I cycled over to Mark and Kate’s place on the morning of Thursday 16th November to feed the cats. There were usually 6 but last night only 4 had come for food. Today there were still only 4, one of the babies and Kylie were missing. I put the food out, gave them some attention and then took some photos of the scenery as it was still flooded but looked beautiful. Captain Caveman had gone Bumming when I returned home, so I had my breakfast of cheese spread on wholemeal toast and a cup of Yorkshire tea. For lunch I just had fruit as I was doing my best to have a low syn day today. Captain Caveman was doing dinner so I went a bit early to feed the cats, this time only 3 were there when I arrived; Bubble, Squeak and Kylie were missing. I left enough food out for when they returned which was handy as Squeak showed up as I was leaving. She was over at the other side of the flooded road but I coaxed her over and off she ran to get her dinner. We had a really nice chilled evening with sucuk (Turkish cured sausage) and vegetable pasta for dinner and an early night.
On Friday 17th November Jamie was off to England for 12 days so Captain Caveman and I were moving in to his villa to look after Norman and Edna. Before that, I had a bit of cat drama; Kate and her birthday entourage were heading back from Jiva Beach this afternoon so it was my last time of feeding her cats. When I arrived there was a bit of a surprise as the box that all the wet and dry food had been stored in, was on the garden. The cats had obviously worked together to feed themselves when I’d been 45 minutes late and had ransacked the stash. I took photos to send to Kate, who later replied to say it wouldn’t have been her cats who did it and maybe a stray dog did! One of the babies had a scratched nose and Casha was trying to tell me who was to blame! For breakfast I was a bit naughty and had wholemeal toast with kaymak and honey on which wasted 8 syns. I went over to Jamie’s where Norman and Edna were pleased to see me and were looking neatly groomed. The sun was shining so I was sat outside on the patio when Captain Caveman arrived from his Bridge club. I’d browned some sausages (Heck ones from the UK) so we had one in a wrap with onions, ketchup and mustard, more syns! Edna had bought me a couple of bottles of wine with the condition that she got a little bit of it so we had a drink before popping to the shops. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Fat free yoghurt 22.50 Cherry juice 29.00 Hummus 40.75 15 eggs 41.75 Total spent 133.50 lira (£3.76)
Yaman Büfe 2 bottles of wine 270 lira (£7.61)
The exchange rate had increased yet again and was now 35.5 Turkish lira to 1 English pound. Fine for people with English money but a nightmare for Turks. For dinner I’d made a sausage casserole which we had with the rest of the wine and we stayed in watching TV until gone midnight, cuddling the dogs.
Caroline left Dalyan on the morning of Monday 13th November, with plans to return after seeing Gazientep and Capadoccia. She took all of her stuff, just in case there wasn’t enough time for her to fit that in. Captain Caveman and I said our goodbyes to our friend and, despite her no-plans go with the flow lifestyle, we would miss her. It had certainly been a lively 2 weeks but we were quietly looking forward to getting back to normal. I worked from 10am until 3.30pm while Captain Caveman went Dogging. When he got home he made us a chicken and vegetable pasta for lunch. That evening I made a samphire dish, a new first for me, and it turned out not too bad. I cooked it with garlic and peppers but I didn’t realise I had to take out all of the stalks, including the finer ones. It took some getting through but we ate it and it was quite good. Next time I’d have it more of a side dish and less at a time as its incredibly salty. Tomorrow we should have been joining a 3 day breakaway for Kate’s birthday but, due to work and a delayed pay day, we weren’t able to go. Lots of our friends and my parents were going on the 3 night all inclusive stay at Jiva Beach in Fethiye and it looked amazing. When my hours got cut we had thought we’d just go for 1 or 2 nights but I just couldn’t justify it. I had let Kate know we couldn’t make it and that we were gutted about it. She was quite happy as it now meant she had extra cover to feed her 6 cats.
It was finally pay day on Tuesday 14th November but it was all spoken for already. I’d done my working hours for this week by 2pm and had the rest of the week off. Even though we were missing out on the birthday celebrations for Kate I was determined not to dwell on it. It was a perfect opportunity for Captain Caveman and I to spend time together and eat some healthy meals at home. We went shopping for a few bits for dinner which Captain Caveman was making. Here’s what we bought and the prices;
Şok Supermarket Lavaş wraps 31.50 lira (93p)
Migros Supermarket 2 packs of Jasmine rice 63.00 1 pack of turkey 125.90 Total spent 188.90 lira (£5.56)
On the way back we picked oranges from our tree and had them as a snack in the afternoon. They were so sweet and juicy – of course they were free so tasted even better! Captain Caveman had to be reminded to stop playing bridge on his phone to do the dinner. He made turkey fajitas which were gorgeous. Before 10pm he was snoring away as we tried to watch something on Netflix. No alcohol was consumed, which was probably a good job as it was Fat Club and weigh day tomorrow. I’d not even counted my syns this week so it was not looking good.
