Fat Club on Wednesday 15th February was cancelled because the venue was busy having taken in earthquake survivors. I got weighed at home to find I was the same as last week so that wasn’t ideal but not too bad. My measurements were as follows; Bust -2cm, Waist -3cm, Hips -2cm, Right Thigh no change Left Thigh -1cm, Right Calf -1cm, Left Calf -0.5cm. These were good results and I had Slimming World friendly soup for lunch. At 3pm I had a wander to the tea gardens near BC Spa to meet Janice and Tina from Fat Club. I enjoy seeing the ladies from this group and we talk about how good or bad a week we’ve had on our diets and share some ideas and recipes so we don’t get too bored. The sun was out, it was warm and even the street dog behind us had to move in to the shade after a while. After an hour I walked along the river and up to Rehab bar where I just had soda water with ice and lemon. I didn’t stay long, just enough to say hello to some of the Pool group and to see Matt was in high spirits round the pool table. Back home I had left over chicken şakşuka and rice, followed by quark for dinner. At 7pm I went to Lukka bar to meet Jamie and the Beverley Sisters where we played pool. Jamie and I stuck to water as we were trying to be healthy and we had a good laugh. The Beverley Sisters are really good fun and one of them was as bad as me at pool. I left before 10pm and then had a small red wine and some cheese with cream crackers before bed.
Before I’d walked Charlie on Tuesday 3rd January, I’d already had some photos from Captain Caveman in Phong Nha. He had been out and about meeting friends at familiar haunts and because of the 4 hour time difference had already had lunch. Ganesh, the Indian restaurant, was now open and he was looking forward to trying it in the next few days. I walked Charlie and completed some editing, which Charlie wasn’t impressed about. For lunch I tried to salvage the ruined mushroom risotto by making risotto balls and they weren’t too bad. I also started looking at flights to the UK, hoping to pop back for a week or so. The prices to get to the UK were very cheap but to return to Turkey were not. The temperature felt cold here at 19°C at 5.30pm so I knew I’d struggle with the cold weather in England. My parents and Captain Caveman had left Dalyan a week ago now but it did seem like a lot longer. While Captain Caveman had been to Bamboo cafe and then was out with Tatas, I moved in to Jamie’s for another pet sitting stint. At 6.30pm I arrived, with Charlie, at Jamie’s villa and we had a glass of wine before he jetted off on his holidays. Dale, who handles residency applications, amongst other things, popped round and he joined us with a tonic water. I would be staying for 16 days to look after Jamie’s dogs, Norman and Edna, but Charlie seemed a little apprehensive of his new sofa buddies. When it came to bedtime he came with me, Norman and Edna slept on the sofa downstairs.
I couldn’t reach the toaster at Jamie’s and I was struggling to open some of the new handle-less kitchen cupboards. On Wednesday 4th January I had to have cereals for breakfast because of this and they’d gone a bit soggy by the time I’d found and got in to the cutlery drawer for a spoon. It was sunny out, although I noticed Jamie had not expected nice weather in Dalyan as all the garden furniture had now been put away. There was washing hung out next door so I wondered if we were expecting neighbours but I think it was just the cleaner popping round to do a spruce up. Charlie was still unsure why he was staying at Jamie’s with Norman and Edna, so he had assumed the guard dog position. He barked at the Cleaner as we had a chat and she said she knew me from Facebook. I managed to get some editing completed on my laptop but working at the breakfast bar on a high stool made my legs a bit numb. At lunch time I popped back to Charlie’s home to pick up more of his stuff, including his blanket, and he snuck in a cheeky sunbathe on the roof terrace. While I was there, I saw Jamie’s plumber who was on the roof, and it confused both of us at the same time. I was still walking the 3 dogs in 2 separate walks as I couldn’t manage all of them at once, yet. Fat Club was exciting as Ghislaine had gifts from Atyom, the Russian, for the 5 of us from her birthday bash. We each had a lovely bracelet in a box and gift bag to say thanks – how nice was that!? It was no surprise that the results of my weigh-in weren’t good and I had put on 0.8kg this week. I’d only left the dogs for 1 hour to pop to Fat Club, when I got back they had all been well behaved but acted like I’d been gone for a week. I didn’t eat lunch until 5pm but I had a jacket potato with cheese (no butter) then I fed the dogs. I made sure to feed them in separate sections of the kitchen as Charlie was used to having his food bowl full at all times so he could eat when he wanted. The King Charles Cavaliers will snaffle anything so I couldn’t leave Charlie’s food out and he took his time eating while the other 2 waited for any spare, which never happened. I spoke to my parents on video call and they were doing well, getting used to the cold back home in Sheffield. Later in the evening I had some pasta then settled down for dog snuggles. Captain Caveman was settling in to Phong Nha well, he’d been to meet friends in Dong Hoi, had drank wine with Tatas and finished his evening with a Porter party, where all his work friends and colleagues were.
Charlie was loving having a bit of a lay in on Friday 30th December and even slept after I had got up, got ready, had my cup of tea and done some housework. He didn’t want to venture outside, even though it was nice weather. I took him for a walk, then back home before I went to meet Josh at the bus station in town. We had decided to go to the turtle hospital and the beach, but without Charlie this time. The bus left Dalyan at noon and the return fare was 36 lira (£1.58) per person. We were given a card for the return ticket and reminded that it was necessary to book a return ticket these days so that the driver knew he was required to come to collect us at 4.30pm, as per the winter bus schedule. Josh and I went to the turtle hospital first and saw lots of good work and knowledgeable staff trying their best to ensure rescue, safety and recovery of the turtles. We tried to get some photos but the area where the tanks are is kept in low light and for obvious reasons, flashes are not allowed. Iztuzu Beach was very quiet today as Josh and I wandered from the bus end towards the boat end and back. We even had a paddle and the sea was not that cold, although I wouldn’t have swam right out.
