I spent the morning of Friday 25th August making sure I had all the paperwork and information that I needed for my residency renewal appointment. Next week we were able to apply for the appointment date as it can be applied for up to 60 days before my existing expiry date. At 11am, we were all booked in to BC Spa for our spa treatments which consisted of a foam and scrub in the hamam, a face mask and a massage. The classic package cost us £35, lasted 75 minutes and was really good, even better than the last time I had it. For lunch the 3 of us treated ourselves to a meal at Egehan with a glass of wine. We had complimentary starters of hummus, red pepper and walnut dip and baba ghanoush – all were delicious. For mains we had the following; Clare Sea Bass 370 lira (£11), Kelly meatballs 300 lira (£8.96) with an extra side salad instead of the usual rice and chips, I had mantı, Turkish pasta, 270 lira (£8.06). The food was delicious and it’s a lovely little boutique hotel with dining by the pool. After Egehan, the girls fancied an ice cream so I introduced them to the delights of Cherry Up where they both selected 3 scoops in a tub for 70 lira (£2.09) each. I’m not a huge ice-cream fan so I didn’t have any, I was still full from lunch. Our next stop was the supermarket as we had decided to stay in at BC Spa tonight. We chose to take a bit of a buffet/picnic approach where I bought the shopping and the girls bought the wine. Here’s what was in the shopping basket and the prices in lira:
Kelly and Clare thought it might make a nice addition to our evening dining to get some takeaway meat from the Kokoreç place. We waited for a fresh portion to be cooked but I wasn’t sure if it would be very nice, especially as I don’t tend to like eating lamb or goat. It cost 180 lira (£5.37) for just 100g so it wasn’t cheap but it is considered a delicacy in Turkey.
I called at home on the way back so that I could get changed and pick up a corkscrew, more wine from the fridge and a few bits and bobs from the fridge/cupboard. We had a feast and plenty of wine, while chatting away. The ofal didn’t end up getting eaten as it looked disgusting when we took off the lid and none of us could bring ourselves to taste the very fatty, now cold, meat. I got home after 1am, a little merry after another great day with my friends.
On Thursday 24th August Clare was on her way to Dalyan and would be joining Kelly at the BC Spa Hotel in the afternoon. I had fresh figs, strawberries and quark for breakfast and then popped to the bank to transfer money from my US Dollar account to my Turkish account. I had a feeling it would be a bit more of an expensive week with having my friends here and I needed to have some funds available. At the bank, the resident cat decided she’d quite like a bit of attention and came for a cuddle while I waited for the cashier. By 1pm I was with Kelly by the pool at BC Spa and we decided to have some lunch there. I had a chicken wrap which came with a few chips and Kelly had a salad. It wasn’t expensive and I really enjoyed the very filling wrap. Clare arrived at the hotel just after 3pm and I was so glad to get a big hug from her, again it had been far too long! While Clare got settled in, I had an important meeting with Sonuç who I was paying to do my residency renewal stuff for me. We met by the river at BC Spa and I bought us a hot drink while we discussed the requirements and timeline. Unfortunately, Sonuç told me I would not be able to go for a 2 year renewal unless I had £10,000 in my Turkish Bank account which would be a bit tricky! When I got back to the girls, they were sat in the outdoor dining area of the hotel and had ordered some food; a yoghurt dish, stuffed mushrooms and some breaded chicken pieces. I joined them for a glass of rosé wine which was very nice. The girls and I already had pre-booked the classic spa packages in for tomorrow and they mentioned they might book some more treatments in to.
That evening, we shared a bottle of Angora white wine at Tapa bar on our way in to town for dinner. I’d been keen to eat at River House for a while as I’d not been in a long time. We were given complimentary lavaş (balloon bread) with dips and we ordered main meals to share, Kelly had a salad while Clare and I shared a pide. We had a bottle of white wine and enjoyed a lovely reasonably priced evening, they have also made some improvements to the restaurant toilets since I was last there. I really enjoyed the meal at River House and definitely needed to visit again. On our way home, we stopped off for a last drink at Bistro Blue and for the girls to say hello to Annie and Selahı. They had a new cocktail called the English garden at 330 lira (£9.85), with cucumber in it. It was a bit out of my budget so I stuck to wine but the girls said it was fantastic, really refreshing. It had been a cracking first full day with my friends and the next 4 days were going to go too fast!
It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Phong Nha on Wednesday 23rd August; his caving season had ended and he would be off to Saigon tomorrow for some fun before he flew to Turkey. Meanwhile in Dalyan, for some reason, I stopped writing down what I ate as from today which meant I was likely to go off track with my Slimming World Plan. I got weighed at home and had stayed the same as last week. Strangely, my measurements were a bit unusual this week; I’d put 4cm on my bust, lost 2cm from my waist and 4cm from my hips. This was the slimmest my waist had been in ages and was only 2cm away from my target. I still had Fat Club Carol’s scales to face this afternoon so I would see how I did there. I popped to the bank to withdraw some cash as I was running low and had a leisurely morning. I checked flights to Naples and found that for me they were around £130 one way, via London or Istanbul. For my parents they were only around £25 from Manchester. I messaged Kelly who was already on her way here, to ask about plans for meeting later. Fikri was already booked for a taxi to pick Kelly up from Dalaman airport when she landed at 9.35pm and take her to BC Spa, where she was staying for 5 nights. We agreed to play it by ear for this evening as she wasn’t certain how late it would be or how tired she might feel and would text me when she got to the hotel. At Fat Club I had also stayed the same as last week which was a bit disappointing but, not a loss. On my way home I did a bit of shopping and here’s what I got, with prices in lira.