On Wednesday 15th November I woke to news that Hoi An, where Caroline lives in Vietnam, was flooded. I took my weekly measurements and they were promising; Bust – no change, Waist -1cm, Hips -2cm. I was pleased with that and decided to pop a new recipe in the slow cooker for cabbage rolls. Caroline had never got round to cooking the cabbage, or sharing her recipe, so I had loads of it to use up. I just had fruit to eat for lunch so that I was syn free until weigh-in at 3pm. Carol’s scales showed that I had lost 0.4kg (0.9lb) which wasn’t bad considering the week I’d had. After Fat Club, Captain Caveman and I met Jamie in Waterfall and I had a couple of beers. It was getting a bit colder of an evening so Jamie offered to take me to Kate’s to feed her cats. Just before we got to the house the road had been flooded with water and it was a good job I had a lift or I would have got very wet feet and ankles. Jamie was coming to our place for dinner, he went back home so he could collect his dogs, Norman & Edna. To go with the cabbage rolls I made a chicken and leek bake, more in case the first dish wasn’t very good. Fortunately, both dishes were really tasty and we had a lovely evening. It turned in to a wine fuelled late night and it was about 1.30am when Jamie and the pooches left for home.
When I woke up on Sunday 12th November it was to the sound of the heavy rain and I stayed in bed a bit longer than I should have. Caroline, being the spontaneous unplanning type, decided to book flights from Dalaman to Şanlıurfa, via Istanbul, for tomorrow morning! Oh bugger, we had already agreed to go over to Ben & Hilary’s and my parents this afternoon but Caroline was perhaps going to need us around. Surely, another last supper or celebratory drinking session would have to be be on the cards too. Caroline packed all her stuff, gave me two lovely winter scarfs, gave Captain Caveman a pair of socks from Sweden then went to meet Kaan in a quiet coffee shop.
The day continued to be full of surprises when we got a message from Ma saying the curry she was about to make us had chillies in. She’d decided to do us a beef stew instead which was very much appreciated. We haven’t been buying beef much recently as it is so much more expensive so I was looking forward to it. We even bought some wine to take with us and had a really lovely meal and evening.
While we were out, we had a message from Caroline to say to meet her at Tez bar, to have a drink before her flight tomorrow. It was raining still so Tez was closed, as were most places so Caroline said she was already at Tapa and to come there. All 4 of us got our coats on and headed down to Tapa bar. The night took a random turn where we ended up playing games, doing tequila shots, singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ (more than once), razzing around on a kid’s scooter and playing pool. Dad and I beat Mom and Ali, the owner, and we didn’t leave until gone 1.30am.
On Thursday 9th November Captain Caveman brought me a Yorkshire tea in bed and I had a rare lay in. He was off Bumming with the Riverbums until lunch time so I had a leisurely start to the day. As Caroline had stayed in a hotel last night and was leaving today, I stripped her bed, cleaned her room and bathroom. She had more or less packed her stuff so her departure looked imminent. I cleaned the rest of the house too, when Captain Caveman returned I was a hot sweaty mess, tired from cleaning, he pointed out that I had missed a bit. He then moaned that he had to clean the shower drain in the ensuite bathroom which I hadn’t done properly! In the afternoon, Caroline sent a message to see if Captain Caveman and I would like to meet her for a beer and join them for dinner tonight. We had a beer at the Yağmur hotel, which is really lovely and has great river views, while Caroline told us of her plans! She would be staying one more night at the hotel and then tomorrow she would leave for a road trip. She planned to send the barely used motorbike back and the company in Marmaris said they would come to collect it. She’d been here 10 days already and her idea to take in Turkey and all it’s famous sights kept getting delayed further. Caroline decided to mark the occasion of her decision making with a drink and asked us where we should go. I suggested we try Luz, a nearby Mexican place which we’d not been to yet. I’m so glad we went to Luz, it was fantastic. More expensive than other Dalyan places but classy. Caroline was paying but I tried not to take advantage too much; I ordered a hibiscus margarita which was so good and 290 lira (£8.53), Captain Caveman had a Bloody Maria at 270 lira (£7.94). They were easily the best drinks we had tasted in Dalyan and when Caroline insisted on another round we found it impossible to decline. She ordered a cheese fondu and some nachos as nibbles which were amazing. Of course, I ended up accidentally eating some chillies and felt unwell. The toilets at Luz are really nicely decorated and had nice toiletries.
In the evening, Caroline invited us to join them at Balıkçım, which was Caroline’s favourite place where her and Captain Caveman had eaten on the first night of her visit. I don’t tend to eat there as I don’t like fish but Captain Caveman loves it. Everyone shared octopus and fish, I had a bit of the shared mezes (the ones without fish or chillies) and plenty of bread. We had half a litre of rakı between us too, which went down rather well. Here’s the prices of what we had at Balıkçım; 5 meze dishes 450 Octopus 400 Fish with chips & salad 510 50cl rakı 800 2 bottles of water 60 Total cost 2220 lira (£65.29)
The evening wasn’t cheap and I did well on my diet, more because of not being able to eat most of the dishes than good choices. It had been a very pleasant afternoon and evening.
Friday 10th November started off with some bad news; I was meant to be getting paid today but my boss had let me know that, due to some banking changes, it would be delayed by 4 days. Not one to let having very little money worry me, I soldiered on! Caroline was up for afternoon drinking and I was quite glad of the distraction of her company. Captain Caveman was back from Bridge and the 3 of us cracked open the rosé wine from the fridge. The highlight of the afternoon was Caroline’s bang-on pouring out of the bottle between the 3 of us. I said I’d cook for Caroline, Kaan, Captain Caveman and I and made an enchiladas type of dinner from various left overs and some lavaş wraps. It was a good night and we were merry by 8pm.
