On the morning of Tuesday 19th March Captain Caveman and I had breakfast at Diep Le Homestay as it was included in the room rate. We’d booked online for 8 nights and the room cost was just less than 300,000VND (£9.53) per night for a family room. The bed was comfortable but I don’t think either of us had slept as well as we could’ve done. I was pleased that there was more than one pillow each though. The window didn’t close well so there were a few mosquitos in the bedroom. I took antihistamines so that the bites I had were not a problem. Captain Caveman had omelette with bread and black coffee for his breakfast while I went for the veggie noodles and green tea. Mine tasted like it had butter in it which I wasn’t a fan of but there was plenty of bak choy in the dish. Next, we borrowed one of the free bicycles from Diep Le and went to Oxalis where Captain Caveman had more coffee and I had a mango smoothie. Captain Caveman left for his Son Doong trip at 9am and would be gone for the next 4 days. Despite the news yesterday he remained in good spirits and was optimistic. He appeared to be far less worried about the future than I was! I had packed him some of my homemade fruitcake and a noggin of cheese for him to have at Camp 1. I had a lunch date with Chung but had to move it to the evening as I didn’t know if my stomach would be better. I wasn’t sure what had caused it but I didn’t feel too well. I had a veggie pho packed with vegetables and tofu, at The Villa’s, to see how that helped but my stomach was still iffy all afternoon. I paid 110,000VND (£3.49) for my massive bowl of noodle soup and a pot of Jasmine tea. At dinner time I was definitely feeling hungry so I met my old friend, Chung, at Phong Nha Vegan. We had an absolute feast of roasted peanuts, mushrooms in Lalot leaf, veggie fried rice, fresh spring rolls, a pineapple & carrot juice and a ginger tea with red apple. The spring rolls were the best I’ve had yet, the mushrooms are my favourite dish and it was just a really great dinner. I was pleased to see Chung again and the Lazy Ladies Club (LLC) was back together again. I paid the bill which was an absolute bargain of 260,000VND (£8.26) for the two of us. I cycled back to Diep Le Homestay for an early night, half expecting to be ill again but I was fine. I got ready for bed and then started to mull over some ideas. I’d been thinking of starting my own business now that I was out of work, but perhaps Captain Caveman and I could do something together for 2025. I got my notepad out and started making a list, by the time I went to sleep I had drafted out quite a business idea to put to Captain Caveman when he got back from the cave on Friday.
Wednesday 20th March was the day of the 2nd (Not so) Fat Club meeting that I had been away from. I had no idea what my weight was as there are no scales at the homestay we are staying in. I did take a note of my measurements and wasn’t optimistic as I’d consumed 302 syns this week. To my surprise, I had lost 1cm from my bust and hips and 2cm from my waist. At 6am it was only 17°C, a bit rainy and 97% humidity so I was quite chilly. For breakfast at Diep Le Homestay I tried the banana pancake which came with chocolate sauce on and was cooked in some type of margarine. I had a bad stomach as soon as I’d eaten it, which didn’t surprise me. In the afternoon I was invited to join Veronika at The Villa’s where she was going to be staying for a couple of nights and had some birthday champagne she had been saving. The evening was really lovely, I ate salami and prawn pasta which was great but did come with a chilli in despite me saying no chillies. Luckily I spotted it and the staff did offer to get me a new one. I spent just 260,000VND (£8.22) and was on 51 syns for the day.
Captain Caveman was up early on Monday 18th March as, although he wasn’t working until the evening, he likes to go in to the Oxalis office most mornings. I had a bit of a rest, then got packed and ready for checking out of Lucky Homes at midday. I walked to The Villa’s for breakfast, another Pho Ga and jasmine tea. Ben, one of the owners of Victory Road Villas, stopped by after returning from a motorbike trip from South to North Vietnam, which he enjoyed. Captain Caveman was taking a while and didn’t arrive to meet me at The Villa’s until almost 11.30am. I was starting to get concerned that we would miss the checkout deadline as he’s not normally this long when running work errands on a day off. As he approached me at The Villa’s, his face looked different but I couldn’t tell what emotion it was. He sat down and told me some news; Oxalis were ending his contract at the end of this season and wouldn’t be renewing it next year. Captain Caveman said he was ok but I could tell that this had come as a bit of a shock to him. I was less shocked and more concerned for what this meant for Captain Caveman for 2025 and beyond. I’ve never met someone who loves his job as much as Captain Caveman loves being a Cave Expert and his last month working at Oxalis would be August, less than 6 months away. There were so many questions that we simply didn’t know the answer to and would need time for him to work out what he would do next. Being a qualified structural engineer and safety expert meant that he would find work but it didn’t necessarily mean it would be in Vietnam. We checked out of Lucky Homes, who very kindly gave us our laundry bill for free, and checked in to our next accommodation, Diep Le Homestay, just a short walk away. We dropped our bags off then had a walk by the river and called in to Funny Monkeys for lunch. Captain Caveman ordered a Huda beer, I had water. We chose a mixture of fried and fresh spring rolls with pork fried rice, to share between us. Unfortunately the fried spring rolls had chilli in so I couldn’t eat them, but I was meant to be on a diet anyway. The fresh spring rolls had hot omelette in them which I didn’t enjoy (as I don’t like egg) so I picked it out but I did like the pork fried rice. While we were there we saw a western couple of paddle boarders, further along the river without lifejackets (which isn’t allowed). On our walk back we noticed a new cafe called Xin Chao so we called in for a drink. I had a fresh coconut for a bit of a treat (about 5 syns) and Captain Caveman was on his 3rd beer. We recognised the owner and staff from Capture cafe and had a bit of a chat, it was good to see her new place which looked clean and had a good menu. We sat admiring the view and watching the paddle boarding guests from Memories Homestay. The guy was out in the middle of the river, crossing the paths of the Phong Nha cave boats, no lifejacket and the board wasn’t even attached to him. In Phong Nha there are fines for doing this and no one is allowed on the river without lifejackets, since a tragic boat death a few years ago. While walking along the river, we saw Multi at The Villa’s so we called in to have a chat. My stomach wasn’t good and, despite it not being too hot, I was sweating and in pain. Back at Diep Le Homestay, I had a bit of a rest while Captain Caveman went to get ready for his next Son Doong tour tomorrow. He had an hour of sorting stuff out at the Glass House from 4-5pm, then a party at Mr Ky’s from 5pm. The Son Doong briefing at Oxalis started at 6pm and is followed by a Vietnamese dinner with all the guests until about 8.30pm. I was still ill so I didn’t go out for dinner, instead I had some of my sourdough with some cheese and then some Vietnamese biscuits.
Captain Caveman and I had plans for Friday 15th March which included our friend, Andrea. She was due to fly from Saigon on the same flight I’d taken 2 days ago, arriving in to Dong Hoi at 9am. We had arranged to meet her at the airport to pick her up and go to Phong Nha. But first, for breakfast we went to Mr Bull’s for Bo Ne again and, while we were there, Andrea messaged to say her flight was delayed. We thought it might be, as there was fog in Dong Hoi. At 10.15am we were sat in Dong Hoi airport waiting for the flight to come in. I noticed that the cafe sold pho for only 55,000VND (£1.73), which is reasonable. Once Andrea had arrived, we drove the 50km by private car, which Captain Caveman had booked through Oxalis, to Phong Nha. Captain Caveman had also booked 2 rooms at Lucky Homes for the weekend and we were able to check in before 12 noon, which was nice.
