Dalyan – 20th & 21st March

While Captain Caveman completed his last day at work on Friday 20th March, in readiness for his charity cycling event in Vietnam, I got a lot of admin done. It seemed cooler and looked like it might rain, which is usually the case whenever I have Norman, the dog. Jamie and Drew were off on holiday and Norman was going to be in my care while he celebrated his 15th birthday.
I wasn’t expected to finish work until after 8pm tonight so, at 3pm, I nipped out for a quick bit of fresh air and to the shop as I needed some essentials. I checked against the budget and I had just over £18 left for this week, plus the cash I had in my purse for the market tomorrow. It was Bayram, a bank holiday for Ramadan, so I wanted to get meat before it sold out and make sure I got cash out before ATMs ran short. Here’s what I bought at the supermarket, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 5.31
Peanuts 52.00
Dark chocolate 66.95
Mushrooms 86.95
Wholemeal sliced loaf 97.50
500g Beef mince 375.00
Total spent 683.73 lira (£11.59)

Beef is expensive in Turkey so I’d gone mad by buying mince at over £6 for 500g but I fancied making a Bolognese this weekend.
I had a cruise training session with Travelpack from 7pm so I was still working until gone 8pm, then I made a pasta dinner with a glass of wine to round off my week. I’d plan to get more content for my next book done this weekend but I was already feeling exhausted.
I topped up my wine and tried to relax. Captain Caveman sent me a photo of a vodka named after me in the duty free – he was finally on his way to Vietnam for 2 weeks, and I was a little bit jealous that I wasn’t going too.

Gratitude List

1. Getting some work done

2. Excellent free Cruise Training with Travelpack

3. Pasta and wine.

Things certainly didn’t go according to plan on Saturday 21st March. While Captain Caveman had arrived in China for a 7 hour lay over but was unable to get to the lounge, I shoved the ingredients for a Bolognese in the slow cooker. I had plans to go to the market. Jamie and Drew weren’t leaving for the airport until 11.15pm but I had said I would meet them for an afternoon farewell drink and also go over to their’s for wine after dinner. I called round to Jamie and Drew’s on my way to the market, Norman was still in his bed.
Unfortunately, the market had limited stalls open due to Bayram so I only bought 5 bananas and 2 courgettes for 85 lira (£1.44). Back home, I ate more homemade soup for lunch. I didn’t make the 3pm drinks with Jamie & Drew, as agreed, because I was waiting for a work related call with one of the owners of Resort Experts. That didn’t happen until much later than expected so it was 7pm by the time I left the house.
When I got to Ren Garden, it was empty so I waited. Jamie and Drew had been in Sofra bar with friends. Drew arrived first, followed later by Jamie – late, ladened with shopping bags and walking Norman.
Drew just had the one drink and left, as Jamie and I were talking about work. We ordered another wine and continued on about work, even though we both had to get home for dinner. My 2 wines were 300 lira (£5.08) and we left Ren Garden, intending on going home to eat dinner. I only got as far as next door in Jik’s where another glass of wine was ordered.
Jamie and I parted ways after Jik’s where my glass of wine was 150 lira (£2.56), I bought a bottle of red wine from Yaman Büfe 2, to have later and rushed home to turn off, then eat, my Bolognese.
When I arrived at Jamie & Drew’s to see them off, Norman was napping, Drew was drinking wine and Jamie had popped out to the bank. The electric gate wasn’t working so there was some faffing about with that and I had to look away for fear of a finger or hand being cut off.
The taxi arrived and I said bye to both, Norman got kisses from Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew, but didn’t seem unduly concerned – he was used to the comings and goings of us all now.
I went inside feeling tired but poured myself another glass of wine, which I would probably regret in the morning. Going through the menopause has meant that my body cannot tolerate alcohol like it used to.

Gratitude List
1. Getting work stuff sorted
2. Norman
3. Farewell wines with Jamie and Drew.

Dalyan – 16th March

I was beside myself with excitement on Monday 16th March; Claire Clarke, my publishing consultant, was about to give me help to get my book(s) in to actual UK bookshops – on the shelves or to preorder! I needed to buy the ISBN numbers for the books. These were £93 for 3 or £175 for 10. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was super supportive and thought that it was a great idea to get more of my books out in to the world. I decided to buy the 10 ISBNs as it would mean I had the rest for all my other books – if I didn’t think of myself as a writer or author before, I needed to now!

Claire and I got on a Zoom call at 1pm and, while it was technical for me, we got through the necessary work to get it set up (I won’t bore you with the details but it wouldn’t have been easy to do on my own). At the end of the call, I had a few more things from Claire to do and she was going to do her tasks. We would reconvene once we got an answer from the publishing company, which would allow us to then be on the national database for all booksellers in the UK.

I was so giddy, as I’d been trying to get to a point where my book(s) could be found in bookshops rather than just on Amazon. If all went well, all those people who ‘didn’t do Amazon’ would be able to buy my books in a bookshop this summer! ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ was first in line, then we would add ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself’ on a Bicycle…’ before the next couple I was currently working on. There was a slight setback in that my next book, ‘You Can’t Eat a Whole Blancmange and Dance….and other handy travel tips’ would be delayed. It was a bit scary, but also very exciting.

I was so grateful for Claire being there to support me and if you’re reading this and want to get a planner or journal published you should definitely get in touch (link below).

https://iamclaireclarke.co.uk/

I decided to celebrate in the evening; Vanessa was going back to the UK so we had arranged for me to join her and Matt for fish & chips at Cadde Balık. We’d had it planned for a while and Vanessa came to call for me at 5.30pm. Matt had decided not to come as he had eaten out at lunch time so wasn’t hungry.