Migros Supermarket
Green tea 16.90 UHT skimmed milk 20.50 1 can boiled beans 21.50 6 eggs 27.75 2 cans of pink grapefruit drink 30.00 Walnuts 44.50 Fabric Softener 67.50 Total spent 228.65 lira (£6.72)
Şok Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25 Washing powder 175.25 Total spent 175.50 lira (£5.16)
Again, I’d made the sensible choice not to go to Rehab bar to meet the pool gang and be tempted to drink too much alcohol. I did eat macaroni cheese balls done in the airfryer for lunch which was a bit naughty and not diet friendly at all. I sat on the balcony and chilled out a bit but the new holiday renters staying in the apartment opposite were very noisy, especially the father of the English family. They spent hours in the pool as it was still hot at 6pm, I couldn’t fault them even though I still hadn’t been in our pool yet. For dinner I tried something new, airfryer cauliflower steaks and roasted veggies which I had on the balcony with a vodka and grapefruit.
At 11pm, Kelly contacted me from the hotel and was up for meeting up. I walked over to BC Spa and we had a big hug – it had been far too long! Thinking we would just go somewhere nearby, I suggested Okyanus for a drink and a catch up but it might have been the wrong choice. We ordered a bottle of white wine and Kelly had not had dinner so she asked our friendly waiter, Bakı, if she could just have tomatoes and cucumbers as a salad. He was very obliging and I’ve known him for some years now. He took a bit of a shine to Kelly so we couldn’t enjoy much of a private conversation without him joining us – one of the downsides of living in paradise but Kelly didn’t mind. I walked Kelly back the short distance to BC Spa where she had a lovely room and we arranged to meet tomorrow, ready for Clare arriving. I got in just after 1am and was so excited to have seen Kelly again, this next few days was going to be amazing!
I took full advantage of not having to work on Monday 21st August. Molly, the cat, was not a fan of joining me for a selfie but she didn’t mind posing for a solo photo. By 9am she was snoozy and I was admiring the view. Back home I had quark, fruit and black tea which was not alleviating my eczema one bit. For lunch I had more of the chicken and carrot (with chickpeas) curry which I had with egg fried rice.
In the evening I attended a ladies only (plus Jamie) boat trip which Adele and I had organised. Onboard were the following people: Viv, Nanny Kay, Jamie, Angela & Lynda (from Dalaman), Janice (aka Lily Fish), Ann, Monique, Rach, Adele and, of course, me. Captain Fuat and his boat were more traditional which is just what we wanted for our moonlight boat trip. It was the first time I’d met him and I was pleased with Adele’s choice. We decided that we would head out in the afternoon to Köyceğiz so that any last minute shopping could be enjoyed. Jamie, Ann and I enjoyed a bottle of wine near the harbour at a bar where they had to call the manager to bring the wine fridge keys.
Back on board the boat, Fuat sailed to a quiet spot so we could have a sunset swim. He had bought us a couple of bottles of nice fizz and had cooked a traditional Turkish dinner for our evening meal. The soup starter was homemade and delicious and the casserole for main was exceptional. Captain Fuat served fruit, including fresh figs from his own garden too. We got back at gone 11pm, having had a lovely evening. I’d spent 1250 lira (£36.72); which included the boat and 5 wines so I was very merry and had thoroughly enjoyed myself.
On Friday 11th August I had to work because I’d moved my days to accommodate Mark and Kate’s cat and house sitting dates. I worked from 9am to 5pm with a break for lunch. I was also back to eating nice food at home; beans on toast for breakfast, feta and beetroot salad for lunch, then a tandoori style chicken and rice dish for dinner. I even opened a bottle of rosé wine when I finished work and sat on the balcony in my lounge chair. I thought I was going to have a relaxed early night at home but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Kate messaged to ask if I wanted to meet her and Mark at Tez bar so I said yes. After more wine there, it ended up being a rather messy, drunken evening in Dalyan Lounge and then Sofra. Kate fell asleep in Dalyan Lounge so Mark and I left with her on the puff truck to make sure she got home. We had a can of beer and a hip flask to come back in to town with to rejoin Jo, Steve, John, Andrea, Jade and her husband who’s birthday it was. We bumped in to Bakı and we had rather a lot more drinks. Obviously, Mark and I were the last 2 standing in Sofra at about 4am – tomorrow was going to hurt!