We were given a downstairs family room which was lovely with a massive bathroom. Andrea had an upstairs triple room and I gather we got the last 2 rooms of this perfectly located homestay. We have known Mr and Mrs Lucky Homes for 7 or 8 years, have eaten and drank at their riverside restaurant quite a lot but we’ve never stayed in their homestay. Captain Caveman already rents a room at the Glass House but it wasn’t in an ideal state for me to stay there at the moment so he preferred we stay in other places during my visit.
By 1.30pm Captain Caveman and Andrea were on the Huda beers at The Villas, which is a restaurant within Victory Road Villas hotel, owned by our friends Ben and Bich. I had a jasmine tea, determined not to have beer. The drinks were 30,000VND (95p) each which was still very reasonable given the location and quality of service.
Back at Lucky Homes we borrowed the free bicycles for guests and cycled to Tree House in town. We shared some wine; a bottle of the Francis Gillot red was 400,000VND (£12.79) and the Benjamin Mendy 450,000VND (£14.39) so quite reasonable. I preferred mine warm but Andrea and Captain Caveman popped ice in their red wine!
We cycled back to Lucky Homes to unpack and freshen up but then cycled back again to go out for dinner. Captain Caveman had chosen Ganesh, the only Indian restaurant in Phong Nha, and a massive favourite of ours. We had a feast to share between the three of us. These are the dishes and drinks with prices in Vietnamese Dong;
1 Huda beer 25,000 1 soda water 25,000 Saffron rice 49,000 Vegetable Samosas 60,000 Garlic Naan bread 60,000 Onion bhajis 85,000 Taka Dahl 98,000 Chicken 65 115,000 Chicken Tikka 120,000 1 bottle of red wine 270,000 Total spent 907,000VND (£29.00)
I’ve not had an Indian meal for a while so I wasn’t sure if that was good value but it seemed it to me and there was more than enough food for the 3 of us – we even took some back to the homestay. On our way back we had to have a couple of drinks at The Villas again for good measure. Andrea and I had margaritas which were still as good as I remembered them, 180,000VND (£5.78) each. Captain Caveman had gin and tonic. It’s worth noting that the bar closes at 10pm and we were certainly pushing that deadline a little as we paid up and went off to get some sleep. I didn’t know it at the time but Andrea and Captain Caveman had plans to wear me out tomorrow.
It was quite cold in Dong Hoi in comparison to Saigon so I wore my jeggings on Thursday 14th March. Obviously, Captain Caveman was up early but I managed to stay in bed until 7.30am. As I’d missed (Not So) Fat Club in Dalyan yesterday, I did my measurements to find that the results were terrible; Bust +1cm, Waist +3cm, Hips +2cm. I put it down to having had 298 syns in the week and water retention. Humidity was much higher here and I could feel my ankles swelling already and I was quite tired. By 8am I was on my way down in the lift to meet Captain Caveman at Mr Bull, as he’d gone on ahead. We only had one more day and night in Dong Hoi so we had a very full itinerary today. Mr Bull is one of our favourite places for breakfast in Dong Hoi as it has the best Bo Ne. The Vietnamese breakfast dish comes on a sizzling skillet and comprises, steak, sausage, pâté, onions, salad garnish, fried egg and a baguette. I obviously donated the ingredients I don’t like to Captain Caveman who ended up with a massive portion of it and I just had the steak, onion and bread.
Our next adventure was to go to the cinema as Captain Caveman wanted to watch Dune 2. I was reluctant as I don’t like that genre of film and haven’t seen Dune 1. But when I was told we were loading up on treats and it was 3 hours in a comfortable seat, I changed my mind. I wasn’t allowed Dairy Milk chocolate bars which were only 20,000VND (63p) but Peanut M&Ms and Korean crisps were in the basket. We paid 180,000VND (£5.71) for 2 cinema tickets and we needn’t have been tight by smuggling in our own snacks as the popcorn, drinks and hotdog combos were reasonably priced. As we took our allocated seats I knew I was going to have a bit of a nap as the massive seats were so good. Captain Caveman loved the film, I thought it was a bit boring and went on for far too long. I had a couple of naps and got confused that Josh Brolin’s character wasn’t the same person as Javier Bardem’s. After the film, we went to the Gold shop so that Captain Caveman could change some money. We walked through the market to the bag repair man so that I could get my bag stitched where it had torn. We left the bag there and said we would come back after lunch.
Ngon Saigon Deli is another one of our go to places for a cheap and tasty lunch. We both had pork, broken rice and veggies for 42,000VND (£1.33) and Captain Caveman had his with a fried egg for an extra 7,000VND (22p). He had a cold Huda beer at a bargain 15,000VND (48p) and I had a peach and lemongrass iced tea for 25,000VND (79p). A small vegetable soup each was served for free. We both really enjoyed our meal which was less than £5 for everything and I couldn’t even finish all of mine. Feeling full, we still had lots more errands to run so we got a taxi to the porter sandal shop where we both got a new pair for about 140,000VND (£4.44). We tried to call in to see Thuy, the physio, but the premises had moved. On the way back in to Dong Hoi, we called at the bike shop so that Captain Caveman could buy a new cycling helmet, the wine shop where we picked up 2 bottles of red, the pharmacy where Captain Caveman stocked up on essential medications and then the phone shop. I needed a Viettel SIM card and the staff member took my passport and my photo, more than a few times, but couldn’t get them to match up. We were in there about 40 minutes before she wrote in Google translate on her phone that they were sorry that at this time I could not get a SIM card as my face in real life and the one in my passport don’t match. My passport photo is 7 years old and I know I’ve lost weight but I had managed to get on 4 flights this month with it, fine. I wasn’t too happy but there was nothing I could do about not having a phone and we would try again in Phong Nha, this weekend. Before we went back to the hotel, we went to collect my bag which cost just 10,000VND (32p) to get fixed and then we walked round the corner to have a fresh coconut before getting a Grab back to the Minh Quang hotel.
We had arranged to meet Stu, Max, Jack and Aussie Pete at a fancy new bar in Dong Hoi in the evening. Captain Caveman had been to Regal Legend once before and it was like a very small version of a Marina Bay Sands style rooftop pool and bar. On walking up the stairs to the bar, we were met by 2 staff who presented us with a big board showing the drinks menu. Captain Caveman chose a Huda beer and I opted for a margarita. We sat at a nice table by the pool and I took a few photos of the lovely new place, while waiting for the drinks and our friends. We’d hoped for a sunset view but it was cloudy and Captain Caveman was left disappointed when the bar man explained that they didn’t have any Huda beer, only Tiger Crystal. He had that and I was totally taken off guard by my margarita, which seemed to be more like a vodka martini with Cointreau and lime juice in it. The alcohol content was high so I didn’t complain but I didn’t have another one. When Aussie Pete arrived he was also a bit perturbed that he couldn’t get a Huda beer and had to have the more expensive Tiger Crystal at 22,000VND (70p). I decided I wanted to have a glass of wine but they didn’t serve it by the glass, only the bottle, with the cheapest one being unavailable and the next cheapest red being 618,000VND (£19.52). Captain Caveman was up for treating me so I went over to the bar to look at the bottles where the 2 bottles I checked had been opened. I decided against the wine and chose a whiskey coke from the menu which started a chain of confusion. Neither of the staff were happy with my choice as they didn’t have any coke. I didn’t believe this and decided to nip to the toilet downstairs while the staff tried to find me my ‘cocktail’ ingredients. At the same time Aussie Pete and Captain Caveman ordered 2 more Tiger beers.
