looking out for her plane, which would be flying directly above us. As we were waiting, we got a bit peckish and started our buffet for dinner, Kelly plated up some for Liz so that we didn’t eat it all. Clare took a video of the BA plane which Liz was on as she came in to land and we were all super excited when she arrived. There were hugs, tears and extraordinary footwear. Wine was had but not the fizz in the fridge as that was for when we went in the Jacuzzi in the main bedroom – oh wow, I hadn’t realised there was one! The rosé wine Clare and I had bought went down a treat and I even got to wear some fancy shoes of Liz’s while we caught up on her news. It was like having the band back together and I was so happy that Liz got the short straw and had to share my twin room for the next 4 nights.
It was the first time that I had felt a little bit cooler in Dalyan on Wednesday 11th September. I did my measurements first thing to find that my bust had stayed the same but I had put 1cm on both my waist and hips – this didn’t look promising for weigh day. Carol at Fat Club messaged to say that due to there being another storm forecast in the afternoon that Fat Club might be cancelled but if any of us wanted to go to her house to get weighed we could. I didn’t need telling twice and headed off with a screenshot of a map to find it. I was happy to find I had lost 0.5kg (1lb) and then walked back as the rain started to come down again. By the time I was back at my hotel it was absolutely chucking it down and I got soaked! I had the same breakfast as yesterday; overnight oats with quark, frozen berries, figs and plums. It was today that I found out that figs are not syn free and I was gutted as I had been eating quite a few this week without counting them. They are 2 syns each, which is quite high and today I had eaten 3 with breakfast. I worked all morning and the rain didn’t ease up until almost lunch time.
I had an important appointment today with our tenants, Ann & Stuart. They had very kindly invited me out for lunch and, after meeting Gayle & Neil on the boat trip, they had also invited them. Ann had asked me to choose the venue so I’d decided River House might be a nice place for lunch as they have a varied menu, cater well for allergies and always have really good service. As soon as the rain eased, I set off and the others had the same idea as we all arrived early. Ann & Stuart were first and asked for a table undercover so that if it rained again we wouldn’t have to move. We ordered rosé wine for the women and the guys had beers, we shared a meze plate and balloon bread (lavaş) as a starter. Gayle ordered fish with chips and salad, Neil and I both had İskender kebab, Ann chose the liver and onions which came with bulgur wheat and mashed potato while Stuart went for the mixed grill. We had a lovely meal with more wine but Gayle, who hadn’t been drinking much lately got a bit tipsy. Neil and Ann had to keep reminding her to drink some water but the suggestions fell on deaf ears as she got chattier. We were still at lunch and on the second carafe of wine at gone 4pm so it was a good job I didn’t need to get back to work. It had been such a lovely treat and I was very grateful for being invited out.
When we eventually got Gayle to drink some water and get ready to leave River House, on the afternoon of Wednesday 11th September, it was decided that we would go to Tapa for a drink. Ann wanted to introduce us to the delights of the pornstar martini which she had been impressed with there, and Gayle is partial to the odd Tapa cocktail too. Three pornstar martinis arrived for us women and the fellas had a pint of Efes each. The cocktails were impressively large for 350 lira (£7.87). On the next round I decided to have a whiskey sour as it was 2 for 1 on cocktail happy hour. Ann ordered a strawberry daiquiri and Gayle had been hankering after a marshmallow martini so insisted on one of those without checking the ingredients. When the barman brought it, Neil and I saw that it had sauce and biscoff all around the edge which probably contains gluten. I had the biscuit and scooped off the cream as Gayle was going to drink it. When she did drink it, she noticed there were no marshmallows in it and complained. The barman was not impressed with her and told her the marshmallows are only for children’s drinks. She was not happy! Neil told her to order something else so she got a pina colada, Ann stuck with the daiquiri and I asked for a wine which they didn’t bring in the end. Gayle was still going on about the missing marshmallows in her martini so the barman was now asking if she wanted him to go and buy her some, she said yes and pointed out the nearest shop. It was time to leave, we asked for the bill. Neil tried to pay on card, I tried to pay for Ann & Stuart’s and Gayle decided she was only putting so much cash in as she was drunk and unhappy with her drink. I ended up putting the rest of what Gayle should’ve put in instead of paying for Ann & Stuart as that was all the cash we had between the 3 of us. I bet Ann & Stuart thought we were a right set. I walked home with Gayle & Neil as she was insisting we go back to theirs for more drink. When we got there, Neil tried to hoodwink Gayle in to drinking water and pretending it was gin but she was having none of it. I decided I’d better leave them to it. They had an early start tomorrow too as they were off on a boat trip to celebrate their anniversary! I’d had a great day but I was a bit concerned we might have shown ourselves up a bit in front of the tenants. I was still chuckling to myself as I went to bed that night, thinking that Gayle would feel very differently about marshmallows in the morning.