I had no idea how I was going to get through all my plans on Saturday 12th August! I postponed my meet up at Goodeer Cafe with Jamie and went back to bed. I couldn’t face going to the market so I slept until about 1pm then went to meet Jamie. I had a lime slushy which made my hangover headache even worse. Jamie had also ended up drinking until 4am this morning with his neighbours so we were both in the same pathetic state, still. Neither of us quite knew how we were going to muster up the oomph to be able to attend Nanny Kay’s birthday celebrations tonight. As I entered the complex back at our apartment I noticed that the garden was overgrown again and was looking a bit dishevelled so I needed to remind the maintenance company to give it a bit of attention. Jamie, Ann and I met at Sofra bar for a livener before the main birthday event. I took more than 30 minutes to get half a draft lager down me and felt absolutely terrible. We went to Meet Meat restaurant where there was about 20 of us for the birthday meal. The free mushroom and bread starters were amazing and I ordered a steak with rice, chips and salad which was very nice. I made a glass of red wine last all night and I was absolutely begging for mercy. My 200g steak meal came to 448 lira (£13.27), which was very reasonable, the wine was 100 lira (£2.96) for a decent glass and a large water was 30 lira (89p). We’d had a reasonably priced night out with excellent food and service. Unfortunately, there was an after-party, back at Sofra where it turned in to another one of those nights! Jamie, Ghislaine and I got in at gone 4am after Teddy, the dog, had gone AWOL meaning Ghislaine was forced to come and collect him from us at Sofra Bar.
It wouldn’t take a genius to work out that I had an easy day on Sunday 13th August. On a positive note, staying out until after the Jazz bar had closed meant I was getting better sleep. I had bread, feta cheese and olives for breakfast, a hot dog for lunch then tandoori chicken with egg fried rice for dinner. I had an early night because tomorrow I had another week of cat sitting.
It was a day of fun on Saturday 29th July on another Princess of Ekincik boat trip to welcome Annie back to Dalyan. By 10am we had set sail as we drank our morning brew with a cookie. Onboard we had a nice eclectic mix of people; Jackie & Chris, Viv, Linda, Adele, a Turkish couple, a Dutch couple, Annie and me. We had a great BBQ lunch and some amazing swim stops and we even got to do something I’d never done before.
Adele asked Captain Ismail if we could moor up near to The Rock so that, those who wanted to, could swim around it. Adele, Annie, Chris and I managed to swim around it in the fairly choppy sea and it was really lovely. We had a laugh with the Turkish guest who was rather big and hilarious at getting himself on and off the paddle board. On another one of our swim spots we were warned very clearly by Ismail to stay away from the sea urchins. The Dutch guy, who had never been to Dalyan or a boat trip before proceeded to ignore this and ended up with six spikes in his foot. Our Captain had to remove them with tweezers and the man was clearly in agony.
The Rock we swam around.
The food, as always, was incredible and I washed it down with a couple of glasses of rosé wine which were 100 lira (£2.98) for a decent measure. It was such a lovely day that I don’t think Annie, Adele and I wanted it to end. It nearly didn’t end well when there was a problem with the boat’s engine. Luckily, Captain Boris was due to pass and he helped tow us back to Dalyan.
The 3 of us plus Chris and Jackie decided to pop for one drink at Tez bar. Tez had a nice bottle of rosé wine for just 350 lira (£10.42) so Adele, Annie and I shared that. It was nice to sit and relax while deciding if we might go for food. After saying goodbye to Adele, Chris and Jackie, Annie and I popped back to mine for a quick shower before dinner. We had booked a table at Duble, one of our favourite eateries in the old market square. I’d not been there in ages so it was nice to visit and we had a veritable feast between us; cheese rolls, liver and onions, bread and dips to start followed by chicken shish and Adana kebab for our mains – all washed down with another bottle of rosé wine. Our meal with wine was a reasonable 700 lira (£20.83) each, it was amazing and I had leftovers to take home. I’d loved my day and night out and it was brilliant to spend time with Annie who was due back again in a couple of months.
Photo credit – Annie Miller for some of her photos
It was Gayle, Neil, Morgan and April’s last day and night in Dalyan on Sunday 23rd July as they were leaving tomorrow morning. They had planned to have a cleaning, tidying and packing day followed by lounging and swimming round the pool for their last day. They had booked to go out for a meal and I was going to have another day off. We’d had a great time and, surprisingly, not one fall out or complaint. In the afternoon I got flight confirmation from my friends, Kelly and Clare, who were coming to visit me next month. I was looking forward to seeing them after 4 years of not being able to see each other. Later, I went over to where my sister and family were staying and we had a dip in the pool. Some friends from Fethiye and Mark stopped by just to say hello and I met them at the gate for a few minutes. When I went back in, the family were getting ready and said I should join them for their last dinner out in Dalyan.
I’ve not been to La Bohème this year, it was very busy but we had a reserved table by the river, overlooking the rock tombs. We decided cocktails would be a good idea and I ordered a pornstar martini. We shared the meze plate for starters and each of us ordered some really good main courses. My surf and turf was one of the best meals I’d had in Dalyan. We shared wine and had a brilliant last night celebrating a wonderful holiday. As we came to pay the bill, there was a power cut which meant we all had to put our cash in to pay.
