I started my last day in Dalyan on Tuesday 20th May, with a bacon sandwich and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I had lots to do including packing, work related stuff and some project related social media posts. For the last 10 days I had been doing a free course with Strategist Lisa Johnson and had rather enjoyed it. I did some promoting of my favourite vegan restaurant in Vietnam, Phong Nha Vegan, and I chatted on messenger to the staff and owner there. I missed them and their delicious and healthy food. By lunch time, I was using up ingredients in the fridge by making myself chicken, sweetcorn and egg fried rice which was so tasty. I cracked on with my busy to do list as I needed to be over at Vanessa’s at a decent hour and I was fast running out of time. I took a breather about 4pm to nip to the shops for some snacks, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Today the exchange rate had risen again to 52 lira to the pound and the temperature had reached 30°C. Meanwhile, I was making a mental note to get a big coat and socks added to my packing as it was going to be cold in Manchester compared to Dalyan. I realised I still needed more items for my journey back to the UK and went back out again.
Migros Supermarket 2 small waters 7.90 Mentos 20.95 Haribo jellies 22.45 Biscuits 31.95 Dubai chocolate Magnum 75.00 Total spent 158.25 lira (£3.04)
Parlak bakery 1 loaf 15 lira (29p)
I ate the Magnum on the way back home and really enjoyed it – it would be my last one for a while! I didn’t have time to make any dinner so I ate the last of the radishes and some olives. I packed, put any perishables and leftover veg in a bag for Matt and took leftover chicken, lettuce, bacon and cheese with the bread to make for Vanessa and my airport pack up. My bags were heavy so I was lucky to bump in to Murat and his dog, Latte, who gave me a lift on his mobility scooter. Over at Vanessa’s, we had some cups of tea and chatted before getting ready for an early night and a very early get up. We were leaving at 5am so I set my alarm for 4am.
Gratitude List 1. Bacon 2. Fitting everything in my small case 3. Managing to finish in time to get to Vanessa’s.
It was 17°C at 7am on Sunday 18th May when I got up and had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some wholemeal toast. By 8am I was at Sezgin’s house as we had decided to do a Sunday Walk to the Günlüklü restaurant and back. Due to the hot weather of previous weeks, Debbie had hung up her walking shoes for the summer so it was just me, Sezgin and Zen. We set off full of enthusiasm and Sezgin knew a shortcut through a farmer’s field which ended up not having a way out and we had to backtrack. The farmer came to help us and we climbed over a gate to get out and decided to turn back. We had drunk any water we had, but the farmer thought we looked thirsty and went off to pick us each an orange. All of us were grateful for this kind gesture and recognised it was a good idea to turn back as the sun was out and there was very little shade. We’d done 6.5km (4 miles) by 9.10am and it was due to get up to over 25°C with very little breeze. Sezgin was quite sweaty, I was doing ok considering I rarely leave the apartment, but then I got invited to breakfast. Nur got a phone call and was able to whip up quite a feast at the last minute. Her food was delicious and I ate so much before going home for a shower. I did some work on my laptop on the balcony before getting back to work. In the evening I was preparing a roast chicken dinner, while watching something on Netflix. I ate a portion then saved the leftovers for the fridge and the freezer. I had just 2 days left in Dalyan and was surprised to see that our swimming pool had lights in it that worked again.
Gratitude List 1. Walking with Sezgin and Zen, and a free orange 2. Turkish Breakfast by Nur 3. Chicken dinner.