We had lunch at the beach café and then decided to go off exploring up the side of the cliffs. It was beautiful scenery and we could see a German Shepherd dog was playing with his family. When he saw us he came running up the mountain side and I think he was just checking we were ok as he went back down when called. We got the bus back just as it was starting to get a bit cooler and I still got off at the bus station and walked back to Charlie’s. Josh went back to our home and I was starting to miss being in our apartment. It was a month since I’d moved in to look after Charlie and he was so pleased to see me when I got ‘home’. We played catch Slothy, his toy, for a bit before walkies and then cuddles on the sofa. That night was Josh’s last night in Dalyan so I’d planned to make the most of it!
I arrived at China Town, a few minutes late where Josh, Mark & Kate already had a beer. I joined them and we perused the extensive Chinese menu for ages, uncertain on whether to have a set meal or order dishes separately. I went for a set meal and had chicken and sweetcorn soup for starters followed by sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. It was very good and I completely forgot to take photos beyond those of the starters. After a couple of Efes beers and our Chinese we went to join friends for Lukka music bingo night.
Most of the time it was evident that Josh was too young to have heard of a lot of the songs but it didn’t matter and we had a good old laugh. We didn’t win but we didn’t care and I think Appo, the waiter, had to ask us to leave at gone 1am! Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve and Josh would be heading back to the UK to celebrate it, so I had no particular plans.
I’d set my alarm for 8am on Thursday 29th December but woke up before it. Charlie and I were at Jamie’s with Norman and Edna while Jamie was on a quick trip away. I let his dogs out for a wee but Charlie was still asleep on ‘my’ bed. I made a cup of tea and took it back to bed only to find Charlie had taken my spot and got right in the bed! Captain Caveman was in Saigon already where the weather was nice but it was pretty cold and fresh in Dalyan. Captain Caveman had news that a Ganesh Indian restaurant was opening in Phong Nha so he was excited. Josh came over after I’d took the dogs for a walk then we sat outside in the very hot sun at the patio table and chairs. We were waiting for the plumber to come and I had been informed by the maintenance company that it would be mid to late morning. Nanny Kay popped over to drop off some ‘spare’ wine and a slow cooker from Christmas Day. Her hands were full when she opened the gate so Norman and Edna got out in to the complex. Luckily Edna returned as soon as I shouted her however Norman, who’s a tad deaf, had legged it to check out what was going off in the far corner, but Josh was able to find him. The plumber came and blamed holiday makers in another villa putting toilet paper down the toilet, then had to get a machine to suck out the blockage. Even though the problem was from another villa, they used Jamie’s downstairs toilet to do the procedure and the smell made me heave. Luckily, they were finished fairly quickly and I’d cleaned the floor and had a cheese sandwich before the next dog walk. In the afternoon Josh went back to our place and I stayed at Jamie’s with the pooches. Cath (wife of Keith) messaged to say she had tested positive for Covid after feeling like she had a cold yesterday. This meant she needed me to tell all of the attendees of Monday’s boat trip to Köyceğiz, which I did. Everyone was kind and wished her well and some went to get test kits from the chemist as they had ran out. After another short dog walk, first with Charlie and then with Norman and Edna, I went over to meet my new drinking buddy. Josh and I decided we would go for a drink in Lukka bar where a glass of white wine was 85 lira (£3.75) so I had a couple, Josh had beer and we watched the sun set over the river. Next we decided to go to Jiks bar where they would have a fire on, as we were feeling the cold at Lukka. We ended up have 2 pizzas each, I took one home, and they were really tasty for around only 80 or 90 lira each (less than £4). The price of drinks had gone up now to 80 lira (£3.53) and was more expensive than in Lukka for an Efes beer. We both went home early that night but with plans for an early start tomorrow and a night out for Josh’s last night in Dalyan.