At the bottom of the stairs was a fridge, interestingly it’s contents were 2 shelves of Pepsi, one shelf of 7Up, one of water and the last of cold Huda beers. The bottom shelf of Huda beer had just 2 Tiger beers left, which the waitress was getting out. I went to the loo where staff were taking selfies and drinking coffees in there. I went back upstairs to reluctantly let the guys know there was Huda in the fridge. Jack had arrived and Stu was on his way but we all were laughing at the beer situation. I’d been given a large Jack Daniels and 3 staff were now arguing about not having a coke, with a Pepsi in their possession. I took the can, they looked confused and the guys all ordered Huda. When they said there was none, I produced a photo to show the fridge and they dutifully brought them. We weren’t allowed to knock up a tab and had to pay as we went but Huda beers were only 15,000VND (47p), which was ridiculously funny for Stu and Aussie Pete who didn’t have small notes. They forgot Aussie Pete’s change, overcharged Captain Caveman and didn’t think it was weird to charge Stu on a bank transfer for one beer at once. My Jack Daniels and Pepsi was 99,000VND (£3.28) on the menu but I’d definitely ended up with a larger serving than it should have been. We only went there because Stu’s mate worked there. We learned he’d quit when he didn’t get paid over the Tet holiday so we probably wouldn’t be going back in a hurry. They didn’t serve dinner (probably a good job they didn’t) so we left there and went back to Oregano for the second day running. Just Aussie Pete, Captain Caveman and I made it for food where Captain Caveman ordered a potato and bacon pizza. Aussie Pete and I both ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was really nice for 50,000VND (£1.58). Once again, it was an early night as we would be getting up early tomorrow to pick up our friend from the airport, then head to Phong Nha.
I had quite a few plans on Tuesday 5th March; a hair appointment, Leanne coming over to video the apartment and meeting Becky for a leaving drink. As I went to Emrah’s for my hair appointment it was getting a bit blustery outdoors. I was nearly late on account of going back for an umbrella and me carrying a bag full of jars for Drew to pop his kumquat jam in. My hair looked good, until I stepped outside in to the wind as a huge storm was likely on its way. I had tea and a banana for breakfast and made a Slimming World friendly lasagne for lunch. I didn’t go to Zumba as it started to rain and I had a leak in the bathroom to sort out. I’d just repainted the bedroom wall but then some water came in through the Air Con and ruined it. Leanne came over and we had a chat for quite a while, she took the video for the new tenants moving in so that she could see everything was in good working order. We were using King Emlak for our long term rental and Leanne was going to be overseeing that as well as some repairs prior to the tenants moving in. I arrived late at Mono and More where I was pleased to see Becky, Jamie, Barney (Jamie’s brother), Norman and Edna. I was also glad to find that the new coffee shop now sold alcohol and I ordered a nice glass of white wine. Edna was funny as the glass table top confused her when she could see my wine but couldn’t get to it. It was nice to sit out and it was actually quite warm. The Aussies, Greg had to meet a friend but Amanda joined us. Basrı also joined us and then after it got a bit cool we all said our goodbyes, apart from Amanda who was waiting for Greg with the keys and the money. It was at this point that we wanted to get in touch with Greg to find out where he was, when the whole Facebook and Social Media crashed. We walked to their villa but no one was there, Amanda managed to call Greg who was in the barbers. Amanda invited herself over to mine to wait for him there, on account of not having her keys. We waited a while at mine and then the rain came just as Greg was walking to my place. We chatted a bit then they decided they needed some food, I only had my Slimming World friendly meals in as I was leaving in a few days. Greg decided he fancied Hatay kebabs, Amanda did too but I said I really wanted to avoid temptation. Hatay kebabs are one of my favourites but I had Fat Club weigh-in tomorrow and I had been quite good all week – the last kebab I ate gave me a bad stomach. Greg got up and left the apartment just as the rain absolutely trounced it down. He arrived back at the bottom of the stairs with 2 kebabs, chips, cokes and a massive cramp from running in the storm. Amanda had to help him as he couldn’t get up the stairs and I got him a towel out as he looked like he’d had a shower while fully dressed. It was hard watching them eat their food, but I was determined to lose weight this week. The rain got worse as I listened to their travel plans for the next month, until they arrived in Vietnam in April. It was 11.15pm when they left having invited me to join them for a Turkish breakfast tomorrow morning. I explained I was eating healthily and had Fat Club tomorrow afternoon so didn’t want to eat a big breakfast beforehand. They said they would call round first thing in the morning to say final goodbyes and pick up the paint I had borrowed as they were leaving Dalyan for a few weeks. I ate some reheated leftover Slimming World friendly lasagne then went to bed. This week I had consumed 241 syns, of which 79 were alcohol so I was really hoping I’d done enough to get a loss this week. I wasn’t confident I’d have reached my next milestone of one and a half stone loss though.
I’d got up early on Wednesday 6th March to apply another coat of paint on the bedroom wall beneath the AC unit. The Aussies were planning on going for breakfast at Kefal tea gardens and said they would call round to pick up the paint they loaned me. I got on the scales at home and the result was good but I wanted to wait and see what Carol’s scales said this afternoon before I got too excited. My measurements were really good as I’d lost 2cm each off my bust, waist and hips this week and I was now quite a bit under the measurement targets I had set. After strawberries and 2 bananas for breakfast I did a bit of packing and tidying up, while waiting for the Aussies. Bonnie popped round at 10am and we had a little chat. The Aussies turned up while Bonnie was there having not had their breakfast yet. I gave them the paint and gave them hugs goodbye. They would land in Vietnam in 6 weeks and were heading to Phong Nha. I helped Bonnie downstairs with a charity bag and then popped to the bank and stationers to finish off my errands. I went to have my last catch up with Adele at the Kefal tea gardens where I had several Turkish teas and some peanuts before going straight to Fat Club. Unfortunately, it meant that I had forgotten to take some of the food I was clearing out before I left for Vietnam. This was the last Fat Club before my trip so I was so glad when I had lost 1.7kg (3.7lbs) on Carol’s scales this week. I was so happy that I’d now lost a total of 10.5kg (22.7lbs) which meant that I had finally got my 1.5 stone loss sticker! I was just under my original target weight but I’d adjusted it more recently so that I still had 0.7kg (1.5lb) to lose to hit target. From now on, the group would have to be known as the Not So Fat Club, especially as lots of others were all doing well and losing weight. I’d been so grateful to have managed to lose so much and Carol had been a massive help. To celebrate I went to Ozzy’s for a bit of wine with Jamie, Ghislaine and Christine. We bumped in to Kate, Pamela, Andrea and John and I had a few celebration last drinks. That evening I joined Jamie, Barney and Nanny Kay at Mahir’s again. This time I ate the batter off the fish and thoroughly enjoyed my treat night. After dinner we had one more in Ozzy’s and I gave Kate the dress I’d been wearing as she liked it. I said goodbye to Mark and Kate who were going home on their mobility scooter. Tomorrow was my last day in Dalyan and so I planned for an uneventful, but productive, day.