As we were walking along the river, Vanessa said the reason we had picked fish and chips was because of Matt, and I’d been recently so we decided to change the venue so we could have a celebratory wine. We arrived at River House and the weather was nice enough to sit outside at 6pm. We decided to splash out with a full meal plus wine and it was amazing. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;

River House

1 soda water 50
1 Carafe white wine 590
1 Lahmacun 295
1 Chicken risotto 850
1 Liver & Onions 950
1 chocolate pancake 230
Total 2,965 lira (£50.25)

We also got free bread and mezzes so we had lots of food! Various stray cats and dogs waited to see if they would get any leftovers and one dog got a bit of liver from Vanessa. Obviously, we split the bill. It was the most I’d spent on a meal out in a while but I thought it was excellent. While we were there, a friend from the UK on holiday here, stopped by and she joined us. It was a lovely girl’s night and it felt nice to go out and treat myself while saying bye to one of my best friends. I would worry about the £70 weekly budget later!

When I got home, things had progressed with the pay day chase up and we were getting paid tomorrow. I was certainly looking forward to the money being in our accounts!

Gratitude List

1. Progress on getting my books in to actual UK book shops!

2. Getting to say hello to a friend on holiday

3. A wonderful send off for Vanessa.

Dalyan – 14th March

It was market day again on Saturday 14th March so I had arranged to go with Vanessa. I had already checked the remaining budget from my readjusted £40 for the week and today was the last day. There was no way I was going to be able to stick to it and I knew that the remaining £6.61 would get spent easily at the market today. I needed to better plan if I wanted to reach my saving goals. I called for Vanessa at 10am and we planned for a quick market shop then to go to the nice cafe for a cup of tea and a chat.

Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Stall 1
Lettuce 30 lira (51p)

Stall 2
Carrots, spring onions, radish 150 (£2.54)

Stall 3
Strawberries, oranges, bananas 340 (£5.76)

Total spent 520 lira (£8.81)

This week’s reduced budget was blown already, mainly due to strawberries at 200 lira (£3.39), but I was not unduly worried as we headed to Mornings in Mavi, my new favourite cafe.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and ordered a fancy tea for 120 lira (£2.03) and a toasted sandwich for 300 lira (5.08). It was fantastic and very filling so I wouldn’t need any lunch today. The owner of the cafe is from Eskişehir and seems very conscientious. After discussing my budgeting plans with Vanessa and realising I was being quite restrictive trying to live on less than £6 per day, I decided for future weeks I would reset and up the budget to £10 per day, so £70 per week. This way, when I didn’t spend it all, it would be more motivating but it would also not be such a burden if I did. I’d still not been paid but surely that would be due on Monday.

Back home, I put the shopping away and totted up that this week I had spent £49.32, which was pretty good to say I’d had 2 days where I had alcohol and only 1 zero spend day. I had a video call with Captain Caveman who had one week left until his trip to Vietnam. He was heading over to take part in the Saigon Children’s Charity bicycle ride for charity. Ordinarily, I would have been there for support but I had already committed my time to Norman, the dog, and his 15th birthday – I couldn’t miss that! Captain Caveman offered to send me money but he had enough on, with his trip to Vietnam and the apartment maintenance and repairs he needed to pay for, plus he was moving house, so I said I would manage by continuing my Money Minded March.
I worked for the rest of the day, my post using the new skills from Georgina Chapman had got so many views that it was scary! I had a cheese salad sandwich and realised I should’ve gone halves on the lettuce this week – it was huge!!! Later, I decided to swing by Ren Garden to say bye to Lucy and Scott before they went for dinner and then the airport.

Gratitude List
1. Splurging at the market and in the cafe with Vanessa
2. Speaking to Captain Caveman
3. Seeing Lucy and Scott one last time.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th March

My weight on the home scales on Wednesday 11th March showed no change and I hoped that was because the battery was low on them. My measurements were much more favourable as I had lost 1cm from my bust and waist and 3cm from my hips. I just needed to lose 3cm more from my waist and hips to be back to target.
After a couple of hours work, I did day 3 of The Signal, the free course which was really opening my eyes to how I write content and how I might want to improve it in the future. At 1pm I was on a zoom call with the publisher, Claire Clarke, and the Create, Publish, Grow group that I’m part of. We started to discuss advertising and getting our books in to actual bookshops which is what I really needed. I still wanted to do more book sales as I knew my handy travel tips and the handy travel planner could certainly help more people have better holidays.
At Fat Club I had a bit of a surprise when I got on Carol’s scales – I had lost 1.9kg (3.8lb) so, naturally, I was pleased. The swimming pool and the garden area at Ren was looking good, ready for the tourists coming soon. It was colder than it looked out so I was regretting wearing shorts! I spent just 30 lira (51p) on a water, although I was meant to be on a zero spend day today. I rushed back home as I had more work commitments booked in which meant I couldn’t make it to Matt’s birthday meal at the new fish place in town. I’d decided I might meet them after for drinks but I didn’t go in the end. I’d not been paid yet and I was keen to wait until I knew what I was getting, before I spent money on going out or alcohol, plus I was absolutely knackered. Most of the people out had gone to Corner bar, some had gone home. I had an early night, ready for another busy day tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Free help with courses and zoom
2. Losing weight
3. A very low spend, zero alcohol day.

It was a busy day in Dalyan on Thursday 12th March. I did a couple of hours work while having tea and toast. At 10am I attended the 4th session of The Signal with Georgina Chapman.
In the Resort Experts team meeting at 2pm there was no apology or mention of the late pay day so I asked the question (again). Luckily, we were reassured that it was being worked on as we spoke. It was likely we would get paid tomorrow but definitely by Friday! I was fine with that, I just wanted to know how much I was getting and when, so that I could make sure my money was in the Turkish bank account before the Bayram bank holidays. It was hot today so I sat outside and got sunburn through my black trousers. I ate left over curry for lunch, outside on the balcony.

At 6pm I decided to go for a walk and take some photos by the river, go to the bank and call for some wine. I bought 2 bottles for 560 lira (£9.49) and took them over to Jamie & Drew’s where I had been invited for dinner.