The day that my parents and Captain Caveman had to leave Dalyan was Tuesday 27th December. My parents flight back to Manchester was the first, while Captain Caveman’s to Istanbul wasn’t until much later in the day. We’d arranged to all go out for a Goodbye breakfast but it proved trickier than we thought. We’d said to meet at Lukka bar but my parents and Josh had got there first, to be told they weren’t doing breakfasts today. I suggested Ela’s Kitchen which was still closed, Heybe’s and Jiks were both open restaurants but had not opened for the day yet. Then we remembered that Kordon does a breakfast and off we went there but we couldn’t sit inside because we had Charlie, the dog. At Kordon my parents were concerned that they were not going to have enough time to eat breakfast and get back home before Fikri came to pick them up in the taxi. They were already going very early so they had a bit of room to manoeuvre but Dad didn’t want to ask the driver to come later. My mom made me laugh when we suggested it, by saying they may as well be sat in the airport bored, than here! After breakfast Captain Caveman and Josh said bye to my parents in the street and headed back to our apartment. Captain Caveman still had to finalise some packing and have a spruce up of his belongings before he left later. Josh just needed to limber up for any shenanigans he was to encounter on the rest of his holiday. I walked with Charlie and my parents to their’s and Altın, a street dog, followed us. My Mom had some leftover food to give me so I was going to pop over to pick that up and see them off. When we arrived, Fikri was already waiting and so my parents hurried to get their hand luggage, pass me the bag of food and say farewell. I wasn’t sure when I would see them again but I hoped I’d be able to get a cheap flight to England at some point. Charlie and I walked with Altın following us, a couple of street dogs came to check Charlie out and she saw them off. Back at home I let Charlie in while I put my parents stuff in the cupboards and he went straight upstairs to see what Captain Caveman was up to. We left after a few minutes and Josh joined me while Captain Caveman carried on packing. We went over to Jamie’s to pick up a key for my next bit of dog and house sitting. While we were there we had a beer and Jamie updated me on the knife drawer on account of Captain Caveman complaining people don’t have sharp knives. Our next stop was Waterfall bar, Captain Caveman came back and joined us and then we went back to Lukka bar for a drink and early dinner. The fellas had burgers and I had the sweet and sour chicken, which I love. After Lukka, we went for one in Tez bar, joined by Jamie, with less than an hour before Captain Caveman’s taxi was coming. For some strange reason, my other half could not take the hint that I might want to see him in private to say bye and was about to go to look over our Aussie friend’s properties instead of saying bye. The farewell was brief and he went outside to wait for Fikri early. He then messaged to say he was still outside so I went to wait with him. Things were ok between us again but now he was leaving for Vietnam with neither of us knowing when I would be able to join him. I went back to Tez bar where Josh, Jamie and I had a really good laugh and I wasn’t feeling too sad. When I got back to Charlie’s at 10.30pm, he was sad that Captain Caveman wasn’t with me. I had Christmas cake and cheese for supper then went to bed. Tomorrow I had to face the post Christmas Fat Club weigh-in!
As it was my parents’ and Captain Caveman’s last full day in Dalyan on Monday 26th December, I had organised a last outing. After the copious amount of booze yesterday I was somewhat woolly headed as we walked Charlie and told him he would get to have a day at home. We were off on a boat trip to Köyceğiz and there was 28 of us on Ali Özalp’s boat. To make it simple we had organised it via Kaan, who’s boat was out of the water, to leave from near Kaunos Tea Gardens at 10.30am. We would take our own drinks, have a mooch round Köyceğiz market, have a bite to eat and then return before it got too cold. Josh had agreed last night that he would bring a rucksack full of Efes and we would meet him at the tea gardens. We called for croissants and Sprite at Migros then when we met Josh, he had also bought Sprite and we were all begging for mercy, after last night’s boozy shenanigans. On board the boat were some of the usual reprobates as well as a few new people; my parents, Captain Caveman & me, Josh, Kaan, Tayfur, Vanessa & Matt, Janet & Kev, Adam & Kath, Mark & Kate, Linda, Julio, Julius & Toni, Peter, Bianca, Sue, Ron & Sarah, Cath & Keith, 007 and Gay Gaz. Of course Gay Gaz had turned up already tiddly and hadn’t got the memo that it was bring your own booze, as he stepped on the boat and asked for a vodka and coke. Kaan and Tay sorted out a quick trip to the shops to get Gaz his required fix and then we were off on the pleasant journey to Köyceğiz. I did my best to be sociable with everyone but I was feeling quite tired and delicate, and it wasn’t my last day in Dalyan, afterall. When we got to Köyceğiz I was keen to go to the fruit and veg market on account of not going on Saturday in Dalyan. There had been some talk of us all meeting up in Tuana restaurant and, if not, back on the boat at 3pm. My parents, Josh, Captain Caveman and I went off in search of fresh produce and left the others to decide what they were doing. After purchasing a rather heavy bag load of groceries I was looking forward to having a sit down and a cold drink. We didn’t get as far as Tuana before I needed to put the bag down and nip to the loo at Avant Garde restaurant. A lovely little place on the waterfront which also had good veggie options on the menu. I got a bit over ambitious and ordered a chicken burger, mom had a seafood pasta dish and the men had various quesadillas/wraps. Only Dad and Captain Caveman could manage a beer, while I hoped I’d make it home in tact.
By 3pm we were all mostly back on the boat but just waiting for a stray or two. It would be have been easy for any onlooker to think we were in the throws of a murder mystery afternoon but it turned out Kev was feeling rather more delicate than I was and had gone for a lay down on the front of the boat. Sailing back was pleasant and sunny but it was rather fresh as the sun dipped. Gay Gaz was on one of his ‘drunken and don’t care’ missions by leaning on the anchor chain while being precariously close to the switch. A few of us tried to talk him in to moving due to it not being safe and that he could end up decapitated, but it fell on deaf ears. What made him move in the end was that he might get his bright yellow coat dirty.
When we got off the boat most people went home for a good rest while only the foolhardy and inebriated soldiered on for a last drink at Rehab bar. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go get Charlie and walk him back to Rehab. By the time we got there, Kate was doing a superb job of trying to get Gay Gaz in to a taxi where neither them nor the driver knew Gaz’s address. Luckily, I had it marked on my phone and could tell the driver as Kate shouted ‘Get in to the choppa, Gary!’ In Rehab bar, Julius and Peter got their decks out and gave us a few tunes while they waited for their taxi back to Fethiye. Charlie didn’t really care for the music but he certainly was up for meeting more people and chasing a stray dog if he got the chance. That night we didn’t even all go out as I think we had overdone it. Captain Caveman and I stayed in and he insisted on having some quiet time with Charlie to say goodbye – I think they would miss each other. My parents still went out as they had nothing in for dinner and Josh went out, but separately. Tomorrow we would all meet for breakfast and to say farewell.
