I landed at Dalaman airport at 12.30am on Sunday 18th January and waited quite a while for my suit case, in fact I was one of the last out of the airport. I hadn’t managed to drink the prosecco on the plane so I had some to bring home, I didn’t bother with anything at Duty Free as I was going to try to cut down on alcohol. Unfortunately, while going through the nothing to declare exit, I got stopped. The staff member there opened my suitcase and, because of the last minute cramming in of produce, it was in a bit of disarray with food all over the place. The man asked me what it was and pointed at the food. I replied it was food as I was cooking dinner for my family and friends tonight. He smiled, said ok and let me go! I was so relieved because I really hadn’t want it to be confiscated. My usual taxi man, Sonuç was on his way to the UK with his family so he had sent Engin. He took my case and we travelled back fairly quickly to Dalyan where he dropped me at the gate to the apartment complex and the fare was £30. The taxi rank at the airport is only £25 but I prefer to have a driver I know when arriving in the night/early hours and they don’t always drop you at your home when coming from Dalaman. I went in, put the electric back on and decided to unpack so that I could get the food in the fridge and freezer. Despite having to leave some back in the UK, I still had loads of lovely stuff which is either expensive or unavailable in Turkey. I went to bed and although it was quite cold in Dalyan, it was still a bit warmer than London. I didn’t set an alarm as I didn’t have to be anywhere until later in the day. I didn’t have the internet with it being a Sunday so it was a nice quiet day. I did manage a bit of a walk round the town and to the bank. I got an update from 2 of my customers who were on a sleeper train, heading to Dong Hoi and were going to be staying in Phong Nha, Vietnam. They seemed to be enjoying themselves so far and I was looking forward to finding out how they would like Phong Nha. At 5.30pm I popped my new Christmas and birthday clothes on and I met Jamie at Ela’s Kitchen for a Sunday dinner. I’d been a bit reluctant when he asked to book it in as I thought I’d have had enough English food but I decided to go for the Sunday dinner. It was a relatively new thing at Ela’s, with soup for starter, beef for main and cake for afters. They offer choice of chicken or nut roast at 850 lira (£15), beef at 950 lira (£17) or lamb at 1,100 lira (£19) which included the 3 courses. The food was really good and I was super stuffed, I also had a glass of red wine to wash it down with. When we went to get the bill, Jamie insisted on paying for it as a birthday treat, which was really lovely.
Gratitude List 1. Getting back to Dalyan with a suitcase full of treats 2. Having a good sleep 3. Sunday dinner birthday celebrations with Jamie.
My flight from Gatwick to Dalaman was scheduled for 5.15pm on Saturday 17th January. It was my last day in Barnes and we had great plans for my last morning. My friend, Claire and her daughter were on the way over to join us for breakfast. Even though I’d been in England for 18 days (plus 8 in Morocco), it had been quite tricky to meet up with friends. I appreciated most had family or Christmas and New Year commitments so it had only been possible in the last week, but I’d already planned to be back at work and celebrating birthdays with my sister. I really understood that not all friends could put themselves out for me being back in town but I really appreciated the ones who did. Claire drove from Kent to Barnes where Captain Caveman had cooked a superb breakfast for us all – even popping to Barnes Farmer’s Market for fresh produce. Of course, I had decided to repack my case in the garden room and was mid pack when my friend arrived. They helped me try to get my massive case with all the food in, to under 15kg. Gill brought down the scales and we weighed them several times until we were sure they were under the weight limit. After catching up and planning to see each other more in 2026, it was time to get to the airport. Captain Caveman isn’t one for airport farewells so I knew he was hoping I’d leave him in Barnes so he could get on with playing some Bridge. I decided he should come with us so at least if my suitcase weighed heavy he could take some stuff back home. Being the practical sort, he agreed and brought my empty rucksack which we had already decided wouldn’t fit in my case.
We had a nice drive to Gatwick airport from Barnes and I was grateful to spend a bit more time with Claire who had very kindly offered to take me to the airport. It costs £10 now to drop someone off at Gatwick which was a bit extreme and Claire ended up paying that. We said our farewells and we had a plan to get together in the summer which I was very excited about. Captain Caveman came in to the airport and to the bag drop where things didn’t go to plan. My case weighed 17.8kg on the easyJet scales and I had to remove items. Captain Caveman was on it and took out some of my clothes, the frozen crumpets, tomato paste and curry pastes which I had multiple of. He took out some other products and when we weighed at just over 15kg the member of staff said that was ok. As they got distracted with another member of staff asking about my hand luggage, Captain Caveman slipped a few items back in to the case. Those scales were very biased so we were a bit annoyed and I was glad Captain Caveman was there. The goodbye wasn’t too bad as Captain Caveman had already planned to come out to see me in 5 week’s time, but I still got upset. We had spent almost a month together and I had felt very lucky at all the treats and experiences I’d had with him – even spending Christmas Day in Barking had been fun.
Once through security at Gatwick airport, where I didn’t need to take anything out of my bag and more than 100ml liquids were allowed, I decided I would have a look for some new headphones. The ones I had been borrowing from Captain Caveman had fell apart so I had left them with him. I decided I would use the rest of my birthday money to get myself a good pair, they did cost £49.99 but were noise cancelling, which I wanted. At the gate, my hand luggage underseat bag got checked and the man behind me had to pay extra for being a few centimetres over as easyJet were being really strict – he tried to argue as he works for easyJet but they were having none of it and charged him £34. On the flight, I was sat in 14D which was an aisle seat behind the exit row and had a couple sat next to me and 2 young women in the seats across the aisle from me. When the flight attendant came round she asked if the 3 of us in our row were together, I said not and she asked me and the 2 women across the aisle to move forward a seat, to the exit row. The man on my row wasn’t too happy about that as he wanted to move but the staff member said no to him, without a reason. Ironically, my underseat case which now had the wheels off to fit the specification, had to go in the overhead locker and I could put the wheels back on.
During the flight, I decided to celebrate the end of my fabulous 26 day holiday with the 2 for 1 prosecco and a chicken teriyaki with jasmine rice. It cost me £23.95 which was expensive but I really enjoyed it. I watched something on Netflix and filled in more of my copy of The Handy Travel Planner with all the new travel plans I had for 2026; Madrid, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Brussels, more Turkey and a couple of unknowns yet. I ended up spending another £12.50 on more Prosecco and I opened the midget gems which I’d stuffed in my coat pocket. I fell asleep before midnight and was due to land by 12.30am.