The girls weren’t too pleased about that as they had been promised a look round the shops. A lot of the shops were unable to take card payments but we did find a couple that could so the girls could get some souvenirs. On our walk back towards home we decided that it wouldn’t be a farewell send off without a quick drink in Bistro Blue. We must have left about 12.30am as I have a receipt for the drinks at that time and the electric in Dalyan was back on.
I was lucky enough to be invited on an amazing private boat trip on Friday 21st July. After a gap in the itinerary had presented itself, Neil had decided he’d quite like to enjoy some time with just the family, out at sea. The 4 of them had asked me to join their full day and evening on the Princess of Ekincik boat, which they had managed to book for exclusive use at the last minute. We were bright eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to set sail, at 10am. We had tea/coffee and biscuits while Captain Ismail took us out towards the Devil’s Bay area. Our first swim stop was lovely and the water felt amazing in our deserted little bay.
Our lunch had some of the best tasting mezes I’ve had this year and they took in to account all our allergies and requirements. The meat was top quality and the hygiene second to none. We had an absolute feast of a BBQ lunch and we were all stuffed. We set sail just as the sea got choppy and I had to take a sea sickness pill (just as a precaution). Captain Ismail was very adept at getting us through the fairly choppy sea and he sailed further out and then across to save us getting too disturbed as we lounged and sipped on iced tea or rosé wine.
It was getting quite hot and a tad humid as we got to the next swim stop which had crystal clear deep water. We were the only ones there, at 5pm, because most boats were on their way back from the day trips and the moonlight ones were not out yet. I felt so lucky that we could do this on such a lovely boat, great setting and one of the best crews in Dalyan.
By 6pm we were making our way to Little Dalyan, behind the beach, where we would stay for our last swim stop, dinner, sunset then stargazing. Neil and Gayle had a walk across the beach to the sea, the girls went paddle boarding and then we tried our luck at crab fishing. I’ve never been a fan and have thought it cruel however I did catch 3! Neil, being the fisherman of the family, caught the most.
As we watched the sun go down, we ate a delightful chicken casserole with rice, salad, bread and the BBQ crab. It was my first time eating crab and I was a bit concerned in case I was allergic to it. Ismail showed us how to get the meat from the shell and he opened mine for me. It was so fresh and tasty with no allergic reaction. There was lots more rosé wine had and we all loved the trip.
We got back to Dalyan after 10pm and, as we sailed in, the air felt very different than it had out at the beach. It seemed to be several degrees hotter and very suffocating, we all noticed it and started to sweat straight away. The humidity levels had increased and, despite there being no sun, the temperature seemed to be extreme for an evening. We paid our bills, said our thanks and goodbyes to Ivona, Ismail and Ege – we knew this wouldn’t be the last trip with them this year!
I had another lovely day with Gayle, Neil, Morgan and April on Thursday 20th July. While they were all getting ready, I had been to the bank to draw out more money. It had only been 3 months since I was living off 1400 lira (£41.86) for the week but now 3000 lira (£89.69) wasn’t lasting more than a few days with going out and about more. I bought more credit and data for my Turkish phone which was now 160 lira (£4.78) per month, compared to 110 lira (£3.29) last time.
Today’s itinerary was a little bit laid back as I met up with the family for a late breakfast/brunch. They’d been wanting to try Ela’s Kitchen as they fancied checking out all the hype about the place. I think I’d mentioned that both the menemen and Sev’s sausage had been recommended so they were keen to see. As there were 5 of us, I’d had the common sense to send a cheeky message to book us in and I’m glad we did. About 5 minutes after we got sat down the place was full. Nicola greeted us all with a smile and took our orders for water and hot drinks while we checked out the menu. This is what we ordered (mine without egg or tomato, my niece without tomato) with prices in lira:
2 large waters 70 1 Yorkshire tea 60 2 iced caramel coffees 160 3 Coffees 210 1 omelette 230 1 Menemen 230 1 Sausage Baguette 255 1 mini full English breakfast 255 1 large full English 375
Total spent 1845 lira (£55.16). All the food was delicious and the portions extremely generous, even for a Fat Club Chubster like me! Of course, pork is an expensive product in Turkey so it’s not surprising that the breakfasts containing English bacon and sausages were the most expensive. Recently, businesses had been struggling to get the pork products and the prices of it were constantly increasing. Our maveraged at £11 per person with the drinks so not bad for what we had. We all really enjoyed our food and we were stuffed, looking forward to a leisurely afternoon.
Our next destination was Iztuzu beach, where we got the cooperative boat to for 100 lira (£2.99) return. We had a nice chilled out few hours in the red hot sun, we used all the spare clothes we had to put on the rattan parasols to stop the sun coming through. We all went in the sea and I even had a Magnum, I don’t normally have an ice cream as they don’t really agree with me.
