On the morning of Thursday 27th June, I didn’t get out of bed until 8am Turkish time, but that was midday in Vietnamese time. By 10am I had set myself up for a working day at Books & Cookies, not far from where Captain Caveman’s apartment is located. It had AC, was very quiet for using it as an office, and had good Turkish tea. I treated myself to a savoury pastry for breakfast and got on with my tasks. By 1pm, I was peckish so I had a linden tea with some delicious homemade cookies. The owner was really lovely and we had a little chat. My bill came to 360 lira (£8.67) which I thought was reasonable.
By 3pm it was hot outside as I ventured to the bank. I needed to ensure I was depositing at least 26,000 lira (£627 at today’s rate of 41.5 lira to the pound), in order to keep my Turkish residency. On my way back ‘home’ to Jamie’s, I called in to see my parents who were on their balcony, and we had an Efes shandy. In the evening, I had booked the 3 of us on a moonlight boat trip with Princess of Ekincik. It was £30 each and included a BBQ dinner with a few swim stops in the lake and the sea. On our way to the boat my parents and I called in to check out the complex at Captain Caveman’s place to check the pool and grounds. The pool looked fine but there was no sign of any gardening company having removed old leaves or swept the floors in a while. The floor had not been sloshed down with water recently either so, I was disappointed with our pool and garden company.
On the boat we said hello to the other customers and got comfy as we sailed to Köyceğiz lake. A small Efes beer was 100 lira (£2.41) and a glass of wine was 150 lira (£3.61) which was more than what it was 4 months ago but prices and taxes had gone up a lot. To start, Ma & Pa had beers while I had a rosé wine to try it out and we had our first swim stop at just after 7pm. Our BBQ food was as amazing as I remember it being and Ismail cooked us a feast. A bottle of white wine was purchased to have with our dinner and, as I was a bit jetlagged, I felt quite tiddly. The boat trip was amazing and we all really enjoyed it, it was past 11pm when we got back.
On the morning of Sunday 16th June I packed a lot of my stuff. Captain Caveman was due back later and would only have a couple of hours today and some of tomorrow for us to get organised for my departure. As we still didn’t know when Captain Caveman and I would be back in Phong Nha after this season, or what job either of us would be doing next year, I decided to take almost everything. I would have one suitcase to take anything I had still in Vietnam so I decided to put all the things I could live without in to a bag to give to Chung and Hoan. They could keep anything which they could make use of and give the rest to charity. It felt a bit weird not really knowing what would happen next year but I felt confident things would find a way of working out. I worked from The Villas again and had a treat of beans on toast with a pot of tea for breakfast. For my lunch I had fresh veggie spring rolls and I was still working when Captain Caveman arrived at The Villas. He’d had a good trip but it had been incredibly hot, meaning the group had been out a little later. I updated Captain Caveman on my new job, he was pleased but we didn’t have long to chat as he was off to Chay Lap for his gala dinner. After finishing work for the day, I treated myself to a bottle of wine and some peanuts while I waited for Captain Caveman to return. When he arrived he ordered a pizza as the food at Chay Lap is still below par and he never eats there. I decided to try the ‘new to the menu’ cheeseburger, even though I’m not a massive burger fan. Captain Caveman devoured his dinner and half the bottle of red wine, he was very hungry after his tour. My burger tasted very good but it was a bit chewy with it being beef. I let the manager know and she did say the Victory Road burger was better as it’s mixed with pork so that might have suited me better. Our total bill came to 890,000VND (£27) which included carrot cake. The Villas had started doing fresh cakes again and it did not disappoint! Maxime and his family were back in town to renovate the Nguyen Shack and had waited to say hello to Captain Caveman. It was almost 10pm when we cycled home, Captain Caveman was very tired.