Gratitude List 1. A delicious Barnes breakfast with everyone 2. Getting to see Claire and her daughter 3. Having had such a great 26 days away that I was sad to be leaving.
I was very busy on Monday 15th December and started my day at 5.15am – it would turn out to be a very long day. Norman was back to normal and I was grateful for no accidents this morning. It was my last full day and night with him as Jamie and Drew would be back in Dalyan tomorrow. The weather forecast looked good up until the weekend. I’d been invited to a friend’s birthday drinks from 4pm but I just didn’t have the time so had to decline. I checked to see if there were any updates on the proof reading of my planner but Captain Caveman had got home late last night from a weekend away and hadn’t checked if he’d got it yet. When he did, he had to start work so said he would try to do it tonight! I lost a holiday booking because the potential customer decided to book it direct and didn’t give me the chance to see if I could match the price, which it turned out I could have, so I was a bit disappointed about that. I had lots of things that seemed to be preventing any success today and I fought hard not just to give up and go back to bed. I put some veg in the slow cooker to make a soup but then couldn’t find a stick blender or masher to finish it off. I didn’t have time for breakfast so had toast for lunch then got a bit of good news. You may recall I’d bought some books at the Dalyan Winter Fair and had 8 tickets entered in to their raffle to win the chocolate hamper. I had won! I was so pleased as I never win stuff. Ali said she would be at Ozzy’s Bar until 4.15pm to pick up my prize and when I got there, she was in the middle of a game of Rummikub. I sat down while she tried to tell me the rules of the game and I ordered a soda water for 55 lira (98p) while I waited for the game to finish. Just after 4pm the game finished and the prize was taken out of the fridge. I said thanks to Ali and I agreed to get in touch with Penny to share some of the chocolate seeing as she had bought so many tickets. I quickly called in to the supermarket where I bought some jellies for 19.50 lira (35p) as I was feeling a bit weak from not having eaten anything substantial. I also picked up some chicken strips for 170 lira (£3) to have some of them in a wrap when I got back and before walking Norman. I dropped off my prize at home then hurried back for Norman’s walk and feeding. I rushed my own food down and then Norman decided he didn’t want to go for a walk. I thought I’d better make him, as he might not get one until later tomorrow, once Jamie and Drew were back. We managed about 15 minutes before he wanted to turn back. I waited patiently for Captain Caveman to open my planner and check it but I was falling asleep on the sofa by 7.30pm. I started watching The Glass Onion, a murder mystery, which was quite good. At 9pm, I got a video which Captain Caveman had done of him opening my author’s proof copy with some chat. It was pretty good to see ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ in print – even Captain Caveman said he thought it looked good (and he’s not one for token praise or compliments). It was just a shame that it might now be too late to have it published and ready before Christmas. Captain Caveman sent me over the corrections of which only 6 out of the 180 pages, were affected and an issue with the page numbering of the pages I needed not to have page numbers on! It was frustrating that I had corrected that part several times and they had still shown up on the proof. I stayed up past midnight to do all the corrections and then resubmit my internal pages to Amazon for approval. I finally got to bed at 2am, completely exhausted but relieved to have at least submitted the corrected version of my planner.
Gratitude List 1. Winning the chocolate hamper 2. Norman recovering from a poorly tum 3. Captain Caveman finally opening my planner, sending me a video of it and then proof reading it.
After just 4 hours sleep, I was awake on Tuesday 16th December and letting Norman out in the dark. Today was the day that Jamie and Drew were on their way back to Dalyan from the UK after a weekend in the Maldives. I left Norman asleep at 3.30pm and went home to carry on with work. I was going to miss him as he’s just so cute. I worked until 11pm and went to bed knackered, having just had snacks to eat. Fat Club tomorrow was not going to be good as I’d not really stuck to a healthy plan this last week.
Gratitude List 1. Having had 8 days with Norman and he was still doing well at 14 years old 2. Keeping busy 3. Knowing I could sleep in tomorrow.
The day of Captain Caveman’s arrival was finally here on Saturday 22nd November – I was super excited and quite hungover! Having consumed wine with dinner, 5 mulled wines and a further 250ml of red wine as a nightcap, I had totally overdone it with Jamie and Drew last night! It had been good to let my hair down but now, as I went to feed the cat at sunrise, I desperately wanted to be having a lay in, keeping warm under the duvet. I was back home by 8am, with no wandering round Dalyan unnecessarily this morning. I was going to go back to bed but instead I had a Yorkshire tea and a litre of water before deciding to move my office back upstairs in to the spare room. I moved the spare table first and it wasn’t that difficult, but my beloved red office chair was a little more cumbersome. I had to have a sit down when I got them in place but I was pleased as I was hoping to have a reduced work schedule this coming week so wouldn’t need our dining table as a desk. That morning, I finished my internal pages of ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, uploaded that and my book cover by Nicole at I Am Claire Clarke on to Amazon and hoped they would vet it and agree to publish it quickly! They said it could take up to 10 days, which was a bit long but there was nothing I could do and I just had to wait now! Overall, I was very pleased and excited with it but I was still annoyed with myself for not having got it done sooner so that Captain Caveman could bring me a copy to see!! For lunch I had beans on toast and got a message from Captain Caveman who was getting the train to Manchester airport ready for his 13.45 flight. He was due to land at Dalaman at 21.00 so I still had all day to wait. After doing some last minute work, I decided to pop out to the shops, help my Mom by getting her the stationer’s email address and feed the cat again. Here’s what I bought from the various shops with prices in lira;
Şarküteri 1 Chicken Tikka sauce 190 lira (£3.45)
I rarely buy the ready made sauces from the import shop as they are pricey but I decided I’d left it too late to make a curry for dinner.
Migros Supermarket Mentos 20.95 Marshmallows 39.95 2 Nut Dido chocolate bars 60.00 3 tins of chopped tomatoes 149.85 1kg chicken breasts 172.09 Total spent 442.84 lira (£8.05)
I was so excited to get the tinned tomatoes, finally!
Yaman Büfe 2 2 Efes Malt beers 170 1 bottle of Red Rituel wine 288 Total spent 458.00 lira (£8.33)
After buying some booze to have with dinner, I went home to chill out, finish some blogging and await Captain Caveman’s arrival!