At Jamie’s I sat outside with a glass of red while chatting to Lucy (Drew’s sister-in-law) and getting to know Scott (her friend). They are really nice people and we had such a laugh. Nanny Kay arrived shortly after and more wine and more laughs were had before enjoying a delicious chicken dinner.
It was late when I got home and I was a bit tipsy!

Gratitude List
1. My new phone and camera
2. A great night at Jamie & Drew’s.
3. Wine.

Dalyan – 27th February

It was Captain Caveman’s last full day and night in Dalyan on Friday 27th February. He decided it would be nice to go out for breakfast and we chose Ela’s Kitchen, another favourite of ours. Unfortunately, it meant I had to cancel a call with a friend that we had booked in, but she understood and said to enjoy my time with Captain Caveman. We called at the bank to put in English money to cover the council tax expense and in readiness for our last couple of days. The breakfast was so good and my massive sandwich came with chips and salad. Here’s what we had with prices in lira:

Ela’s Kitchen
1 Espresso 120
1 Yorkshire tea 140
1 Menemen 350
1 Bacon & mushroom sandwich 450
Total spent 1,060 lira (£17.97)

My next mission was to leave Captain Caveman to get on with work and for me to go find a phone case, and a kettle in Ortaca. I was also booked in to have my hair done at my favourite hairdressers. The bus takes about 30 minutes and is just over a £1 each way but it can get busy.
Once in Ortaca I spent over an hour traipsing between phone shops and electrical stores. Interestingly, 2 shops sold the same make and model of phone that I had in my hand but none of them sold cases for them. There was no way I could have a phone without a case so I was a bit disappointed and would have to see if I could get one online. I couldn’t even find a suitable kettle so I decided to give up and go early to the hairdresser’s. I took some Turkish delight which cost 150 lira (£2.54) and was from the lovely shop I bought gifts from last time. I’d completely forgotten it was Ramadan but, luckily, most of the staff weren’t observing and we shared the sweet treats.
I love going to Emrah to have my hair done as he always does such a good job. I know I can get it cheaper in Dalyan but it’s one of the things I really value and trust – a good hairdresser. The cost of a colour, cut, blow-dry and curling cost me 2,300 lira plus I gave a tip of 200 lira, so I spent 2,500 lira (£42.37) and I felt human again – and my hair looked pretty good too!
On the way home I popped in to Migros to buy that Turkish kettle I’d seen for 799.95 lira (£13.56) and a packet of wraps for 120 lira (£2.03). The cashier told me to go home and check that the kettle worked and to bring it straight back if it didn’t.
I didn’t need telling twice, the kettle was out of the box in no time as Captain Caveman was giddy to see how it worked too. For the price I paid, I was happy with the kettle with the tea pot on the top.

After finishing work, Captain Caveman and I met Jamie and Geoff in Sofra bar and had a few Friday night beverages. I’d not eaten since breakfast so the wine went straight to my head and I jumped at the suggestion of food, by which time it was almost 10pm so finding a venue may have proved tricky. Jamie was on it and got us booked in to Ela’s Kitchen, for the 2nd time today. Here’s what Captain Caveman and I had, prices in lira on our last night together;

Ela’s Kitchen
Walnut pesto pasta 550
İskender kebab 700
Drinks 975
Total spent 2,225 lira (£37.72)

We had a great time but I was drunk and couldn’t remember finishing the İskender kebab or getting home. I didn’t realise at the time that we had spent more than £120 in a day – that would usually last me almost a month! We got home and I don’t recall getting undressed or setting the alarm for tomorrow’s boat trip.

Gratitude List
1. Food at Ela’s Kitchen (twice in a day)
2. Getting my hair done and the new kettle
3. Having a night out with Captain Caveman, Jamie and Geoff.

Dalyan – 4th & 5th February

The home scales on Wednesday 4th February showed I’d put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) which wasn’t good. My measurements also were not great as my hips and waist had remained the same but I’d put 2cm on my bust! I had tea and toast then got on with work before it was time to go to Fat Club.
I should really have had another no spend day yesterday and used today for the shopping day, as I knew I was going to be having a drink at Fat Club today. We’d changed venues to try Ren Garden, given that the prices of drinks at the Caria Hotel had increased. I got weighed to find Carol’s scales were not kind and I’d actually put on 0.65kg (1.4lb). Ironically, I then decided I would have a glass of red wine for 140 lira (£2.37) and I couldn’t resist taking a cookie home which cost 100 lira (£1.69). Thus spending more than I would have at the old Fat Club venue.
I got back and took Norman out for a walk without it raining, which was nice and then he had his dinner with extra pasta in, as I had a veggie pasta dish and that amazing chocolate chip cookie. I did more work in the evening.
I spoke to Captain Caveman around 9.30pm and we were on countdown to his arrival in 16 days. Norman snored for the rest of the evening, comfortably on the sofa.

Gratitude List
1. Treats at the new Fat Club venue
2. Speaking to Captain Caveman
3. Norman.

On Thursday 5th February Norman had taken to finding and licking or eating cat shit in the garden. The water levels had gone down after a dry day, exposing quite a bit of cat shit in the gravel and Norman was like a kid in a sweet shop!
After tea and toast, I popped back to get the washing in I’d hung out yesterday, while it wasn’t raining. Today the skies were grey again and rain was forecast to start this afternoon until Tuesday, when Jamie & Drew were due back to Dalyan.
I worked all day, stopping off for a lunch break where I warmed up some leftover curry and read a lovely review from a customer.
At 4.30pm the rain looked imminent so Norman and I rushed out for a walk – it was quite blustery and Norman wasn’t that happy about it!
For dinner, I made teriyaki chicken with noodles which was very tasty. I worked in the evening and today was another zero spend day, which I was pleased about and I’d planned to stay in and work all weekend.

Gratitude List
1. Good food
2. Resort Experts review
3. Norman.