Captain Caveman had took himself off on a bicycle ride to Gökbel on the morning of Saturday 11th November. He was keen to see how well the bike could do as he fancied doing more cycling while in Dalyan. Caroline was sorting the motorbike collection and was liaising with Tez for the guys from Marmaris to come to collect it. She was also talking of leaving after the weekend. I had the pleasure of doing the weekly shopping at the market and supermarket. With not getting paid on time it was going to be a bit tight but I would be as frugal as I could be. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira.
The cabbage I bought at the market was huge but Caroline had said she had a great cabbage recipe that she would do for us. I thought I’d done really well in Migros and even got a 50 lira (£1.47) cash discount on my Migros card. I decided not to buy any meat unless it was on offer and we did have some in the freezer so I could wait until after pay day for the more expensive items. I bumped in to my parents in Migros who were also trying to stock up before the predicted rain came that afternoon. It looked like another couple of days/nights of staying home. While I’d be gone, Caroline had texted to see if she could join me at the market to help carry things, I’d not got WiFi so I didn’t see her message until I walked near Jik’s. I said I’d see her back home for some lunch with Captain Caveman. When I got back, she’d gone out for lunch at Çağrı so I put the shopping away and tidied up.
Captain Caveman returned and seemed in a good mood, he was concerned the weather was going to be too bad to go out and that I didn’t get everything on the shopping list. He’d also spotted some bargains that we needed to get while they had offers on. We went back to the shops and bought the following;
A101 Supermarket Mandarins 5.20 Wholemeal bread 14.00 Pears 14.65 Apples 32.00 Clotted cream 47.50 Cheese 55.50 Kitchen roll 149.90 Total spent 318.75 lira (£9.38)
Migros Supermarket 1kg red lentils 22.50 4 X 500g bags of dried pasta 30.00 1 jar peanut butter 45.90 Total spent 98.40 (£2.89)
We really didn’t need the kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) but Captain Caveman loves it. The kitchen roll had a sign on saying it was on offer but it wasn’t and it turned out to be scented. Still, it was only £4.40 for quite a few rolls so wasn’t too bad. Everything on our second Migros visit was on offer so I was happy with that. I messaged Caroline to say we were off to Kefal tea gardens, by the river, to meet our friend Adele and that she was welcome to join us. She didn’t respond or come to join us so she must’ve been busy. At the tea gardens we chatted with Adele and had food and drink. As it’s a council run cafe, the prices are really good, here’s what we paid; 1 Turkish tea 10.00 2 cheese toasties 90.00 2 Efes Malt beers 150.00 1 white wine 100.00 Total spent 350.00 lira (£10.29)
It was a cheap and cheerful lunch which we all enjoyed, especially as we saw a turtle in the river as we sat and chatted. It was too quick for me to get any photos though. By the time we got home the rain was here, Caroline’s plans for a Saturday night out were scuppered as I told her we were staying in tonight. Captain Caveman made pasta which is one of his go-to meals – simple but tasty.
I cracked on with work on Tuesday 7th November and had already done over an hour’s work by the time Captain Caveman left for Bridge. For lunch I had more left over veggie curry with egg fried rice. I decided, as I’d lost quite a bit of weight (just over a stone), I’d have a sort out of my clothes that were too big and either sell them or put them in the charity bag. As I my earnings had reduced, but with Captain Caveman here and friends visiting, I could do with some extra beer money to supplement my income. When Captain Caveman got home he went to fetch a water refill then made a sandwich. Just as we were deciding what to cook for dinner, Caroline messaged to say she was on her way back from Göcek and would meet us at Tez bar for sundowners and would like to go out for a meal tonight. We were up for that, as it was her treat and to say goodbye. I did say she would miss sunset but we agreed to meet at Tez bar. My parents love a Tez-pat sundowner so they were up for it and we then made our way over to Okyanus for dinner. We shared some amazing starters of samphire, halloumi, stuffed mushrooms, carrot dip, beetroot, bread and Dad had soup. For mains, Captain Caveman and Caroline both had stuffed veggie dishes, Dad ordered casserole, Mom a peppered steak and I had a chicken shish. We had a great meal and, as the portions were generous, we took quite a bit of it home. By the end of the night Caroline had found a stray cat to pet and we were all ready for bed. I was particularly tired and I wanted to be up early for work tomorrow, so that I’d be finished in time for Fat Club.
It was weigh day on Wednesday 8th November and I was not feeling optimistic at all. I love going to the Fat Club group as the members are very supportive, however, when you know you’ve not really made as much of an effort as you intended it can feel a bit like playing at it. I got on the scales at home and took my measurements to find I’d put on 0.5kg (1.1lb), I’d put 1cm on my bust and hips but my waist remained the same. I worked until 12.30pm then had finished for the week, Caroline was not at home and Captain Caveman had gone on his Sunday’s postponed walk. I don’t mind saying it was bliss to have no interruptions as I made myself beans on toast for brunch with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I went through our book stash to see which I could swap or lend Dad then I went through more clothes to donate or sell. I sorted out a few Slimming World recipes for future use, wondering what we might have for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, Fat Club was cancelled due to Carol being sick so Captain Caveman suggested a bit of a walk for some fresh air. That evening he decided he would make dinner and did airfryer quesadillas. He did set fire to an airfryer liner when he put it in the airfryer loose and to heat up. It was a good job I have a sensitive nose to smell the burning but, of course, he didn’t listen when I interfered. We were going to watch Netflix and chill but it was more like choose something to snore to. The weather was still good and looked to be for another couple of days at least – perfect weather for Caroline’s motorbiking trip, which had been postponed for a couple more days.