I managed to finish a few blog posts, check the coming week’s weather forecast, start my marketing plan for ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ and schedule a week’s worth of Resort Experts posts before I got a text to say Captain Caveman was on his way. Luckily, the curry was done and simmering away, the beers were cold and the apartment was nice and tidy. It was gone 10pm when he arrived, hand luggage only but with half of his bag full of treats for me! He’d got a transfer from Sonuç at Dalyan Transfers. By 11pm Captain Caveman had unpacked his wares which included; 2 bottles of Kahlua from Duty Free for £31 A 2026 Diary A power bank 5 cheeses 2 butters Steradent tablets An Advent Calendar for Nanny Kay
I was so pleased that Captain Caveman had managed to bring so much in his hand luggage this time. We cracked open the beers and I dished up the chicken curry with steamed rice. It was almost midnight by the time we had finished eating, which was extremely late for me but Captain Caveman was 3 hours behind, on UK time. I set my alarm for in 6 hours time as I needed to make sure I was up for the cat feeding. Captain Caveman had also organised a Sunday Walk for tomorrow. There was so much to go on my Gratitude List today that I had trouble narrowing it down to just the 3!
Gratitude List 1. Finally submitting ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ to Amazon to be published 2. Captain Caveman arriving in Dalyan 3. Getting some treats from Captain Caveman.
I worked all day at the dining room table on Thursday 2nd October. There was a Resort Experts team meeting and I also received a delivery for Jamie. Captain Caveman got in touch to say we would no longer be going to Vietnam for Christmas as he had been offered work in the UK over the Christmas period. I didn’t mind so much as I couldn’t justify the cost of the flight and didn’t really want Captain Caveman to have to pay for me. It was also cold in December and January where we wanted to visit. He was going to go in March instead, but I was already booked for dog sitting until the 31st March. Captain Caveman suggested I could fly out to join him in Vietnam for Easter instead, so there was still a possibility that I would get back there. It was disappointing but made sense and it wasn’t really my decision to make. We don’t celebrate Christmas as such so it made no difference to me. Captain Caveman suggested that I might be able to come over to London to see him, rather than stay in Dalyan on my own. The flights from Dalaman to the UK in winter, only fly on Tuesdays and Saturdays so we said we would have a think about it. It meant that our 14 year anniversary would probably be spent apart too. Captain Caveman also said he would take a look at coming to Dalyan at the end of November if he could. I made a leek and potato soup and it looked like a storm was due so I walked Norman early. I saw my parents at their gate – they had not gone to Göcek today, after all, and had just been at home chilling. They were off out with their friends so they had to rush off to get ready and I said I might see them at the weekend. I let Ma know the storm would start just after midnight and returned back to Jamie’s to feed Norman. Norman and I had a cosy night in, and I enjoyed my homemade soup with fresh bread that I had managed to fetch for myself. It got quite chilly and as the storm loomed. I knew I wouldn’t be able to move the sunbeds and mattresses because of my bad leg but I decided to move the cushions. I had to carry them one by one due to using the crutch and hobbling so it took me 25 mins. It felt like a massive achievement, though. I closed the windows, moved the loose stuff in the outdoor areas and got ready for the bad weather to come. I even had to put a duvet on as I was very cold when I went to bed.
Gratitude List 1. Planning to still see Captain Caveman before the end of the year 2. Homemade soup 3. Norman being so cute.
The storm started about 1am on Friday 3rd October but luckily Norman, the dog, slept through until 7.15am when I woke him up. Jamie had told me he won’t go out in the rain but off he trotted for a pee, getting absolutely soaked. After drying Norman off and feeding him, we got ready to stay indoors today. I moved the farewell drinks with the Aussies to tomorrow as it looked like nobody in Dalyan was going anywhere in this weather today. I pre-recorded a message for a friend I was due to have a call with today as the power kept cutting out and I didn’t want to not be able to speak to her. Norman got a dry, a brush, a few spritzes of doggy cologne and lots of attention in-between work stuff. I had more homemade leek and potato soup for lunch then a chickpea curry with a wrap, for dinner. It was another evening on the sofa as the rain continued all day and in to the night – we couldn’t even go for a walk. It was now a month since I broke my 4th & 5th metatarsals and I was still on the painkillers which prohibited me from drinking alcohol. I took the last tablet this evening and wondered if the pain would be bearable tomorrow without them. Oddly, I’d not really missed the drinking alcohol and with the state of the uneven paths and roads in Dalyan had not wanted to be trying to walk a bit fiddly anyway. I got some excellent news before bedtime; Captain Caveman booked his flights and was coming to Dalyan in 7 weeks time. It will have meant we hadn’t seen each other for about 11 weeks!
Gratitude List 1. Spending time with Norman 2. Eating well 3. Captain Caveman coming to Dalyan at the end of November.
Sunday 7th September was a busy day as I prepared for Captain Caveman leaving and my parents arriving. My parents’ flight was due to land at 10.20pm and Captain Caveman didn’t need to leave to go to the airport until 11.30pm at the earliest, however, I thought it would be a lovely idea to arrange for Captain Caveman to say hello (& goodbye) to Ma & Pa at the airport. My ‘crazy’ idea was that Captain Caveman and I would set off to Dalaman airport much earlier than required for his 1.20am flight on Monday morning. We could be at the Arrivals exit to jump out of their taxi, say hello and then leave Captain Caveman while the 3 of us headed back in the taxi to Dalyan. My parents last left Dalyan almost 10 months ago so I was also thinking they might need some help putting on the electric and sorting out their apartment so they could get to sleep quicker and I could perhaps help. Captain Caveman had agreed despite knowing he would be stuck in the most expensive airport for way too long, I wrongly assumed my parents would like this idea. Ma replied to say they would rather get straight off as they didn’t want to be hanging about. My first mission for the day was to very slowly make it out for breakfast. Captain Caveman and I decided to go for a last day breakfast and treat ourselves to a large full English at Ela’s Kitchen. It’s not for the fainthearted (or those supposed to be doing Slimming World) but it is fantastic. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira – not the cheapest place in town but in my opinion it is one of the best;
1 Large bottle of water 100 1 Espresso 130 1 Yorkshire Tea 150 2 Large breakfasts 1,190 Tip 100 Total spent 1,670 lira (£30.36)
What a treat and we even asked for extra toast which we weren’t charged for – my eyes were bigger than my belly, even though I gave Captain Caveman my eggs and tomatoes (why he needed more toast). While we were at Ela’s we noticed a sign which stated they would not serve people who were half naked. This was a good move, however, a guy sat down under the sign and then took his shirt off! He didn’t get served and had to take his order away but the young waitress was clearly really embarrassed. While I crutched back home, Captain Caveman nipped to the shop for peppers and courgettes.