Dalyan – 3rd February

Amazingly, the sun came out on Tuesday 3rd February so Norman and I were both really pleased about that. I’d been doing well with the Frugal February so far and I had just 1 week left until Jamie & Drew came back. After a few hours of work, tea and toast for breakfast, my pen ran out just as I came to the end of my notepad – which was weird! I decided to go for a walk and call at the shops for new ones. Here’s what I spent, prices in lira, still keeping the budget in mind;

Dalyan Stationers

2 pens 100
2 notebooks 200
Total spent 300 lira (£5.08)

I could have bought just 1 of each but decided I would have spares for next time, even though I could’ve saved spending £2.54.

Migros Supermarket

Wholemeal bread 99.50
2 Quark 111.90
Fabric Softener 116.95
900g chicken breast 193.99
4 tins tomatoes 199.80
Total 722.14 lira (£12.24)

I decided to pop in to the supermarket as I wanted a sliced wholemeal loaf and some chicken. While there, I spotted they had fabric softener on offer for the 1440ml, large size (which I had run out of) and they had restocked the tins of tomatoes. Tinned tomatoes are like rocking horse shit here, in the winter, so I grabbed 4 – again, not an essential but I like to get them when I see them. I dropped the tomatoes and softener off at home and took the rest of the stuff back with me to Jamie’s.
Norman was loving being back outside too but there seemed to be a lot of cats around, which he wasn’t keen on. We had a lovely walk, with no rain too.
I worked until 9.30pm, including some stuff for my next book, and had a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry for dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Shopping for non essentials but still being within my budget
2. A walk in the sun
3. Norman.

Marrakech – 4th January

On Sunday 4th January I’d taken to using my work phone (which was on silent) to take the photos. I managed to get photos of the breakfast, the roof terrace and a grumpy cat who had sat in my seat. Today’s breakfast didn’t have yoghurt, which neither of us like, but it did have fruit salad and a different type of bread product which reminded me of pikelets crossed with pancakes, these were called baghrir. There was also chocolate cake which Captain Caveman didn’t have and I had only half of my piece despite it being very good.

Today we decided we would have a walk around and venture a little further. We aren’t ones for shopping (we only had underseat luggage anyway) but we did wander through the souks. We found walking with purpose (Captain Caveman is not a dawdler) and not touching any items, meant we had zero hassle from anyone. We did see tourists touching items which then lead to the stall owner thinking they were interested in buying. Nothing has prices on so haggling and bargaining are expected. Marrakech is a traditional Muslim city where most of the local women cover their hair, tourists don’t need to but it’s still a good idea to dress appropriately. I did see a woman in very fitting yoga pants almost give a stall holder a hard on!
It had rained quite heavily during the night so I was definitely glad of sensible footwear today as the streets were a bit grubby. Our lunch stop today was Café Des Éspices which, by the time we left, was very busy so we were glad to have gone early. Service was quick, it had the tiniest (but clean) toilet I’d ever been in – and I’ve spent a lot of time in small toilets! We just ordered a falafel wrap for me and a köfte sandwich for Captain Caveman with hot drinks and a bottle of soda water for just shy of £20. The dishes were great but I had food envy for the harira (traditional soup) which all 3 people on the next table ordered.

We visited Dar El Bacha, the Museum of Confluences, which barely had a queue and cost under £10 for the 2 of us. I was really taken with the patterns and just how much work went in to the buildings. Every wall, floor and ceiling was amazing but we avoided the coffee shop as it was extortionate! As we were leaving, the staff member told us to keep our ticket and it would give us free access to the Music museum which sounded right up my alley! We were going to be too late getting there to do it justice so the man said the ticket could be used tomorrow – we were impressed by that.

Our wandering had taken us outside of the Medina walls and we found a rooftop bar that had been recommended, Kabana. We did have to look carefully as it was a small doorway which led up to a massive rooftop bar. We had 2 glasses of red wine & 2 pints of lager for £35 so it wasn’t cheap but the Moroccan wine was palatable and they had excellent toilet facilities – this was also the second place we’d been where men and women use the same toilets so there are no male and female signs to look out for – very modern!

Our next stop was another bar on the roof top of Riad Monceau. It was very nice and we just caught the Happy Hour. We sat at the bar where Captain Caveman had a pint of lager and I went mad and ordered a Pina Colada. The bar man was friendly, made a great cocktail but they certainly knew how to charge in the Jungle Bar – £21 for our 2 drinks at Happy Hour.

We hurried back as we needed to be back at Jemaa El-Fnaa to meet Suzanna and Hugo. They were keen to watch the football but I could already tell from the crowds of supporters in the streets that it was going to be busy wherever we went. As we got to the Grand Balcon Du Café Glacier, I could see it was rammed and there were staff on the doors. I get claustrophobic and am a little over the top on health and safety so I told Captain Caveman to go in without me. I sat downstairs on the outside terrace and ordered a mint tea. I also observed more and more people squishing in to the downstairs space where the football was on the TV. I envisaged getting trapped in there and didn’t want to be part of a Swiss New Year’s Eve scenario so refused to go inside. Captain Caveman came back when he realised Suzanna and Hugo weren’t there anyway and he joined me for a mint tea.
We met just as the match was finishing at a place called Address, the prices there were high (no alcohol) and the staff not as welcoming so we didn’t stay after the match finished.
For dinner that night, we chose a lovely little restaurant which was almost full (always a good sign). La Cantine Des Gazelles was very pink in décor and we all ordered Moroccan food. My chicken tagine was amazing and we had lots of the soda water we were now partial to. When we ordered extra bread, we didn’t get charged for it and our total bill for 4 of us came to just £32.50.
I was stuffed and could not have managed a dessert but Hugo fancied a crêpe from the street seller. There was quite a queue but it went down quickly and we then said our goodbyes. It had been good to finally meet them both and we wished them well for the rest of their trip.
We wove our way back to the riad but didn’t have any rum tonight as Captain Caveman had started to feel a little unwell.