Captain Caveman had the day time off on Monday 17th June but he still had some work tasks to do, of course. We were awake by 6am but his alarm was set for 6.30am anyway. The weather forecast said it was only 28°C but 83% humidity so it definitely felt hot and muggy. It also said it was going to be cloudy all day but the clouds had definitely not got that memo and it was scorching! By 8.30am we had cycled to The Villas for me to crack on with work and later have brunch. I had my usual Pho and a smoothie but Captain Caveman had his favourite Eggs Benedict washed down with a Bloody Mary (which are usually 50% off on Mondays). Our bill came to 372,000VND (£11.30) and I didn’t notice at the time that the Bloody Mary was charged at full price of 180,000VND (£5.46). I said goodbye to Ben, as he was off to Mongolia tonight and would be away until the 29th June, when I would already be in Turkey. While Captain Caveman got prepared for his next tour and his briefing tonight, I was thankful for a rest in the AC back at Son River House Homestay. By 3pm the humidity levels had dropped considerably but it still felt unbearable outside. After work, and while Captain Caveman was at the Oxalis briefing, I went to Phong Nha Vegan. I was chatting with Ha when something truly awful happened. We heard a commotion down the road, towards town and, when I looked, I saw a woman in the street, a motorbike, something white on the floor and a few people gathered around. I knew it as soon as I saw the white, it was May, the dog. He had been hit by a motorbike and the owner was trying to save him, I called Ha and we ran down. What happened next was quite upsetting so I won’t go in to too much detail. I felt for a heartbeat and little May was still alive. I called Chung and asked her to call Bom’s dad who is a farm vet and tell him to come quickly. She did and he said he was coming. The owner picked up May and was very distressed about the whole situation so we took him inside the gate. We both kept stroking and talking to him and willing him to pull through. Other dogs in the area were coming to check on May and I nervously kept them at a safe distance. The vet was really taking his time and I called several times for Chung to chase him. Ha and the others left me with the dog’s owner, who spoke no English and then May could fight no more. It was terrible and it looked like he had some bleeding from inside. I consoled the woman and we used Google translate to talk to each other and later her daughter. We lay May in a quiet spot in the garden and waited for her relative to arrive. Eventually, I left and having been strong for the owner, I had a little cry. The Vegan girls wanted to feed me but there was no way I could eat and I was conscious that I’d been holding May. I had a good wash but didn’t want to touch any of the tables at the Vegan and decided to call it a night. Our friend Dung was there having dinner and I asked him to come back and help me talk to May’s owner, which he did. It turned out her husband was a vet and there had been nothing we could have done to save May but at least he knew we loved him. I cycled to The Villas to meet Captain Caveman, with a takeaway snack of vegetable tempura which Hanh had insisted on making me. Once I’d calmed down and was getting through the shock, I ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese and shared a bottle of red wine with Captain Caveman. We paid 472,000VND (£14.33) which I didn’t think was bad. Our last night in Phong Nha together wasn’t the celebration it could have been, though. Back at the homestay, I got some news to cheer me up; my friend, Briony, was going to be in Sheffield when I was, and had booked her flight from America. I ate the veggie tempura and then went to bed, still sad about little May, the dog.
I woke up at 7am on Friday 14th June, having had a lovely sleep in the bed all to myself. I went to The Villas for 10am, where I had a pot of tea and paid just 40,000VND (£1.21) for a good brew. I then had to scurry off to the Vegan as I said I’d practice English with the staff. I had a Bun Tron (a vegan rice noodle dish) while I was there and Ha asked if she could nip home to see her Dad. I agreed to hold the fort for her while she rushed off, only for her to come back with some sweet treats for me and the other girls. She had obviously wanted to go to get them as a surprise and it was really kind of her. One was a mung bean paste sweet which was not dissimilar to eating a stock cube and I’m glad I didn’t shove it all in my mouth at once. In the evening, I went back to Phong Nha Vegan where it was so hot that Ha, the waitress, went for a swim in the river. I had tempura Oyster mushrooms with crispy sweet potato fries. It was like a vegan fish and chips and so good! I also met a couple of Vloggers from America who were enjoying the food and were very nice people. After 3 hours at the Vegan, I cycled back to Son River House Homestay and had an early night.
Saturday 15th June was an exciting day as it was the first day of a new part time job. I was doing some sales and marketing work for a friend. I went to The Villas to have breakfast and work there for the day, I find it the best place to work due to the location and the AC. Captain Caveman was due out of the cave tomorrow and didn’t even know I’d got, or started, a new job. I had my usual Pho Ga, familiarised myself with some spreadsheets and started to look at some content. I had a new friend join me while I worked, it was a moth sat on the glass door who I affectionately named Motthew the third. For lunch I had a margarita pizza with extra mushroom and I saved some to take home. My tab for breakfast, lunch and drinks was 556,000VND (£17) which was particularly good value and I always enjoy the pizzas there.