I only had a cup of tea on the morning of Sunday 8th September as I was busy checking out the updates on Typhoon Yagi and the havoc it had wreaked in Hanoi, before I headed off on a day trip. I was happy that Captain Caveman was safe in Hanoi now but still worried he would be ok on the 5th floor of a building. He assured me he was fine, despite the capital city looking like it was a scene from the film ’28 Days Later’.
I was off on a boat trip which started at 10am with Captain Fuat on Adıl boat with some friends and family. There was a quick introduction for everyone then tea/coffee and some simit to nibble on as we sailed out towards Köyceğiz and the lake. The sun was shining, the scenery was lovely and I was looking forward to a day out with Gayle & Neil. Captain Fuat put on a delicious lunch which catered for everyone’s requirements easily (and there were quite a few of us that needed different allergies taking in to consideration). I obviously was not really concerned about the amount of syns I shoved in. I ate chicken, pasta, salads, meatballs, bread, fruit and, later, cake.
We did quite a bit of swimming, where we met a friendly terrapin who we called Bob. He took a shine to Ann’s chest and kept going really close to her, even though she wasn’t keen. He even went off and brought 2 more friends over who swam amongst us and seemed to want to play with us. We called these 2 terrapins Rita & Sue and then when we thought Bob had returned, but it was actually another terrapin who was slightly more interested in the ladies and their chests, we called him Bob 2. I probably found it funnier than most other guests that we had called our new friends Bob, Rita, Sue & Bob 2 after the film. The day was really relaxed and easy going with lots of swimming, which I loved. By the time we got off the boat I was quite merry and I’d gone way over my usual wine consumption by having 5 glasses.
We got off and said our goodbyes to everyone. Ann, Stuart, Gayle, Neil and I were walking the same way home so we ended up stopping off for a quick drink in Askın’s where I ordered a pint of draft Efes. I ended up having a gin & tonic at Neil’s insistence, back at theirs and then Jamie, Drew, Norman & Edna were passing for the dog walk so they popped in to say hello. Edna took to Neil very quickly and wanted to sit on his knee while Norman had a sniff about to check for any scraps of food. I did the dog walk with Jamie & Drew and then realised I was a bit tipsy and peckish. The night ended with me getting pizza that I didn’t recall until the next day. My Sunday had been so good and I still managed to do it on a budget; the boat trip plus drinks on the boat 2100 lira, a beer at Askın’s 120 lira and pizza 310 lira – a bargain total of 2,530 lira (£52.81).
Photo credit – Vietnam ones taken from various news and Facebook pages. Boat trips ones shared from various attendees.
It was a busy day in my world on Thursday 5th September. My sister and her husband were arriving tomorrow so I had to make sure that my parents’ place was ready for them. I only had a biscuit for breakfast as I had to go to meet the cleaner at my parents’ apartment. There is only 1 key so I said I would meet her back there at noon I had a morning in Ortaca where I first went to the council office to identify which property I actually lived in on their maps and get an address certificate, then I paid the council tax up to date at a cost of 2426.20 lira (£54.16) to bring everything up to date in order to proceed with my residency renewal application. The next job was to call to see the insurance broker where I got myself a new annual policy for 1,924.20 lira (£42.95) but was very basic cover and probably doesn’t really cover anything but accident and emergency. Back in Dalyan, I walked over to my parents’ trying to get there in time to pick up the key. It was hot and I hadn’t put any sun-cream on as it was packed. As I arrived at 11.59am I saw the cleaner riding away on her motorbike. I left my bags, including wine and stuff for the fridge, outside the door and walked to King Emlak to retrieve the keys. Once there, I had a bit of a chat with Leanne, picked up the keys and walked back, a sweaty mess. I stayed there for a glass of water and a pot noodle then had a call with my boss. Things weren’t very good for him as his son was in hospital in Hanoi, and it was quite serious. I warmed up a mystery defrosted dinner and added some pasta to it for my dinner. Tomorrow I was going to enjoy a leisurely day before my sister and brother-in-law arrived.