I had Yorkshire tea and cereal for breakfast on Monday 19th May before heading out to meet Jamie. We’d arranged a Resort Experts meeting to talk about how things were going and share ideas. It was a lovely day so Jamie brought Norman and Edna who were really excited to see me. I just had a Turkish tea, Jamie ordered coffee and a mixed toastie. Edna was talking to me to say she needed a bit of the toast and Norman stood waiting for a morsel too. We walked the dogs before it got too hot and said goodbye when we got to the turn off to mine. Back home, I decided to have an early lunch of pho (chicken noodle soup) and some strawberries. It was all very nice and I had an impromptu call from Captain Caveman. He was up north and was working hard but seemed to be doing well. I did some social media posts and then got a bit peckish so had a bacon sandwich with brown sauce – it needed eating up. After work, I popped over to Vanessa & Matt’s, with a delivery of Captain Fuat’s fantastic homemade olive oil soap. I wanted to borrow a case for my hand luggage and we could check in online for our flights. Matt checked me in so that I could sit next to Vanessa on our Sun Express flight – it did cost an extra £10 to pick my seat and we had some issues getting the boarding pass with a barcode on and my card wouldn’t work on the Sun Express website so Matt paid and I owed him £10. I had a cup of tea and a biscuit then needed to get home to pack. Matt was giving us a lift to the airport on Wednesday morning so they invited me to stay over on Tuesday night so that it was easier. I worked until 9pm and then had a chicken tikka with steamed rice. I was already on 190 syns for the week so it wasn’t looking good for weight loss. I would also be missing Fat Club for the next 2 weeks while I was in England.
Gratitude List 1. Tea Gardens with Jamie, Norman and Edna 2. Good food 3. Getting prepared for my trip to England.
It was my last weekend in Dalyan for a little while, on Friday 16th May, as I was popping back to the UK with Vanessa next week. I’d also got a busy last weekend planned. After a cup of Yorkshire tea I nipped out to the shops as I had guests coming over for dinner tonight. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 2 small cartons of milk 19.90 5 potatoes 22.68 Total spent 42.58 lira (83p)
Unfortunately, there was no Quark in either shop so I would have to do without and try again tomorrow. For breakfast I had a bacon and sausage sandwich with brown sauce as I needed to cook the sausages for a slow cooker casserole I was making for my dinner guests. I would do roast potatoes and vegetables later to go with it. I worked all day and used my ‘lunch break’ to clean the house. My friends were invited to eat at mine but they had messaged with a change of plan due to not being able to manage to get up my stairs. Instead, I would go to theirs but I still needed to take the food as I had cooked it already! Captain Caveman booked me a flight back from Gatwick to Dalaman for the 2nd June. We’d been waiting to see if I might be needed to help my parents out while my sister was away and the Manchester flight I was hoping to get with Vanessa had gone up by £50 since I’d last checked. Luckily, Captain Caveman had spotted one for a third of the price and including luggage but going from London. It meant I could have a couple of extra days in Barnes with Captain Caveman and his parents before I went back to Dalyan, so that had worked out well. I finished work, my friends came to pick me up in the car and help me carry the food and a bottle of red wine. The food was well received and we chatted about all sorts of things, while drinking quite a lot of wine. Although it was quite late when I left, I was more than happy walking it home and left my pans to go in the dishwasher. It had been a lovely night but it was rather late on a school night.
Gratitude List 1. Having a clean house 2. Being busy 3. Sausage casserole and wine with friends.
There was more excitement in my life on Saturday 17th May as I decided to ditch the Dalyan weekly market visit in favour of work so that I could be free by 3pm to meet friends. I just had tea and toast for breakfast then cracked on with some enquiries. For lunch I had some salami with radish, gherkins, cheese and olives for a bit of a change. I arranged to meet Debbie at Books and Cookies for a tea at 3pm. I arrived just before Debbie and ordered a tea I’d not had before; Rooibos is meant to be good for Diabetics, those on a diet and to prevent wrinkles – I just ordered the one pot for 60 lira (£1.16) which made 2 cups and was easy to drink. I’d say it was more of a winter drink, though. Debbie had a drink and a couple of the delicious homemade cookies. We had a very quick catch up and I signed a copy of my book ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ for her before saying farewells and on to my next appointment. I had arranged to meet a couple of friends at Retro bar where it was quite sunny still. We had a good catch up and I had 3 red wines at a total bargain price of 270 lira (£5.23). The owner and friend, Nusret, had done a really good job of the renovations and had added more seating, a shuffle board, a swimming pool and better toilet facilities – it looked great. Retro bar seemed to be back in favour again with the Dalyan Dwellers as the drinks were so cheap compared to anywhere else, granted the wine was the Diamond brand which is not particularly a quality wine but, given most of the women drink white wine and put soda in it, it passes muster. I had red wine and it was drinkable, a whole bottle was only 350 lira (£6.78) but I wasn’t going mad. While we were there, some of the Dalyan Dwellers arrived back from a trip on the Yellow boat and some came to say hello to us. Friends of my parents came to ask how they were doing and wanted to know when they were coming back to Dalyan, which was nice. It was too late to do anything or eat by the time I was back home so I just went to bed, ready for an early start tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Tea at Books & Cookies 2. Cheap wine with friends 3. Sunshine.