By 6pm I was at Phong Nha Vegan having a laugh with Ha. I was meant to be having a swim with her but I had no spare clothes and the staff were too busy with their customers. While everyone was having a bit of a rest near the cooler machine, I spotted the Banh Canh lady. She comes by on her motorbike shouting ‘Banh Canh’ and sells her wares of noodles, eggs and sometimes veggies. I shouted Hanh from the kitchen and Ha from the hammock to come to buy some things. There was quite a crowd and the lady did a roaring trade. Hanh just bought the Banh Canh noodles for 10,000VND (31p).
By 9pm I was back at the homestay where Chung and the owner, Linh Giang, were waiting for me to have a drink to celebrate my first day at work. We ate juicy fresh watermelon and drank chilled red wine. I was introduced to Kim and her daughter, who were staying at Son River House too and we all had a good night together.
While Captain Caveman toddled off to Dong Hoi at 8am on Saturday 18th May, I’d agreed to meet up with Hoan and Chung. I arrived at Phong Nha Vegan just after 8.30am, there was no electricity and we were told it would be back on by 1pm. Hoan made me a passion fruit juice with soda water. Chung didn’t arrive and later said she wasn’t coming if there was no electricity as her homestay had it. The electric poles were being replaced in sections so not everywhere was out at once. I had one of my favourite dishes, the Bun Tron and lots of water in the 5 hour 15 minutes I managed to endure the heat for there. I agreed to join in on a charity mission tomorrow which involved a sort of vegan soup kitchen. I also had a bit of a to-do with the pool and garden guy back in Dalyan. My parents had been to check on the state of the complex and found it to be a disgrace so I’d asked him to clean the sunbeds. His response was that he wanted to charge me £80 to use a steam cleaner. I decided I’d get a woman in to clean them, then booked our usual cleaner through the agent – she would give it a good scrub.
Captain Caveman returned from Dong Hoi and I met him at Tree House for lunch. We shared some french fries with salt on as I was definitely dehydrated and I drank lots of water, Captain Caveman had a beer or two. That evening, I was off out with Captain Caveman and we decided to eat at Ganesh, the Indian restaurant, which we both love. Captain Caveman had a chicken madras, I had a chicken tikka masala, we shared saffron rice and a garlic naan bread. We also took full advantage of their wine and here’s what we paid in Dong;
Ganesh 1 saffron rice 49,000 1 Garlic Naan 60,000 1 Chicken Tikka Masal 115,000 1 Chicken Madras 120,000 1 bottle of red wine 270,000 Total paid 614,000VND (£19.03)
The food is really good there, at a reasonable price, and we both enjoyed it. Once back at the Homestay, though, Captain Caveman had a bit of shout at me when I said I’d massage his sore shoulder. By the time I’d cleaned my teeth he was snoring away, fully clothed, on the spare bed, leaving me unable to get to sleep. This was a pain as I’d agreed to help out with the soup kitchen that Phong Nha Vegan was doing tomorrow from 6.30am.
Of course I didn’t get the extra sleep I’d hoped for on Friday 17th May and at 7.30am I was in the Wide Awake Club. I took myself off to nearby Tree House for breakfast. I had a really good fruit salad with yoghurt, nuts and seeds and a pot of green tea, which was ultra strong. My breakfast cost 120,000VND (£3.66) and I really enjoyed it.
Back at the homestay I did a bit of writing and then decided I would try somewhere new for lunch. The Rice House is a fairly new place in Phong Nha, where Underground used to be. One of the owners, Hung, who also owns Karst Villas, was there and I decided to have a fresh coconut and a beef Luk Lak. Captain Caveman was due out of the cave today which meant he’d probably head to the The Villa’s for pizza and I wanted to try to avoid being tempted. Although my lunch came to a total of 180,000VND (£5.50) the quality of the meat was great and it melted in my mouth. I was about to leave when I got a message from Captain Caveman, he was on his way back to Phong Nha.
Captain Caveman had a couple of hours spare before he needed to go to the Gala dinner so we went to Tree House for a pizza, I had one slice to try it and it was good. When the pick up car came, we said farewell and I went to Phong Nha Vegan. It was mega busy with lots of tourists, quite a few of them English so I helped with any questions and recommendations. I accidentally ended up with a vegan curry for dinner, which I’d not tried before. A customer had been trying to order Korean Sushi rolls but had hesitated over the first couple of syllables a couple of times. They got Korean Sushi rolls and curry which I took to the table of the confused customers. As it had been too busy for me to get any dinner yet, I had the curry they didn’t think they had ordered. It was amazing and I’d definitely have it again. After around 3 hours, I went to meet Captain Caveman and his group who were drinking beer at Dangerous Corner. I didn’t have a beer but I did help one of his guests buy a fruit juice at the Thien Duong stall. He looked Vietnamese, the stall holder is Vietnamese but I was the one speaking Vietnamese between the 2, as the customer was American and didn’t speak the lingo. Hung, Chung’s brother-in-law was part of the porter team having a beer too and I got a selfie with him. Back at Phong Nha Homestay, we set the alarm for the morning as Captain Caveman was off to Dong Hoi on the first of his 2 days off, for a medical check.