On Wednesday 11th October Captain Caveman was up and about before me, unpacking his bag. I got so excited when he gave me my 2024 Diary as I’d been wanting (needing) one for ages. As it was a Wednesday it was weigh day but I had no scales, probably a good job considering how many syns I must have had this week! I did do my measurements though and they were as follows: Bust -2cm, Waist +2cm, Hips +1cm.
We checked out of the Kahlua Apartments and made our way to the bus station as we were off to stay in Lindos for a couple of nights. Michelle had recommended the Lindos Athena hotel where my Mom had booked the last two rooms for us. On the way to the bus station we stopped off at a cafe for breakfast. My parents and Captain Caveman ordered omelettes which were lovely but I made the mistake of ordering a cheese and bacon pancake. It came smothered in mayonnaise both inside and on the top and I couldn’t eat it. My parents paid for breakfast, and we walked to the bus station where Captain Caveman had already bought our bus tickets. It was only €5.50 (£4.72) each and took about an hour and 20 minutes. My parents had a big case and a couple of bags between them but it wasn’t too cumbersome to get it on the bus. Captain Caveman and I had 3 bags between us so we all filled the bag area with our luggage.
The journey went well and we got off at Lindos bus station for the short walk to the hotel. When we arrived, we insisted Ma & Pa have the best corner room, with (distant) views of the Acropolis and we took the smaller, but perfectly adequate, double room. Lindos Athena was very nice and, while my parents and Captain Caveman went down to the pool and bar area, I did a bit of work. The internet was good, I used the chest of drawers as a desk but I didn’t work for too long.
We met for a drink at the bar then walked in to Lindos for our evening meal. We called at Lindian House for a pre dinner drink so that my Mom could see the Acropolis lit up from their roof terrace area.
Captain Caveman had chosen a nice rooftop restaurant called Kamariko for dinner and it didn’t disappoint. Dad and I had pork, Captain Caveman had lamb and my Mom had a seafood dish which was massive. We all enjoyed our dinner, Dad particularly enjoyed the complimentary dessert. The cost per couple for the meal was €51.65 (£44.29) including wine. Back at the hotel, we had a nightcap at the bar before bed, where our bed was super comfy.
After an ok sleep we were all up and about early on Tuesday 10th October, ready for the delights of Rhodes Town. Captain Caveman and I had already decided we would take my parents to Dali for breakfast and he’d checked on the internet that it was open. Off we all toddled with a short stroll along the seafront to one of our favourite Rhodes cafés. Unfortunately, when we got there it was closed and there were decorators at work. I checked if they were likely to open any time soon and they weren’t so that was our first plan scuppered. Almost an hour later, we were having a breakfast drink in a cafe because we were thirsty and/or needing the toilet. Captain Caveman paid for our coffees and juices and we decided to head nearer to the port to find somewhere open for breakfast. By 9.40am we had found Trianon Cafe that was open and serving breakfast. We all ordered a full english which included an orange juice for €13 (£11.13), I had an earl grey tea, Mom a cappuccino, Captain Caveman a double espresso and we all shared water. It wasn’t the best breakfast I’d ever had but, considering we were in Rhodes, it would do. I was surprised to see my mom drink her orange juice as it doesn’t agree with her but it was fresh and tasted good. The total bill came to €62.70 (£53.69) but we were all full and probably wouldn’t need any lunch.
We had a wander through the old town and Captain Caveman took up his role of tour guide as we weaved through the cobbled streets and away from the crowds. Just before midday mom felt a bit unwell (it was probably that orange juice) and we found a lovely little bar to have a rest up in. Baluse had a lady owner who was friendly, the big Alpha beers were €4.50 (£3.85) and a sprite (for Ma) was €4 (£3.43) – we did all comment the beers were much better value. By 1pm we were back off on our walking tour of the old town where we managed to wear out my parents. We had an afternoon rest and a freshen up at the apartments before heading back out for a night out.
We started with the short walk to Malt pub where we saw the sunset and had some beers, a round of 4 came to €20.50 (£17.55) so we had a couple in there before walking back to the restaurant, Rodos Blue, where we went last time with Jamie, Drew and Nanny kay. Between us we ordered a moussaka, grilled pork, 2 beef stifado, a small carafe of white wine and a large carafe of red wine and it came to €68 (£58.23). Wine is good and reasonably priced in Rhodes so we were quite happy to indulge. I also knew I wouldn’t be getting weighed tomorrow so I was being a bit naughty with the syns and had stopped counting. On our way back to the apartments we had a nightcap at a nearby bar and my Mom found that the shop below where we were staying, sold sherry!