Gratitude List
1. Great food
2. Meeting up with Suzanna & Hugo
3. Rooftop bars.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Marrakech – 3rd January

Breakfast was included at our riad and was served on the rooftop terrace each morning between 8 and 10am. Our first breakfast on Saturday 3rd January consisted of several bread based items, yoghurt with a sauce in, a piece of cake, juice and a choice of coffee or mint tea. I tried to take a photo of the spread and the photo was there, but later disappeared from my phone. This was to be the start of my phone deciding it was going to delete photos just minutes after taking them, with no warning! Captain Caveman had his coffee which he said was alright but didn’t eat the cake or the yoghurt. I tried a bit of everything but it was very sweet for a breakfast. We both liked the dosa type bread which we later learned was called Msemmen. I ordered the mint tea and it became my drink of choice throughout the week. At first I thought it was simply a healthy mint tea but it’s actually made with gunpowder green tea and plenty of fresh mint and sugar!!! The Moroccans pour the tea from the pot at a height to aerate it and it looks a bit like dirty water or whisky.
Captain Caveman had only exchanged £50 at the airport, ironically so that we had cash for the taxi! We decided to walk around the Medina and get our bearings a bit. Captain Caveman had marked a route and the way to an ATM on his offline maps. Neither of us used WiFi or a SIM once out of our accommodation as it can be expensive, plus we didn’t really need it.

We called for some lunch on the rooftop dining area of Chinguitti restaurant in the square where the spices are. The sun was shining and I actually had to take my hat and hoody off. They didn’t sell alcohol so I ordered a mint tea, Captain Caveman a coffee and both of us chose tagines for our meal – a minced meat and egg for Captain Caveman and a chicken for me. The waiter was friendly and spoke french, we can get by in french too (although I’m a little rusty, food is my forte). The menu was in French and English so it was easy to order. A selection of olives with a basket of warm bread was given for free and we ordered a bottle of water as it was getting quite hot on the upstairs terrace.
The food was excellent and I really enjoyed my mint tea, this time with no sugar! Our tagines were around £8 each and were filling. The most expensive drinks on the nenu were about £2.50 for a juice. Our next stop was at the ATM, which you can choose English as the language before you start your transaction. This time we got 12 Dirhams to the pound so was a better rate than the airport, of course. The queue was long and the likelihood of people trying to push in happened but we stood our ground. A french lady told us that this ATM didn’t give the best rate and that we should walk to the post office to get money, we were fine to use this ATM as I was there now. Captain Caveman had transferred £500 to me, which we had allotted for a 7 night holiday and then, because I had Wise, we would use it all from my account.

We had more of a wander round the Medina and then I needed the loo! Everywhere I go where I eat out, I often end up with a dodgy tum but it didn’t last long and I was ok after a cafe visit. I ran off to the top floor of Argana in the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, shouting back to Captain Caveman to just order me anything to drink.
When I came back down, Captain Caveman was drinking an Espresso and had ordered me a freshly squeezed orange juice – probably not the best choice in my predicament and I didn’t have any imodium on me. The drinks were reasonable and the cafe nice (good toilets that were free for customers) – we paid £2 for coffee and £2.33 for the juice, which Captain Caveman had to finish off.
Our next stop was to meet Captain Caveman’s sister-in-law and nephew at a rooftop cafe. Le Grand Balcon Du Café Glacier was the perfect spot to watch the goings on in the square below and meant we could avoid watching any potential animal cruelty. A small amount of snake charming and monkeys for photos is still going on but my theory is to not give it any attention, so that it will eventually die out as an attraction. It was my first time in 14 years of knowing Captain Caveman that I had met Suzanne and Hugo, so it was great to spend some time with them. We sipped soft drinks or mint tea (they don’t have alcoholic drinks) on the roof terrace and caught up. The excursions they had booked already had cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions Morocco was experiencing this week and were staying in Marrakech for one more night before taking the train to Casablanca. Le Grand Balcon Du Café Glacier had an interesting toilet arrangement that I thought worthy of note. There is a toilet attendant who pretends he doesn’t have change so you can end up paying more than you should – like I did, twice! Captain Caveman went in for a free one and said I’d already paid for him just to even the score up a bit.
We walked past a snack place called Adam but we didn’t choose there to eat. Instead we went to a place near to it, that I forget the name of. Suzanna wasn’t hungry so just had soda water – which is excellent in Marrakech and cheap for a large bottle. Hugo had a local sausage dish and an Orangina, Captain Caveman ordered lamb, roasted veg and couscous tagine and I chose chicken shish and chips to be kind to my stomach. The food was good and cheap, it started raining as we were leaving and the restaurant we were at filled up quickly. We walked back to our respective riads with arrangements to meet up tomorrow to watch Morocco play football. We got back to our room before the rain got heavy and had a spiced rum for a night cap! Our first day in Marrakech had been surprisingly lovely and very relaxed.

Gratitude List
1. Riad Lalla Khadija was very comfy and in a good location
2. Having some really nice food and drinks
3. Meeting up with family in Marrakech.

Photo credit – Captain Caveman, Suzanna, Facebook groups.

Dalyan & Ortaca – 19th December

Friday 19th December was a great day, in fact my last weekend in Dalyan this year was about to be rather eventful. I made a decision to take some time back to spend it with friends! After a walk to the bank to get cash out, I had a phone call with one of my UK friends. It was good to talk about general stuff as usual but this time it was a chance to arrange to meet up while I was in Sheffield.
My next excitement came in the form of a long awaited hairdresser appointment which Captain Caveman was treating me to. I’d arranged to go with Debbie (Darling) who I hadn’t seen for ages and we joked it was our work Christmas party. She met me at 1pm after having to rescue a cat out of her pool and we went to get the bus to Ortaca. We share the same hairdresser, Emrah, and we’d decided to make an afternoon of it. Luckily that we did, as Captain Caveman had asked if I could get Christmas gifts for his brother and his family of 5 while I was there.
Debbie (Darling) and I chatted so much and had a really fun shopping trip. We bought gifts for people and I managed to get woolly hats for all the Spillane family plus plenty of Turkish Delight.