I found Thursday 16th May to have more disappointment in it than I would have liked. I got up early and cycled to Oxalis to pick up the laundry. The 4kg bag cost 120,000VND (£3.71), I noticed it was badly folded and pretty creased. I cycled back to The Villa’s to get some breakfast and I was hoping for a relaxing day. Unfortunately, I was met by a disgruntled Manu who told me there was no food available today. All of the female staff, which includes the chef had gone off for a spa day in Dong Hoi. Manu told me he had been hoping for an easy day, as I drank a soda water and contemplated where I might get breakfast. Ben, the owner, arrived with a young apprentice and started eyeing up walls. He looked like he had big plans as he mentioned moving some furniture. As I decided I would cycle back ‘home’ with the laundry and go to Tree House for a fruit salad, Chung messaged Hoan and I to say she couldn’t go to the Vegan, as planned, because she had to deal with customers at work. She asked if I could be there to help the staff with English speaking customer queries so I had to take the laundry back in the direction I had already come. When I got there I ordered and scoffed the delicious vegan pho down, made by the owner. It was lovely and I started to feel a bit better for eating, especially as it was already late and very hot & humid. Hoan treated us all to a mixed fruit juice from her friend’s stall near the market and it was very refreshing. May, the dog from down the road, came to take shelter from the sun and insisted on some water and belly rubs. I cycled ‘home’ in heat and managed to squeeze in a call with Ma & Pa who were now in Dalyan. As the time difference was only 4 hours it was easier for them to accommodate and they told me about their recent trip to Istanbul. It sounded like they had an amazing time with my sister and her husband on a tour with our Dalyan friend, Murat. I rode Bluey back to Phong Nha Vegan at 6pm. It was very busy, so many customers with lots of questions and requirements, which I helped with. I also managed to wolf down a very tasty and hearty Banh Canh, which is a veggie noodle soup. After a change in the weather, I hurried back to the homestay for another video call, this time with Adele. We were on the phone for well over an hour and we even spoke of a celebration ladies only boat trip for when I was back in Dalyan. I finally got to bed at about midnight and I decided not to set an alarm for tomorrow.
When we woke up on Sunday 14th April, it was hot and sunny so Captain Caveman thought it would be better to make an early start. We needed to be in Bangkok tonight to meet his friends for a special event we had been invited to. Captain Caveman paid our hotel bill and ordered a Grab car to Ayutthaya train station and we were outside the Nature Home waiting to leave before 9am. I was still full of cold but definitely improving as I had one last photo opportunity with the Sphynx cats from Earthling Craft Cafe and Bar. When we got to the train station it was fairly busy considering it was new year and Captain Caveman bought our tickets. Unfortunately, the train we wanted was not until 10.30am so we had a while to wait. The train station cafe was closed so we walked to a 7-Eleven Supermarket where we paid 90 Baht (£1.95) for 1 coffee, 1 water, a croissant and a pain au chocolat. This time we got the hot train from Ayutthaya to Bang Sue Junction on the 10.27 train, in Class 3 seating with a fan for an 80 minute journey it was 14 baht each (30p). Then we changed on to a better train, more like a tube with Aircon which I was grateful for, as it neared midday and was very hot. When we got off the train we walked to the boat stop where we were hoping to get to our next accommodation, just a few stops down the canal. After waiting 5 minutes, Captain Caveman decided we could walk along the canal to Citi Resort, Sukhumvit 39, easily. I was less optimistic as my bag was heavy and the midday sun was blazing hot. Obviously, I was too moany for Captain Caveman who went on ahead as I nearly puked at the stench of the canal near some sewage pipes. It was probably only a 20 to 30 minute walk but I did get a blister and drank all of the water that we had before reaching our apartment. We never did see a boat but we managed to miss all of the people out squirting water which was good. When we arrived at Citi Resort, we were able to check in a little earlier which I was so glad about as I was a sweaty mess. Once inside our apartment, which I was very impressed with, we hung up our outfits for tonight to attempt to get the creases out. At just after 2pm Captain Caveman went to the shop downstairs, Freshmart, and bought a loaf of bread, cheese slices, tomatoes, apples, crisps, tissues, throat sweets and water for 260 Baht (£5.63). It felt good to have an apartment with a kitchen and even better that Captain Caveman made me cheese and crisp sandwiches for my lunch. We weren’t sure what the arrangements were for dinner yet but Captain Caveman got a text from his friend to meet him at his hotel. Martin had asked us to meet him at the Park Hyatt hotel at 6pm and we were really looking forward to going with him to the SIAM Songkran music festival.