It was a long day on Friday 6th September. My sister, Gayle, and her husband, Neil, were going to be arriving at Dalaman airport at 10pm tonight so I was making sure everything was ready for their arrival. My Mom had given them a spare key for the apartment but she wasn’t sure if it worked as it was a newly cut one that had not been tried yet. I had the other key so it had been arranged that I would be at the apartment when they arrived tonight. I started the day with tea and toast while reading the news that a typhoon was about to hit North Vietnam. Captain Cavemen was currently in Sapa but was due to travel to Hanoi very soon. He called me while he was out walking with our friends and didn’t seem unduly worried about the weather at that point. I got on with as much work as I could and tried not to worry about the weather in Vietnam. I just had a cheese and crisp sandwich for lunch. I had a break from work and popped over to check the elusive gardener at Captain Caveman’s apartment, it was impossible to tell if he’d done anything and it still looked uncared for, in my opinion. Then I popped to Captainnet to sort out my parents’ internet and extend it for the month. This cost 675 lira (£15.13) for the top plan, as my Mom would be organising for the TV Firestick to be put on for Neil. I bumped in to Drew who was at Mono & More with Pete & Carol so I stopped for a pot of green tea. It was very hot today and I was all of a fluster so it was nice to sit and have a quick catch up. The tea was really good and only 60 lira (£1.35). I also called at the bank to transfer the rest of the required amount in to my Turkish account, this then meant that I could get the print out of my account to show the deposits for the last 8 months, including this month. On the way back, I noticed that there was a new clinic in town, next door to Şok supermarket in the old market square, where they displayed information and access to a private ambulance, as well as various cosmetic procedures like mammoplasty, gastric sleeve, hair transplant, liposuction, botox and filling. I said hello to Lou Colson who was working there now, as the receptionist, so she was the first point of contact to book appointments for these sorts of procedures which were very popular in Turkey now. The rest of the afternoon was spent working and then I went over to my parents’ apartment to make sure everything was ready for the new arrivals. Luckily I had my laptop and something to eat at the ready so that I wasn’t sat about doing nothing. I warmed up a chicken casserole for dinner and opened a bottle of rose wine while I tracked their flight. Unfortunately, they were delayed but when they arrived they were very excited to be in Dalyan. We opened a bottle of fizz that I’d had chilling and Neil had a beer in an iced glass. Gayle is coeliac so I’d got some rice crackers with prawn, pork and spring onion (Banh Ep, from Vietnam) for her to nibble on. It was 1.30am when I got to bed and I was quite tired so I didn’t take long to fall asleep.
When I woke up on Saturday 7th September, I checked the news to see that Hanoi had most certainly been hit by typhoon Yagi and it looked pretty horrendous in parts of the capital city. Captain Caveman was safely in Sapa but was going to head to Hanoi today. I was concerned and said he shouldn’t travel but stay where he was until the storm had passed. He thought it better to get out while he still had the chance. I got on with lots of work and decided, while my boss was caring for his sick son in a typhoon, I would make the most of finding new sales opportunities from Facebook and news articles where Travel Agents were posting about the weather conditions.
I’d mentioned going to the Saturday market with Gayle & Neil but they couldn’t be bothered so I went much later than usual and it was unbearably hot with a full rucksack. I got some bargains, here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
Saturday Market Mushrooms, Grapes & 3 peaches 85.00 4 onions 5.00 3 red & 3 green peppers 15.00 Plums 30.00 4 Apples 30.00 16 fresh figs 100.00 Total spent 265.00 lira (£5.94)
On the way back I also called at the shop for other essentials;
BIM Supermarket 1.5l Water 6.50 2 soda water 12.00 3 tins sweetcorn 61.75 Total spent 80.25 lira (£1.80)
I still needed more and had to drop the stuff off then go back to the supermarket. I decided to treat myself to more water and some juice as I was super thirsty. I was surprised to see the difference in the price of a bottle of water between Migros and BIM, though.