I didn’t sleep well and still had a bad stomach when I woke up on Sunday 3rd March. I put it down to the sausages I’d brought back from Rhodes and they had to go in the bin. I managed a cup of tea and a banana but had to cancel any plans to join Mark, Kate and the Aussies for Turkish breakfast at a museum. There was also the Sunday walk which Carol had organised to go from Ley Ley restaurant which I skipped too. I was hoping to be ok for later as I’d organised that tonight would be my leaving meal and drinks with an eclectic mix of just a few friends. During the day I managed to eat a fruit salad, some broccoli and potato soup, a small pasta Bolognese and lots of oresol, water and herbal teas. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was heading back in to the jungle on his Laos/Vietnam month long cave expedition that he was half way through. They had found some new cave which was good and it was nice to talk to him after a couple of weeks of him being in the Laotian jungle. This might be the last phone call until I saw him in Phong Nha in 12 days time. I arrived at Mahir’s kebab place at 7.30pm to find that Jamie and Drew were already there and a random bag and jazzy jacket were placed on the middle seat so I moved it along one space to my left and sat down next to Jamie. Jaxx sat opposite me when she arrived, as Bill was away, then Carol (from Fat Club) arrived with Ian and moved the bag to sit next to me and Jaxx. I’d now worked out the stuff on the seat was perhaps Adele’s. She sat next to Carol which left the 2 seats at the end for Amanda and Greg, who arrived last and instantly got on with Adele. Mark and Kate had declined the invite as they had already eaten out today and they didn’t fancy the leaving drinks. A few of us ordered the fish and chips at Mahir’s. I tried to be good and took most of my batter off, mainly because of my stomach more than the diet. Jaxx and I went thirds on a bottle of wine with Adele, then shared a bottle between the 2 of us. We had a lovely meal, I seemed to have made a full recovery and was feeling well enough to move on to the after party at Sofra bar. Adele, Carol and Ian went home as they had to be up early on Monday morning but the rest of us decided to move on for a bit of a drinking sesh. As it happened, Mark and Kate were still out and were the only ones waiting in Sofra for me. Of course, it turned in to one of those nights. Jamie and Drew had been sensible and gone home once it started looking messy. Greg took Mark and Kate home then returned to Jaxx and I where we put Jaxx in a taxi then Greg insisted that they drove me home. The night turned in to a very very late finish! Amanda and Greg were still at mine after 4am! Once upstairs I realised I’d left loads of coat hangers on the bed and then at 5.30am (9.30am in Vietnam) I had a drunken video call with Captain Caveman who had popped back to Phong Nha in between cave expeditions. We were both glad I had decided to have the leaving drinks in advance of my leaving date.
I was surprisingly chipper when Jamie picked me up at 10am on Monday 4th March, despite my 3 hours of sleep. We drove to Ortaca where we got to the shop and bought 2 grey sunbed cushions for 1200 lira (£29.93) then went straight back to Dalyan. The cleaner was hard at work so I dropped the cushions off then had a wander round Dalyan. By the time it got to 11.50pm I knew I needed a bacon sandwich but Ela’s Kitchen was closed. I went to Jiks where I bumped in to 3 other Dalyan Dwellers before finally going back home to start on my packing for Vietnam. I’d called at the bank a couple of times to sort things out and try to get holiday insurance but the computer was down and I had to go back. The lira was now at the highest it had been at 40.1 lira to the pound. For lunch I had left over pasta Bolognese then for dinner I had chicken stir-fry with bulgur wheat and chickpeas. I had heard from one of the Fat Club that there was a restock of Quark and on offer so I went to the shop to get them and some cheese to make Carol’s pasties. Here’s what I bought and prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25 3 Quark 59.85 Cheddar 76.90 Total spent 164.95 lira (£4.11)
Later, I spoke on video call to my parents which was good and we spoke about my plans for Vietnam.
Unfortunately, there was a full power outage, from 7am, in Dalyan on Saturday 24th February but Jamie had sent me a warning about it. This gave me a good excuse that I would have to have breakfast from the market today. I got up and sorted out Norman and Edna, then made a cup of Yorkshire tea with Jamie’s whistling kettle on the gas hob! It seemed a bit cold so I got on the sofa with the dogs and a blanket while I drank my tea and caught up with a few online chores. I went to the weekly market and here’s what I bought (prices in lira);
Mushrooms 15 Potatoes 18 Bananas 55 Strawberries 100 Apples and Chestnuts 125 1 cheese and mushroom gözleme 75 Total spent 388 lira (£9.95)
I’d got talking to Cath and Keith while I was picking bananas out and unfortunately instead of the 5 I wanted to buy going in to my bag, I got a whole bunch of them. The gözleme had increased in price a bit more too, but I didn’t think 75 lira (£1.92) for breakfast was unreasonable. The walk home was sweaty and my bag was heavy. I had cucumber water and rose tea, some strawberries and the gözleme when I got back to Jamie’s. For lunch I just had a red apple and a litre of cucumber water. I sunbathed outside for a bit and even had to pop on some suncream as it was warm. By 4pm we were all back indoors cooling down and I was going to have a shower before the dog walk. I got in the shower but the water was cold and it turned out that, because of the power outage earlier, the boiler was off. I messaged Jamie so he could get the plumber out. I could’ve gone over to our apartment for a shower but I didn’t bother. We did the dog walk, avoided the pub or any alcohol and I had a sweet and sour chicken with rice for dinner. On the sofa I caught up with The Apprentice on TV and even Edna couldn’t believe how stupid some of the candidates were.
There was a bit of activity on Sunday 25th February; I was joining the Sunday walk which Carol (from Fat Club) had organised, the plumber was coming to fix the boiler and I was joining an online launch party with Lisa Johnson later. I didn’t have a cup of tea this morning as I needed to get Norman and Edna sorted and fed before I left for the Sunday walk. Norman knew it was a Sunday and was stood at the bottom of the stairs trying to get me to take him back to bobos. I nearly didn’t go on the walk because the plumber was coming at 1pm and I wasn’t sure we’d be back in time, given we were walking to the Sultaniye mud baths. Carol had confirmed we should be back in time so I’d agreed to meet at the Denizkızı ferry. I met Tina (from Fat Club) and her hubby, Paddy, at Tez bar at 9.30am and we walked the 20 minutes to the meeting point together. It was quite a turn out and I said hello to a few of the walkers as we got on the ferry to cross the river. The ferry was just 10 lira (26p) each way for a foot passenger which was a bargain for the short trip. Ghislaine loaned me the use of Honey, her 13 year old spaniel, who could certainly motor but did like to pee a lot. It was quite a hard walk for me and unfortunately we didn’t get to the mud baths until gone 11.30am. This meant that, because I had insisted that I be back by 1pm, the group couldn’t enjoy any time at the mudbaths. We all had a quick pee, I was the only woman to brave the squat toilet, as I was in practice for my travels next month.