I rested up all afternoon while Captain Caveman sorted his packing and the moving of anything I might need/not around the house. We obviously didn’t need a lunch and I wasn’t mobile enough to do any cooking. Captain Caveman decided we should enjoy his last meal at Duble, another one of our favourite places to eat in Dalyan. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;
2 Lentil soups 250 1 Haydari 155 1 Beetroot 160 1 Hummus 170 1 Potato croquettes 165 1 Prawns 495 1 Liver & Onions 295 1 Red wine 140 1 Big Water 95 Tip 200 Total spent 2,125 lira (£38.64)
The food was fantastic and I felt so lucky to get all the prawns to myself as Captain Caveman can’t eat them. Ibo, the owner, was still chatty despite the place being really full. A couple even got turned away and told to come back later as it was so busy. I really had been spoiled today although I was quite drowsy from the medication and the walking about when I had to say bye to Captain Caveman. Sonuç picked him up at 11.30pm but I didn’t go to the car to wave him off on account of me not wanting to come back up the stairs in the dark without any help. Hopefully, Captain Caveman would be coming back again in October, so I might get to see him soon.
Gratitude List 1. An amazing breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen with Captain Caveman 2. A wonderful dinner at Duble with Captain Caveman 3. Having had the best time with Captain Caveman in Turkey.
Captain Caveman and I were having breakfast at home on Saturday 6th September. He was contemplating going to the dog shelter to walk some dogs. I was going to do a few bits of content editing for next week, being back at work, so that my 2 weeks off went smoothly. I also had loads of stuff to share from this holiday, with Captain Caveman, and couldn’t wait to get it on my business page. Our friends Josh & Martha had arrived in Dalyan to join their family and they had booked the Princess of Ekincik boat for a private day trip, after I had recommended it. There had been a group chat to discuss requirements for the wheelchair user on board so I hoped it would be suitable and comfortable for all of them. For those who might need to know, a wheelchair up to 60cm wide will fit! Martha got in touch to say that her and Josh had been delayed on their flight, after another passenger had a medical emergency, so they were super tired. She wanted us to join the trip so that we could catch up and help keep everyone lively. I was on the strong medication and lidocaine based sprays, so I was away with the fairies and said yes. I hadn’t accounted for the fact that I needed to walk all the way to the boat which took me absolutely ages. When I got there, Ismail mentioned that they do have a mobility scooter that they can collect disabled guests on, should I have needed it. I got a hot drink and sat myself down with my leg propped up until the others arrived. When everyone got on board; Martha, her parents, brother and Josh, it was really nice to see them all and we got on great straight away. The wheelchair went on and off fine and was parked up so that Zac could see the amazing scenery as we sailed down the river to the sea. The crew, the boat, the food, the drinks and the company were absolutely perfect and to see Zac be able to enjoy a boat trip in Dalyan was just fantastic. We had a couple of swim spots and even a visit to the back of the beach, Little Dalyan, where I kept Martha’s mom company on the boat while the others went off for a bit of adventure. I even had a cherry juice in a wine glass so that Trish wouldn’t feel alone in her red wine enjoyment – it was a real pleasure to see her have a bit of time to herself and not worry about Zac, who was in very capable hands. When the family got back, they had enjoyed a jaunt over the beach to the sea and Captain Caveman didn’t fall for the joke of me having red wine in my glass – he knew I wouldn’t be drinking against Doctor’s orders. We then decided to go to the boat end of the beach so that we could see the tourist part and it was very busy. We saw turtles which was great as some of the guests on board hadn’t seen them before in Dalyan. We all enjoyed a really lovely lunch on board which, given that Captain Caveman and I had decided to join only this morning, was plentiful. After spending the rest of the afternoon on the boat and enjoying ice creams, then some cake with fruit, we returned to Dalyan at gone 5pm. I’m not mentioning any names but I think more than 1 of us had a power nap, as we were just so relaxed.
That evening, after resting my foot, Captain Caveman took me for a slap up dinner at White House. We both had my favourite meal, the beef wellington, which is just so good. Captain Caveman had wine and cocktails but I had water and a friend booked our table while waiting to chat to her boyfriend. Our bill was 4,000 lira (£72.73) which I thought was reasonable. Because of having eaten so much, though, I had to take half of mine home. Tomorrow was Captain Caveman’s last day in Dalyan and I wasn’t looking forward to him leaving.
Gratitude List 1. Having such an amazing day that it was difficult to pinpoint just 3 things to be grateful for! 2. The Princess of Ekincik boat trip, being so good. 3. Beef Wellington Dinner with Captain Caveman at the White House.
Photo credit – some photos by Martha and her family
On Wednesday 3rd September Captain Caveman and I were due to check out of the Mithra Cave Hotel and were thinking of staying 1 or 2 nights in the Göreme Cave Suites, which was fancier and had a pool. We were undecided as Captain Caveman had hoped to travel back to Dalyan via Eskişehir and take a scenic train back to Denizli. I was still sceptical that we could fit the trip in and return to Dalyan in time to see friends before Captain Caveman left Turkey. Captain Caveman decided he would get up to see the balloons again. The hot air balloon flights were super cheap at this time of year, at less than 50 Euros per person. However, neither of us wanted to do it. We were still to decide what to do and we were thinking we might go mad and stay in the nicer hotel for a night or two. Captain Caveman had been looking at flights, trains and buses and weighing up the affordability. I was reluctant as I didn’t feel I should ‘waste’ the money. After breakfast, I had to get my laptop out to do some work on a booking. We finally decided we should get back to Dalyan so Captain Caveman sorted out a flight and a transfer. I asked reception what time check out was (11am) then ask to extend until 2pm. Captain Caveman went off to buy more water and some travel snacks while I did a few things on my laptop. After checking out, I sat with the bags on a seat outside while Captain Caveman went sightseeing for the afternoon. At 5.30pm we were in a minivan on our way to Nevşehir airport for a flight to Istanbul. I remember two annoying passengers with tons of bags sat opposite us and that the driver had chatted up and taken the phone number of the young lady in the front seat, 7 minutes before we arrived at the airport. We were delayed a bit which was eating in to the Lounge time at Istanbul that Captain Caveman had booked for us. There wasn’t an awful lot of food left at the Lounge so I had some vegetables, rice and then later a plain bowl of pasta. I had 4 glasses of red wine, though. Captain Caveman drank beers and had a lovely chicken dish which I avoided in case it was too spicy. We boarded our flight from Istanbul to Dalaman on time and I fell asleep straight away.