I was awoken on Friday 6th October by my phone. It was 5.50am and it was Fikri calling to say he was outside. He had also seen me last night, several times, as guests booked him to go home. He knew I was one of the last to leave and was concerned I might overlay. How kind is that! He got me to Ortaca bus station early enough for me to buy a bottle of water at the small shop before getting on the first bus to Fethiye. I was surprised to see it so busy and hoped I would get to the ferry port in time, which was a good 10 minutes drive from the bus station after this bus journey. The taxi from Dalyan to Fethiye was too expensive for me so I chanced the bus and it paid off. It was a bit of a rush really, especially with my wheelie case and the extra taxi to the port. I got on the ferry without taking my seasick pills and was feeling somewhat fragile as I joined Rachel, her mom and 2 little kids. They were off for a short break in Haraki, Rhodes, and I know Rachel from my Turkish classes. I could have done without having to be sociable and even a Turkish tea didn’t sort me out but having friends to chat to kept my mind off feeling rather fragile. By 1pm I was sat waiting in the Rhodes Town MacDonald’s for Steve and Michelle. They were coming to pick me up to go back to Lardos, where I was staying with them for the weekend. I had a cheeseburger and a coke which cost €5.20 (£4.46) so it wasn’t cheap but seemed to be a good enough hangover cure. When we arrived, I logged on to the internet on Matt’s laptop and said hello to Bob, the cat, and Xena, the dog. It looked to be quite a lively weekend as tonight we were off to Flyer’s, in Pefkos, for one of their Greek Nights.
Having been before with Captain Caveman, I was ready to do it all again and this time we were taking it steady as I was still flagging from last night’s shenanigans. I had Milokleftis cider and we tucked it to a delicious feast of pitta, tsatziki, feta salad, lamb, pork, chicken and french fries. There was live music, singing and the Rhodian ballet with dancing, which we were encouraged to join in on.
Michelle and I took to the floor for a bit of dancing, as you do, but the real stars of the show were the male volunteers. It was a fantastic night and we really enjoyed one of the last Greek Nights of the season. Back in Lardos, we called for a nightcap in Cuckoo’s Nest where we bumped in to Bob, the cat! I’d survived until midnight but I really was begging for mercy and needed my bed.
Rhodian Ballet The audience participation was great
When I woke up on Saturday 23rd September the weather forecast said it was 23⁰C but it was already looking likely to be much warmer. There was a post from the Cat Paws charity in Dalyan on Facebook saying they had been to Fire Opal complex to check out an injured cat, which turned out to be Kitler. He had a head wound which they thought had been from being hit by a vehicle and they had taken him to the vet. I had a plum, peanut butter on toast and a Yorkshire tea for breakfast then I got ready to go to the weekly market. I was there around 10.30am so there were a few familiar faces but it wasn’t mega busy. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira:
Peaches, grapes and apples 62.00 Red & Green Peppers and mushrooms 66.00 Strawberries 70.00 Total spent 198 lira (£5.82)
It felt quite expensive for what I bought but was probably cheaper than in Rhodes. I met the Dalyan Dweller needing migraine medication, at Lukka Bar, and gave her the 2 boxes of tablets for the 150 lira (£4.41) I paid for them. I didn’t think that was a bad price, especially as she couldn’t get it at any of the pharmacies in Dalyan. For lunch I had a random meal from the freezer which looked like it could be half an ottoman kebab mixed with rice – whatever it was, I enjoyed my meal before I had to nip back out on an errand to pay more fees for my residency renewal. For dinner I was a bit naughty and had a bit of Toblerone, some Turkish Delight and an extra Yorkshire tea! I had cream crackers with cheese spread on too so I was now on 162 syns so far this week.
It was very warm on Sunday 24th September. I made air fryer skin on chips for lunch and had Toblerone with strawberries as a dessert – a great combo if you’ve never tried it. That night I had arranged to do something with a friend (who can’t be mentioned for legal reasons) and I was having a break for 2 days. My blog would resume on Wednesday the 27th.
On Tuesday 19th September Michelle made us all a sausage and mushroom breakfast wrap which was so good, then we got on with work. Steve booked in some training so that he could give me a new task, working on UK social media. Because he and Michelle were playing catch up on work since their holiday, they were busy with lots to do. For my last night in Rhodes, Michelle made a delicious veggie curry and I went to the shop for some ciders. €8.70 (£7.63) for 6 Milokleftis was much cheaper than going to the bar so I was happy with that. It did mean that this week I had consumed 227 syns and had very little chance of having lost any weight on weigh-in day tomorrow! I’d enjoyed my stay looking after Xena and the cats – I’d finally remembered all the names of each cat now, much to Winnie’s disgust that it took me so long!
It was time to leave Lardos on Wednesday 20th September and I was ready to get back to Dalyan. I love looking after pets, especially as we aren’t able to have our own, but I was definitely looking forward to having a little break from it, maybe even that elusive lay-in on a morning. I got on the scales to find I had lost 0.2kg this week, not bad considering the booze I’d had in the last 2 days. My measurements were also good; no change to my bust, 3cm off my waist and 1cm from my hips. I had 2 options to get to my ferry but I chose to take the bus. It would have been almost a 3 hour round trip for Michelle to drive there and back, during the working day and she was pretty busy. I decided I would get the 10am bus which takes 2 hours to Rhodes Town and then take my time getting to the port. I said my goodbyes to Steve and Michelle as well as Xena and the cats that were around, before walking to the bus stop in the village square. The bus was due at 10am but it didn’t arrive until 10.13am and the journey cost just €5.60 (£4.91). The bus wasn’t too full and the AC was working so it was quite a pleasant journey and we arrived in Rhodes Town at noon.