The walk back was hard and we stopped off for a drink at Pirates and Skulls, a nice little cafe. I just had an orange juice and tried to get the correct information on the times of the ferries. I had a panic on as I possibly wouldn’t be back in time for the plumber or to let the dogs out after them being alone after almost 4 hours. I messaged Jamie to see if he could delay the plumber, paid the 70 lira (£1.79) for my orange juice and decided to go for the ferry anyway. Ausaf, Lyn, Debbie and Christine came too, leaving some of the group having a few bevvies. The ferry turned out to go back and forth without a timetable so we were in luck, as well as Christine coming to the rescue with her hubby, Jez, picking us up at the other side and dropping me at Jamie’s. I was more concerned with being late to let the dogs out but they were fine and snoozing away. I’d just let them out on the back garden when the plumber turned up and he fixed the boiler really quickly. Norman and Edna knew him so, of course, Edna had to get some male attention from the nice man! For lunch I had a chicken pasta dish while Norman wanted to know why I’d been on a walk with another dog! I felt a bit guilty and even worse when I had to do only a short dog walk with them because I could hardly walk myself. For dinner I had miso soup with egg noodles and lots of fruit salad. At 11pm I joined the launch party Facebook live with Lisa Johnson and a massive number of other people. It was really motivating and encouraged me to get on and start taking some action. I was really excited for next week’s free course and was glad my friend, Heather, had prompted me to get involved. Finding a job with my unique requirements and talents was going to prove difficult, but setting up in business might just suit me better. By bedtime I was still hungry and had to have a buttered crumpet with cheese and olives. This meant I was already on 174 syns for the week. I’d had a great day and had only spent 90 lira (£2.31) but tomorrow was my last full day with Norman and Edna.
Now that I had Mondays off work, I was living the dream again on Monday 5th February. We were off on the boat to Köyceğiz and word must have got out as it was a very full trip. Vanessa and I were there with Adele, Mark and Kate, plus a fair few Dalyan Dwellers, there were also a few Turkish people and we were on yet a different boat. The yellow boat still was not ready and the boat we were on had a toilet but it wasn’t in use. We’d all gone togged up in warm clothing so we weren’t cold and Vanessa was on a shopping research mission. We got off the boat and after all the women had a walk to the shopping centre, Vanessa and I went in search of the plant pot shop where she checked out the merchandise and bought some dangly garden ornaments. I bought 2 bodies, the t-shirts with poppers at the gusset were back in fashion here and were on 2 for 1 offer and only 250 lira (£6.53) for both. We decided to go to Avangart again for lunch, a few others from the boat stopped by to check on the price of wine and were put off. Vanessa and I had a salad, bread, an orange juice and a big water. I paid 300 lira (£7.83) for my lunch and it was so lovely, the others went to Tuana but quite a few were disappointed with the service. The journey back was more prompt, as there were no takers for the mud baths this week. By 5pm we were having a cheeky one in Tez bar and Vanessa treated me to a glass of wine, which was half the price of Avangart at 90 lira (£2.35). Back home, I made a chicken pasta dish for dinner and was in my dressing gown by 9pm, it’s hard work enjoying yourself too much! I’d spent just over £30 and I’d caught the sun.
I decided to do a Slimming World Speed day on Tuesday 6th February. This is where you eat ‘speed’ fruit and veg, as well as protein, the Healthy A & B options, the daily syn allowance and any ‘free’ food. Rice, potatoes and pasta are not included in any meals. It sounds easy but it takes a bit of planning ahead so that you don’t get hungry. I started with my usual cup of Yorkshire tea, then had 1 slice of wholemeal toast (half of the B option) with baked beans (free) and butter (syns) for breakfast before Zumba. I also put the tomatoes from yesterday’s walk and the ones from the market in the slow cooker with onion and lentils to make a speed soup. After Zumba, I had an apple (speed) then a rather unusual lunch. I had 2 beef patties (syns) with roasted pumpkin (speed), raw red and white cabbage and carrot (all speed) with balsamic vinegar. When I got peckish in the afternoon, I had a tiny bit of cheese (A option) and a big gherkin (speed). At dinner time I really enjoyed the tomato and lentil soup (speed) with the other half of my wholemeal bread allowance but no butter. In the evening I still had some syns and A option left so I had cheese, olives and some strawberries. My total syns for the day was 10, making the weekly amount 303. I’m not sure that would be good enough for a loss at Fat Club tomorrow, but we would see.
Thursday 1st February was a busy day; the Aussies were leaving Dalyan early the next day and heading to Rhodes. They wanted to have a Turkish breakfast before they left and so it had already been booked in that I would join them, Mark and Kate at Melekanne, a restaurant by the river. I’d only been a couple of times before but had been disappointed, so had not been back for well over a year. Lots of people had recommended it so I decided to give it another go, however we agreed for us to meet there after my Zumba class, rather than before. Zumba class was good and I mentioned I was rushing off to go for breakfast at Melekanne to a few of the ladies. It was too late to change our minds but I got told the prices were shocking for what you get and that the breakfast isn’t that good. I tend not to react well to Turkish breakfast as it’s either food I don’t like or food that doesn’t like me. As I’d been doing Slimming World I’d started to get better with my intolerances so I decided I’d go for it. It was the Aussies last meal in Dalyan and worth a little celebration. The Melekanne breakfast was 300 lira (£7.73) each which is more expensive than some other places but we did have nice views and were sat in the sun. Amanda, Greg and I ordered the Turkish breakfast, Mark ordered a hamburger and Kate ordered an omelette. There were plenty of chips (with and without yoghurt), cheese rolls, cheese, tomato, cucumber, marmalade, jam, chilli dip, fried eggs, olives, bread and lots of tea. In other places a Turkish breakfast can be hard to finish but the portion size here was not too big. Mark’s burger was all sauce and very messy, Kate didn’t rate her omelette which came with a tiny amount of chips so she had to have some from our breakfast. Mark and Kate’s bill was 590 lira (£15.21) which included 2 coffees and a juice. Quite unexpectedly, I had no bad reaction whatsoever to what I ate. Admittedly I only had bread, cheese, a cheese roll, olives and chips but I was pleased I wasn’t ill. Mark and Kate left to go run some errands but the Aussies wanted to try the new coffee shop in town. Mono & More is owned by Ercan, aka Mario, from Spice Garden and people were talking about how good the coffee was. I don’t drink coffee or frequent coffee shops but thought it would be good to have a look. The place has been decorated really well and it looked nice. We met Jill, their neighbour, there and while the others had some fancy coffee, she and I had a hot chocolate. It was very nice and probably full of sugar and syns, but only 60 lira (£1.55). Our next stop was Ozzy’s, where they had started doing food. There had been a post on Facebook, from Ozzy, to let everyone know and he’d put a photo of some chips for attention. They were crinkle cut and it got a lot of comments that they were or weren’t frozen. Ozzy had said they weren’t frozen, I believed him, but we had to go and give them a test. Mark and Kate joined us and Kate helped us test the chips too. I had a couple of the chips, they weren’t frozen, and they were good. They also do a beer plate, which I took a photo of but didn’t eat, which was popular with customers. I had a couple of wines in Ozzy’s which came to 220 lira (£5.67) and was home by 8pm, having said bye to Amanda and Greg. I had a burger for dinner at home then an early night as I had work in the morning.
