Sunday 22nd May should have been a day to stay home and rest up, and it did start out that way! I got up late, despite not having had much sleep due to the music of the Jazz bar, and then the early call to prayer. For breakfast I made myself beans on toast with 2 of Dick’s sausages. I cooked a whole pack so that I could make a sausage casserole tomorrow too. I was a bit annoyed that my TV, which had not been showing any programme listing information, was still not right so I had to play Russian roulette with what might be on what channels. I wanted to record the Grand Prix but couldn’t work out when it would be on. Instead I listened to music and was pleased I’d made it to the sofa today. For lunch I had a cheese sandwich with the Red Leicester from Dick and the spare breadcake from Ula that was still in my bag. I realised we had possibly been neglecting Des, who had been busy working and catching up with his new Dalyan friends. We agreed to meet at Backyard No.9 and I invited some of the gang so that he wasn’t bored with just me. My parents and I were the first there, Sarah was going to join us and Des arrived just as we had ordered our drinks. Mark and Kate were already out with a few others at Rehab bar so said they wouldn’t be coming. When Sarah arrived she had brought me a pair of sunglasses which she was recycling. They were slightly broken but I cleaned them on a serviette and popped them on to try them out for size. I love the pizzas at Backyard No.9; three out of the five of us ordered one. Mom had tuna and onion pizza, I had the Dalyan pizza with feta, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers, Sarah had one with parma ham and rocket, while Dad had a cheeseburger with chips and Des chose a pasty type dish. It isn’t the cheapest place but the ingredients are quality and fresh. Ülkü and her team are really nice and friendly plus the outside space is very tastefully set up. It was a lovely meal and we enjoyed the wine too. After we had eaten, Mark and Kate were on their way home and popped in for a drink and a chat. They had to get back to feed the cats so only had one beer – they can’t be party animals every night!! We also went home reasonably early and I promised myself a couple of rest days from tomorrow. I was still waiting to hear if I had been granted a visa for Vietnam yet and hoped that tomorrow would bring good news.
At 5am, on Wednesday 18th May, I got up and cycled back ‘home’ to Mark and Kate’s so that I would be back in time for breakfast for their cats. I also messaged Des to let him know that he had to be back on house and cat sitting duty for tonight as I already had my hands full. Mark and Kate were due back late tonight and I planned to have left by the time they arrived back, so they would have the house to themselves. I also had plans to meet Dick, a mate from England, who was bringing me a stash of sausage and cheese! My first task was to cycle over to Captain Caveman’s apartment to take the washing out and pick up my notes for Turkish class. Michelle, the tortoise, was under a sun lounger near the pool and the roses outside a neighbour’s apartment were looking lovely. Vanessa came to call for me before Turkish class and she got to meet Michelle, we even tried again to feed the tortoise but she must not have been hungry. Turkish class was good as we did more telling the time, where it was apparent that telling the time in English was confusing enough. Vanessa and I decided to stay for lunch at our new Turkish class venue, Casablanca hotel. I ordered a chicken wrap, Vanessa a cheese burger, both came with homemade chips and we enjoyed our meals. While Mark and Kate were off to enjoy the lounge at Bristol airport I popped to the shop to get a few essentials in and pick up bread, milk and diet coke for their return. I met up with the pool gang at Retro briefly on my way back to Mark and Kate’s house to feed the cats for the last time. I managed to strap the shopping, a pair of boots and a tin of paint plus my handbag on to the back of the bike and get it all back in one piece. I saw a post on the Dalyan Visitors Facebook page offering a free trip out this coming Saturday, courtesy of the Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Business. Obviously, I will attend the opening of an envelope, so I messaged VLS, one of the organisers, to reserve my space. When Mark sent me a photo of his ham from the airport lounge I told him and Kate about the trip and they added on, as did my parents. I packed all of my stuff, fed the cats and booked a taxi to take me home – JC even helped me bring in the washing and had some cuddles. After dropping my stuff off I went straight to Retro bar for the quiz with Ma & Pa. They had been out in the afternoon and were tipsy so the night ended up messy, again, us drinking cocktails with Nusret and Gonca. I finally got to meet Andrea, Nazim’s wife, and we had a lovely chat before it got busier with everyone coming for the quiz. Tom Cree does the fun quiz every Wednesday and has different rounds including music, picture and general questions, usually with a bit of a theme. Deniz, the new bar man, was also there and getting in to the swing of things well. Des had turned up from Marmaris with a face on with me for insisting he come back to honour his house and cat sitting at Debbie (Darling)’s. We got invited to breakfast with Nusret, Gonca and Yaşar the next day and we forgot that we were already committed to meet our friends in Fethiye. I was meant to be meeting Dick at Rodrigo’s about 11.30pm but I’d not heard if he’d arrived so I stayed at Retro bar a bit later. Des came with me and we saw Mark on the way, he had already been to Rodrigo’s but was heading to another bar. He was still happy about the lounge experience in Bristol airport and had to show us the marmite sachets in his pocket. I had a glass of white wine at Rodrigo’s while Des went to Backyard No.9. Dick didn’t show up for a while and my internet wasn’t working so I walked down to Sofra bar, with my wine in a rakı glass, bumping in to Jo on the way. Dick arrived and had a massive bag of English produce for me and I was so grateful. I had one more drink with Des and his friend, Jo had disappeared before I could say goodbye. Mark had called at Aşkın’s then Rehab but had gone home, without us having a drink together or him taking Kate’s order. Des walked home with me, carrying most of the English delivery and, when we parted, I gave Des some sausage and bacon for his breakfast tomorrow. I was very glad to get in my own bed after so long and I was looking forward to getting plenty of sleep.