It was still dark at 7am on Wednesday 7th December when I fed 5 out of 6 cats at Mark and Kate’s house. It was very cold outside so I took a cup of tea back to bed with me. Kylie didn’t turn up until 8.30am but did stay indoors after her breakfast. Captain Caveman had decided to go on a big walk over the other side of the river and had chosen to take Charlie with him. He even sent me a photo from the top of a mountain and I hoped Charlie’s little legs were ok. By noon I had my lunch break spoiled by Bebek, the youngest cat, bringing me a gift. It was a mouse, or a rat, and I had to get Kylie to take it away, which she impressively did. My diet had really gone a bit off track because I hadn’t brought much of my food over from any of the other houses. I ended up having half a chicken and mushroom pie from the fridge, before setting off to walk to Fat Club. Unsurprisingly, I had put on 0.3kg this week, which is less than 1lb, so I wasn’t unduly worried. After the group, I walked to Tez bar to see my parents, Captain Caveman and Charlie. The walkers had not yet gone home but it looked like they had really bonded. Charlie had been very well behaved and had been on a rowing boat, a ferry and walked quite a long trek without any issues. I had planned to go back to Charlie’s with Captain Caveman for dinner but it was getting dark so I left everyone there and walked back to feed the cats. As my dinner plans had once again fell through I had more pide, courtesy of Mark and Kate, then went to bed fairly early.
Video of Bebek bringing me a presentVideo of Kylie taking the present away
On Friday 25th November I did my weekly measurements and found that I had lost a tiny bit more weight on the home scales and a few centimetres from my bust, waist and hips. I treated myself to beans on toast for breakfast using some syns but I didn’t have any lunch. After checking some of the documents I went to my new Turkish class which was very interesting. The students in there had asked for revision of things they had already learned as well as conversational practice which I found useful – especially as I was sure I’d not learned half of it before. After class, I’d let my parents know that I’d be in Lukka at 3.30pm for a glass of vino if they fancied joining me. Seeing as it was Friday and I had achieved 3 alcohol free days and 3 days of spending zero money this week I was out for a treat. I had decided already that I wouldn’t ruin my hard work, though, and limit myself to 3 drinks. Because Ma & Pa had stayed in for a day due to the weather, Dad was already extra excitable and loud. Maybe he was excited for the England football match that night but my mom had to keep telling him off. Fortunately, Lukka didn’t have many people in at that time so he managed 3 beers without disturbing anyone and was getting louder with each one. Mom had 2 beers and I had 2 glasses of wine. The house red wine in Lukka bar is Buzbağ which has replaced the Tılsım and is served at the perfect temperature for me. My parents fancied one at Tez bar as the sun was gone at Lukka and they hadn’t brought a coat. I said I would go with them but I was only having one because I needed to stick to my diet and was busy tomorrow morning. At Tez there were Penny & Phil, Andy & Kaye, Irena & Wolfie, Jack & Sue – already some of them were quite merry but not a loud as Dad. Tez kindly gave us free walnuts and all was going well with an early evening drink. I’m not sure what happened, exactly, but after my 1 glass of red wine in Tez bar, I decided to go home. My parents didn’t want me to and started calling me boring, surprisingly it was mainly my Mom who was a bit tiddly and on her 4th beer. I’d not seen them both act as lairy in a while and, given the week I’d had, I stuck to my plan and went home at 7.30pm. I thought I’d done well to stick to my 3 wines in 4 hours and knew if I’d stayed out I would have blown all my syns in one night, and my budget! I made myself 2 diet pizzas, this time one with BBQ sauce as a base and got ready for and early night. I was in bed at 11pm, with my winter socks on for my cold feet, when I got a message from my Mom to say they were eating in Duble. I responded with a thumbs up and went to sleep a bit disappointed to not be out drinking on a Friday night but proud of myself for managing to do it. Tomorrow was a big day as it was the Christmas Fayre and I’d arranged to meet everyone from 2pm.