After yesterday’s boat trip frivolities, I was definitely expecting weigh-in day to be rather unpleasant on Wednesday 14th May. I took my measurements to find my bust had stayed the same but I had put 3cm on my waist and 4cm on my hips – not good. I rushed to get my Turkish homework done before my lesson at Lukka at 11.30am. Our pool and garden company had sent someone to tidy the decking areas, remove the tree branch and sort the pool out. I just had fruit for breakfast but then had leftover curry and rice for lunch. Today, Carol was away so I was in charge of the scales and books at Fat Club. So that people didn’t have to tell me their weight if they didn’t want to, we all got weighed privately and I left it up to the ladies to let Carol know how they had done. Bizarrely, I had lost 0.95kg (2lb) which I was so pleased about. I was busy in the afternoon so I didn’t have time to make the dinner I had planned to. Instead, I had marmalade on wholemeal toast. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was still in the sunny north of England and seemed to be doing fine.
Gratitude List 1. Leftover curry 2. Losing weight 3. Speaking to Captain Caveman.
On Thursday 15th May I was up early and had even been shopping by 10am. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
I noticed that there was Peja, alcohol free beer, in Migros for just over £1 per bottle. Back home, the complex was starting to look a bit more summer ready and the pool looked ready for the first time this year. I had strawberries with Quark for breakfast and then got on with a busy day. I had a cheese and lettuce sandwich for lunch and dialed in to our Resort Experts Team Meeting at 1pm. We were introduced to a new Resort Experts Facebook page; Holiday Help from Locals – feel free to follow and like here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/holidayscheckitbeforyoubook/?ref=share&mibextid=lOuIew It was to help people looking for holidays get actual advice from people who lived in those destinations (us) and for us to share quotes, tips and any other holiday and travel related information. I had cheese and roasted vegetable pasta in the evening which was simple but very good.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to afford medicine 2. Tasty food 3. Resort Experts and the colleagues who were supporting me.
It was to help people looking for holidays get actual advice from people who lived in those destinations (us) and for us to share quotes, tips and any other holiday and travel related information. I had cheese and roasted vegetable pasta in the evening which was simple but very good.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to afford medicine 2. Tasty food 3. Resort Experts and the colleagues who were supporting me.
Often in Dalyan, I don’t get invited to anything for ages and then 2 things crop up at the same time. On Tuesday 13th May I was booked on to a friend’s private boat trip for the day. I’d also been invited to a Ladies Night boat trip but couldn’t go to both. The Villa Duran boat is owned by Captain Ünal and his wife Sioned, my Turkish teacher. On board for the day were Julia, her parents, Jamie, Nanny Kay and her 3 friends, so a lovely small group of us. We left at 10am and were tucking in to the home made Welsh cakes by five past. It was my first boat trip of the season, we went to Ekincik Bay so I made sure I took a sea sickness pill as I’m prone to getting sick out at sea.