At the hairdresser’s we had Emra to ourselves and we opened up the chilled prosecco (which we’d had in the fridge) while we waited for our dye to take. I loved it and we both ended up with a change of colour. It cost me a total of 2,500 lira (£44.64) and I felt so much better for having it done.
As I’d bought the fizz, Debbie paid for a taxi back to Dalyan and we popped in to Ren Garden for a quick wine to round off our wonderful afternoon.

I took my shopping home and picked up a coat as it had got chilly once it was going dark. I grabbed a bite to eat at home and then went back out. I met Nanny Kay in Ren Garden too and we had a nice little mulled wine and a good chat.
I’d really enjoyed switching off and relaxing as it’s not often I do, fully.

Gratitude List

Spending valuable time with friends
A trip out to Ortaca with Debbie (Darling)
Getting my hair done, drinking fizz and buying the Christmas Gifts for less than £120.

Dalyan – 13th & 14th December

I had just 4 days left with Norman and 10 days left in Dalyan on Saturday 13th December. I hoped to be able to fit a few things in here, before the end of the year. The weather was good, Norman was snoozing and I got a notification to tell me that my author’s proof copy was arriving in Pontefract this morning! Even though I’d woken up with a sore arm from the flu vaccine, I thought that nothing could spoil my day!
I didn’t bother with the Saturday market but had a walk in to town and met Penny & Phil, content in the knowledge that Captain Caveman had the weekend off and would soon be opening ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, getting the red pen out to correct any obvious mistakes. We had chatted about having a video call so that I could then update the book and get it ready for people to start buying before Christmas on Monday!
At Jik’s, Penny had already ordered and was eating a breakfast, I decided to treat myself to a bacon and mushroom sandwich with an orange juice which was lovely. We got chatting and then decided to move tables to sit in the sun and I had a couple of red wines.
We saw lots of passing Dalyan Dwellers who had already been to the Winter fair and decided we would have a wander over to the Mosque Square to look round the fair, too I paid my 700 lira (£12.50) bill and off we went. It was very busy with lots of stalls, Penny found it hard to walk round for too long so I left her and Phil at Corner Bar. I had a mulled wine and a chocolate brownie from the Ren Garden stall for 150 lira (£2.68) while saying a quick hello to Görkem. I bought some books for 800 lira (£14.29) at the book stall which had a ticket for each book. All the tickets went in to a draw to win a bag of goodies. This is where I met the stall holder, Ali, who was raising money for the dog shelter. The books I picked were all detective/thriller novels for Dad to read, as I know they only bring hand luggage out and books he hasn’t read are difficult to get.
I popped to Kate’s stall where I managed to spend just a few quid on some new coasters. She was raising money for Arthur’s Legacy, a cat charity.
It was so very crowded, the busiest fair in Dalyan I had seen and I went back home to drop stuff off then over to Jamie’s to check on Norman.
While I was there, I checked if Captain Caveman had got my book and had he looked at it yet – he’d decided to go away for the weekend and so, disappointingly, the answer was no. He was due back tomorrow night and would look at it then, if it hadn’t been left out in the rain!
I decided to walk Norman back in to town but he was not keen on going far. We got as far as Ren Garden, where Penny, Phil and Caramel now were so I joined them. Norman loved it in there and I even let him off the lead to see if he and Caramel would play together – they didn’t. Penny had bought a whole cooked chicken from the butchers to feed Caramel with so of course Norman wanted to eat it too. I was hesitant as I didn’t want it to affect his tum but he did share some and snaffled it down. I had 2 mulled wines and a piece of really good carrot and walnut cake. I paid a total of 500 lira (£8.93) and we stayed out until 9pm.
Norman was very sprightly walking home and was so pleased with himself to have had extra chicken from Penny and Caramel.

Gratitude List
1. A good day with friends at the Winter fair
2. Norman
3. Mulled wine.

Sunday 14th December had any plans I might have had, cancelled. Poor little Norman had an accident at just gone 7am. He’d sneezed, coughed, farted and shit himself on the tiled floor of the dining room. The chicken he’d had last night had not done him any favours as I moved him away from a puddle of orange liquid that smelled foul! I felt awful for him and let Jamie know, seeing as I probably shouldn’t have let him eat the chicken.
I’d only just finished cleaning it up when Nanny Kay popped round for a visit and Norman was pleased to see her. We had a good chat and a laugh then arranged to have a pre Christmas drink on Friday as well as seeing each other next Sunday before I left for the UK.
Norman managed a short walk but he wasn’t his usual sprightly self so we chilled on the sofa in the evening. I had a homemade chickpea and spinach curry with couscous for dinner, which was nice. I waited for Captain Caveman to call or message to say he’d got my planner but I never heard anything! This meant that ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ would not be going on sale tomorrow. I was yet again disappointed and mad with myself for not planning it better.

Gratitude List
1. Seeing Nanny Kay
2. Norman
3. Healthy curry for dinner.

Dalyan – 8th to 10th December

I was so busy on Monday 8th December, mainly with admin, content writing, faffing about with corrections to the page lay out of my book and packing ready for tomorrow.
I had tea and toast for breakfast, skipped lunch and just had a sandwich for dinner. I did quite a few quotes hoping to sell some last minute holidays. My pay for December was lower than I wanted (or needed) it to be and the payments from my books only get paid 2 months after any online sale. Being self employed can be amazing but frustrating at times and Christmas was going to be tight. Luckily, we don’t celebrate or do presents so that would help. Captain Caveman sent me some money so that I could still get my hair done, which was lovely of him.

Gratitude List
1. Having the chance to earn passive income from my books
2. Captain Caveman helping me out
3. Knowing my cash flow would be improving in 2026.