Later, we got the boat back and went back to our respective apartments to get ready for dinner. I’d arranged for the 5 of us to eat at Hotel Dalyance where they had Turkish Day on. This meant we could choose a main Turkish meat dish from a select menu and a cocktail, beer or glass of wine for just 499 lira (£14.92). This seemed like a good offer as well as a way to introduce the family to a bit of Turkish cuisine. April was the only one to not order from the Turkish menu, even though she had chosen steak most nights out so far. She ordered chicken fajitas, Neil went for the Adana kebab, while the rest of us all ordered Ottoman kebab. I had red wine, the others ordered cocktails then Neil ordered a bottle of rosé to go with dinner. The food was nicely presented and definitely a little different to what we had been having. I really enjoyed my dinner but I think Neil and Gayle are used to a more generous serving. A few of us had the cheesecake dessert which is really nice at Hotel Dalyance and Neil had ordered a second bottle of wine. It was a good night but Gayle had got the taste for it and fancied going on for another drink somewhere. We ended up seeing Jamie and his 2 friends (Nick and Mark) in Aşkın bar so we joined them for one. It turned in to two(!) and we had a right laugh before finally going home about 1am. I’d had a great time but I was a bit concerned we may end up with a casualty for tomorrow’s itinerary plans if we stayed out much longer.
It was Captain Caveman’s birthday on Tuesday 18th July and he was off on a bit of a holiday within Vietnam. He’d been disappointed not to be working as he’s usually down the cave on his birthday. Luckily, seeing the monkeys and pangolins at Cuc Phuong National Park animal rescue centre managed to make his birthday a little bit different. I was sad to not be there with him but I wouldn’t enjoy the humidity and we had much more exciting things planned, including a trip that Captain Caveman had helped shape a few years ago.
I worked from 10.30am until 3.45pm because we were getting picked up by Murat Deniz at 4.30pm. Gayle and I had booked for the 5 of us to go on the Galloping Seahorses trip as a private trip with Kaptan Deniz Travel and we were both terrified. Morgan loves horses so she was so up for it, April and Neil were also playing it cool and not acting scared. All the way to Göcek, my sister and I worried and discussed the feasibilities of shitting oneself on a horse. When we arrived it was a lovely place where the horses looked well cared for but Gayle and I thought the horses looked bigger than we might have anticipated. Murat did his best to put us at ease but in the end it was just a case of getting (back) on the horse. Neil was on the biggest one first, then Morgan on a horse that liked a canter (but not donkeys we found out later on), I got the new mother who was meant to be a steady bet, April’s horse was nice and well mannered while I suspected Gayle’s horse was meant to be the one that didn’t mind taking it easy. Getting on the horses was hilarious then frustrating as my leg no longer swings over and we had to push up from someone’s knee. The horse felt so high up and I realised I had not been listening to the ‘reins holding’ instructions beyond the first sentence. I asked to get back off but Murat chucked a deaf ‘un, while my sister struggled but got on. Neil was a natural, Morgan looked like a pro and April had obviously done it before but was probably embarrassed by me and her mom being such nervous Nerys’s. Gayle and I were shaking and I saw that she looked more terrified than me, there was every chance that one of us could shit our actual pants! Before we could do anything, we were off and I did all I could to keep my feet forward and hold on to the saddle I had ended up clutching, like I was on a white knuckle ride at a theme park. A few metres in, the young foals of 2 of our horses trotted by and I was more nervous.
Murat’s video of the start of our horse riding trip
By the time we got to the ‘putting our heads down to avoid tree branches’ bit, my feet were completely numb. After almost an hour, we got to a clearing that lead to the beach and I had never been so pleased to see the sea! I had a mini meltdown when I had to wait to be helped to get off my horse, Apache, but once on the beach I was a lot calmer. Gayle looked very stressed but we were both pleased to have made it this far. We were just celebrating the fact we hadn’t soiled our swimmers, and saying we’d probably walk it back to the ranch, when Murat explained we would be taking one of the most experienced horses in to the sea and riding bareback! Crikey, I didn’t think I could cope with this level of adventure!
Morgan went first with her horse in to the sea. She made it look effortless and it was amazing to watch. I decided I wouldn’t be trying that, I could barely stay on a horse with a saddle, never mind without. Although I had a bikini on beneath my jeggings and T-shirt, I decided taking them off for a dip in the sea without my towel (left back at the ranch) would be foolish as I’d never get them back on. Instead, I just took off my T-shirt, trainers and socks then got in the sea with April for a calming down dip. I also needed a nervous wee and asked April to keep a look out as I know Murat loves taking photos and I didn’t want to get caught on camera with my pants down in the sea. That’s when we spotted that we had an actual photographer with us! We swam up to the horse with Morgan on and they both seemed so happy in the sea. Neil was next and we were expecting some comedy struggles we could laugh at, but alas he managed it well. Gayle, April and I said no to the getting on the horse, walking it in to the sea and along.
Murat reassured us that we would be fine and I do love water (more than horses) so I agreed. It took me ages to get on the horse but once on, the horse was more than happy to take itself back in to the water. I don’t have a ‘bucket list’ and if I did this would never have been on it, however, it definitely should be. It was just such an amazing feeling that I will never forget and, at last, my fear was fading. Both April and Gayle also had a go and we were all pleased we did as it really was such a magical thing to do, on an almost empty beach before sunset.