One of the things I noticed about the boat was the extra wide steps which were good for anyone who might have just had knee surgery (my Dad) on their next visit. Our BBQ lunch was served about 1.30pm and I had chicken, köfte, chips and some salad with a couple of glasses of red wine.
Close up of the steps
Video of me testing out the steps
It was all very lovely and I really enjoyed the day out. We got to swim in a few spots, saw a turtle, ate delicious ginger cake and got dropped off at Julia’s jetty to see the dogs and have another drink. The boat trip worked out at £40 each, which I had paid by bank transfer before the start of the trip, and we paid for our own drinks at the end. Drink prices were not dissimilar to prices in the bars and the wine was a really nice. Here’s a video of the boat, on Facebook, which is definitely one of the biggest and is super comfy and immaculate. Captain Unal is super professional and a good chef too.
I walked from Julia’s with Jamie, Norman and Edna and having really enjoyed the day out, a private boat trip is one of my favourite things to do in Dalyan! Back home, I had a shower and a lay down but didn’t set an alarm. I woke up at almost midnight thinking it was the next day!
Gratitude List 1. Being lucky enough to be on my first private boat trip of 2025 2. Swimming in the sea 3. Spending the day in great company.
Photo credit – some photos by Jamie and other guests on the boat
I had arranged to do a Sunday walk with some friends on Sunday 11th May. It was sunny and getting warmer in a morning earlier now. We met at 9am and walked around the Dalyan roads, with Debbie having planned a route we’d done a few times before, but this time in reverse. There were some lovely flowers to look at along the way, I spotted a snake in the road but it was dead, plus we all saw the storks flying. Unfortunately, we also saw a dead bird hung out as a kind of scarecrow and a dead fox. We decided that it would be nice to have a hot beverage and, as Kingfisher restaurant was on route, we would go there. By this time it was 11am on a Sunday morning so it was very busy with customers enjoying Turkish breakfasts. We went out to a decked area in the garden and ordered teas or coffees, I joked that it would probably be expensive here and not to expect the tea garden prices. While drinking our hot drinks and water, it was mentioned that it was probably too hot now to be doing the Sunday walks and that it would be good to think about doing something else instead. I suggested boat trips, breakfasts, meeting for tea/coffee. When I came to pay for my cup of Turkish black tea, it was 100 lira (£1.94). Granted, it was 5 times the price of the one in the tea gardens but the Kingfisher is a lovely spot where you can watch the terrapins. It also had excellent toilets that are spotless so I was happy to pay it.
On the way back, Nur had come to pick up Sezgin and Zen as it was too hot to walk home. Debbie jumped in the back of the car for a lift as they live nearby. It was gone midday and I needed to get to my next appointment. I showered quickly, messaged Penny to say I would be late and ate 2 bananas as I walked over in the now very hot sun. Lady C was not in the least bit pleased to see me as she had decided she liked the neighbours house and had gone round there. I had to coax her back home with some chicken which the lovely neighbour gave me and then I set up my office in the new sun room which was so lovely. I worked on a few enquiries for Vietnam and was checking out Ha Long bay cruises for most of the afternoon. Caramel slept most of the time and was super relaxed and easy to look after the rest of the time. When Penny got back she invited me to join her and Phil for a drink (or 2) at Tez bar and we had a lovely evening. I spent 600 lira (£11.63) on white wines on my night out and didn’t get in until 9.45pm. I was hungry, having only had chance for a couple of bananas all day, that I warmed up left over curry for dinner and then was still hungry and had some leftover sausage casserole too.
Gratitude List 1. A beautiful Sunday walk in the sunshine 2. Doggy day care 3. Impromptu drinks with friends.
Monday 12th May was a quiet day as I worked through my to do list and dealt with a few Vietnam enquiries. It was also great to see that the number of visitors to Vietnam in the first 4 months of 2025 were higher than previous years. I had strawberries and quark for breakfast with a Yorkshire tea. My lunch was a late one of a chicken salad wrap and the afternoon flew by as I priced up luxury hotel stays in Hanoi. I turned my laptop off at 6pm and decided I fancied beans on toast for dinner, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I spoke to Captain Caveman who was somewhere up North, he had good weather and was looking forward to seeing me again soon. Tomorrow I was taking the day off as I had an exciting adventure planned!