Captain Caveman wanted to walk from the Citi Resort to the Park Hyatt hotel to meet Martin at 6pm. I was not comfortable with walking through the streets of celebrating Thais wielding water filled weapons during the height of the Songkran weekend, in my nice frock. We got a Grab car and arrived at the Park Hyatt early and tried to find the currency exchange shop. The receptionist in the hotel told us it was on floor 2 of the mall but we couldn’t find it. We even looked on all the floors but would have to do without. Captain Caveman had some money and a Vietnamese bank card but we weren’t sure how much we might spend tonight, as it might get a bit lively. When we went to the reception to meet at 6pm as arranged, George and Paulina were there. They had come by motorbike and had got quite wet in the water fights on their way. Captain Caveman had already met George who was a film maker, he and his wife lived in Bangkok. We said our hellos and then went to find Martin and the others, including Dung (aka Seven from Phong Nha) and his wife, Huong. Martin texted George and Captain Caveman with his room number and told us to come up but the staff were not happy with that and asked us to wait until they had spoken with Martin to double check this permission. We waited a while and then we were escorted in to a lift with a member of staff wearing an earpiece. We were not taken to Martin’s room but shown in to a restaurant with a bar. The 4 of us sat down at a table for about 10 people with great views over the city. We were handed a menu and given sparkling water with ice and lemon which was frequently topped up. When I looked at the menu it was rather pricey and I wasn’t sure what to choose. Martin, Louis, Dung and Huong joined us and we all got introduced. It was the first time Martin and I had met and it was so nice that he said that he was happy to meet me and had heard about me from Captain Caveman. Dung was the only one of us prepared for the water festival and had his zipped up red waterproof jacket on – he had been through flood season in Phong Nha and was taking no chances during Songkran. After hugs all round, Martin said to order what we liked and that he was going to order some side dishes for the table along with his meal. There were 2 more seats and it appeared we were only waiting for one person, I think his name was Ed but I wasn’t certain. Captain Caveman and I ordered a glass of red wine each, Martin had a Moscow Mule and the rest tried the IPA beer. Captain Caveman and I ordered the cheapest steak on the menu at 1,950 Baht (£42.48) for 160g. The side dishes were around 320 Baht (£6.97) each and our glass of house wine was 560 Baht (£12.20) for a 175ml measure. A few of our fellow diners, including Martin, ordered the Penthouse Burger at 1,290 Baht (£28.10) and Martin also ordered a side of lobster, as you do. We had a bit of a laugh while we were waiting for our food; Captain Caveman rudely took a group photo cutting Martin out of the picture and Dung asked if he could swap his cold bottle of IPA for a warm one. The staff were obviously used to dealing with the la-di-da types of clientele but this request really did set the cat amongst the pigeons, as the request was relayed back to a senior server. When the food came, I had high expectations – possibly too high. My steak, which I had chosen a red wine and thyme sauce to go with, was not the best I’ve ever had and wasn’t particularly hot. It was served alone with a roasted bulb of garlic and I had 1 roast potato, some asparagus, 2 carrots and a spoonful of mac n cheese from the shared sides. The sauce was tasty but slightly on the watery side, whereas Captain Caveman’s béarnaise sauce looked to have a much better consistency. I didn’t need to worry about going off the Slimming World plan too much either as the meal was not too naughty. I did think the prices were steep, even for a fancy pants place like the Park Hyatt hotel and those prices did not include the obligatory 10% service charge and the 7% tax. The wine was nice but I wasn’t cheeky enough to ask for a second one as this was all on Martin’s tab. When we finished eating, Martin announced he would meet us all downstairs in 10 minutes where transport had been arranged to take us to the Siam Songkran Music Festival at the RCA Central Park in Bangkok.