I walked, in the hot sun, towards the port, taking a diversion in to the old town to go get some lunch. I decided to go to Nimmo’s where I’ve been before and isn’t too far from the port. I had a litre bottle of water as I was pretty thirsty when I got there, then ordered a pork souvlaki for lunch as it would be the last time I ate pork for a few weeks. I decided to have a glass of red wine to wash down my lunch and this is what I paid: 1l water 3.90 Pork Souvlaki 10.60 1 glass of red wine 3.10 Tip 2.40 Total spent €20.00 (£17.53)
My ferry was at 4.30pm but I had to get there an hour before to collect the ticket, the crossing was fine and took around 2 hours in total. I bought Jamie a bottle of Tanqueray Gin as they didn’t have any sherry for another friend and it’s much cheaper than in Dalyan. I’d arranged to meet Stef at the Erasta shopping centre in Fethiye when I arrived so I walked to the big Migros, stopping to get some Turkish delight on the way for less than £1 at Tuğba. Stef was in good spirits and we talked about me setting up my own business over a hot beverage in a café. I eventually got the bus back to Dalyan and was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home at 11.45pm.
Xena and I had our last walk together on Sunday 17th September, she was feeling better but I threw away the pork bone from Valantina’s as I didn’t want to chance giving her it. After my bran flakes for breakfast, I spent most of the morning getting prepared for Steve and Michelle returning that night. At lunch time I ate the macaroni cheese snackpot, some pitta, hummus and Baba Ghanoush before taking myself off for a walk. It was too hot for Xena’s paws and quite warm for me but I went to Alapou wine store. I had 1 glass of great wine from the taster menu and also bought 2 bottles of wine to take home with me. One was a present for Steve’s birthday, a nice Merlot recommended by the owner, the other bottle was a cheaper rosé wine for me to drink, also recommended. On my way home I bought a big sandwich and a cheese pastry from the bakery at a bargain €3.70 (£3.24) – that was my dinner with half of the bottle of rosé! Steve and Michelle arrived back from an amazing time in Switzerland and we had some nice cheese, charcuterie and, of course, more wine. Xena was so pleased to have her parents back too! Steve and Michelle had bought me gifts; a bottle of Black Sheep Greek red wine and a giant Toblerone which was very kind.
We’d gone to bed at gone midnight, Steve and Michelle were back in their bedroom and I was on the comfy sofa bed in the living room. At 2.30am on Monday 18th September Bob, the cat, decided he was going to start climbing all over me, then he sat on me and just stared. I did eventually get back to sleep but then I was awake once everyone else stirred. We all worked that day and, while Steve and Michelle went to the bakery for their lunch sandwiches, I had hummus, pitta and Baba Ghanoush at home. We finished work before 6pm then Michelle drove the 3 of us to Flyers in Pefkos. I was also tagging along on the big shop near Faliraki, about an hour away in the car. I decided to use the cash machine to get out some euros so that I could buy some provisions and maybe some pork products to take back to Dalyan. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise until later, but the machine kept my card – great! We did the big shop, I spent €17.44 (£15.29) on cheese, salami, gluten free pork sausages and coconut milk powder while my hosts bought a massive trolley full of stuff, including lots of pet food. On the drive back we stopped at Gyros & Burgers in Afandou. Steve had a burger, Michelle and I had the Pork gyros and all the food was super tasty and they have ultra clean and well decorated toilets.
I don’t know if it was because Xena knew that Captain Caveman was leaving or that she had eaten something she shouldn’t have, but we were woken up at 4am on Friday 15th September with her being sick on the bedroom floor. She seemed fine after that but I decided to keep my eye on her today and not give her any of the leftovers or the bone from Valantina’s. At 6.30am we were at the bakery getting a sandwich for Captain Caveman to take with him on his 2 hour bus ride to Diagoras airport in Rhodes. The bus was at 7am so we said our goodbyes and, of course, I was sad to be parting ways again but it made sense for me to stay in Turkey while Captain Caveman spent the rest of his 41 days out of Turkey. Money was tight and I needed to work so there was no point me going with Captain Caveman, spending more money.
I took Xena for a walk, she was a bit sad and didn’t want to go far so we just did the short walking route which Steve had suggested. I had grapes, a peach and some yoghurt for breakfast and then worked from 11am to 4.15pm with breaks in between. This meant I had already worked a bit of my time from next week. When I went to take some washing in, I noticed that someone had put some discarded takeaway food on to the terrace for the cats to eat. It looked greasy and smelled disgusting so I removed it and threw it away. Apollo was not happy with that decision and had a face on with me. When I fed the cats the Friskies, they went mental for it, apparently it’s got something in it that makes it very moreish. For my dinner I made egg fried rice which I had with some left over pork, onion and potatoes – it was very nice. Xena had snuggles as she was missing Captain Caveman and we had a quiet Friday night in. She wasn’t sick again but I wanted to stay in with her, just in case.