Gratitude List 1. Getting to visit Cappadocia with Captain Caveman 2. Last minute flights and transfers working out 3. The Lounge, which was £20 approx each, so worth it.
We landed at Dalaman airport around 2am on Thursday 4th September and Sonuç, from Dalyan Transfers, was there to meet us. After some sleep, I woke up about 9am and Captain Caveman was getting ready to go Bumming with the Riverbums. Unfortunately, my day was not going to be quite as pleasant as picking up other people’s litter. I’d done something to my foot when I didn’t see a very shallow step and thought I’d stepped on a twig which had crunched. It was hurting, so I decided to go to the hospital to get it checked out. While Captain Caveman went to Riverbums, I tried to make a hospital appointment but I was in a bit of pain and couldn’t really concentrate. I decided to ask Sonuç to take me to the Yucelen Hospital in Ortaca and get checked out. Captain Caveman had arrived back by the time I was leaving but he didn’t come with me. Sonuç had made me the appointment but when he looked at my foot he said he didn’t think it was broken and probably didn’t need to go. As I’d injured this leg 5 years ago I wanted to just check. I saw the orthopaedic doctor who touched my foot gently to see if it hurt, at first it didn’t, then I screamed out when he touched the bit that hurt. A translator was sent for, an x-ray was booked and I had to give my insurance documents and residency card to another receptionist. The walking between the different bits was starting to get tricky and extremely slow, but I managed. The translator, Umut, was really good and we got talking about his trip to Japan. The x-ray person was friendly too and we went back to the doctor after, for him to tell me I had broken my 4th & 5th metatarsals. Oh dear. He gave me a prescription and told me to come back in 10 days for a check-up. I walked back to the pay desk where my insurer had already confirmed they would pay my bill, all but 875.16 lira (£16.21), and I had to sign a piece of paper. At no point was I told not to walk on it but I had crutches which Sonuç had picked up from Tay at Rehab bar. I was impressed with the service at the Yucelen and was back home by 3.25pm. I paid 2,000 lira (£37.04) for Sonuc’s services, too, which given he’d driven me about and waited there the whole time was a good deal. Although he’s not an official translator for medical stuff, he’d come in very handy and was great at taking my mind off the pain! I managed to cheese Captain Caveman off by not hobbling in to the chemist on my way back and assumed he would be ok to go and pick up my prescription for me. He was a bit put out but went anyway. The prices were as follows;
Balcı Pharmacy Ketoprofen Painkillers 108.69 Naproxen spray 159.10 Frenag spray 247.21 Support Bandage 450 Total 965.00 lira (£17.87)
I was hungry as I’d not eaten yet today so Captain Caveman suggested we eat at Lukka, so I didn’t have to walk far. Here’s what we had with prices in lira from Lukka bar;
The food was lovely and a generous portion size – I’d somehow forgotten to eat sensibly this holiday! I went back home for a rest and to put my leg up, the medicine can’t be taken with alcohol and I hadn’t known this so I would have to start the pills tomorrow as I had already consumed 2 halves of draft lager with a bit of lemonade. We had no food in at home, on account of us coming home earlier, so for dinner we went out again. It took me far too long to hobble along to Ayaz, a fairly new local eatery. It was quite late so the staff were very apologetic to have run out of all lamb dishes. I had a chicken shish and Captain Caveman went for a chicken iskender. I had a fresh pomegranate juice and the whole meal was amazing at a great price, even though I forgot to note the prices. On the way home, I bumped in to Aytaç Burçak Saraymine, my insurance broker. He wanted to check how I was and also how the service had been with the insurer. I knew the insurer would only pay up to 80% of any outpatient costs and I was happy with that. Aytaç invited me and Captain Caveman for a cup of Turkish tea with him and we sat and had a chat. I had been so happy that I had taken out the insurance with him. Lots of people (obviously, not experts) had told me that the cheaper insurance for residency wasn’t worth having but I certainly disagreed with that. My injury could’ve been a lot worse and cost me quite a bit just for not noticing a really small step!We stayed out until 11pm and I needed to rest my foot when I got home. The sprays were really helping and tomorrow I could start the stronger painkillers.
Gratitude List 1. Sonuç being available for hospital visiting 2. Not having a cast on my foot 3. Health Insurance covering 80% of the cost of my injury.
I went downstairs in the early hours of Sunday 31st August to find Captain Caveman fully dressed and asleep on the sofa. I had barely slept upstairs while full of cold and my alarm went off at 2am. Sonuç was insistent on taking us to the airport early, as he thought there may be queues even for the domestic flights. He arrived at just after 2.30am, the fare was £30 and we were at the airport before 3.15am. Captain Caveman was a bit mardy when we only took 5 minutes, maximum, to get through to the gate and, of course, it was too early for us to know which gate for our flight at 5.10am. Captain Caveman had booked us on a cheap flight to Ankara for less than £25 each and we would arrive at 6.25am. We landed a bit early and made our way to the Havaş shuttle bus which took us from Ankara airport to the main bus station. I forgot the price as we paid cash but it was cheap. Captain Caveman had booked us a Flixbus from Ankara bus station at 9am to take us to Göreme in Cappadocia which was less than £15 each and took about 4 hours. The bus station at Ankara is huge and we sat and ate our Ela’s Kitchen sandwiches there. There were toilets which had squat and western ones but you did have to pay to use them. I bought a water, a coke and some travel sweets in the bus station for 100 lira (£1.85).
The Flixbus was good, it had a toilet on but we also stopped for a loo break. We arrived in Göreme, Cappadocia, a little early after a couple of tours round the bus station. There was a bit of a walk up the hills to our cave hotel and it was hot and sunny. This was Captain Caveman’s first time in Cappadocia and he already looked impressed as he sped off up the hills. I had to shout him to wait to take my heavy bag at one point. We were early for check-in by an hour at Mithra Cave hotel, but the room was ready. Our room had a round bed and was inside a cave suite, I thought we had booked a room with a view and that the hotel had a pool but their Website was a little misleading and neither were available.