Murat’s video of Morgan horseriding in the seaPhoto Credit – Murat Deniz and his team
We went back to our respective horses, had help getting back on and, this time, I held the reins properly, instead of the saddle, after rechecking with the instructor. The ride back was much more pleasant and I even managed to stop my horse, as well as get it to go around a donkey and a passing car. I couldn’t stop her from enjoying an impromptu snack from a passing tree branch though so I wasn’t quite cut out for a life as an equestrian. Back at the ranch, we were all feeling good, some of us more from relief than anything. I had agreed to go on this trip as I knew how much Morgan and April would love it, but I actually ended the horse ride adventure feeling amazed by it. Of course I had only been walking, returning possibly on a slight trot, on my horse so I wasn’t quite a fully fledged Galloping Seahorse member (yet)! The ranch guy and Murat made sure we had a limonata, a biscuit, some water and that we had all enjoyed our time before transferring Morgan all of the photos (there were hundreds). I didn’t have the phone memory so Gayle would send me them another day. I think we’d all built up a bit of a thirst and were ready for our dinner at one of Murat’s favourite spots.
As Captain Caveman’s birthday was ending in Vietnam, Murat and his driver took us for dinner at a lovely restaurant. Dalya Life Göcek Hotel, where I’d last been for a breakfast with my parents and John B on a trip not long after Covid ended, was a great place. I think my sister, Gayle, was just so happy to have survived the Galloping Seahorses trip that she wanted to celebrate. The girls ordered soft drinks but Gayle, Neil, Murat and I ordered the national drink of Turkey, Rakı. I’m not a fan of aniseed flavoured anything, but when in Rome! We had a couple and ordered food then a bottle or 2 of wine. The first one, wasn’t to our liking so we ordered a different one and we paid for the remainder of the trip and the photographer. We all agreed it had been a lovely thing to all do together and I definitely would not have done it otherwise (even Captain Caveman was expecting me not to survive it unscathed). Gayle ordered fish, Morgan had pasta, April steak with samphire, Neil something meaty that I forgot to make a note of and I went for the meatballs. I tasted some of April’s samphire and that was lovely and we all had a good meal. The journey back home was hilarious, with my sister singing along to Smokey’s ‘Who the F is Alice’ and then us all having a right old laugh at her. Murat dropped us all off at Mutlu Villas and I went in for a night cap. Gayle was that trollied that we pretended to give her gin for her second drink which was really water and she didn’t notice straight away. It had been an incredible day, one that I don’t think any of us would forget – probably not even our tour guide, Murat! I walked home just after midnight, slightly pleased that I had some work to do tomorrow while the family did yet another trip.
It was the wedding of friends, Pamela and Glynn, on Sunday 16th July and it was a rather hot day to be dressing up. I didn’t wear the dress I bought in Germany, specifically for the wedding because it was too heavy and I would be too hot in it. Instead, I wore a flouncy trouser suit thing which was a lot cooler. Before the ceremony, the bridal party were all in the hairdresser’s getting hair and makeup done while drinking champagne. Kate had made the cake and sausage rolls (which I was looking forward to later) but it needed taking to the reception venue, The Rock Bar. When I arrived, Kate and I carried the cake up the street then I asked Big Alp to take the sausage rolls etc up on his mobility scooter as it was a tad warm. He obliged but first had to sample one, just to make sure they were good enough. I could’ve wrestled it off him as I was rather peckish, only having had fruit and quark to eat. The wedding itself was on a boat with their friend, Ali – in fact, there were 2 boats. Ordinarily, I would have been on the friends boat but as I was required for my tech skills (oh dear), I was on the main boat. It was important that Pamela and Glynn’s relatives back home could see the ceremony over the internet but the 4G and WiFi didn’t seem to be working too well at first.
It all worked out in the end, Rach and one of the bridesmaids filmed it. For the music part of the task, I was lucky that the other Jo had also been asked so we worked together; making sure Pamela’s playlist, played on shuffle but didn’t play the actual wedding song or the songs the live singers were doing, before they were needed. It was a lovely wedding ceremony, where the bridal party looked fantastic. Trish got up and sang acapella and it was moving and very impressive. Three of the bridesmaids sang tonus while doing a choreographed routine which went well despite it being on a boat after a Jo and I took our roles seriously and didn’t even have an alcoholic drink until after our stressful tasks had been completed.
The evening do was at the Rock Bar where there was live music, curry, and a fingerprint tree with paint which proved to be a bit of messy fun. I had some of the vegan curry which was very nice, I never did see a sausage roll so that saved me some syns as I was going to have one. The wedding cake, which Kate had made, was delicious and I had 2 pieces. By 10.30pm I was ready for home as it was a school night for me. I’d managed to have less then 3 wines at a wedding – could that be a first!?
On Saturday 15th July we had entered a heatwave coming from Morocco and were advised by the authorities to stay indoors during the daylight hours. Of course, we decided to ignore that and actually it didn’t feel quite as hot as Vietnam so I was doing ok. I decided to go to the market in the midday sun, which is about a 15 minute stroll away. I had my sunhat on and took water with me. On the way I saw the homeless guy, wearing black and looking very warm. I bought him a peach and some water and helped him wash the peach. The market had been exceptionally empty when I got there at about 12.30pm so it was easy to grab what I needed and get back home quickly. I bought cherries, peaches, courgettes, aubergines, carrots and mushrooms so spent less than 200 lira easily. On the way back, I called in to Bim supermarket where I picked up a loaf of bread and a pack of nan bread for just 27.50 lira (82p). I noticed they had air fryers in for 1800 lira (£54), a few people from Fat Club were in to them so I was tempted and I know my mom fancied one.