It was going to be another hot day on Tuesday 17th May with temperatures above 30°C. I was awake early to feed the cats, water the plants and submit my application for a Vietnam visa. It was a bit of faffing about but I eventually got a response to say my visa application would be processed within 3 working days, I made a note to check back on Friday. By 9.30am I was having cheese on toast and a mug of Yorkshire tea while I checked out domestic flights to Istanbul. I decided to have a day by the pool, Mark and Kate have a decent sized swimming pool and it’s as good a place as any to spend a sunny day. I even put on a bikini, which I had forgotten to bring the straps for and had to be careful it didn’t fall off in the pool. By 2.30pm it was very hot by the pool and I helped myself to a cold beer from the outdoor fridge, then did a bit more swimming.
That night I had a Turkish evening booked at Lukka bar with Mom, Dad and Vanessa and I was really looking forward to it. I got there at just past 7.30pm and everyone was already there, Dad hadn’t been feeling too well. My parents drank beers, Vanessa had a wine and soda but I was optimistic and ordered a bottle of red wine, planning on giving the ball a right old kick. The buffet looked good and at 8pm we were ready to eat. I thought the food was fantastic, it was all traditional Turkish food, including lots of mezes, bread, salads, dips, rice, meatballs, chicken, cheese rolls, chips and casserole. When the show started the dancers seemed to be being told all the moves by a slightly agressive male choreographer who was quite old and had his flies undone. Appo, the waiter, came over and asked if I would join him ‘on stage’, presumably to dance later, so I agreed. What happened next was a bit different as I was escorted to a chair on the stage. I was sat next to Appo who was being massaged by the choreographer while women danced around us, I got a bridal veil put on my head and a blob of henna on my right palm. Before I knew what was happening Appo and I were ‘married’ in front of everyone and then we had to dance in a line with the congregation. There were fireworks followed by more dancing, of which Vanessa and I joined in, nervously in case anyone broke anything. Mehmet was brilliant at getting us all up dancing too and was showing everyone his moves. I had a fantastic time and didn’t want to leave but I had a mission on for tonight. Des was still in Marmaris so I had to go to Debbie (Darling)’s to check on and feed the cats, particularly Missy the youngest cat. All 3 cats came in, the dogs had managed to eat a tarpaulin and some plastic bits from a motorbike, and one had bitten through her lead. I fixed and tidied things and went to feed the cats before going for a lay down.
I woke up on Monday 16th May to news that Captain Caveman had booked my flight to go to Vietnam next month and all I had to do was apply for a visa online. The cats were fed, the plants were watered and I had fruit cake with Red Leicester cheese for breakfast. In the afternoon I cycled back to Captain Caveman’s apartment on Mark’s electric bicycle to be greeted by a tortoise. I had no idea how it had got to be shade-bathing near to Amanda and Greg’s apartment but it was surprisingly spritely. I tried to feed it some leaves but to no avail and so I left it where it was to wander about, while I put some washing in. The pool was starting to look much better for a clean and a refill and I looked forward to getting in it when I moved back home, in a few days time.
That afternoon I met up with my parents, Des had gone to Kargıcak beach for the day with a friend. We decided on a visit to Dalyano where I had a couple of margaritas (well, it was a Monday) at 90 lira (£4.60) each. They were pricey but very good and the place was very busy for a Monday afternoon. For dinner we went to Yakamoz which has always been a firm family favourite and, as we ordered wine, I remembered when I came here with Kelly, Claire and Clare – it seemed so long ago now. The staff at Yakamoz were lovely and even took some group photos of us, despite the strong sunlight intruding on the quality of the images. Dad and I drank red wine to go with our beef casseroles while Mom had white wine to go with her fresh fish and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. By 7.30pm I had to get back to Mark and Kate’s for the cats so I said bye and rode off. Tomorrow I had a very busy day ahead and I needed to get organised to start to leave Dalyan.