After unpacking and drinking all the water in the minibar we went off to find a tour company to book our Red & Green tours with. Originally, I’d asked a lovely guide called Ozzy but he was booked up already. It cost us €220 (£191) for each of those for both of us with Cappadocia Visitor. We also got a free bag from the guy in the office, which I was happy about. We went in to an off licence where we didn’t find any screw top wine so we just bought a big water for 25 lira (46p) and a big bag of crisps for 75 lira (£1.39), before making our way back to the hotel.
It was so good to be in Cappadocia with Captain Caveman. We had a stop off at a cafe for soft drinks, here’s the prices in lira;
1 small water 80 1 Lemonade 120 1 Double Espresso 170 Total spent 370 lira (£6.85)
It was definitely more expensive than being in Dalyan and I drew out more cash at the ATM. I had to check the budget later but I had a feeling August had been an expensive month. Captain Caveman and I were still on holiday in Turkey for another week too, so September was also likely to be extravagant in the first half. We walked back up to the Mithra Cave Hotel and had a rest in our cave suite before I attempted a bath. It leaked and the water went everywhere so I didn’t try the jacuzzi part. The toiletries were also screwed to the wall and not near the bath.
For sunset we walked around the hotel then sat on the hotel terrace with a glass of wine each and took the obligatory Cappadocia skyline photos. I went to pay the bill and was quite surprised to find it was 880 lira (£16.30) for 2 glasses of red – luckily we just had the one!
Captain Caveman had chosen a rooftop eatery for dinner, close to the hotel. At Zukra we had a glass of wine each, a bottle of soda water and 2 tubs of very tasty mantı (Turkish ravioli) for 1,800 lira (£33.33). Not the cheapest meal but we enjoyed it, despite the paper container and wooden fork to eat it with. The staff were lovely and they also had a beautiful dog which we petted. I was begging for mercy by 10.30pm having still got cold and being dosed up on Theraflu. I checked the budget spreadsheet and found that despite a £1000 budget for August, we had gone over that. I’d put in £844 and Captain Caveman had contributed £900 but we still had £310 left to go in to next month. I was happy to have spent less than £1500, given that I had been in the UK for 11 days and Captain Caveman had been in Turkey for 9 days already – we spend more when we are together. I was tired so it was an early night, ready for our full day tour tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. An easy (& cheap) journey from Dalaman to Göreme, Cappadocia 2. A holiday in Cappadocia, staying in a cave hotel with a round bed 3. Being able to afford a short trip to Cappadocia!
I had arranged for Sonuç of Dalyan Airport Transfers to pick Drew and I up from Dalaman airport at 3.45am on Tuesday 12th August. I nipped through Duty Free and bought some Prosecco for 900 lira (£17) by which time Sonuç was right outside the door. He charged just £30 in total to take each of us to our gates in Dalyan. Even though it was dark, it felt very mild outside, but not uncomfortable. My plan was to have at least 4 hours sleep before starting work. When I got home I turned everything on but didn’t have WiFi at home. At 5am I nodded off to sleep and I didn’t wake up until almost 10am! It was evident that the pool and maintenance man hadn’t been recently so I didn’t think I would be chancing a swim in the pool. I did the bare minimum, conscious that I was still tired, then ventured out to put the internet back on and get some provisions. Here’s what I spent in lira;
I wasn’t sure what had happened with quark but it had increased in price by 158% since June! Interestingly, the exchange rate was the same as when I was last here at 54.5 lira to the pound.
The Fire Opal complex looked quite untidy and grubby, someone had put bowls of cat food at the bottom of the steps so there were plenty of ants. I got the scissors out to trim the plants that were hanging in the way of the path and likely to have my eye out but I couldn’t do much with just scissors. A cute dog came to watch me and just sat on the path outside.
That evening, Jamie & Drew picked me up in a taxi and we surprised Nanny Kay by bringing her daughter, Elaine, in to Luz bar with us. It was such a lovely moment when Nanny Kay set eyes on Elaine, then went in to a panic about where she was going to sleep. Nanny Kay had arranged a very intimate gathering of close friends and family to celebrate her 80th and she wore a gorgeous outfit, ideal for photos and a birthday party. Ivona, of Princess of Ekincik fame, joined our table and we had a lovely chat. Nanny Kay had provided nachos for us all to nibble on as we had a drink. I stuck to wine which I remember being about 360 lira a glass (£6.61) so although pricey for Dalyan, it was about the same or a little less than prices I’d been paying back in the UK. I ended up having 4 drinks which is more than I should’ve. The party was really lovely and there was even a birthday cake. My bar bill was 1500 lira but with a tip worked out at about £30 and was a nice place for a treat. While Nanny Kay said her goodbyes to people I decided to join Jamie, Drew, Elaine and a grandchild at Sofra bar, where I had just one more red wine. I left the others in the bar and went home at a reasonable time as I had to be up early tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Sleep 2. Sun 3. Nanny Kay’s 80th Birthday party with friends.
My last day in the UK had arrived and I was sad to be leaving London on Monday 11th August. I could easily have stayed longer if it wasn’t for Nanny Kay’s 80th birthday celebrations tomorrow and the fact that it was so much more expensive being in England than Dalyan. Captain Caveman and I started work early but did break for an early lunch together and to get some shopping for dinner. Here’s what we bought with the cost in pounds;
The rice noodles were for me to take back to Turkey, the salads for our lunch, which we ate on Barnes Green. We went to pick a seat near the tree (which Captain Caveman climbed on my previous visit) but were met with a huge disappointment. ‘Our tree’ had been recently cut down and we were both quite perturbed about it. I tucked in to my favourite Marks and Spencer’s salad, the one with nuts and edamame beans in. Captain Caveman was met with more disappointment as he tried to snaffle his salad which smelled and tasted like freshly mowed lawn! He wouldn’t be having that one again.
Back at the house, Captain Caveman found me a water bottle so that I could take it on my journey and we both had calls and meetings to get on with. At 3.15pm I shut down my laptop and decided I had done for today, I packed my hand luggage only but had to leave a few items of clothing and some food weighing scales behind. I decided to go to the shop to see if I could get some nice travel sweets but I ended up buying myself a bar of chocolate and some Mentos for £2.05 in Tesco. I enjoyed my last walk through Barnes and pondered when I might next come back to England – probably 2026. My flight wasn’t until 9.45pm and I was meeting Drew at Gatwick to fly back to Dalaman together. My train tickets allowed any-time travel so we decided I needed to leave Barnes station at 6.30pm. Captain Caveman finished work just after 5pm and came in to the room with quite an urgent sounding question; he asked if I fancied a quick…(Now, at this point I honestly thought he might be about to ask if I fancied a ‘quickie’ but I had unnecessarily thought wrong)….game of Scrabble. He’d obviously been thinking that he would like to even up the score from yesterday as it was the first time I’d beaten him. We quickly got the Scrabble board out and were up against the clock as we still had to cook and eat dinner. Of course, I let Captain Caveman win at Scrabble just so that we could eat without me missing my train or flight. We had the pasta with dough balls of which Captain Caveman had 9 to my 3!!! Then it was a bit of a rush to get out of the door for the short walk to Barnes Station. I was sad saying goodbye to Captain Caveman but I would see him again in 11 day’s time, when he arrived in Dalyan.