Migros Supermarket 1.5l Water 25.25 Croissant 27.95 Milk 28.25 Washing up Liquid 33.95 Cherry and Apple juice 49.95 Total spent 165.35 lira (£3.71)
I had juice and a croissant for breakfast which was not Slimming World friendly and then another cheese sandwich for lunch. I worked for the rest of the afternoon and the AC from the bedroom cooled the dining area enough too. Captain Caveman arrived during the eye of the storm and managed to get to his hotel unscathed, but the damage in a lot of Hanoi was bad. I had a quiet Saturday night in and had figs, plums and grapes while cooking a really good mushroom risotto for dinner. I had an early night, while Hanoi got hit by the worst storm that they had encountered since 1964.
Photo credit – Vietnam photos taken from various sources/new articles.
On Tuesday 3rd September I spent most of the day working on my laptop. I had cereals for my breakfast with a Yorkshire tea. At lunch time I had to make do with a cheese and lettuce sandwich. I spoke to another Health Insurance provider who said they could insure me for a lot cheaper than the existing one so I said I would think about it while other companies came back with quotes. It rained in Dalyan for the first time since I’d been here and I had to bring the outdoor cushions in. It was soon over and it dried up very quickly again. For dinner I warmed up some of the chicken casserole that I had previously batch cooked and then had a walk with the dogs. I spoke to my parents back in Sheffield who had booked their flights to come to Turkey and were excited to be getting back to Dalyan soon.
It was weigh day on Wednesday 4th September and I was hoping that the 178 syns I’d had this week, combined with some dog walking, would mean I was lucky enough to still lose weight. I did my measurements to find I had put 1cm on my bust and hips but lost 1cm off my waist so it wasn’t looking optimistic for the Fat Club weigh-in. I had wholemeal toast with cheese spread and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast and cracked on with work. Before 11am, I was at the Turkcell shop getting phone top up of 400 lira, on top of the 200 lira I’d already paid online. It seemed a bit steep to have to pay 600 lira (£13.39) for a working phone that I barely use but I needed to have it for my residency renewal application and to receive an OTP code from the post office for my E Devlet. I called at the bank to put more money in – it was turning in to a part time job, keeping tabs on how much and when. I had guests coming over tonight so I also had a quick trip to the shops while the dogs were at home, sleeping. Here is what I bought at various shops and the prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Peppers 6.99 Pot Noodle 19.95 Chicken noodles 33.75 614g Chicken 119.73 Magnums 139.90 Total spent 320.32 lira (£7.15)
I nipped back to the bank in the afternoon to ask about increasing my 10,000 lira (£223.21) credit card limit but they now require a document from a UK pension which has been translated. Obviously, I am not retired therefore I don’t have such a document and they couldn’t increase it. I did ask if I could get a letter from an employer but they said no. This was a bit of a pain as with the rate going up and up, I had not increased my limit accordingly. If ever I needed to use the card for anything more than a bit of shopping, it was going to be too low a limit. Back at Jamie’s, I threw the ingredients in to the slow cooker for a chicken curry and did some more work. I didn’t have time for lunch so I just had an apple and legged it to Fat Club to see how kind Carol’s scales were to me. To my delight I had lost 1.4kg (3lb) so I was really pleased with that and was spurred on to keep on the plan to get back to target – I had just 4.4kg (9.7lb) to lose! I finished work at 5pm, Ann & Stuart (the tennants) came over later and we celebrated with Prosecco for Ann & I, and beer for Stuart. We had a good laugh and the dogs really enjoyed having more visitors. We had a lovely curry and the pide bread I bought earlier, doubled up as a great naan bread substitute. We had a fab time, going on to the wine after the Prosecco and taking photos to send to Jamie as we sat at his dining room table. It was quite a late night and I had drank quite a lot, the most I’d had in 2 weeks, so I might regret it tomorrow morning when the alarm went off at 7am.