Sunday 15th May was great! After sorting out the cats and plants, I made myself tea and toast then got back in to bed. The Deep Blue Leg-Ends had another couple of outings in the diary and this morning we all got an invite to Steve and Michelle’s 40th birthday in Rhodes in September. Steve, who had broken his leg in Deep Blue Bar last month, had to go back to the Fethiye hospital so we decided we would have a small reunion, in Çalış when Mark and Kate got back from England. JC and Kylie, the cats, decided they were going to stay out of the sun today and were lolling about in the living area. My parents had a walk over to Mark and Kate’s to surprise me with another visit. The 3 of us chose to try Dalyan Bungalows, which we had noticed from the ferry last week. It’s a fairly new place and we thought we’d give it a go for the afternoon. Surprisingly, beers were only 40 lira (£2 at the time) and the menu was quite varied. Mom had beer, I had an orange juice and Dad ordered a large white wine. This was 80 lira a glass and also confused things because any subsequent wines we ordered were just the standard size but still cost 80 lira. My parents ordered a main dish but I wasn’t that hungry because it was so hot. I ordered a couple of mezes as a main and the waiter asked if we wanted to share a salad. This came with the starters but it went on the bill as 80 lira as well, which is a little pricey for a salad we didn’t really choose the ingredients of. The food was nice, the views great and the place has a very good ambience about it. After lunch we decided to move to a comfier seating area in the shade with a glass of wine to relax.
I was back in the sex swing by 5pm and word must have got out with the neighbourhood cats that there may be some treats going. An imposter cat who looked like it could be Casha’s mother had popped over to get some attention. By 6pm I was watching the sun go down on the jetty with a glass of red wine. For dinner I made myself a simple pasta dish, had an extra glass of red wine and went to bed. In bed I watched Bad Vegan on Netflix and then looked at flights to Vietnam. From tomorrow a negative PCR test was no longer needed to enter the country which meant it might make it easier for me to be able to extend or get another visa after the first 30 day one runs out. As I fell asleep I had no idea just how good this next week was going to be, let alone the rest of May!
Thursday 12th May was spent doing very little except for looking after the cats and catching up on some much needed rest. I fed the cats and Casha came for lots of snuggles. Unfortunately, since being ‘sea sick’ yesterday I was still quite ill. I was convinced I might have food poisoning and decided to check the fridge to see if I may have eaten anything out of date. There had been a couple of scheduled power outages so there was a possibility that the food I had eaten had gone off. When I checked the top shelf there was half a packet of furry green cheese rolls and a half tin of furry white tomato paste. I spent a while clearing out the fridge, salvaging what I could but binning anything smelly or furry! I then needed a lay down because I felt even more sick! I had just a crisp sandwich for lunch but didn’t eat for the rest of the day and slept a lot.
I could easily have stayed in bed on Friday 13th May because I was still feeling a bit sickly. Des was on day 2 of house and cat sitting for Debbie (Darling) and Roy, while they were in Istanbul. By lunch time Vanessa and my parents were on their way over and we were off to visit Kingfisher restaurant for the first time. It’s a small cafe with turtles swimming in the surrounding river and is a short walk away from Mark and Kate’s. All 4 of us had the chicken and chips which was very tasty. After lunch we had a walk back to my temporary home where we had a bit of wine and sat chatting by the pool – Vanessa was the first to get in the pool. I managed to confuse Des and Sarah who had met up at Jiks for a drink, thinking I was going to, but I wasn’t. Vanessa and I had planned a girly night in with a takeaway from Sosyete and more wine. It was a lovely day but we weren’t up late as we wanted to have the next morning by the pool.