On Saturday 19th November my diet didn’t quite go according to plan! It was one week since Captain Caveman had flown to England. I’d spent a mere 999 lira (£45), including 3 days where I spent zero, 4 days without any alcohol and I’d pretty much stuck to the diet. I made a shopping list for the weekly market and called for Ma & Pa along the way. I spent just 80 lira (£3.64) on mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, onions, plums and chestnuts before we all walked back via Migros. Dad wasn’t up for walking round the supermarket with a rucksack full of purchases so he used it as an excuse to go for a beer at Jiks while Ma & I went in. I bought just a fresh loaf and some Turkish sausage for a total of 33.90 lira (£1.54) then we went over to join Dad in Jiks. It was sunny but looked like rain – still I didn’t cave and have a beer, just a diet coke. After walking home, in a bit of rain, I went back out to buy top up data for my Turkish phone. I didn’t realise the Turkcell shop closed each afternoon (2-8pm) in the winter season so I had missed out and would try again tomorrow. I walked past Penny and Phil at Tez bar who were with other friends and I didn’t call in, but went straight home. I had a cheese sandwich (no butter) out of my allowance and was doing so well, I even had a few plums and a big glass of water. Kate messaged to say that the pool afternoon wasn’t at Rehab bar today so she was at Lukka bar and she was sat on her own having a wine if I’d like to join her. It was the first time she’d been ‘out out’, so of course, I would! She was already on her second glass of wine as I ordered my first, then Janet and a friend walked by and decided to join us. I spoke to Lily Fish who had unfortunately had a bad experience at the restaurant I was planning on going to tonight with my parents so I spoke to her at length about that. Kate and I decided that it worked out better to get a bottle of wine, given that the staff at Lukka were looking after us and it was a lovely sunny day. By the time we paid the bill a second bottle of wine had been had and it was jolly nice. Kate went home and I met Ma & Pa who were coming out fo the evening. We’d arranged to meet friends in Sofra bar to watch the Rugby match at 8.30pm. My parents and I decided Çağrı would be a good venue for dinner so we went there. My diet was well and truly on hold for the day as I tucked in to the courgette fritters for a starter and ordered a glass of wine. By the time we got sat in Sofra bar I was drunk and I was probably more of a hindrance to anyone trying to watch the rugby, than a supporter.
I treated myself to buttered toast and a Yorkshire tea with milk on Thursday 10th November. Captain Caveman went Bumming and I went to the supermarket to get some essentials. Captain Caveman was going back to the UK this weekend so I bought some items that I would need for my diet friendly recipes. Here’s what I got:
Migros Supermarket
Onions 2.77 Pumpkin 19.60 1 Pomegranate juice 26.00 2 plain Quark 27.90 2 tins of tomatoes 45.80
Total spent 122.07 lira (£5.68)
Şok supermarket
1 bag of red lentils 22.50 lira (£1.05)
I got the slow cooker on to make a curry for dinner that night and then decided to have a super healthy lunch of a beetroot salad. Captain Caveman was back later than expected from an arduous morning of bumming and wasn’t too pleased when I said we were off out. I’d arranged to meet my parents at Kaunos tea gardens but Captain Caveman didn’t have time as he needed to have lunch and go for a shave and a haircut. I went anyway and my good intentions of having a Turkish tea without sugar were successful. But then, the sun was shining, my parents ordered another beer and a cleanly shaven Captain Caveman arrived and ordered a beer. I succumbed and ordered a beer, we saw Kaan and Selahi there with friends and it stayed sunny for quite a while as we enjoyed another beer. On the way home we saw Mark at Tez bar so I gave him back Kate’s house key and took a photo as proof, seeing as he’d had a few and might forget he’d seen us. Back home we had the curry I’d made and it was very enjoyable, there was some left for another day too. Captain Caveman opened a bottle of wine to have with his dinner and I couldn’t resist a small drop.
On Friday 11th November I remembered to take my measurements. I had lost 1.1kg on my home scales but had put centimetres on in most places. Captain Caveman made me a diet version of a sausage butty by using sausages that were skinny in a wrap with peppers and onions. I had orange juice too and really enjoyed my breakfast. Captain Caveman went off to Lukka bar to play Bridge and I worked on a presentation for the delayed training session I was involved in later in the month. When Captain Caveman got home we had leftover curry for lunch. I absolutely love having my rice steamer here in Dalyan as the rice takes only about 10 minutes and is perfect every time – I won’t do without one now. In the afternoon I’d arranged to have a walk over to Mark and Kate’s with Captain Caveman and my parents. Kate was still recovering and so she wasn’t yet able to be out and about. The boys had some beers, I stuck to water and Kate celebrated with a splash of prosecco – it had been a week since she’d been in hospital. Bebek the cat took a shine to Captain Caveman while he was sat on the sex swing. My parents and I left him there while we had a lovely stroll back in to town. It would have been rude to go past Rehab bar without calling in for a draft Efes and to say hello to Tay. Captain Caveman joined us later when Mark dropped him off on his mobility scooter. That evening my parents had invited us round for dinner which we were really looking forward to. Mom was doing one of our favourite dinners too, Spaghetti Bolognese. I did succumb to some crisps and 3 glasses of red wine with my large portion of spag bol, which was delicious. For afters we had taken some cheese so we had a cheese board with grapes and some of Kate’s membrillo and plum chutney. I purposely had a break before I ate the cheese so that I would eat less of it. It was a great night and, as it was Captain Caveman’s last night in Dalyan for a couple of weeks, a good way to have a bit of a send off.
We were off to Köyceğiz on Monday 7th November! I’d organised a boat trip with Rob in mind but he had to work and couldn’t come along. Not to be deterred, the rest of us still went on another of Kaan’s boat trips, this time to take us to Köyceğiz market. On board today were; Captain Caveman, me, Mom & Dad, Linda, Vanessa, Tracey, Diana, Jackie & Chris, Wolfie, Tay & Angelique. At one point we were doubting if the weather would be good enough to go as, up to an hour before, it wasn’t looking good. Once we had set sail, I suggested to Kaan that he write the price of each drink on the sheet at the top of the page – that way everyone knows what they were paying beforehand. He told me the prices and I wrote them on for him while we set sail to Köyceğiz, across the gorgeous lake. While I was behind the bar, helping people get the drink they wanted and writing it down on the bar tab for Kaan, I noticed a hat. I was sure it was Viv’s so I messaged her and it was, so I popped it in my bag to give her.