I took it easy on Sunday 25th August, I did some work and didn’t get much of a lay in. I had and amazing fresh fruit salad for breakfast with a Yorkshire tea. At lunch, time I made a cheese and lettuce sandwich on wholemeal bread (no butter) and researched what I needed to do in preparation for my residency renewal application. Jamie had offered to take me to Fethiye tomorrow to update the passport number at the Government office and I’d said yes. In the afternoon, once I had finished work, Captain Caveman called me from Victory Road Villas in Phong Nha, while he had a beer and a pizza. He’d finished his last Son Doong cave tour and was planning his departure from Phong Nha once any loose ends had been tied up. He would take a bit of a holiday in Vietnam to see and say bye to friends before he booked a flight to Turkey. In the evening, I made a bit of a strange concoction for dinner; I cooked pasta with chickpeas, tomatoes, marmite, tomato puree, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, chicken and a small amount of sucuk (Turkish salami). It was also another zero spend day and I was pleased to not have had any alcohol either. My will power was holding up as long as I didn’t go out but that was fine for now.
There was a bit of excitement for me on Friday 23rd August as I had agreed to an outing after work, with a friend. For breakfast I had overnight oats with berries and grapes plus the obligatory Yorkshire tea (and I still hadn’t opened the wine bucket of them yet). I worked until 1.30pm and had another chicken and veg wrap for lunch. Unfortunately, the bread in the wraps had to be counted as syns but at least it was still better for me than booze, of which I had not touched a drop of, since Sunday. I’d decided in my mission to lose weight and save money, alcohol was the obvious thing to cut out. I set myself a goal to get to the end of the month without any alcohol – it was going to be tough, but needs must!
At 2pm, I was picked up and we drove up to Radar Hill, one of the highest points around and has beautiful views. We had come prepared with water, coffee, a melon and a knife. It was like being on a trip with Crocodile Dundee as my friend whipped out the knife and asked me to slice up the melon while she tried to take photos of dragon flies. A couple nearby, having a romantic picnic, must have wondered what was going on, especially when the flies came and my companion was hitting my legs with a notebook in an attempt to stop them biting.
Next, we went to Iztuzu beach for a drink and a swim. The car park fee is 100 lira (£2.33) and all payments at the car park or café must be done by card (no cash), but the café does sell beer now. After a soft drink, and a tuna sandwich for my mate, we had a swim in the sea. I got talking to some holiday makers from Ankara; Emrah and his 3 daughters Nisa, Eylul and Ela who were all very nice and the eldest wanted to practice her English. They loved Dalyan and were staying in a villa in Dalaman, they commented on how cheap they were finding it compared to where they lived in Ankara. We stayed until sunset and then I was dropped back off at my parents’ place, where I had leftover chicken casserole for dinner.
On Saturday 24th August I had my cup of tea and toast before going to the weekly Dalyan market to get some fruit and vegetables. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Stall 1 Tomatoes 23 lira (53p)
Stall 2 Bananas, grapes and peaches Total 120 lira (£2.79)
Stall 3 Plums and a lemon 30 Lettuce 40 Melon 100 Strawberries 120 Total 290 lira (£6.74)
I had spent a total of 433 lira (£10.07) at the market and had quite a lot of lovely produce to last me most of the week. Once back home, I unpacked my shopping and washed all the fruit, then rolled the grapes to free them from the stalks easily, and chopped all the strawberries and stored them in glass jars. These 2 ways of prepping grapes and strawberries mean they stay fresher for longer and is a good money saving tip as well as having no waste. I got on with some work and needed to crack on as I had an important video call booked in for later on. Feeling motivated to stay on my Slimming World plan, I ate some grapes and strawberries then made a really nice wrap for lunch. It had chicken, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, and bean sprouts in and I counted the wrap as 10 syns for the bread content. When it got to dinner time, I wasn’t that hungry so I just had fruit salad with Quark and a tiny bit of honey – delicious! I finished work at 7.30pm and went for a quick walk to the shop, prices as usual in lira;
Migros Supermarket Popcorn 26.95 Milk 28.25 Jasmine rice 44.50 2 tins of tomatoes 59.90 Total spent 159.60 lira (£3.71)
I hurried back and then called my parents for our video call, it was the first one since I had arrived in Turkey, 12 days ago. Ma & Pa were having a glass of wine and it was good to talk to them, even though Dad is a man of few words and leaves us women to jabber on. They were hoping to come out to Dalyan in a month’s time and would probably arrive around the same time as Captain Caveman. In the evening, I watched a bit of Netflix on my phone, while eating some popcorn before bed. I was on 79 syns for the week so far, less than half where I was this time last week and I was determined to stick to plan this week. Tomorrow I had quite a few life admin jobs to do but I was hoping for a bit of a lay in.
joloyolo 