On Saturday 14th May I got up early to feed the cats, water the plants and tidy up from last night, while Vanessa had a bit longer in bed. We’d been sunbathing by the pool on loungers for a few hours, at Mark and Kate’s place, when Vanessa suggested a cold beverage would be a good idea. She made herself a shandy with so much lemonade, and only a smidgen of beer, then gave me the rest of the Efes beer. We’d had a few sips each when I noticed, and pointed it out to Vanessa, that it wasn’t even noon yet! Oh dear, we had accidentally found ourselves being morning drinkers!! We had a couple more, after noon, and then got ourselves ready to go meet the gang at Rehab bar for pool. I rode Marks electric bicycle and Vanessa rode Bluey2, which I intended to leave at Rehab. We got there fairly late and most people had already gone but that didn’t stop us having a good afternoon. Vanessa’s Matt was there and in good spirits, we brought him some fruitcake and he sent a message to Mark to wind him up that we were getting through his cake! While Matt and John watched football Cheryl, Andrea, Vanessa and I played a few rounds of Women only Killer. I, surprisingly won 2 games out of 3 and we actually had a right laugh too – some of my fresh juices turned in to vodka and orange! Des arrived so we had another drink. Vanessa, Matt and I decided to order food from Sosyete, which is next door to Rehab. The chicken soup that I had was really tasty and Vanessa’s liver shish looked great. I got back ‘home’ slightly later than usual to feed the cats but they didn’t seem to mind and I had a night of chilling out.
I woke up to a photo and a message from Captain Caveman on Wednesday 11th May. He was off back in the cave but had sent me a snap of the pool at Elements in Phong Nha. This time next month I hoped to be swimming in that pool. I fed the cats but there was no Casha snuggles this morning and I got ready for another exciting day out.
Angela, Nick and Maddie had organised a boat trip out to sea with Princess Ekincik. My parents got on in town while I got picked up at Mark and Kate’s jetty. The owners, Ismail and Ivona, are really nice people and the boat is lovely. There was tea, coffee and homemade sweet treats for us to have as we sailed down the river. It was a bit choppy and there was a storm forecast so I made sure I looked out to the horizon for most of the journey so that I wouldn’t be sea sick. We had an amazing lunch onboard, there was swimming and we had a couple of drinks too. By 5pm the wind was getting up and the journey back had been very choppy, resulting in me being sick. I wasn’t coping with the sea well and, as the boat sides were zipped down to keep us dry, I found the cigarette smoke made me feel worse and I started coughing. When the homemade chocolate brownies with fruit came round I couldn’t even manage that so I got mine to take away. I had been invited to my first Turkish wedding, Ivona and Işmail would hold their celebrations on the 31st May, in Çandır.
By 6pm I was back at Mark & Kate’s where I found JC snoozing on a beanbag, by the pool. Feeding time was at 7pm and I managed to get Bubble and Squeak to eat outside with JC, without Bubble scoffing her sisters’ food. At 7.30pm I got a taxi to Retro bar where we were booked in for the fun quiz. This time I joined my parents, plus Penny and Phil. Deniz was there and had decided to accept the bar job which was great news. Ann was joined by her 4 friends, on the table next to us, they were doing very well on the quiz and it got quite competitive, with lots of banter. At the end of the night I went to buy several packets of salt and vinegar crisps, now that I knew they existed. Penny and Phil agreed to share my taxi back but invited Maggie and Phil to jump in too. I have no idea how the 4 of them got in the back of the taxi! Back home the cats were waiting for me and we had a few tickles before bed.
I packed my suitcase on Monday 9th May, in readiness to move in to Mark and Kate’s place for 9 days of house and cat sitting. I had leftover chinese for breakfast and pasta for lunch followed by the apple pie from yesterday, which was more of a tart and looked like something bought from the bakery. I got a taxi with Fikri to go over an hour before Mark, Kate, Daisy and Phoebe were due to be leaving to go to Dalaman airport. When I arrived, around 6.30pm, no one was about except for Kate, who was on the phone. Daisy and Phoebe were both in bed, Mark had gone out for a drink. We learned that the flights were delayed just as Mark arrived to get ready, so the girls went back to bed and Mark went down the jetty with a beer. I chatted to Kate, had a glass of red wine and discovered that salt and vinegar crisps are available here in Dalyan. I had no idea and had already asked a friend to bring me some over!!! Eventually it was time to go to the airport and we all said goodbye. I ate a whole bag of the salt and vinegar crisps and then watched some Netflix in bed. Tomorrow I wanted to have an easy day where I didn’t have to do anything except for make sure the cats were ok.
I was up early on Tuesday 10th May to feed the 5 cats, Casha, Kylie, JC, Bubble and Squeak. The older cat, Casha, is Kate’s favourite and likes to be fed separately and has snuggles after breakfast. This time Bubble was on a diet so she had to also be fed separately. I watered the plants, there was a hose pipe to make things a bit easier and then all the younger cats went off to play out, while Casha followed me back to bed. Because of doing something exciting with my parents tomorrow I had asked to join another Turkish class and Sioned had kindly allowed me to join a group today. The venue had been moved to Casablanca hotel as our usual place, Lukka bar, was getting rather busy with tourists. I arrived to meet my temporary class mates and we did a lesson on telling the time. I noted that the Casablanca hotel had a nice menu and that next week I would try out the food, and maybe even use the pool. My next stop was to the supermarket and then back to Fire Opal for a bite to eat; a croissant and a cheese roll from the bakery section in Migros. At 6.30pm I went to Pilates which had started to help with my back and legs and I was enjoying it, even though it was difficult. I had a cycle back over to Mark and Kate’s on the electric bicycle and chilled out. After feeding the cats and watering the plants, I decided to make some dinner. Kate had asked me to use up some meatballs in the fridge so I had some of them with beans on toast and a glass of wine. I had a relatively early night because tomorrow we had some excitement arranged.