We were escorted from the restaurant of the Park Hyatt Hotel to the lift on the evening of Sunday 14th April. Two men with badges asked if we were friends of Martin and introduced themselves. They said we were leaving in 15 minutes so to go to the hotel’s pick up and drop off area. Here, we got in to a limo with George and his wife, the others got into separate limos and there was a convoy, lead by the police and security to RCA Central Park, via the long way round. When we got to the venue we got explicit instructions that Martin would get out of his car first then we would all get out quickly and follow. We were taken to the back stage area and to some mobile cabins with a portaloo outside. Inside, there were lots of drinks and some snacks but I just had soda water, Captain Caveman had a beer. Martin tried to have a power nap and we got talking to his stage manager. It turned out he was from Sheffield so he and I had a bit of a trip down memory lane. Alec and I even had friends in common; Dean Cotton, who used to DJ at The Queen pub in Mosborough, Paul Deehan from The Office pub and now private chef, and Shaun Yard from Granville college. While we were rabbiting on, Martin tried to sleep but couldn’t, and then there was a light display using drones which was impressive. All of us had passes round our necks which we could use for anywhere once the show started but we had to be back on time for the ride back. We were given the nod when it was time to go to the stage and we had to climb the scaffolding steps over the temporary bridge – we had to go fast. Once on stage, Martin and Alec sat on the floor behind the decks ready to start the set. The crowd went wild at the announcement of Martin Garrix as he started his show. Captain Caveman, me, Dung, Huong, George and Paulina were all stood on the stage behind Martin and it was amazing. The special effects of fire and water were sensational as we saw the crowd getting blasted with massive water jets. I was happy to remain on the dry stage and loved dancing to Martin’s performance. He was very good and the atmosphere was incredible. I really enjoyed dancing and knew quite a few of the numbers. At the end of his set, Martin came off to shake hands with the next DJ, Julian Jordan, who had been stood next to us and was wearing sunglasses in the dark. We had to scurry back over the makeshift bridge and down the steps to where the cars were waiting for us. The crowds of the audience were being held back as we quickly got in to the blacked-out vehicles in a different order to how we arrived. The drive back was shorter and once outside the Park Hyatt hotel, Martin invited us to the bar for a drink. I was the first of our group to give him a hug and congratulate him on such an amazing show. He was ultra sweaty and I joked I would never wash again now! We all got in the lift to go to the bar and Captain Caveman took a group photo. In the bar we ordered drinks and I was impressed that the waiting staff remembered that Dung preferred a warm beer and brought that out for him. Martin had a Moscow Mule, Captain Caveman and I stuck to beer and we all sat together. Martin looked tired, and I wasn’t surprised given the amount of dancing about he did in jeans and a black t-shirt in the heat. Martin sat between us and got out his laptop to show us a sample of a new song he was working on. He is such a nice, polite, friendly and down to earth guy. I could see his passion and dedication as he got excited about the guitar chords sample he had. After only a short time, it was time for him to retire to his room. They had an early flight tomorrow as Martin was playing in Tokyo. We had a group photo and big hugs all round, tonight had easily been one of the most memorable I’d experienced and I wouldn’t forget it. We got a Grab back to the hotel and Captain Caveman told me he had messaged my friend, Ingrid, who is a Martin Garrix fan, with a photo. My phone was in a waterproof bag in my handbag and I had not took it with me on to the stage. I thought that was nice of him and then I sent a message to her once I got in to the apartment. Tomorrow we had one more day in Bangkok and still had another friend to catch up with.
The event we were invited to by Martin Garrix
Drone show
Drone show
Photo and video credit – Captain Caveman
The atmosphere was amazing
So much water going in to the crowd
Fire 🔥
Even the train
It was incredible
The audience were loving it
It was great being on the stage
All the lights on people’s phones
Such a memorable night
Sawadee Pee Mai, which means Happy New Year in Thai!