By 2.30pm my mom and I were back in Bim on Atatürk Road buying the last air fryer then over to the other Bim in the Turkish quarter to buy another one. They were reduced to 1699 lira (£50.76) so we decided to get one each. The bank had been out of order, I only had card so my mom paid for both. They weren’t heavy but in the heat it was hard to walk about carrying the bulky boxes. It was unfortunate that my parents wouldn’t get to try it out just yet, though, as they were leaving late tonight, going back home to England.
That night we decided to celebrate in style and had booked a table for the 7 of us at Bistro Blue, one of our favourite restaurants. Beforehand, we met at one of my parents’ new favourites, Tapa, for drinks. I called at the bank to find that they were temporarily limiting withdrawals to 250/300 lira which is less than £10 per time so it was taking ages for people to get enough money out and it was all in small denominations – I’ve never had so many 10 lira (30p) notes! The drinks at Tapa aren’t the cheapest in town but, despite it’s river location, it is also not the most expensive. The wine is a good one, Angora, for 95 lira (£2.84) per glass. A Turkish cider cost 150 lira (£4.48) which I don’t think is worth it so I no longer drink cider in Turkey. Our drinks bill came to 1,380 lira (£41.23) for 10 drinks, including 4 ciders, 4 pints of Efes and a Tequila Sunrise, which was definitely cheaper than what my family would have paid back in Sheffield.
At Bistro Blue we all had starters and main courses, including prawns, mushrooms, liver & onions, fish and steaks washed down with several wines. It was delicious and an excellent choice for celebrating my parents’ last night. We even splashed out on a couple of the bottles of nice wine with it being a special occasion, the end of my parents’ holiday and the last time we’d probably all be together for a while. The food and service was as lovely as always and I really enjoyed my pepper steak, my parents had their last fix of liver and onions which got great reviews too. Annie & Selahı made sure we gave Ma & Pa a good send off and we all had a cheeky amaretto for our farewell drink.
After seeing our parents off, and trying not to cry, the rest of us went for another drink at Tapa where Gayle tried one of the new marshmallow martini cocktails which was a bit like a dessert and Morgan had a daiquiri. It had been a great night and I was looking forward to putting my feet up for a bit of a rest tomorrow, but of course I had another event to attend.
I’d been out of Vietnam for 2 weeks on Friday 14th July and I wasn’t missing the heat. Here in Dalyan it was getting hotter and today looked to be the hottest I’d had here yet. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea, which was now on rations as I only had a few left. At 4.30pm I was trying to work out what to wear for Pamela’s hen party tonight as the dress I’d bought in Rhodes was going to be too clingy in this heat. I went for the old faithful M&S pink number which I’ve worn quite a bit when it’s hot. My mom and sister, who were also invited, called for me and we headed up to Kaunos tea gardens to meet the rest of the hens. Kate was the maid of honour and had organised for us all to have Team Bride transfers on, ready for when Pamela arrived for us to get on the boat. There were 24 of us on a bespoke Captain Boris private cheese and wine boat trip for just a couple of hours. Of course, I couldn’t get my Team Bride tattoo to stick so I put the last spare one from Kate in my purse for later. On board we all had some champers and we got ready for a Mr & Mrs style quiz that Kate and I had organised. Pamela’s fiancé, Glynn, had refused to answer any of the more risqué questions but Kate and I didn’t let that get in the way of some comedy gold, by asking her the questions anyway!
Rebecca and Boris did us all proud with a feast of all sorts of cheeses, meats, fruits, jams, olives, crackers, bread, snacks and some lovely wine, served in decent measures. I finally managed to find somewhere to stick my Team Bride ‘tattoo’ and of course hens will be hens with a cheeky bit of bum biting from Tracy. We all loved the hen party boat trip with the copious amount of delicious cheeses and there was plenty left over to take with us to the next stop, the Rum Bar. I stuck to wine but the others tried all sorts of cocktails as we munched on left over fruit and Kate’s homemade lemon drizzle buns.
The diet had been put on hold yet again as some people went home but a few of us, including the bride to be, went to Rodrigo’s for another drink. My mom and Gayle wanted to get back to see how Dad, Neil and the kids were doing but the men were still out when they returned. I dropped some stuff off at home before bumping in to my nieces on my way to Rodrigo’s, Dad and Neil were still in Bistro Blue. I joined the remaining hens and we also met up with some of the other halves and friends.
Our last stop was one in Sofra bar, one for the road but n. I had a great laugh, mainly chatting to Harris who felt like an old mate from back home despite me only meeting him a couple of times before. I walked home by myself about 2.30am after a very good and funny evening. I’d managed to not go too mad as I knew we still had my parents’ last night and another 10 days with my sister and family. The total amount of money I spent on the whole night was 1,215 lira (£36.30) – I don’t think I’ve ever done 9 hours of a hen do for that amount of money, it was an absolute bargain and I even had a bag of spare cheese in the fridge.