On Thursday 28th April I was busy; I sorted out an airport pickup taxi for my friend who would arrive tonight. I had a new cat and house sitting responsibility for a few days while Debbie (Darling) and Roy went off to Istanbul for his emergency surgery. I popped over to see my parents on the way to Debbie’s, where I would be staying for about 4 days. The cats were lovely but definitely not as well behaved as Kate’s however they would probably be low maintenance and be out a lot – a bit like their owner. Debbie (Darling)’s house did have the added benefit of having a cleaner and I even got some chocolate orange left on my pillow! For dinner I suggested we try Mahir restaurant in the mosque square and we also would meet my friend there too. I first met Des at Momma D’s rooftop bar in Phong Nha, Vietnam. Captain Caveman and I became good friends with him and we had some good times. He is the same guy who is unlucky on dates wherever dogs are around and had an horrendous experience leaving Vietnam, once they stopped extending tourist visas during the pandemic. Des was going to be staying at the Tufan apartments, a little out of the main centre of town, for a whole month in Dalyan. I hoped he would like Dalyan and I was already concerned he might find it a bit boring or too expensive. When he arrived it was great to see him, he looked well. He no longer had long hair, had put some weight on and had been working out. I introduced him to my parents and he sat down to eat with us. We had beers and ordered food which was all Turkish meals except for me. Dad had meatballs again, but this time with cheese on, Mom had lamb shish, Des had Adana kebab and I had fish and chips. All the food was lovely and we said we would definitely eat there again, the prices were pretty reasonable as well. My fish and chips was 85 lira (£4.60) and the batter was excellent. The service was good too and after we had eaten we were given some ‘erik,’ which were green plums, and a chocolate each. We didn’t stay out late though as Des and I had a busy one planned for his first full day in Dalyan tomorrow.
Wednesday 27th April had a bit of panic about it, compared to any other day in Dalyan. I got up to the news that Drew had tested positive for Corona upon landing in England. Typically I had hugged and kissed him at 8pm last night and so I got the LFT out to do a test. The rules here now are that no one has to isolate or do anything if they test positive but I think that’s irresponsible. Other people who had been in contact with him decided not to bother with a test because they couldn’t see the point any more. My unvaccinated friend was arriving tomorrow from South Africa and I didn’t want to pass it on if I had it. I was also conscious that to get in to Vietnam I still needed to have a negative PCR test, I didn’t want to catch it and still felt it was important to at least know if I was positive, even if I didn’t have any symptoms. My result was negative however there was still a chance I may not yet show positive on the LFT. I decided mixing with a load of Dutch people at King’s day would be silly and sent messages to cancel. Everyone told me I could still attend because it no longer mattered but I held firm on my decision – no one wants to kill a grandma. I messaged the teacher and attendees of my Turkish class to check if I was still able to attend and they agreed. I still decided I would wear my mask for it though, just in case. Afterwards Vanessa and I went to Okyanus for lunch, I didn’t touch or go near anyone and we sat outside by the river. By 3pm we had joined the usual pool group at Retro bar, and sat outside. We were joined by Kate, Jackie and my parents and a few beers were consumed. I was going to go home for dinner but I got an invite to eat with Jackie, Chris and my parents at the Turay hotel, by the river. The views were lovely and the menu looked great so we ordered drinks and food. My Dad was slightly disappointed that his meatballs didn’t come with cheese as requested but the food was good and we shared a cheesy garlic bread. The beef fajitas that my mom had and the casserole got great reviews. By 7.30pm we were having a free tea in our shorts with a blanket on, as it had turned cold. Still in our summer gear, we said our goodbyes and set off back home. Unfortunately, Debbie (Darling) had some bad news, her husband, Roy, needed emergency surgery on his spine and she was in a bit of a tizzy. I called in to see Debbie (Darling) and Roy, Sarah was also already there. I offered to house and cat sit so that they could fly to Istanbul early tomorrow morning and took the keys. I met Missy, Bebek and The Terrorist, the 3 cats, and was assured the 2 dogs, Socks and Brin, were being looked after by someone else. Debbie (Darling) and Roy were going to bed but Sarah poured another drink and insisted on calling in to her house to see her freshly tidied and cleaned house. I finally got in to bed and was extremely tired – I needed sleep to be ready for the next few days!