I’ve had some unusual Fridays in my life but Friday 12th April certainly fell in to that category. We got up and packed our bags ready for an exciting break to Thailand, I was feeling a bit better but still had a cold and a cough. We walked to Saint Honore bakery to get some breakfast to take to the airport. They were building outside so it wasn’t easy to get in and we ended up just getting a croissant. By 10.30am we had exited Vietnam at Hanoi airport so that I could send a photo of my passport stamp to Lynn Visa. She was going to apply for another visa for me while I was out of the country and, hopefully, send me the new one on Tuesday before our lunchtime flight back. Captain Caveman had organised a weekend in Bangkok for us and we were going to be meeting up with one of his Son Doong customers. Thailand was celebrating Songkran this weekend so there would be lots of water festivals everywhere. Our Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to Bangkok left at 12.45pm and we got seats sat together, me in my preferred aisle seat. We boarded 30 minutes late but still departed on time. On the flight we got a really nice meal which included; a banana, a beef noodle dish and some bread – even the hot tea with milk wasn’t bad. On landing, Captain Caveman had to change $200 at a fairly low rate and got 6,742 Thai baht. Even though money was still a concern to me, Captain Caveman had put money aside for this holiday and said not to worry. We were not staying in Bangkok for the next 2 nights, Captain Caveman had booked us in to a small hotel in Ayutthaya, the old capital. The journey there was not for the inexperienced traveller as we had to ask a member of staff at Bangkok airport train station how to get there. He told Captain Caveman it was off the edge of the map, but, luckily, he was well versed with the London Underground map and it wasn’t dissimilar. The train was a bit of an eye-opener and we only just made it on to it in time. Somehow we had managed to get from Bangkok airport to Bang Sue Junction, buy a 14 baht (30p) ticket each, for a 90 minute journey and grab a seat. The train was not unlike one I’d been on in India, it was insanely hot and fairly busy and I found it difficult to cope. I moved seats several times to try to get near a fan, while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone for the duration of the ride. At 6.23pm I had never been so ready to alight the train, an absolutely dripping mess of sweat. The train station at Ayutthaya was nice and Captain Caveman managed to get a Grab taxi without any issue. When we arrived at Nature Home, our accommodation for the next 2 nights, the owner showed us to our room. He proceeded to educate Captain Caveman on how to work an Air Con remote, how to open and close windows and how it was very hot here for English people. That went down well and I could tell Captain Caveman had stopped listening. At 6.55pm I unexpectedly received a message from Lynn Visa, who had already got my new Vietnamese visa for me. I checked it, it was correct, and thanked her for such a quick service – well worth the $80 (£64). This meant that I was permitted to stay in Vietnam for another 90 days should I need to. That evening we needed to get some laundry so we spent our Friday night between Happy Mix Wash & Dry launderette and Earthling Craft Cafe & Bar. An usual day turned strange when I realised that the Earthling Craft Cafe & Bar had spiders, reptiles and sphynx cats. Luckily they also had good ales, a delightful cider and excellent food. Happy Mix was amazing and we managed to do a load of laundry for an acceptable 105 baht (£2.28) and this included tumble drying as well. Captain Caveman and I took it in turns to check on the cycles as it was just across the road and had free WiFi. Our garlic bread and pizza at Earthling was very good and I don’t recall the prices as Captain Caveman paid but I know it was reasonable. Back at the Nature Home hotel, I didn’t take long to fall asleep which was good as we had a busy day tomorrow.
On Saturday 30th March Caroline had a treat booked in for us, while poor Captain Caveman was cycling in high heat and humidity from Dong Ha to Hue! Caroline and I had a short trip to Weaver’s Cafe in An Bang with Hawk and Hong for brunch. It’s a cute little cafe run by a Vietnamese woman and her English husband and they do a greasy spoon style English breakfast. Hawk and Hong were already there and he had a pot of Yorkshire tea on the go. Caroline and I ordered a soda water and a pot of Yorkshire tea to share. I obviously ordered the Full English breakfast but without eggs or tomatoes, Hawk and Hong had a chicken salad with poached eggs on top, Caroline had lasagne and chips. Caroline had already paid the bill when I tried to get mine and I don’t remember the prices but it seemed reasonable for western food. The breakfast was good but I knew my body wouldn’t think so and I had a bad stomach before I even left Weaver’s. This didn’t bode well for our next adventure as we were off back to Golden Girls Spa for a 4 hands massage each and I’d booked in for a snatch wax (aka Brazilian).