I was looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday 16th September but at 4.15am Xena was sick again. Trixie knew Xena was out of sorts so we all got on the sofa in the living room for cuddles. It was just bile but I was worried and decided to just walk her a short way around the block at 7am. By 7.30am we were back and Xena was hiding behind a tree in the garden while I watered the plants. Before 10am I had a video call with Captain Caveman who was concerned if Xena was ok too and came on the phone to talk to her. Later, I decided to nip to the shops to stock up on things to take back to Turkey, as well as a few provisions to tide me over at Steve and Michelle’s for the next few days. I spent almost €18 (£16) on Teriyaki sauce, Sweet & Sour sauce, bacon lardons, cereal, pitta bread, crisps, plums and snackpots – using the rest of the cash Euros I had left. Aside from that quick shop, I stayed close to Xena and kept an eye on her. For dinner I ate the mushroom snackpot, some crisps, bran flakes and a couple of plums. I watched a bit of TV but had an early night.
It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Rhodes on Thursday 14th September, as he was catching a flight to the UK tomorrow. He would spend a month in Europe, seeing family and friends and I hoped to meet him in Italy if work and funds allowed. I still had another 5 days in Rhodes then I was going back to Dalyan. He took Xena on her last morning walk with him and I knew they were going to miss each other. Our first job of the day was to go to buy the pet food. I’d consulted with Steve who had told us which ones to get. The big supermarket they go to, near Faliraki, has it much cheaper than a local supermarket but we had no option as there was very little left. At ABC Supermarket we bought the following: Fairy Liquid 2.79 2 x Dog food 3.74 2kg Friskies Cat food 10.70 Total Spent €17.23 (£15.04)
After shopping, we saw Mark and Maria, in Memories bar sat having a coffee so we went to join them. I ordered a juice but Captain Caveman ordered an Alpha beer! By 12.30pm we had been for a walk to find the house Captain Caveman had booked for us and my parents when they come to visit next month. It was very close to the village centre and looked like it would be a lovely Airbnb so I was pleased. Next, we went to Cuckoo’s Nest for coffee (I had water) with Louise and Mark. It was Steve’s birthday today so we took a photo to send to him. Captain Caveman had been trying to have pistachio ice-cream since being in Lardos but they never seemed to have any. Today they did, on his last day, so he had one and I had a lemon sorbet. Back home we had bread, hummus and Baba Ghanoush for lunch and we had plans to celebrate our last night together for a while, with a meal out. We didn’t have much money between us so we didn’t want to go mad. In Rhodes I can’t change lira and some places won’t accept my Turkish bank card.
We started our evening out with Mojitos at Cuckoo’s Nest and for some reason my Turkish bank card does not like the machine there as it wouldn’t work. Captain Caveman had to pay using the last of our cash Euros, aside from his bus fare to the airport tomorrow. We had a gorgeous meal that evening at one of my favourite restaurants in Rhodes, Valantina’s. Here’s what we had with the prices in Euros; 1 cheese balls starter 7.50 1 Moussaka 11.50 1 Tomahawk pork steak 15.90 2 Carafes of red wine 16.00 Total spent €50.90 (£44.43)
My pork steak and all the trimmings was amazing and I think Captain Caveman wished he’d had that, even though his moussaka was nice, just not as big a portion. Valantina’s was definitely on the list for when my parents visited Lardos too. The complimentary pomegranate ouzo shots went down well and we wandered home feeling satisfied, with some leftovers for me and Xena. We decided to finish off the night watching a bit of Jimmy Car on Netflix but Captain Caveman fell asleep.
I’d done all my working hours for the week so on Wednesday 13th September I had the day off. Both Captain Caveman and I went on the walk with Xena. She was getting a bit better at walking on the lead with us, she still pulled me quite a bit and I’m sure she would have no recall whatsoever if we took her off the lead. Captain Caveman had wanted to take her with us to the beach but it would be too hot and we didn’t really know how she would behave if it was busy. We had not been on the beach yet so preferred to explore by ourselves first. As it was Fat Club day, both Captain Caveman and I had got on the scales to see how we were doing. I was 1.4kg lighter than last week, had put 2cm on my bust, 1cm on my hips but had lost 1cm from my waist. Captain Caveman had lost 0.6kg so we had both done well and it showed that we had been eating healthier meals and drinking less alcohol, on the whole. We had the rest of the tortilla for breakfast, just before 8am but then decided to have a second breakfast when we got to the coffee shop on the way to the beach. We both had a chocolate croissant, Captain Caveman had a double espresso and I had an earl grey tea. The total cost for this was €11.50 (£9.97) but it was very nice.
By 11am we had walked along a very shingly beach and had a paddle. I had sore feet so we decided to stop for a drink and a sit down at Kanaloa Beach Bar, Lothiarika, which looked a bit fancy. They had a sign saying you could use their comfy looking sun beds and order food and drink from the beach waiters for a service fee of €14 (£12.13) and I made a note that this might suit my parents when they visited next month. We ordered 2 mojitos which were very well made and refreshing at a cost of €16 (£13.86) for both.