I could easily have stayed in bed all day on Saturday 9th April. I had overdone things yesterday and was begging for mercy but I had arranged to take my visiting friends to the market. I couldn’t stomach any breakfast and Kate had already fed the cats before I got out of bed. What I didn’t realise is that Casha had not been home yet. After helping put the bike together in the kitchen and 2 cups of Yorkshire tea, I got a lift from Mark. He dropped me at Jiks where Louisa and family were waiting in the sunny garden at the back. Jiks is always busy on a Saturday so they had to wait for drinks then we finally set off to the market. On the way there, Louisa filled me in on any gaps in my memory from last night’s shenanigans. It was going to be a long day and my hangover wasn’t helping. At the market I bought some strawberries which had gone down to 35 lira (£1.82) then we had a bit of a wander around the other stalls. My friends tried, and bought, a few sweet treats and had a browse for a sun hat. This was the first week I’d seen the market back to it’s full compliment of stalls, including Musti, one of my favourites. We both bought a purse as I’ve been after one for ages, mine was a Hermes and Louisa wasn’t sure at first. She went back to get the one she liked after we all had a pancake. The purses were great value for around £20 each and my old purse needed replacing. I knew the pancake would give me a dodgy stomach so I only ate a bit then took the rest as a takeaway. After the market we all walked through town and to Rehab bar where the pool gang were playing. Linda and Louisa were still in pursuit of a lamb shish for dinner so I messaged Donny at Heybe’s to check if they had some available that night. When I arrived everyone was already seated with a drink and I apologised for both my hungover state today and our drunkenness last night. I ordered İskender kebab, Alex chose a pizza, Louisa had the lamb shish but Linda decided to go with a lamb tandır. Before the food came I got a message from Kate to say that her favourite cat, Casha, still hadn’t come home and she was very worried. She’d looked everywhere, had called her but there was no sign. I enjoyed my food but had to take half home and Alex loved his pizza. Linda said her’s was nice too but had expected it might come on skewers, like the lamb shish did. While we were at Heybe’s there was a power cut so our Algerian waitress told us a ghost story of the mountain with no name. It had been a long day and I vowed not to drink that much again! I was so happy to be back home and in my own bed tonight, for a change!
We had another lovely day planned on Friday 8th April. Vanessa and Matt had arranged a boat trip with their family and asked if I would like to join them. Because my friends were visiting I had added all 4 of us on and it would be a Sheffield boat trip with Turgay. I didn’t bother with breakfast but the cats had all been fed and Casha was having morning snuggles by 8am. Vanessa and family had arranged to pick up Louisa and family on the way, but I would get picked up from Mark and Kate’s jetty. I couldn’t find my sunglasses so I borrowed a pair of Kate’s (after checking it was ok to do so). All the cats were out for the day for the last time as Mark and Kate would be returning later, and I went to wait for Turgay’s boat. I managed to get some video and photos of the boat arriving before I got on board to greet everyone. It was a sunny day and I hoped the sea would be warm enough for a swim. Not only did we go to Ekincik Bay and the beach but, later in the afternoon, we went to the mud baths where we all got in the thermal swimming pool. Jason let me have a go at twirling his stick which he can do all sorts of tricks with and it took me back to my youth, when I was in the majorettes. The boat trip was a great success, the food was lovely and everyone enjoyed themselves. There’s always someone who has to overdo things and, of course, that would be me.
When we got back I fed the cats but Casha didn’t come to eat her food. I popped the dish in the microwave so that the others didn’t eat it. I waited for Mark and Kate to arrive, they had landed but were not home by the time Louisa, Linda and Alex were in Lukka, ready for the music bingo night. When they got home I was already quite sloshed, Mark had been drinking on the plane but Kate categorically stated that she did not want to go out. With their massive amount of luggage strewn all over the house, we got a taxi and went to Lukka bar. I completely forgot to eat, Louisa and her family had already had their meals, Turgay was there and the bingo had started. The music bingo was a good laugh and Linda even won a prize from Maizie Moo. We preceded to drink too much and, instead of me going home, Kate insisted I go back to their’s for more drinking. She did try to invite Louisa too but she was having none of it.