Most of us had already had a drink before we arrived in Köyceğiz and I still had half of my beer left, which I gave to Captain Caveman. My parents, Captain Caveman, Linda and I headed to the clothing part of the market where my Dad decided to buy some trainers. My parents needed a new toaster so Captain Caveman went off to locate the electrical shop, but it was no longer there. The ones we did find didn’t sell toasters so we were just about to make our way back out. Unfortunately, a rather large Turkish woman in somewhat of a rush bumped right in to Dad making him almost lose is balance. When Captain Caveman rejoined us, she had almost done the same to him. It was time to get out of there and reconvene with the group at Tuana restaurant. Linda and I went to the public toilets, they are a short walk from the waterfront and it costs 4 lira (less than 20p). Because Kaan was charging 80 lira (£3.72) for a glass of wine and didn’t have any red, Linda went to buy a bottle in Migros. My parents went straight to Tuana but Captain Caveman and I wanted to find the fruit, veg and cheese market stalls. We found some lovely strawberries, then tried out and bought a few delicious cheeses.
At Tuana a few people were already eating and, although a glass of wine here was 85 lira (£3.95) a beer was only 50 lira (£2.33). The food was good and a few people recommended the quesadillas so Captain Caveman had that. It had chilli in so I ordered a plain chicken sandwich but when it came they had sprinkled chilli flakes on the chicken. I dusted them off and ate it as I was hungry but it was a bit warm. As we were leaving there was a bit of an unfortunate incident. I’d gone to the loo in the restaurant just before Tracey but didn’t realise that she was stuck in there. The dodgy lock meant she was trapped inside and had to phone Diana who alerted the staff. Tracey was rescued by them breaking the door so she didn’t get left behind!
Loaded up with fresh produce from Köyceğiz market, we got back on the boat just before 3pm. The bad weather looked like it might finally be catching up with us but we were heading away from the big black clouds. More drinks were had on the boat and I helped Kaan behind the bar a bit, to make sure everything was recorded properly. Our plan had been to anchor up somewhere on the lake, pop on some music and chill out a little but the rain did look like it might come. Kaan doesn’t have any side awnings on his boat but I momentarily couldn’t think what they were called to ask about them in English or Turkish. We had a laugh telling Kaan he needed to get some ‘side flaps’ for when it was wet! I made the decision to go back to Dalyan without anchoring up, just in case the weather turned, as we had been very lucky so far. This meant we were back by 4.30pm instead of the 5pm we planned so we didn’t cut it short too much.
A few of us decided to stop at Tez bar for a drink, Captain Caveman took our shopping home and went to check if Rob had finished work and wanted to join us. He was still in a meeting so he left a note to say to come to us and we had a couple at Tez’s. A guy sat there had just ordered a toaster which had been delivered to Tez so I took a photo of it for my mom to see if she wanted to order one. There was a German woman sat alone so she came to join us and, when Rob arrived, it turned out he spoke the most German out of any of us.
For dinner we decided to go to Çağrı, Rob had booked Fikri to take him to the airport so we were tight for time. Joining Captain Caveman, Rob, my parents and I were Jackie, Chris and Diana. We all ordered and a few people shared various mezes from the chiller too, there was more booze involved and we all had a lovely meal. Unfortunately Rob had to leave while we were still at Çağrı and we were all sad to see him go. He’d been a perfect guest and everyone had got on well with him, he is so easy going too. Captain Caveman gave him an open invite to come back any time. That really should have been the end of the night but, foolishly, after saying bye to Diana, Jackie and Chris the 4 of us had a table booked at the new Heybe’s Monday Entertainments quiz. When we got there it had just started and we got told off for being late. This quiz is an entertainments one which is based mainly on TV, film and musicals. Obviously Captain Caveman and I find that difficult as we were living in Vietnam for quite a while without any TV at all. We were in luck though as the specialist round was from years back, Only Fools and Horses, something we all used to watch. Jamie, Drew and Debbie were on the next table but we had no time for chatting to anyone as the quiz was on. Obviously we didn’t win and we weren’t sure this kind of quiz was our thing really. It’s ideal if you do like a lot of TV and film though. Earlier in the year I’d had a firestick but I rarely watched anything but Formula 1 or the news, so we were definitely at a disadvantage. Next week’s specialist round would be on the 1968 musical, Oliver! That was definitely more up Drew’s street as he’s good on musicals, none of us 4 have a clue. We were all drunk, we’d had an amazing weekend and now I needed to get back on track with my diet!
Kate, aka Miss Guided Tours or Miss Adventure, had organised another boat trip on Sunday 30th October. I had resigned myself to not going given that Edna, the dog, had not been well yesterday. When we got up and took both dogs out for a walk they were fine and Edna was back to normal, thankfully. I decided I would go on the boat trip, after all, but it did mean we would be leaving the pooches in the villa for about 7 hours and I was a bit concerned. Before the day out to sea on Kaan’s Tequila Boat, we didn’t have time to make breakfast so we grabbed a pain au chocolat from Migros and ate it at the front of the boat. On board today we had some of the same usual suspects but we were missing a couple who couldn’t make it and had added more for good measure. My parents, Captain Caveman and I were joined by Vanessa, Adam & Kath, Jackie & Chris, Trish & Steve, Michaela & Ali, Gay Gaz, Kelly and a lady we call 007. Mark and Kate got picked up from their jetty on our way to Devil’s Bay once again. I was so pleased that Ali was well enough to join us even though he and Michaela were not able to go mad with the drink. Trish was back to her usual self too and could enjoy a white wine (or 2) but Vanessa was now feeling a bit iffy and had to limit her wines to just 2 this time. Kate, who was doing so well being alcohol free but was finding it tricky to not drink. Typically, Kaan and Kate had agreed water would be free on this trip, so if she ordered wisely she still could take advantage of a free bar today! Of course, Gay Gaz, Kelly, Mark and Steve managed to make up for it on the booze. By 2pm Captain Caveman had cleared a beach of lots of litter and was towing it back to the boat using a paddle board as a raft.