Our next stop off was a short stroll inland to a local Greek restaurant called Taverna Periklis, which probably had the cleanest toilets I had ever been in. We had a lovely lunch and here are the prices we paid in Euros; 1 bottle of water 1.90 1 Alpha Beer 4.10 1 Fig, walnut & pomegranate salad 9.40 1 Beef Stifado 15.90 Total Spent €31.30 (£27.12)
Captain Caveman had planned a bit of a treat after lunch and had decided we were going to walk a different route back, but one that would incorporate a trip to a wine store. Obviously, I was definitely up for a visit to the wine shop which sold wine by the glass too. As those of you are familiar with Captain Caveman’s walks will be, it was not straight forward. Within 20 minutes we were lost and he wouldn’t admit that the road on the map was not actually a road, it was barely a path and the amount of sleeping goats and their droppings were evidence enough to me that we were not on the right track. Our first argument in Lardos was quite a big one while I stood under an olive tree, trying to get some shade in the height of the afternoon sun. Captain Caveman walked around the perimeter of the fenced field we had found ourselves in and I applied sun cream to my face, neck, arms and legs which were already covered in dust from the ‘road’ we were walking on. He came back and explained that he was definitely still correct with his directions but as I was complaining so much we would try an alternative way – how considerate!
I wouldn’t like to be complaining too much but in the interests of painting the best picture I can of our walk back, I will give you a short timeline based on the photos I took and you can be the judge of whether I was being mardy and unreasonable.
•12.56pm we left Taverna Periklis
•1.09pm we reached a gate which I interpreted as meaning the road was closed
•1.15pm I am under a tree while Captain Caveman looks for the way out
•1.54pm we pass a ‘road’ that I had refused to walk down, after I had to have a wee on an open hill and drank all of the water we had brought
•2.01pm I see a fig on a tree and tell Captain Caveman to pick it for me, it was not ripe yet and he ended up with his hand covered in a sticky residue which I thought was quite amusing – Captain Caveman not quite so much!
•2.15pm we have arrived at the wine shop, I’m purpley-red, smelly and quite dirty. We both use the bathroom and order a wine from the tasting menu
•2.18pm normal service has been resumed and we have a glass of wine
•2.47pm Captain Caveman has bought us a bottle of the wine I was tasting to make up for us ‘not getting lost’.
The Wine Store, called Alapou, was brilliant and we had a nice chat with the owners, after I had apologised for the state of me and we knew we would definitely be back again. The wine was €13.80 (£11.96) and went down a treat with our sausage pasta for dinner. In the evening we attempted to watch American Made with Tom Cruise in, but I had got the wrong end of the stick and thought it was a film about a cleaning lady from the USA as I didn’t see the opening credits.
I worked from 8.30am to 11.30 am on Monday 11th September, while Captain Caveman went shopping and prepared meals. Here is what he bought at the shops with prices in Euros; ABC Supermarket 1 orange pepper 1.16 Orange juice 1.29 Mayonnaise 1.99 Grapes 2.08 Baba Ghanoush 2.50 Hummus 2.50 Eggs 2.69 Spaghetti 3.04 Cheese 3.12 Total Spent €20.37 (£17.65)
After a quick break to let Xena on the garden, check on the cats and discuss meal plans for today, I was back at work until 1pm. I had a chicken wrap for lunch with chicken, rocket and a bit of cheese then got back to work until 6pm. At 6.30pm we went to the pharmacy and to buy another notebook and pen. Here’s what I bought from the chemist, who was super helpful and offered advice on how to get rid of my eczema (which was definitely getting worse on my back): Paracetamol tablets 2.00 Aerolin Inhaler 2.20 Imodium tablets 4.51 Aloe Vera Gel 12.00 14 Farviron Tablets 20.94 Total Spent €41.65 (£36.09)
I’d ran out of Aloe Vera gel, which I buy much cheaper in Dalyan and use to soothe my eczema so we had to pay the price. The medication to treat the eczema is an anti-fungal tablet, usually used to treat thrush. The chemist told me it was expensive but would definitely work so I took his advice and got it. This was probably the most expensive medication I had ever purchased. I had no idea how much it would be over the counter in England but I did think the inhaler was very cheap. On the way home we called in to the supermarket to cost up dog and cat food as we were running out and we decided to take photos and ask Steve and Michelle which would be best, before buying any. We weren’t flush and didn’t want to be wasting money unnecessarily, I also thought we had an extra cat as Steve had mentioned they had 13 but I was convinced there was 14.
We had a couple of drinks at Yamas Bar and then went home for a cat count to check that I wasn’t feeding one extra. Captain Caveman made a pasta with pesto sauce for dinner which was very tasty and I was getting used to having my chef back. I put the aloe vera gel on, took the first of the 14 tablets and hoped the €21 had been worth it. We were going to watch another film but it was getting late so we went to bed after pet cuddles.
I worked 9am to 4pm on Tuesday 12th September, with breaks for lunch and pet checking. I had buttered toast and a cup of tea for breakfast, once Captain Caveman and Xena had come back from their walk and the cats had all been fed. We had a bit of a picnic style lunch with all of the stuff we had in the fridge. At 6pm I had got myself involved in a cat photo identification parade as I tried to work out which cat was which and who the extra one was. I had already eliminated Billy Big Bollocks from next door who came to bully Steve and Michelle’s cats and try to steal their food – he was not included in the total amount of cats. In the end, it turned out I was correct about the number of cats that Steve and Michelle were responsible for, but it was 13 plus Billy Big Bollocks who they sometimes feed but I hadn’t been! I’d been thinking that Winnie and the Bella Lookalike were different cats but they were actually the same one! For dinner Captain Caveman made chicken fajitas with wraps and they were very good. We watched Ted Bundy & the Green River Killer later on but that was also a bit of a let-down and Captain Caveman fell asleep this time.
joloyolo 