Gratitude List 1. Healthy and tasty food 2. Doing a job I love 3. Video call with Captain Caveman.
On Saturday 10th May I’d arranged to go to the weekly market with Vanessa. I took her suitcase back to her which Captain Caveman had used to bring all the English products over in, last month. I had my shopping list at the ready and I had popped 700 lira (£14) in to my pocket, assuming that would be enough. I actually spent a little bit over but I did buy strawberries, bananas and olives which added to the cost more than I had planned. Here’s what I bought with the prices per stall in lira;
Stall 3 2 punnets of Strawberries 300 lira (£5.81)
Stall 4 Olives 100 lira (£1.94)
Stall 5 Banana and apples 190 lira (£3.68)
Total spent 735 lira (£14.24)
I was still pleased with what I had purchased for the price but I definitely was noticing the costs of things rising a little bit more. Apples seemed to be more than usual this week.
I didn’t get home until 1pm and hadn’t done any work today yet so I had a bacon sandwich for lunch and caught up on my messages, before it was time to meet another friend and Vanessa at Kefal tea gardens. I’d quickly managed to shove in the ingredients for a sausage casserole in to the slow cooker to have for dinner which wouldn’t be ready until late. After teas and chitchat with the ladies, we all paid and here’s what I had with prices in lira;
Kefal Tea Gardens 1 sage tea 15 1 double cay 20 Total 35 lira + 5 extra tip as I had no change 40 lira spent (77p)
I love the tea gardens for bargain teas, the lovely views and polite no-nonsense approach. Dinner was a really lovely sausage casserole with roast potatoes and carrots and I had some left for the fridge/freezer.
I had less than 2 weeks left in Dalyan on Thursday 8th May, before I would be taking a trip back to the UK to see Captain Caveman, friends and family. I also started to look at flights to Gatwick for Captain Caveman’s birthday in July. They weren’t quite as cheap but between £58 and £85 one way, without hold luggage. By 10.30am I had started work while sat on the balcony after seeing that the pool was almost ready to go in. A neighbour had told me about the loquats on our trees and that you could eat them. They tasted a little bit like a citrus plum and have 3 seeds inside. By midday I was off to Jamie’s for a Resort Experts related catch up and cup of tea. On the way back I noticed our neighbour’s mulberry tree had lots of fruit on and tried one – she had said to help myself. At 1pm I joined a training webinar with Wendy Wu tours, they had some new tours in South East Asia which looked amazing, some included rail or cruise and stay and all were fully guided. Perfect for solo travellers or people who liked a bit more of a personal touch and hand holding, all of the accommodation they use is 4 star so also makes it more affordable. Some of the new tours were inspired by a TV programme called ‘Race Across the World’, which I hadn’t seen as we don’t have English TV but I heard it was incredibly popular back in England. I actually quite fancied doing one of their tours myself, perhaps with a group of friends, and they even sort out all visas which makes it easier. I had a very late lunch of beans on toast with bacon before getting on with more work, finishing at 7pm to go to the shops. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;
Milenyum Shop Bin liners 70.00 Hair Conditioner 90.00 Total spent 160.00 lira (£3.10)
Migros Supermarket 1 plastic bag 0.50 2 tomato purée 35.90 Boiled beans 53.95 6 eggs 59.95 Museli 82.50 Mozzarella cheese 89.90 620g chicken breast 110.95 Total spent 433.65 lira (£8.40)
Parlak bakery Fresh bread 15 lira (29p)
I just had cheese and olives for dinner before having an early night as I was tired.
Gratitude List 1. Free fruit from the trees in the garden 2. Wendy Wu training 3. Bacon.