My train arrived in to Gatwick at 7.40pm where I met Drew in the Whetherspoons for a quick drink. I also bought 1 litre of Bombay Sapphire gin for £13.76 in the Duty Free. On the easyJet flight I was in row 2 and Drew in row 3 but there was a bit of jigging around and people in wrong seats so we both ended up in row 3 with our preferred window and aisle seats. I spent a small fortune on pink prosecco, water and pringles while on the plane, had a laugh with Drew, watched some rubbish I downloaded on Netflix and fell asleep. We were due to land at 3.45am tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to have a last lunch in the park with Captain Caveman 2. A quick game of Scrabble before I left 3. Having Drew as my travel partner for the first time.
On Friday 11th July I was off back to England for at least a couple of weeks to celebrate Captain Caveman’s birthday with him and see his new home. I’d not booked my flight back but I knew the absolute latest would be 12th August as I had an event to attend in Dalyan. I was only taking hand luggage but I’d not finished packing yet as I was still doing some last minute bits and bobs for work. My pick up wasn’t until 2.30pm with Sonuç at Dalyan Airport Transfers so I had time to faff about. I made wraps with what was left of the chicken tikka to take on the plane but started to wonder if they might be a bit too spicy for travelling, as I have a delicate stomach at the best of times. After a call with a friend in the UK, who I was arranging to meet while there, I finished my packing and then decided to order an airport sandwich from Ela’s Kitchen. I chose a bacon and brown sauce sandwich which cost 350 lira (£6.50) and was delivered by Sev. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it as far as the airport as I snaffled it down before I left and it was very tasty. The transfer to Dalaman airport was pleasant and the journey cost £30, which is the going rate for transfer or taxi. I didn’t spend any money in Dalaman airport as I refuse to support the extortionate pricing they have. I did get my frozen bottle of water through security though and I swerved the Duty Free, realising it would be cheaper to buy once in the UK. My flight was on time at 5.30pm and I got to switch my window seat for a middle seat with a lady who was already sat in the middle. The flight was actually full and there were no spare seats in our row. I tried to watch a film called Havoc but I accidentally deleted it after about 20 minutes. We landed at Gatwick at 7.50pm and I made my way to the train station where I got the train to Barnes, changing at Clapham Junction. My frozen water was still half frozen and I was quite thirsty now. Captain Caveman met me at Barnes station, he took my bag and we walked to his parents’ house. They were on holiday so, once in the house Captain Caveman opened a bottle of red wine that he had got for us to have with dinner. I downed 3 glasses of water and we laughed that my frozen water had made it almost door to door, still frozen. I was hungry but Captain Caveman wasn’t so we just had cheese on toast for dinner. Tomorrow we had an exciting day planned.
Gratitude List 1. To be going to see Captain Caveman after only 19 days apart 2. A smooth trip from Dalyan to Barnes in just under 7 hours 3. Cheese on toast & wine for dinner with Captain Caveman.
I had arranged to see friends on Saturday 28th June, before they flew to the UK. Their dog, Lady C, was going to be in my care while they were gone. I had beans on toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman sent me over an itinerary for our holiday at the end of August – it looked quite busy with 11 European towns in 2 weeks! My concern was that there might be too much moving about in a heat wave. I worked all morning until 2pm then I wandered over to Ozzy’s bar to meet Penny & Phil! Penny was on the phone when I arrived, so I ordered a shandy, at 120 lira (£2.26) a pint it went down very well and I had to order water and another pint. Penny came off the phone and the plan was we would go over to their’s to see Lady C and chill out before they left. I threw caution to the wind and ordered one of the Ozzy’s pizzas which was loaded with toppings and tasted really good. I paid my bill, then the staff gave the 3 of us a shot to drink. We thought it was an alcoholic one but it was a watermelon smoothie, of which they gave us a bottle to take home, too. Here’s what I spent, prices in lira;
Ozzy’s Bar 1 small water 40 1 Efes shandy 120 1 Efes draft 120 1 Chicken pizza 410 Total spent 690 lira (£13.02)
While Penny whizzed back on the ‘Madge-mobeel’ (her orange mobility scooter), Phil and I sauntered back and bumped in to Kaan (from Tequila boat) at his new villa. It was looking really good now that it was finished and he’d done a good job. Lady C was pleased to see me but was rather warm so she chilled out in front of the cooler in the sun room. By 6.15pm I was enjoying a cold drink and had my feet in the pool while Penny and Phil finished last minute getting ready and packing. I still didn’t know exactly what time they were flying but I had ascertained that it was late tonight.
A plan was formed to go out for dinner at Olivia’s, which used to be Yolo, and I was invited to join. They had a deal on any pasta dish with a glass of wine for 300 lira (£5.66) which is great value for money. It was my first time at Olivia’s and it might just become my new favourite place! They served Altıntepe and Isabey wine (currently 120 lira per glass) which I like. The place is cool in the heat with lots of seating indoor and outdoor and great staff – one I recognised but couldn’t place. I had the Four Cheese Tagliatelle (perfect for cheese lovers), Penny had the shrimp spaghetti and Phil ordered chicken and mushroom tagliatelle. The portion sizes were good and we got a free appetiser of warm bread with olives and oil – a nice touch. The shrimp spaghetti had a rather generous amount of capers in and Penny doesn’t like them. Even though it did say it on the menu in the small description, our waiter and chef changed the dish to redo it without issue when he noticed Penny picking them out. Phil didn’t realise his tagliatelle had chicken in so he picked it all out to give to the dog later. We were almost done eating our mains when Karen and Andy arrived and sat next to us. Andy ordered a non-pasta dish and Karen ordered the same shrimp spaghetti which Penny had but with capers in (you couldn’t make it up)!