On Tuesday 9th December I woke up feeling a bit more positive and decided to follow some budget gurus on Facebook. I was definitely going to do more zero spend days too. My aim was to get to a more stable point in the next 6 to 12 months. Luckily, I had the support of Captain Caveman who had agreed to work Christmas for extra money.
Norman was very pleased to see me while Jamie nipped off for a break of either the Maldives or Spain (yet to be confirmed). Norman slept most of the afternoon and then we had a little walk, past my parents’ house and around the block.
For dinner I had a bit of a strange noodle soup which looked odd but tasted fantastic; chicken, mushroom, green pepper, onion, vegetable stock, garlic and rice noodles. After dinner, Norman and I had a bit of sofa time and I had to put a blanket over me as I was cold, despite the AC being on high.
At bedtime, it was so cold that I ended up sleeping in a few layers and my woolly hat.

Gratitude List
1. Taking action around my income v expenditure
2. Norman, the dog
3. Spending zero money for the 2nd day in a row.

I set my alarm for 6.30am on Wednesday 10th December so that I could check on Norman, the dog. It was cold upstairs but downstairs was warmer and Norman was still snoring away. I got on the sofa and had a doze until 7.15am when Norman woke for a wee. I had tea and toast after feeding Norman and got on with work while he snored away. As it was Wednesday it was weigh day so I took my measurements and checked my home scales. My measurements were;
Bust -1cm, Waist no change, Hips +1cm and I had put 0.65kg (1.4lb) on! When I got back to Jamie’s, Norman had been a bit unwell so I had to clean it up. I didn’t tell him off or make a fuss and he seemed ok but it’s not like Norman to do that in the house. He also had to have a good wipe down with the wet wipes, which he didn’t appreciate.
I almost didn’t go to Fat Club but I waited until he was settled in his new bed, then went. I saved myself 50 lira (89p) as I had missed the water when I arrived late.
I was almost on a third day of zero spend when I bought bread from the bakery for 35 lira (63p) but knew it was a good move. I’d not had lunch yet so I had an early dinner of the same soup as yesterday, with some bread this time.
In the evening, Captain Caveman and I booked a Manchester Airport hotel room for the night before our trip to Morocco. The Tribe cost Captain Caveman £93.80 for the 2 of us including a breakfast each and was cheaper with Resort Experts than Booking .com, which was nice.
At 10.20pm, the AC was on 30°C but the actual temperature was still only 21°C so I went to bed to try to keep warm.

Gratitude List
1. Norman recovering from a runny bum accident
2. Captain Caveman booking us an airport hotel
3. A very low spend day.

Dalyan – 5th to 7th December

Friday 5th December was one of those stay at home days and keep out of the rain. I got a bit wet in the morning going to feed my friends cat and then I sat at my desk and watched the bad weather while I ploughed through my to do list. At 11am I had beans on toast and a Yorkshire tea for brunch. Not long after, my Turkish phone received a text to warn of heavy rains and flood risks across our province.
In the afternoon I helped out a fellow Travel Agent from another company who wanted some info about Dalyan. The rains came and didn’t stop for the rest of the day so I had to venture out in it to feed the, who didn’t show up.
I warmed up a Thai green curry for dinner with couscous and then found my wool socks and sheepskin slippers to warm my feet. They were cold after getting wet, walking through the water of our overflowing swimming pool. The mulled wine evening at Ren Garden even got postponed due to the weather so Jamie and I decided we would not be venturing out.

Gratitude List
1. Beans on toast
2. Thai Green curry
3. Warm feet.

The rain didn’t stop on Saturday 6th December so I got absolutely soaked on my last cat feeding mission. Even the white dogs did not come out or look up from their shelters this morning! I decided to call in to the Fataç shop to see if they had any wellies. I’d only got pumps which, although had a chunky sole, were totally inadequate for walking through the puddles. As luck would have it, the owner was there and let me try on a lovely pair of industrial wellies which he fitted with some super comfy spongy insoles. They did set me back 1700 lira (£30.36) which was not budgeted for but they made me feel like I would never have wet or uncomfortable feet again. Mr Fataç insisted I kept them on and gave me a plastic bag for my soggy sneakers. On my way home, I sploshed about like a child who’d been told not to go in puddles and it was amazing! I knew that my friend was on her way back from her trip, the cat was fed and looked after and I was looking forward to no animal caring for the next 2 days.
I messaged Captain Caveman to let him know I’d spent a load of money on wellies and he thought that was a bargain for dry comfy feet! I obviously didn’t venture to the weekly market and decided I could make do with what I had.
I made halloumi and roasted vegetable pasta for lunch which was fantastic. I spent the rest of my day avoiding rain and checking on our roof leaks – the bathroom needed a container to catch the drips from the leaking window.

Gratitude List
1. New wellies!!!
2. Puddle sploshing
3. Good food.

I tried my best to have a lay in on Sunday 7th December, however, my body clock must’ve got used to being awake between 6 & 7am as I was in the Wide Awake Club.
I even joined Jamie on a dog walk with Norman as they had felt cabined up and wanted to get out now that the rain had gone. I was keen to splash about in my new wellies so agreed to meet Jamie. As we were walking we decided that we would partake in the postponed mulled wine night at Ren Garden later. Jamie had a birthday lunch to do in the afternoon but said he would make it between 7 and 8pm. In the meantime, I spent my day faffing about with suitcases trying to find my clothes that needed to go to charity. It turned out I must’ve already donated them as I only had what was in one box and one wardrobe! I made a simple but tasty chicken and veg pasta for lunch and finally was able to get a couple of loads of washing out to dry.
I arrived at Ren Garden around 7pm and was chatting to some friends who were already there. By 9pm I decided I had already drunk sufficient mulled wine, which I really enjoyed, and that I would go to Migros for some shopping. I paid my 600 lira (£10.71) bill and said farwell to the people of Ren Garden. Jamie messaged to say he was still out at the birthday celebrations and was sorry to not make it after all. I was quite tipsy so I decided to get myself a ready made pizza for dinner. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 21.71
Milk 59.90
Dark chocolate 59.95
1 pepperoni pizza 179.95
Socks 388.95
Total spent 700.43 lira (£12.51)

I went home, cooked and ate the pizza and was glad of being in bed before midnight.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Wellies
3. Mulled wine.