Most people went in the sea and it was sunny still, about 26°C, but it did feel cool when I got out of the water. Kaan was so relaxed because this could well be the last boat trip of the season and he knows us all so well. He even joined us in a few drinks at the bar, leaving his two mates to do all the work.
The BBQ lunch was wonderful and with 18 of us on the boat it was cosy while we ate it. Kaan took us for another swim spot at hole island and we had more drinks, I think we may even have ran out of certain refreshments.
It was a lovely day even though I didn’t drink too much on account of looking after Jamie’s dogs and, when everyone suggested going for drinks after the boat trip, we decided to go straight home. I was sure that little Edna may need a walk by now and even half expected for one of the dogs to have had an accident but they had been as good as gold. I didn’t have any WiFi on the boat so I didn’t realise that we had missed Nanny Kay who had popped round to say hello, while we were out. I was sad to have missed her because she does have some of the best stories and always makes me laugh. After a nice walk the dogs were super ravenous and it was good to see Edna was back on her normal dog biscuits. For dinner that night we had diet pizzas and were trying not to fall asleep on the sofa, while watching Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix, at only 9.30pm.
Kate had arranged what we thought might be the last boat trip of the season, on Saturday 22nd October. Kaan’s Tequila Boat was once again the chosen one for today and he had agreed a good price. The plan was to go out to sea and find a tranquil spot at Devil’s Bay. Captain Caveman got up super early to go to the weekly market before the trip and ended up there before it was opened. Luckily he got himself a savory pancake for 25 lira (£1.20) while he waited for the stall holders to finish setting up. Once ready, he bought a variety of fruit, vegetables and olives for a total of 146 lira (£7), which would easily last us the week. At 10am we were on the boat waiting for 1 person who hadn’t seen the message that we were leaving 30 minutes earlier than first planned. Joining Kate, Mark, my parents, Captain Caveman and I on board were; Matt & Vanessa, Adam & Kath, Trish & Steve, Linda, Shiela, Gay Gaz and his mate Kelly. At least 2 of those people were half cut when they got on board so it looked like we were in for a lively day. This was the first time, since Captain Caveman arrived, that we had seen Kaan and he had a present from Vietnam. Kaan was so pleased with his Easy Tiger T-Shirt that he put it on straight away and showed it off to everyone.
Steve was the first in the water then lots of paddle board action ensued. Captain Caveman, Dad and I stuck to old fashioned swimming in the sea which wasn’t too cold ‘once you were in’. Poor Trish had been under the weather so wasn’t her usual chatty self, joining Kate in the not drinking alcohol camp. Kaan’s fridge soon got emptied though and Kelly was the first to declare the bar was open. Captain Caveman wasn’t too far behind Gaz and Mark but Dad and I waited until midday at least.
Steve like to be the first in the waterCaptain Caveman testing out if it is warm enoughKaan getting the equipment ready
Even though Mom didn’t risk going in the water, on account of her possibly not being able to get back out again, we still all had a good time. The BBQ lunch was good, as always, with plenty of it and some of the party sorts were proper hammering the booze. Gay Gaz’s friend Kelly was a force to be reckoned with and couldn’t half knock back the beers and raki. She did a couple of impressive dives from the roof of the boat, on the first occasion her boobs were out, we were spared Gay Gaz’s testicle appearance this time, though! It was a really great day out and with lots of swimming, eating and drinking. Kate and Kaan felt sure we could maybe squeeze in a repeat performance before the end of the season and the feelers were put out for another Miss Guided Tour next week.
When we got back to town it was dark so, after dropping Mark and Kate off at their jetty, and saying bye to the sensible friends, the remainder of us popped to Rum bar for a cocktail – they do one of the best Pina Coladas in Dalyan. My parents, Captain Caveman and I were a bit peckish by 8pm so we took ourselves off to Pizza 48 for our dinner. Dad had Hawaiian, Mom had tuna and onion, Captain Caveman had a mixed with extra onion rings and I had salami and mushroom. It was all very nice and the prices reasonable. The most expensive pizza was only 80 lira (£3.80), an Efes 55 lira (£2.62), Coke 15 lira (70p) and red wine 50 lira (£2.38) – we paid 515 lira (£24.52) for the 4 of us and we were all very full.
To celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, the four of us had booked a couple of days away. On Thursday 13th October Captain Caveman had loaded the car up with plenty of goodies and was ready to pick my parents up at 9.30am. We drove to Akyaka for breakfast at Orfoz restaurant, on our way to Datça. Captain Caveman ordered menemen, my parents ordered an omelette each and some tomatoes, cucumber & rocket. I just ordered some cheese and jam as I don’t like to eat eggs and a bigger breakfast would be too much while travelling.