For breakfast on Friday 2nd February I had dried figs, an apple and a cup of Yorkshire tea. Then I got on with work for the morning, not noticing that I had got a missed call and a text from Greg. They had taken a taxi to Fethiye for a ferry they had booked with Sky Marine, only to find that there was no Sky Marine ferry. They were calling me for help as to what to do, unfortunately when I’m working I put my phone on do not disturb. There was another ferry company and they got that one but I later noticed they had put some angry posts on Facebook about it. I looked at Sky Marine ferries website and the ferries were not running in February so I’m not sure how that had happened. For lunch I had veggie pasta and a quick call from Captain Caveman. He’d just got out of Son Doong with Martin Garrix (a famous Dutch DJ) and Lando Norris (a famous F1 racing driver). We had a quick catch up and he said he would try to call me later. I carried on with work with the waft of a homemade soup in the slow cooker, I was trying cauliflower, leek and courgette. I had another break from work in the late afternoon when Captain Caveman video called me with Martin, Lando and their fellow cave trip members on the call. I got to ask what they thought of the tour, they said it was beyond amazing and the best week of their life!!! I didn’t get to ask my other 10 questions in person but Captain Caveman said that they would send the replies later. I was so pleased that they had called however, it meant I had to work until 8pm because of the time for the phonecalls. I had chocolate and some jellies to keep me going until I logged off the laptop. For dinner I tried the soup with some potato wedges, it wasn’t my favourite meal. Later, I got the answered questions I’d sent to Lando and I was so pleased, it had made my day. I’d also spent zero money today, in an attempt to get back on track with the budget. I went to bed in a good mood and looking forward to the weekend.
I was once again able to go on the Köyceğiz boat trip because of not working on Monday 29th January. I did a quick check of my spending as of yesterday to find I was just £1.80 below my £300 budget, which I was so pleased with. Vanessa couldn’t make it but this time onboard were; The Aussies, their neighbour Jill, Mark & Kate, Nick & Michele, Donna & Neil and me. I’d had my overnight oats and a cup of tea for breakfast, then drank 3 Turkish teas and had half a simit on the boat. It was cold and I think we all wondered what on earth we were thinking going on a boat trip in this weather. The yellow boat was still being repaired so we went on a boat without a toilet again and it didn’t have any plastic sides to put down. Still, for 200 lira (£5.18) return we didn’t complain.
Once in Köyceğiz, Kate and I headed up to the shopping centre as she needed some pyjamas and I was after a new pair of gloves. I’d been making do with just one but it was too chilly when the sun wasn’t out. By 1pm I had bought a pair of thermal fur lined leggings for 329 lira (£8.52), a pair of fur lined gloves for 300 lira (£7.77) and a bottle of prosecco at 190 lira (£4.92). We swung by the market where I bought a pricey pineapple for 60 lira (£1.55) and went halves on some shitake mushrooms at 25 lira (65p). We rejoined Mark at Tuana, the Aussies and Jill joined us shortly after and we ordered lunch. I was on a strict budget so I ordered a Turkish tea for 10 lira (26p) and a chicken burger at 125 lira (£3.24). Unfortunately, when we came to pay, I ended up putting more than necessary in. I only had a 200 lira note for my 135 lira bill but I only got 30 lira back so I’d paid 35 lira extra but noticed not everyone put in a tip. My meal was nothing to write home about and a bit of a waste of going off my diet for, but Jill was pleased with her pasta and the Aussies enjoyed their Turkish breakfast.
We left Köyceğiz at 3.30pm and the Aussies were off to use the facilities of the mudbaths again. Luckily, we had the fizzy wine we’d bought and a couple of bottles from Hakkan and Nilüfer but I was reluctant to drink much without a toilet on board. It had been a great day – it’s pretty rare to see a peacock and a proposing street dog on the same trip! By the time we got back it was pretty cold. The Aussies went to drop off the shopping while Mark, Kate and I went to Tapa. When the Aussies returned they had a hot chocolate each, I had a rosé wine and played Mark at pool. Back home, it was too late for dinner so I had a few chestnuts and a bit of cheese before trying on my thermal leggings – they were amazing! It had been a good day out but I had splashed out almost 4 days worth of budget.
I’d agreed to go on the walk on Sunday 28th January, having missed out on the one that was organised last week. This week a lady from Zumba, Jacks, had let me know the details. It was going to be organised by Bev, the new lady from İçmeler walking group, and her hubby, Steve. It was a round walk going from outside Tez bar via Eskiköy and all on the flat. I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker for a chicken curry for dinner. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and a tangerine before I set off. There were loads of people for the walk this week, including some people from the İçmeler walking group. The Aussies had also joined but they were much faster than me. In fact, it turned out I was very slow and didn’t even see Michele, Jackie or Carol, who were at the front, the whole way round the walk. I walked mainly with Ghislaine, Jacks, and Debbie who are great company on a walk. We stopped for tea in Eskiköy which was nice and the cafe was really cheap. Steve was a real help to me as he kept at the back to help with the route. He told me the directions once I became the last person at the back as I couldn’t keep up with everyone else. There wasn’t really an end to the walk, as by the time I’d got back to town, everyone had gone their own way. The Aussies had zoomed off as they had a friend to meet.
I got home after walking for 3.5 hours and had 4 pieces of chocolate, a shower and leftover chicken stir-fry with egg rice for lunch. The slow cooker curry was coming on a treat and I was looking forward to that for dinner. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was incredibly cold in Phong Nha and couldn’t get warm. I told him to wear my monkey trousers for bed to keep cosy and he did. I was still hungry after eating the delicious curry so I had a small wrap made in to a mini pizza. I’d only had 13 syns today so was pleased with that, but tomorrow I had more Monday plans! I decided I was going to cancel my belated birthday plans for Thursday as I now work on Fridays, initially thinking I would move it to Friday or Saturday but, if I’m honest, I just wasn’t feeling it and money was tight. I sent a message out and cancelled the group event.
On the morning of Monday 22nd January I totted up my budget spend for the first 3 weeks of the year. I’d set myself a tight £10 per day to live off, not including rent and utility bills. To my surprise, I’d done even better than anticipated and had managed to only spend the equivalent of £147.78, a massive £52.22 saving. I was really pleased with myself as it had not been easy and had took strict planning and a lot less going out/drinking. Because of this, I had allowed myself to go a bit mad today, as a treat. Given that I had been working every Monday, I’d been missing out on the Köyceğiz weekly market that a lot of Dalyan Dwellers had been frequenting, with Hakkan and Nilüfer on the Yellow Boat. Köyceğiz, in my opinion, is a lot cheaper than Dalyan too and I’d missed the market on Saturday so it was good timing. When I got out of bed I regretted drinking so much wine yesterday and Vanessa’s coat in the downstairs toilet reminded me I’d come home in a heavy downpour. I messaged Vanessa who was fine and not hungover at all, she called for me and we laughed about yesterday’s impromptu piss up. Unfortunately, the usual Yellow Boat was being repaired so Hakkan took us on a boat that’s used to go to the beach, and it didn’t have a toilet. It was cold but I’d brought my big coat, hat and the one glove I had. There was also plenty of blankets and hot beverages on the boat.