I’d took the liberty of booking appointments at BC Spa on Thursday 7th April. It’s always nice for the first day of the holiday to get a Turkish hamam where they scrub you down. I’d booked Louisa, Linda and Alex in for the Classic package while I had decided to book in for waxing. I’d opted for 10.30am as I thought that my friends might need a bit of a lay in on their first full day in Dalyan. I had been greeted by the kittens knocking off and smashing a small bowl as I came out of my bedroom this morning. I put it on the side and took a photo to show Kate in case it was important, or she wanted to fix or replace it. I cycled over to Captain Caveman’s apartment on Kate’s whizzy electric bicycle and parked it up inside the complex. When we got to the spa the owner was pleased to see us and she even gave me a hug. We each got ready and she said to me that I would also have the classic package because it would be better for my skin for the waxing. Our first experience was the steam room, the sauna was not working so we spent quite a while in the steam room which was nice. There was just the 4 of us there and the hamam ladies came to get 2 of us. I offered to go with Alex so that Louisa and Linda could go together but it’s just as well that I didn’t. When it was my turn to go in with Louisa we realised it was a naked one. We did have a chuckle at that, as Alex and Linda didn’t mention that to us when they went first. It felt great but I really had to tell her to stop when she touched my sunburned belly. After steaming, scrubbing and a mud face mask we had a lovely back massage and I fell asleep. Next I had the thrilling experience of having a leg and bikini wax while wearing a rather tight, and still wet, swimming costume. The lady didn’t want me to remove it but I’d already got it half way down. Embarrassingly, she had to stand and wait while I had the awkward situation of trying to get back in to a wet swimsuit. I then had to endure a wedgie and pull my cozzie to the sides while stretching the skin on my thighs – it was thorough but rather more participation that I had imagined. When we came out of the changing rooms I noticed I had lost Mark and Kate’s house keys. I couldn’t think where I had left them but in the morning I had been to several places on my way to meet for the spa, all of which didn’t have my keys. We decided on Okyanus for lunch, which is near to BC Spa and on the way back to mine. We had a nice sunny table by the river and ordered food and drinks as we were all hungry. Louisa and I left Linda and Alex to pop our bags back home, get a hoodie for when the sun went in and I could check for Mark and Kate’s house keys. The keys were still missing and I could now only hope that I had managed to leave them in their house when I left. I had a cherry juice and a chicken wrap for lunch but then decided I would cycle back to try to locate the keys. This was my first ‘issue’ in the house sitting stint and they were due home tomorrow!
As I approached the door to Mark and Kate’s house, I really hoped that my keys would be there. Luckily, I had been able to get the emergency key so that I could still access the house. I was so relieved to see they were on the dining table, I’d obviously forgot them that morning when I was rushing to go out. I fed the cats early and went back to town again because I’d arranged to meet Louisa, Linda and Alex at the Rum Bar at 6pm for pre-dinner cocktails. I was the first to arrive, surprisingly I was 5 minutes early, so I ordered a Pina Colada cocktail while I waited. I also found the yoga class timetable for Linda who had mentioned she might like to do some while she was here. Linda is more of a morning person than Louisa and likes to have something to do so I thought it might be a nice idea. My friends arrived a bit later, by which time I was ready for my second cocktail which was a Hurricane, Louisa had a Mermaid Water, Linda a G&T, and Alex a Strawberry Kiss (mocktail). For dinner that evening we had decided to go to Kebapçı Yusuf because I’d said that my mom loves the lamb there. I ordered meatballs for my meal, but the lamb shish that the others wanted wasn’t available. Of course they were disappointed but instead, Linda had the lamb chops, Louisa a chicken shish and Alex just had Lahmacun as a main course. Lahmacun is a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat, minced vegetables, and herbs including onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, and parsley, flavoured with spices such as chillies and paprika, then baked. The food was nice and we ended up having a dessert; I had künefe which is made with string pastry (shredded wheat or kadayıf) soaked in sweet sugar syrup and creamy, unsalted goat’s cheese inside. Mostly popular in the Arab world, the Turkish version hails from Hatay, a region that borders Syria. My friends shared a Katmer which is also known as ‘Groom Katmer,’ the groom’s father would send a helping of katmer to the house of the newlyweds and the bride’s father on the first morning of the wedding. Although it’s known to be prepared in a similar manner to a börek or baklava, this pastry is made via the lamination of the dough. It has that same flaky, buttery feel of a croissant but far sweeter and with a pistachio coat. It was a good evening and I got my taxi back ‘home’ around 11pm. Tomorrow marked the end of my cat sitting 10 days as Mark and Kate were due back, as long as the flight still went ahead. Due to staff shortages lots of flights from the UK were being cancelled so I was already on standby to stay longer if needed. This was no problem for me as Captain Caveman had a friend staying at his apartment and it would be doing me a favour too.