The massage was amazing and I almost fell asleep, I was also pleased to be able to fit in to the little outfits they gave us, which are normally far too tight for me. After the massage, Caroline went home to walk and feed Vee, the dog, while I got a very thorough waxing from Caroline’s friend. It was very good but it was a little disconcerting when she complimented my lady garden! She had used the wax that peels off rather than the papers so I was pleased but she didn’t have anything to get the residue off with. There was no time to worry about that as I had to get dressed, pay the 750,000VND (£23.61) for the hour massage and the waxing and meet Caroline at the 3 Dragon’s pub. We had arranged to meet Hawk and Jake there but I was first, closely followed by Caroline. I stuck to water while Caroline drank beers and we had some chicken strips to share. The 3 Dragon’s menu is good but not very Slimming World friendly so I decided having smaller portions was a good idea. Hawk arrived and had a chicken dish and Jake didn’t eat. Another guy, Jack, joined us and we all talked for a while. I could see Caroline was looking a bit tired so I suggested we leave and we said our goodbyes. I paid for our food and drinks which came to about 400,000VND (£12.57) as it was definitely my turn. Back at Caroline’s, we were met with a bit of an issue; her newly fitted thumbprint door access wouldn’t work and we couldn’t get in to her apartment. Jake had been in previously and had also left Vee out on the balcony so she was distressed when Caroline asked the landlord to climb up to get in. He couldn’t get in as Jake had locked that door so he had to climb back down and try the door knob again, and again! When we finally got in, busting for a wee, we stayed up talking and Caroline booked her hotel for tomorrow night – her and Vee were going to stay at The Sheraton hotel, near to Captain Caveman and I, in Danang.
I slept in until 7.30am on Thursday 21st March and went for the homestay breakfast at 8.30am. This time I requested the vegetable noodle dish without butter and a green tea. The views of the river were good, the temperature was cool and the rain had gone. I felt a bit out of sorts and couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. My skin had started to itch again and I thought either my eczema was coming back or that I had ring worm. My stomach wasn’t great and it took a lot longer than I’d expected to buy a bus ticket. Captain Caveman had instructed me to purchase my Phong Nha to Hoi An bus ticket from the Diep Le Homestay so I attempted that. We used Google translate and I thought I’d booked the 7am bus on Tuesday at a cost of 400,000VND (£12.62). I thought that seemed expensive but I had no reference point, having not bought a bus ticket since before Covid. I am also not a fan of the bus journey which takes 8 hours, changes in Danang and the drivers can be a bit iffy.
I cycled on the borrowed homestay bicycle to the pharmacy as I wanted to get some medication, it cost me 75,000VND (£2.38) for imodium and fungal treatment which would have been 5 times the price in Europe or Turkey. In the queue, I started to feel unwell so I popped next door to Lantern restaurant for a green tea and to be near a toilet. When I recovered, Tatas joined me there for lunch and we both had vegan pho, her’s with extra chillies and mine with random pineapple in it. Lunch was cheap at 60,000VND (£1.90) for my tasty soup and drink, which Tatas paid for. My next stop was to call at the supermarket, here’s what I bought and the prices in Dong.
Winmart Supermarket Goûté biscuits 30,100 3 cereal bars 34,000 6 apples 105,512 Total spent 169,612VND (£5.35)
I’d completely forgotten how expensive apples are in Vietnam, compared to Turkey and the UK, so I bought them without thinking. At 55p per apple I probably wouldn’t be buying them very often. I headed back to the homestay and had a video call with Vanessa. We had a great chat and she was still making good progress on her recovery.
After an hour I had to leave to go meet Veronika who had yet another treat in store for me. She’d only brought her own quality red wine with her to The Villa’s and had put the grandchildren (who she was in charge of) on a separate table so we could have dinner and wine together. We shared a green salad and a Momma D pizza which was lovely and before we’d hardly started, we had company. Aussie Pete arrived and proceeded to commence his ritual of asking the staff for a cold Huda and a glass with ice. As we were getting on with our evening we had another visitor; Marc (from Germany), had decided to surprise us. Once Veronika and I had got settled in to our dinner ‘date’ with Aussie Pete and German Marc, there was a call from Bich, Veronika’s daughter-in-law. She wanted to check on how the kids were doing and what they were up to. Unfortunately, they weren’t supposed to have been left to their own devices in the room watching Netflix, so Veronika had to resume babysitting duties and leave us. Tatas arrived in time to save the dodgy looking soirée and another bottle of wine was consumed. Before 9pm Aussie Pete fell asleep (standard practice) and we got kicked out at 11pm, an hour after closing time. As Veronika had provided wine for 2 nights running I paid for her meal too, a total of 595,000VND (£18.90) including tip, which was reasonable.
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.
joloyolo 