When we reached Köyceğiz, Vanessa and I went off to the market, not realising everyone else went a different way. Here’s what I spent on splashing out, with prices in lira;
1kg Tangerines 10 Cabbage 20 Bananas 25 Potatoes & carrots 40 Chestnuts 60 Melon 70 2 bags of olives 150 1kg dried fruit 300 Total spent 675 lira (£17.53)
My bag was so heavy and I was certainly missing Captain Caveman for carrying the rucksack. He wouldn’t have appreciated our willy-nilly approach to shopping, though – we didn’t even go row by row or do the heavy stuff first! I’d probably regret that when I was eating squished olives. Feeling a bit hot and bothered, we walked back towards the boat and restaurants, bumping in to Hakkan and Nilüfer. They took our heavy bags to the boat for us, which was kind, and we decided on a walk along the water’s edge to find a spot for lunch. I love Avangart, even though it’s certainly not the cheapest place at 180 lira (£4.68) for a glass of wine. But, as Vanessa and I had drank our quota of wine last night, we were happy with a big bottle of water and an orange juice. I ordered the beef wrap and she had the healthier tuna salad, both meals were great and here’s what we paid in lira;
1 Big water 35 1 fresh orange juice 70 1 beef wrap with chips 225 1 tuna salad 245 Total bill 575.00
I thought my 300 lira (£7.79) lunch (including a tip) was lovely and I took half of the wrap away with me as it was so filling. Vanessa and I were also both conscious of there not being a toilet on the boat when we both suffer with reactions to food. We walked back towards the boat and were a bit early for the 2.30pm departure so decided to join the others at Tuana. We joined the table and I had just had a soda water which was a reasonable 20 lira (52p). The plan was to stop at the Sultaniye mud baths on the way back so the Aussies had gone to buy something to swim in. I was looking forward to getting back on the boat, as usually Nilüfer does a nice spread of fresh fruit and some nuts for the journey. This time, they had provided 2 bottles of white wine, which was a nice gesture. Nilüfer is so lovely and was making sure everyone had wine or hot tea. The boat trip usually arrives back in Dalyan for 4pm but we only arrived at the mud baths at 4.10pm, I didn’t have anything suitable to swim in and wasn’t bothered about going in. Once back, everyone but me went to Tez bar, after Vanessa and I divided up my cabbage in to 3 for me, her and Kate. I had a relaxing evening at home, for dinner a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice. It had been a lovely day off work, making a nice change on a Monday. I added up what the day had cost me and was pleased;
Market 650 Lunch at Avangart 300 Soda water at Tuana 20 Boat fare 200 Total spent 1,195 lira (£31.04)
Monday 25th December was obviously Christmas day for a lot of people, we’d decided to opt out of celebrating it specifically, but we had chosen to spend the day and evening doing something nice with Josh, Martha and my parents. Most of the expats who I’m friends with in Dalyan were doing an English style Christmas here in Turkey, either with friends in their home or going to a restaurant serving English style Christmas dinner, like Lukka or Heybe. I think my parents would have enjoyed it but they had said they wanted to do something with us and I was pleased. I think a lot of Christmas is a waste of money and an absolute over indulgence, instead of being a time to really enjoy a day spent with people you care about most. The 6 of us had decided to book on to the yellow boat, owned by Hakkan and Nilüfer. Every Monday they put on a boat trip to Köyceğiz for market day at a cost of 200 lira (£5.38) per person. I’d seen a post on Facebook about a book shop/cafe that had opened in Köyceğiz and I wanted to visit there as a surprise, and maybe buy books. None of us were doing Christmas presents but a personally selected book would have been a nice treat for anyone who wanted one. It was a lovely sunny day, hot beverages and biscuits were served as we headed over to the stunning Köyceğiz lake. Josh and Captain Caveman had been to Ela’s Kitchen to pick up breakfast sandwiches for the 4 of us so I resisted the turtle biscuits which were a cute touch. We may have been the only English guests on the boat which was quite nice. Nilüfer was the perfect host, making sure the çay was topped up and chatting to everyone on board. We chatted to the others a little, all were friendly and we particularly liked Bruno who was very energetic and amusing.
Once in Köyceğiz, we found Lutra Lutra, the book shop cafe, but it was closed. Captain Caveman went rogue by motoring through to the fruit and veg market on a mission with his shopping list. It was not leisurely and my parents couldn’t keep up, I got annoyed with him and told him off in front of everyone. We then had to have a meeting point by the cheese counters to reconvene as he went off with the bag in search of apples. In Köyceğiz the prices are cheaper than Dalyan but less stall holders speak English, I usually enjoy a browse and a chat but that was not on the agenda for today. We bought potatoes, onions, pumpkin, leeks, red peppers, apples and 2 lots of cheese from the man who lets you taste as much as you like. I have no idea of the prices of the market purchases except for the cheese being about £6 in total. We bought 2 bottles of prosecco from Carrefour supermarket at 479.80 lira (£12.90) in readiness for New Year’s Eve then headed for lunch at one of my favourite lakeside eateries.
While people in the UK were probably checking the progress of their Christmas dinner or opening gifts on Christmas Day, the 6 of us had arrived at Avangart restaurant in Köyceğiz. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;
It was less than £9 each on average for a lunch and drinks with a gorgeous view, but it’s certainly not the cheapest place to choose. I really enjoyed the lentil soup I had which came with loads of bread. We left there to get back to the yellow boat for the 2.30pm departure. Nilüfer had prepared some fruit platters with nuts for the journey back and it was such a lovely trip. I really enjoyed the fruit and meant I was doing my best to be healthier, even today. My camera phone really didn’t do the stunning scenery justice but I took a few photos on the way back to Dalyan. We arrived back in Dalyan around 4pm, we popped the shopping away and had a bit of a rest before the evening’s outing.
While most of our Dalyan Dwelling friends were merry and fully in to their Christmas Day celebrations, the 6 of us had opted for a ‘normal’ meal out. It was, sadly, Josh and Martha’s last day of their holiday too so we wanted to have a nice evening. Bistro Blue is one of our favourite restaurants where the service and food has always been consistently good so we had booked there for 7pm. Vanessa and Brad were disappointed that we weren’t joining them at Mark and Kate’s and said they would come to find us after their Christmas Day celebrations as they wanted to wish us Merry Christmas. We got seated at Bistro Blue, Dad and Josh ordered a beer while the rest of us chose wine. The waiter was Bakı who we know from various places but he had worked in Bistro Blue some years ago. Selahı, the owner, looked very presentable and he greeted us all. Josh tried to get a group selfie but it’s often difficult to get Dad to face the camera, this time he was blowing his nose. Dad wanted a glass for wine, as well as his beer, but it caused some confusion and he didn’t get it straight away. I had to ask Bakı for the wine glass before Dad got too mardy. We ordered food, Dad didn’t want a starter but the rest of us did – well it was Christmas. Captain Caveman was in good spirits and we shared 2 starters between us. More wine was had and the mains were served. I thought the food was amazing and I couldn’t eat all of my pepper steak as, even the smaller weight, was more than sufficient for me. Vanessa and Brad arrived just as we were finishing our mains and said that their Christmas dinner had gone really well and they had all had a great Christmas day. Matt had gone home as he’d had enough of the celebrations. We had thought of going on for a drink somewhere else but a lot of bars were closed on Mondays. Captain Caveman and I paid 1,950 lira (£52.42) for starters of stuffed mushrooms and liver & onions, a bottle of house red, pepper steak and Spaghetti Bolognese mains which I thought was reasonable for the quality of it. I took the rest of my steak home and we said goodbye to Vanessa and Brad. Back home, we had one last drink to round off the night and say bye to Josh and Martha. It had been a really great way to have a none Christmassy Christmas.