Our next stop was at Datça Vineyard, where we were booked in to stay at. We had arrived early and decided to check out the town. We drove around Old Datça, got lost a bit and then made our way towards the sea. We parked up and walked past a place my parents had been to years ago then stopped for a drink at Gocadam Pub for a cold drink. We had lunch at a nice cafe overlooking the sea, Mom had a seafood spaghetti dish with a soft drink and the rest of us had pizza and beer. It was very nice and I had a bit left over as the portions were big.
On arrival at Datça Vineyard we walked up the steep slope to the reception to check in. It took a while as my Turkish is limited and so was their English and it seemed very laid back. We had booked 2 of the nicer rooms and they were lovely, they even had a whirlpool outside and a complimentary minibar. Dad did get in the whirlpool but it was very cold. The sunset and views from our rooms were charming and we really loved the place. The place had been recommended to me by Andy & Julie last year and I had been going for my birthday in January (this year) but we had to cancel. I was glad to finally get to visit and we were pleased to be staying 2 nights. That night we were supposed to be taking it easy but we all managed to drink lots of wine in our room. Captain Caveman and I had also brought lots of cheese and nibbles to go with the wine. We even brought our own supply of Tılsım red wine, just in case the vineyard stuff wasn’t what we liked.
Captain Caveman was back to his sprightly self on Sunday 2nd October, which looked to be another sunny day. He went to Migros supermarket as they opened at 8.30am to buy some breakfast items. He bought 1 simit, 1 croissant and 1 chocolate & nut croissant for a total of 25.35 lira (£1.20). We ate breakfast and, while I caught up on my Turkish, Captain Caveman went back to the supermarket for a bigger shop. Here’s the shopping basket and prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket
1 litre soda water 9.75 Salt 11.50 Cheese 15.50 2 packs of chicken livers 16.81 Apple and cherry juice 21.60 A knife 22.95 3 tomato puree 23.76 Marmalade 24.40 Washing powder 29.06 Roll-on deodorant 30.45 Chicken 41.24 Paper towels 79.90 Toilet rolls 119.90 Olive oil 154.90
Total spent 601.72 lira (£28.83)
Back home, we had a nice chicken salad for lunch and then we had to get ready for the biggest event in Dalyan that I’d ever been to!
At 3.30pm we made our way to the Kaunos tea garden where Victoria Louise Scott was getting married to Bünyamin. A while a go I had received an invite to her Facebook group event which I had read out to Captain Caveman so that he could add the itinerary to his phone. These were the details he had: 4pm Wedding ceremony at tea garden 4.30pm boats to the beach, canapés & drinks on board, photos at the beach 6.30pm back up the river by boat to Paradise hotel for the evening meal 8.30pm evening wedding party. I decided to wear my pink dress and Captain Caveman wore trousers and a shirt, despite it being extremely hot. When we arrived at the tea gardens there were already lots of guests having a refreshment. There was very little shade and we were melting so we decided to grab a beer. We were joined by Mark, Kate, Debbie (Darling), Roy, Nikki and Bianca. Debbie (Darling) and I stood together to watch the ceremony which was very nice. There were lots of guests, as Victoria is very well known in Dalyan, she is also an Admin for the Dalyan Visitors Facebook page.
Captain Caveman and I followed Mark and Kate towards the boats after the ceremony, Debbie (Darling) and Roy were going to go straight to the hotel and see us there. When we got to the boat, Mark, Kate and Daisy were on Turgay’s boat but it was now full so we hopped on the next one. Captain Caveman ordered a beer and I had a red wine, both cost the same, 70 lira (£3.35). We had a couple and enjoyed some canapés as we sailed down the river. On the boats we had lots of music and dancing and we got involved in the celebrations, feeling so pleased to have been invited. All of the guests we met were lovely and it was an amazing day. Victoria looked absolutely stunning and everyone had dressed up for this momentous occasion. The traditional Turkish band followed us from boat to boat and were incredible (and loud), the young drummer was fantastic.
We arrived at the Paradise hotel and rejoined Debbie (Darling) and Roy who were already sat at a table and had a wine bucket crammed with bottles of wine. There was also a lot of bottled water on the table which, when we went to sit down, a guest came to move out of the way. She took the waters and a bottle of wine to another table and we thought maybe we were in her seats so we moved down a bit. The table was set lovely and there was a post box for us to put our money/cards in. I didn’t realise how close to the top table we were until Victoria and Bünyamin came in to sit at their table, right behind me. The food came out quickly and was absolutely delicious, Captain Caveman shovelled it in like he was starving and ate anything from my plate that I couldn’t manage. The wine on the table to toast wasn’t to my taste as I’m not keen on sparkling rosé so we stuck to our own red wine. We managed to see Deidre who we missed meeting up with in Holland and she helped me sign the wedding book. Because I had contact lenses in, I had trouble seeing what I wrote. Steve came over with a whisky and I had one with the boys to mark the happy day. We were having a lovely time with lots of dancing and drinking. We were pretty tipsy but we had to leave fairly early as we had Drew’s birthday at River Terrace to attend.
At River Terrace we managed to just catch Jamie and Drew before his celebration ended. On the way home my sandal strap broke and I had to hobble down lovers lane to the bar. We then sat to watch Daisy perform her singing but I really couldn’t drink much more. It had been a great day and we had loved seeing so many people having such a good time.
joloyolo 