I fed all the cats and checked that last night’s Manchester to Dalaman flight had landed on Wednesday 6th April. Although it had been delayed slightly, I worked out that my friends from Sheffield would have arrived at about 3am. My friend Louisa and her mom, Linda, who I had been on holiday with several times before, were visiting Dalyan for a week. I was really excited as I’d not been able to see them at Christmas due to the Corona virus and it was 2018 when I last saw them. Louisa’s nephew, Alex, would be joining us on this first trip to Dalyan so I hoped there would be enough for them to do to keep a teenager entertained. I cycled over to Captain Caveman’s apartment where I had my breakfast, a Turkish bread with jam which I bought at Merhaba cafe yesterday. At 11.15 Louisa had messaged to say she had arrived, they were shattered and had been cold in the night. I’d arranged to meet them at Lukka bar after my Turkish class but the lesson was cancelled. Instead, I waited in Lukka with a cider for the 3 of them to join me. It was great to see Louisa, Linda and Alex and they were lucky to have got nice weather as we sat out at Lukka and ordered food. Linda and Alex ordered breakfast meals, Louisa a crispy chicken dish and I had a chicken caesar salad. All the food was very nice but Linda didn’t have a big enough appetite to eat the chips which came with her sausage, bacon and egg sandwich. After lunch we went for a short walk around Dalyan so I could show my friends where the essential places were; the bank, pharmacy, supermarkets, bakery, my favourite bars and restaurants. I pointed out a few key places then we ended up at Tez bar for an afternoon drink before I had to get back to Mark and Kate’s to feed the cats and water the plants.
That evening I had organised for us to go for a Chinese meal at China Town and had invited some friends to join us. I got a taxi in to town and was outside the restaurant just before the arranged meeting time of 7.30pm. Andrea was the first to arrive and had come without her husband who was suffering with a cold at home. We waited outside for a bit but then decided to go in to wait as the mosquitos were starting to come out. Andrea and I sat opposite each other at the end of the table, away from the window, to allow my friends to sit next to the window where there was a view of the river. Sarah was the next to arrive and sat next to me. By the time Louisa, Linda and Alex arrived it was too dark to see the view anyway so it didn’t really matter about the seating. I shared a special fried rice with Andrea, ordered sweet and sour chicken and prawn toast. Andrea ordered a chicken dish, Linda opted for Szechuan chicken, Louisa got introduced to half portion ordering by Sarah. I enjoyed my food and took some home, it was a nice first evening and Andrea was giving some ideas of things Linda and Alex might like to do while they are here. It was a long day and I was certainly ready for bed – we had a very chilled day planned for tomorrow.
Tuesday 5th April was the day I got my 5th Corona vaccine! I got up, fed the cats, had buttered toast for breakfast then cycled to the doctor’s. It was good to be able to cycle all the way there on the new road and without having to walk on a building site. I had to wait only 5 minutes and I was done. My first 2 vaccines were in Vietnam but were over 7 months ago so no longer valid for returning to Vietnam. My next 2 vaccines were in Turkey 6 and 5 months ago so I hoped that this booster would enable me to travel to Vietnam. It was possible that I may even need to have had another one to be able to go to another country outside of Vietnam so I was taking no chances. I managed today’s Worldle game in one guess and went back to Captain Caveman’s to check on things. That afternoon I cycled to Singing group and ordered a kiwi cheesecake for lunch. It was a small gathering today and I was hoping to pick some good songs to sing. Unfortunately, the group were not all as happy with my ambitious choices. ‘Labelled with Love’ by Squeeze was more difficult than I bargained for and when I chose ‘Hotel California’ people weren’t as excited as I hoped. By the time my last requested song of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ was underway I thought some members weren’t too pleased with my song choices. At one point Richard started playing ‘Losing my Religion’ by REM and I sang along a bit as I’m a fan of it. We didn’t sing much of it, though, because the protocol for a new song submission had not been followed – maybe next week! At 4pm I cycled over to Captain Caveman’s apartment, parked up the bicycle and walked to meet Ann at River House. When I arrived she was sat on a bench outside the restaurant, waiting for me. We ate complimentary mezes, Ann ordered the halloumi chicken and I had a chicken shish. I had a beer, she had a wine and we chatted about her forthcoming trip to see her daughter in England. The meal was very nice and we were full when we got given complimentary cake. I was home in time for cat feeding and was still not feeling any side effects of the vaccine, compared to what I had done on the previous 4. By 8pm the Life fits into Home app was updated with my booster vaccine information. I was feeling sleepy, my friends were on their flight from Manchester to Dalaman and I was excited to be seeing them tomorrow after several years apart.
joloyolo 