Wednesday 20th December should have been my pay day so I had organised to meet a few friends and take our guests to a live gig tonight and was hoping for a bit of a blow out. Unfortunately, I would have to wait until January for my pay to get processed, due to a problem with my bosses new card being sent in the mail over the Christmas period. I could certainly do without the stress of having no money but I had 2 choices of how I was going to let this affect me for the rest of the year! I decided there was nothing I could do about the situation and I was going to do my utmost to remain positive and get through the rest of 2023 as best as I could. Luckily, Captain Caveman came to my rescue and transferred some money in to my account. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea, overnight oats with persimmon and then a lemon & green tea. As it was weigh day, I should have taken my measurements and got on the home scales but I forgot. Downstairs, Captain Caveman told me that he’d put some treats away which Josh and Martha had brought for me. It made my day that I had a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate, cheese (cheddar AND Red Leicester), and some duty free booze – the legends!!!! Obviously, my Fat Club weigh in resulted in me putting on weight. A whopping 0.8kg (1.8lb), twice the amount I lost last week! It was reassuring that a lot of the other ladies were kind of in the same boat. Afterwards, I met the gang at Rehab bar where Captain Caveman had dragged Josh and Martha to, as part of their continued initiation in to the expat life over here. Both of them seemed to be fitting straight in to the madness and were doing well. After a walk home along the river, we went to Çağrı for dinner with a couple of friends. The tomato and lentil soup was tasty and I really enjoyed my chicken shish, the meal for just us 2 came to 600 lira (£16.22) including drinks. Our next stop was to go to Ren Garden to meet more friends, including Jamie and Nanny Kay for a pre gig livener. With it being a new drinking establishment, I thought it would be a nice change but it wasn’t open and we plumped for Jiks instead. I had started to have a worse sore throat so I only had the one glass of white wine then I nursed one glass of red wine at the Jazz Bistro. I was glad I did as it cost 150 lira (£4.05), even a beer was 100 lira (£2.70) and a small water 40 lira (£1.08), which is more than most other bars. The music was great, though, and we had a good time – a few of us even got up for a bit of dancing. Martha gave the ball a good kick and none of us thought to mention that the measures of gin in Dalyan are often doubles, definitely larger than she’s used to back in the UK. Nanny Kay did rather well as she accidentally left without paying her bar tab and Jamie got her a taxi ride home as it was too busy for the usual ones to come.
It was all go on Tuesday 19th December and we were both excited for Josh and his girlfriend to arrive in Dalyan that afternoon. Today was also Daisy’s 25th birthday with a party booked at Tapa from 2pm. The cleaner was not at our apartment at 8.30am, as agreed, so we waited to see if she turned up. She was late as the office wasn’t open for her to collect the keys any earlier but no harm done. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go to a cafe or somewhere for a hot beverage, maybe some breakfast, before he went to Bridge Club. After walking round Dalyan to find nowhere open yet we bought 2 chocolate croissants for 37.90 lira (£1.02) from Migros and walked round the streets eating them.
When Captain Caveman left, I waited for Kaunos tea gardens to open and had a tea. I messaged Jamie to see if he fancied meeting up and I had a second breakfast with him, at Ela’s Kitchen. As tomorrow was weigh day, I tried to make as sensible a choice as I could. The beans on toast that I ordered was a very generous size and I was pleased id managed to resist Sev’s sausage. By 11.30am I was on my way to my parents’ place as arranged so that I could go to Jiks with Dad, while Mom went for her hair cut. Captain Caveman would meet us at Jiks for lunch. Ma finished early and we all ate together; Dad a burger and the rest of us had pizza which was great – my diet was well and truly blown! While there, Jamie messaged to ask if I would be able to take 2 bed side lamps to Tapa for Janet. He was selling them for a friend, Janet, who was going to be at Daisy’s birthday party, where we were going to go for one, before Josh and Martha arrived. Of course I agreed and we carried them over to Tapa where the Dalyan gossip started that Jamie must have sold his house because he was getting rid of some lamps!
Daisy’s 25th birthday party at Tapa was busy with lots of friends. My parents had a cold but had managed to muddle through and I had a bit of a sore throat coming. We’d already said we weren’t staying long as we needed to get back to greet Josh and Martha who were on the plane. Captain Caveman left first with instructions to ring me when he knew that Josh was in the taxi. He forgot, so when I got back home our guests were already there! It was great to see Josh again after a year and it was impressive to see he’d really done well for himself. Captain Caveman and I liked Martha straight away as she was really lovely – it takes a special kind of person to agree to a week in Dalyan with us lot (as I’m sure you can imagine). I just hoped we wouldn’t be spoiling her Christmas holiday and that she could get through the Dalyan shenanigans. We decided to ease Martha in gently with a trip to the Waterfall so we could have a drink together and get to know each other a bit better. She had a good sense of humour and it was obvious we were going to have a great week. Jamie popped in for one with Norman and Edna and he wasn’t too pleased that Dalyan Dwellers thought those lamps were his – surely they knew he had better taste in décor! We asked my parents, who had also left Tapa when I did, if they wanted to join us to meet Martha and welcome Josh back. Dad had already got bored at home waiting, so they had gone back to Tapa. The four of us decided to go to join them where we introduced Josh and Martha to everyone, some people Josh had already met. We had a couple of drinks and decided we were going to go for a meal as we were all peckish and I’d already booked Simple for the 6 of us. Daisy didn’t want us to leave and Josh, the not so devout vegan, managed to eat a slice of chocolate birthday cake as we were departing.
Simple was lovely, just the 6 of us indoors, with Onur the chef making us very fresh and tasty food. Josh and I had the vegan pumpkin soup, the others had the chicken soup – all were delicious. Martha and I had the pulled beef burger (with chips), Captain Caveman had a chicken quesadilla and the rest had the Asian noodles (meat for my parents, veggie for Josh). All the food was excellent although the noodles were on the spicy side. Simple is not licenced for alcohol but we were able to get beer and wine from next door. The prices were reasonable to say it felt like a private dining experience. Unfortunately, my 2 breakfasts, a pizza lunch, a few wines and a loaded burger meant that I had completely gone over the top on the syns this week. We went back to Tapa to rejoin the birthday shenanigans which were now getting even more lively. It had been a great day and we had more excitement planned for tomorrow. Fat Club was going to be a bit more like a confessional for me tomorrow, having had 548 syns.
joloyolo 