I worked from 11.30am to 5.45pm on Thursday 13th July so that I could accommodate the evening itinerary. I just ate plain noodles in chicken stock for lunch as we would be eating a feast tonight. It was also the hottest it had been since I’d got back to Dalyan and the temperature was over 40°C in the afternoon. I had to put the AC on! At 6.30pm Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April and I were joining a group boat trip. It was booked a while ago for us to join the Princess of Ekincik Moonlight boat trip from 6.30pm until bedtime and we were all looking forward to it. This trip allowed for a few swimming stops, the first at the lake where we were joined by a turtle while we were all in the water. Luckily, I had taken Steve’s sunglasses with me as my mom had lost her’s while I’d been away, so I gave them to her.
We had a delicious BBQ meal and went to the mud baths. Gayle and Ma had a fish foot experience while I went in the hot sulphur pool. The 3 of us went in the domes where there are hot pools and it was really nice. Captain Ismail sailed to Little Dalyan next, where we could relax, swim and walk on the beach. Later we all looked up at the sky for some star gazing and a few beverages were had. When we got back it was unusually hot in the town and we’d been lucky to have had the breeze on the boat. By 11.30pm we were saying our goodbyes and I paid my bill which was 1320 lira (£39.41) for my trip and drinks. The boat trips were definitely working out better value than going out for a meal! We had a quick drink in Tez bar before going home, just to finish off the night. Tomorrow would be another fun day in Dalyan and I was already looking forward to a celebration.
I had another day off on Tuesday 11th July with more plans from the ‘behind the scenes itinerary’. Gayle and I had put together the plan of what we were doing most days for the following reasons; 1. We wanted everyone to have a good holiday without the hassle of deciding and trying to agree what to do each day, or where to eat for each meal. 2. Being a group of 7 in the school holidays/high season would mean activities, trips and restaurants will be busier than usual and may not have availability. 3. Neither of us wanted to deal with having to decide at the last minute, what to do or where to go, or worse – end up doing nothing! We both felt being organised would benefit everyone better. Mom, Neil and Morgan much preferred to be more spontaneous and for us to wing it but Gayle and I were having none of that and had become a bit bossy. At 9am I had paid the deposit for 5 of us (not ma and pa) to go on a horse riding trip next week and I was scared! By 10am the full family contingent and I were walking towards the ferry as we had a booking for Turkish breakfast over the river. I’d booked the 7 of us in at the Çandır Resort and had arranged the pick up service to take us up the mountain. They didn’t do gluten free food for Gayle but there were naturally gluten free things that she could have that she liked. I often struggle with a Turkish breakfast as I don’t like tomatoes, eggs or cucumber. The pastry and some cheeses often give me a belly ache too, so I took some tupperware to take some home. I was on the end of the table so I was the Turkish tea monitor and we all had a fresh orange juice. The cost of the breakfast for 7 of us, including the pick-up/drop off service, the juice, and a coffee was 3,395 lira (about £100) so not the cheapest but very lovely. I even brought the leftover olives and 2 pastries home with me.
On the way back we decided to call at Kaunos tea gardens for a beverage where everyone but Dad had soft drinks. We didn’t get home until almost 3pm which didn’t leave much time to relax before our next activity on the itinerary, which not everyone was as enthusiastic about as Gayle and I.
We had decided to book everyone in for a night; Lukka bar had their music bingo night on so I’d booked a table. Joining our family were Debbie (Darling), Roy, Ann, Jamie, Drew and his 2 guests, Karen and Alicia. I’d booked the table ahead of time for the 14 of us but it meant we all had to be sat at the pool table (with a top on it). Debbie (Darling), Roy and Ann had already said they were just coming for drinks but the rest of us decided to eat there. Katrina had already sent us a copy of the menus so that we could work out the gluten free options. We got there early and introduced everyone, Jamie was already quite merry as my dad ordered a pint of draft, Mom and Neil had Efes malt, I had a glass of wine and the rest of our party were on the cocktails. When the drinks came my dad said he hadn’t ordered a pint (he did) but Jamie put him straight and sloshed the pint in front of him. I could already see my dad was not enjoying the night so far. My parents both ordered the Asian chicken, I ordered sweet and sour chicken, April chose steak, Morgan and Neil had lamb or chicken shish, Gayle opted for the salmon. Unfortunately Karen had ordered chicken curry but took my sweet and sour and started eating it, until Alicia mentioned it looked a bit like her yum yum chicken. I had to wait for a new one and Dad should have stuck to something he knew he’d like better.
Jamie was getting very touchy with Dad and I thought the night couldWhen everyone was together and the music bingo started, we all gave the ball a right old kick. As the night went on, more cocktails and wine was drunk. Most of us got up to dance and we had a great time. Our bill for the 7 of us came to 7,418 lira (£220) which worked out about £31 per person on average. By the end of the night Dad was on the brandy and we were probably going to have a hangover in the morning. It was a good job Gayle and I didn’t have much on the agenda for tomorrow, the kids had requested a pool day!
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