We met the dessert chef and it would have been rude not to try the desserts which looked amazing! My friends had a roulade type cake which got devoured and I had a Dubai Chocolate Brownie which was out of this world!!!! The desserts were a work of art and also tasted fantastic. Here’s what our bill came to, prices in lira;
I’d ended up with 3 wines and a pasta that I wasn’t expecting to be paid for so I put 250 lira (£4.72) in as a tip. It equated to 14% but given that Penny had her dish replaced after the capers debacle, I thought it a good idea if ever we wanted to go again. Meanwhile, Captain Caveman and Vinnie were having a great time at the Iron Maiden gig in London, where some of my Sheffield friends were also in attendance, but separately.
Gratitude List 1. Great food at Ozzy’s and Olivia’s 2. The amazing dessert at Olivia’s 3. Having a lovely afternoon and evening with Penny & Phil.
I had booked Sonuç, from Dalyan Transfers, for Captain Caveman’s ride to Dalaman airport on Sunday 22nd June at 4am. I walked Captain Caveman out to the gate and we said our goodbyes while I was still in my pyjamas. I love to use Sonuç as he’s so reliable, charges just £30 and is an all round good bloke. We had also decided that I would be going back to the UK to see Captain Caveman and escape some of the intense heat in just under 3 weeks time, so it wasn’t too sad a goodbye. Captain Caveman’s flight this morning, was with Sun Express at 6.45am and he would be landing back in to Manchester before 9.30am. He ended up with a row to himself which is a nice treat. I went back to bed and tried to sleep a bit but ended up tracking the flight which left at 7am, then I fell asleep. For lunch, I’d missed breakfast, I ate the remaining sweet and sour chicken from last night at Lukka. I caught up on a few messages and emails before going back to bed as I was tired. I checked the weather forecast and it was showing a sunny week ahead.
Gratitude List 1. Knowing I wouldn’t have to wait long to see Captain Caveman again 2. Leftover food for lunch 3. A zero spend day, to get back on track!
I didn’t bother with breakfast on Monday 23rd June as I was too busy getting on with all the jobs I needed to do. I also didn’t leave the house for the 2nd day since Captain Caveman left as I needed to get back on track. Not only with healthier eating and less spending but also working more on both Resort Experts and getting my book sold and the next ones finished. There just weren’t enough hours in the day but I was determined to build my customer base in readiness for the next books that were due to follow. I finally ate lunch which was more like a breakfast and really enjoyed it with a cup of Yorkshire tea. I worked on several quotes for friends and also had a call with my colleagues in Majorca and a Italy to share some ideas. At 3pm I was on a Q & A call with Claire Clarke who I’m working on a travel planner with. At 4pm I attended the last session of a Visibility session with Lisa Johnson who I was also learning lots from. I finished work at 5pm, tired, and warmed up a meal I’d taken out of the freezer; a chicken dinner with potatoes, carrots and red cabbage which I put a bit of gravy on. By 8.30pm I had lit my new Maizie Moo citronella candle and was ready for bed. I waited for Captain Caveman to call me and he told me all about his day. He was glad to be back in London and had put himself down for night shifts at the weekend because they were so short staffed.
Gratitude List 1. Getting back ‘on it’ after Captain Caveman had left 2. Nice food 3. My new candle.
Captain Caveman arrived before 2.30am on Wednesday 11th June. At Manchester Duty Free he’d bought us a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin for £29.99, then on landing at Dalaman he’d bought 2 bottles of Prosecco for €31.80 (1,443.08 lira). He’d also brought me the following treats, some of which I’d asked him to; Chopsticks, Eye mask, Tea Towels, Robinson’s cordial and Thai Curry pastes. After a bit of sleep, I was up first to start work and get weighed. My home scales surprisingly said I had lost 1.6kg (3.5lb) but that couldn’t be right. My measurements showed my bust and hips had stayed the same but I’d put 1cm on my waist – that will be the alcohol at the weekend! I topped up the Turkcell with 50GB of data for 425 lira (£8) as Captainnet isn’t always reliable and there was now 2 of us working from home. By 11am, Captain Caveman was on his morning video call and he was so loud, I expected the neighbours to complain. I left him shouting and complaining about not having any coffee and went to Turkish class at Lukka bar. I made us a salad for lunch and then I went to Fat Club in the afternoon. Carol’s scales were not as forgiving as my home ones but I was still shocked to find that I had lost 1kg (2.2lb). We had a bit of a laugh that the wine & Prosecco diet had done me well this week, but now I had to watch putting on weight next week! I called at the shop on my way back and here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Milk 33.95 2 Dido chocolate bars 43.90 2 tins tomato paste 59.90 Roasted red peppers 79.95 Walnuts 98.50 Coffee 164.95 Total spent 565.65 lira (£10.67)
Captain Caveman had been less than impressed that I’d given him a coffee made from Jamie’s decaf this morning and had insisted I get proper ground coffee – he was missing Vietnamese coffee! He didn’t have one though as, as soon as he had finished work at 7pm (5pm UK time), I was whisking him off to meet people! I’d arranged to meet Jamie, Drew, Norman and Edna after their dog walk, in Lukka bar, for a quick hello/goodbye drink. Drew was heading back tomorrow so he and Captain Caveman are rarely in sync and it would be a quick meet up. Edna was the most excited to see Captain Caveman and I think she had hoped to get some wine. I ordered a soda water and Captain Caveman had his first Efes Malt of the visit. We all noticed that Edna was doing a little cough and I know she does that sometimes for attention. Norman got a stroke and was happy checking the floor for any scraps he could eat. Captain Caveman and I decided to have another drink, as we were having a roast chicken dinner at home for our meal and it was still in the oven. We tried a glass each of the house red wine and we chatted about all sorts. Drew mentioned Edna had been slightly off her food that day (which never happens) so Jamie was taking her to the vets before I dog sat on Monday – just in case. I paid the bill for Captain Caveman and I, prices below in lira; 1 Soda water 60 1 Efes Malt 160 2 Red wines 380 Total spent 600 lira (£11.32)
Despite it being on the more expensive scale to what I’m used to, here in Dalyan, Captain Caveman was impressed at how cheap it was compared to the UK. We said our farewells and headed home for our chicken dinner which was delicious. I forgot to take any photos and we had a relatively early night as tomorrow we were both very busy.
Gratitude List 1. Captain Caveman arriving in Dalyan (& with chopsticks!) 2. Losing weight despite a messy weekend 3. Seeing Jamie, Drew, Norman & Edna.
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