Dalyan – 2nd to 4th December

There was a lack of photos and blog type updates on Tuesday 2nd December as it was a bit of a sad day. I’d fed my friend’s cat, seen the white dogs and watched Captain Caveman pack before midday. At noon I said farewell to Captain Caveman. He was joining Ma, Pa, Julie and Gareth plus a few other Dalyan Dwellers on the flight back to the UK. I was going to miss him – I was looking forward to seeing him later this month and for our trip to Morocco for the first week of January, to celebrate my birthday.
At 1pm I attended more training with Anex Tours and found out that from July 2026 they would be doing flights to Antalya from Teeside airport.
I popped over to Jamie’s to let Norman out and then went to a funeral. It was my first funeral in Dalyan and I was there to support a friend, who’s lovely mother had died unexpectedly. It was upsetting, of course, although it was good to see so many people attend the send off.
I was in two minds as to whether to go to the wake afterwards, but decided to pay my respects. It was actually really nice to share some memories of such a lovely woman, even though we weren’t close I’d been to a few social events and a couple of boat trips here and there. I went home feeling sad for my friend and her family.
I didn’t eat dinner that night and had an early night, going to bed being so much more grateful than I usually am.

Gratitude List
1. Having enjoyed 11 days with Captain Caveman
2. Having a holiday booked
3. Knowing my parents had enjoyed their 3 months in Dalyan.

After feeding my friend’s cat on Wednesday 3rd December I said hello to the white dogs and popped to the chemist. I bought 2 months’ worth of pills for 660 lira (£11.79). Back home, as it was weigh day, I got on the scales to find I was the same weight as last week. I got a phone call and forgot to take my measurements though.
I got busy in the office until lunch time when I had beans on toast and a green tea.
At 3pm I walked along the river to Fat Club, where I had lost just 0.1kg (0.2lb). I swapped my existing magazine for another to inspire me with some recipes and walked home via the shop. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Nut Dido chocolate bar 30.00
Halloumi 96.50
2 Quark 99.90
Meatballs 199.95
Mini Magnums 250.00
Total spent 675.36 lira (£12.06)

I fed the cat and then, for dinner, I made a chickpea and spinach stew which I had with couscous. It was quite tasty and healthy, until I followed it with a mini Magnum.

Gratitude List
1. Animals
2. Not putting weight on
3. Good food.

Thursday 4th December was hardly worthy of a blog post, aside from my interaction with the white dogs on the way from cat feeding. Massive storms with heavy rain were forecast any time from 5pm tonight. I had beans on toast for brunch. I worked, I did the evening cat feed early and warmed up the chickpea stew with couscous for dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Knowing rain was coming but I was prepared
2. The white dogs
3. Good healthy food.

Dalyan – 1st December

For Captain Caveman’s last day in Dalyan on Monday 1st December, I decided we should go on the Yellow Boat to Köyceğiz. I’d booked the 2 of us on at 400 lira (£7.27) each, leaving at 10.30am and returning by 5pm. I was mainly looking forward to buying some fruit and vegetables at the market as we hadn’t been to the Dalyan one.
My first job was to feed my friend’s cat, get cash out of the bank and then grab us a couple of croissants from the bakery for breakfast. It cost 180 lira (£3.21) for 2 and they were really good and fresh. I checked the stats for my JOLOYOLO.COM blog and was pleased to see I had 6% more views in November than October. The top 3 nationalities were listed as the UK, Turkey, then the USA. Unfortunately, Vietnam was down in 15th place – beaten easily by Australia, Thailand and the Netherlands!
It was quite chilly out but dry, so we were optimistic for the boat trip today. When we got on, there was just us, Brigette and her hubby, Jim, plus a Turkish lady who was the mother of a walking friend of Captain Caveman’s. Usually there are about 16 onboard so this felt like our own private trip!!
We sipped our hot drinks and nibbles on simit, as we sailed along the river and towards Köyceğiz Lake. The water and scenery was so beautiful and my phone camera didn’t even do it justice.

When we arrived it was around midday so Captain Caveman and I headed to the market. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;

Potatoes, onions & garlic 45
Peppers & courgettes 45
Black Olives 50
2 pairs of Slippers 100
Total spent 240 lira (£4.29)

For lunch we decided to try Kebapçı Antepden 1999 where I had a lentil soup and Captain Caveman ordered a chicken wrap. The waiter also brought us some free starters, lots of bread and it was all very nice for 480 lira (£8.57). Our next stop was to call for a drink by the lake at one of our favourite places, Avantgart, where we spent 700 lira (£12.50) on a glass of red wine and a rakı.

Back on the boat we had some fruit and snacks then I had a wine and Captain Caveman had a beer. We all watched a bird eat a snake, which was a little grim, but interesting! It was a really good boat trip and we even tried dried persimmon with pecan nuts with the Turkish lady – they were delicious.

After dropping the shopping back in Dalyan, I went to feed my friend’s cat and we had sausage casserole for dinner again. This time Captain Caveman had the leftover lamb added to his. Later, we headed to Ozzy’s bar to meet my parents for a farewell drink. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;

2 Efes Malt 300
2 red wines 320
Total 620 lira with 60 lira discount
Total spent 560 lira (£10)

My parents and Captain Caveman were on the same flight back to Manchester tomorrow, as well as Julie & Gareth, so they were all going to the airport together. As I wouldn’t get to to say bye to Ma & Pa tomorrow, I said my goodbyes that night.

Gratitude List
1. A great day out in Köyceğiz on the Yellow Boat
2. Tasty food
3. Leaving drinks with my parents and Captain Caveman.