I didn’t even leave the house on Friday 9th May. I was awake at 7am and spent the first couple of hours updating my blog. I always keep it at a month behind but I was almost at 6 weeks behind now as I’d been quite busy. Luckily, using scheduling on my Facebook and WordPress makes it easier. I had muesli and Yorkshire tea for breakfast and cracked on through my to do list. I had a cheese and lettuce sandwich at lunch and didn’t turn my laptop off until gone 9pm. I decided to make a curry for dinner from one of the ready made sauces from Holy Cow which Captain Caveman had brought over on his last visit. It made 4 portions and was absolutely delicious – not particularly Slimming World friendly so I had to use some syns. With it being a Friday, I even had an Efes beer with my curry, which I finally ate about 10.15pm.
Gratitude List 1. Keeping busy 2. Meta Business Suite 3. Holy Cow sauces.
I had a lay in until 8.30am on Tuesday 6th April and it felt quiet without the dogs. I ate my tea and toast on the balcony and then got on with work. At lunch time Julia popped over with a bottle of Angora red wine and a really cute wine stopper from Cappadocia – a thank you gift from the dogs. I spoke to Captain Caveman and then had a cheese and salad wrap before getting back to work. At 2.30pm I went to pay the council tax which was 1,854.60 lira (£36.22) for the year and also cheaper than last year, for some unknown reason. I passed the bus terminus and took a photo of the new bus timetable which was showing buses to the beach every hour from 10am to 5pm. I finished work at 7.30pm and made some bacon spaghetti with a side salad for dinner.
Gratitude List 1. A gift from the dogs 2. More buses available to the beach 3. Bacon.
At 7am on Wednesday 7th May it was 16°C and looking to get warmer. It was weigh day so I got on the scales at home to find I was the same as last week. I took my measurements, I had put 1cm on to my waist but the other measurements were the same or less. Since I’d been carrying my heavy rucksack about, I had noticed that a cyst I had on my shoulder had reappeared and it was sore but still small. I drank tea on the balcony and noticed that the Pool and Garden team had started to fill our communal swimming pool up. I had some good feedback on my book from people who had also been in South East Asia and liked my chapters. I read a chapter of Charlie Day’s book ‘Sales is Easy’ and then got on with some social media posts for my Resort Experts business page. At 10am I went over to a friend’s to see Lady C and another pooch, Darcy. I played with both dogs for a bit, until it was time for my first appointment of the day. At 11.30am I went to my Turkish class at Lukka and spent 150 lira (£2.91) on the lesson and 60 lira (£1.17) on a small water. I called at the pharmacy to buy blister plasters for 70 lira (£1.36) so that I could put it over my cyst to stop my bra strap from irritating it further. I had a quick lunch of a Dubai Magnum while walking through town. At 3pm I went to get weighed at Fat Club, spotting the stork was in its nest, on the way there. I was disappointed to find I had put on 0.15kg (0.3lb) on Carol’s scales, but it could’ve been worse. Vanessa decided to join me as we had prior arrangements to meet up and she brought wine and we bought soda water at the shop. After a glass each at our friend’s, we borrowed a bottle stopper for the rest of our wine and walked back through town looking like a pair of soaks! We decided to see if Simple would let us eat at a table and drink our own, half opened bottle of wine. Onur, the owner, agreed and we ordered my favourite noodles. We paid 760 lira (£14.79) for 2 lots of noodles, 1 beef and 1 chicken, which were really tasty and fresh. We had a lovely night and then walked home a bit tipsy where I had a video call with Captain Caveman then ate frozen yoghurt bars for my dessert.
Gratitude List 1. Cute dogs 2. Seeing Vanessa 3. Delicious food at Simple.
On Saturday 3rd May the sun was back so there was lots of outside activity. I walked the dogs a couple of times, I washed and hung out wet towels and throws, I moved the sunbeds cushions to dry those off and also worked quite a bit. I didn’t have time to go to the weekly market today. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was working this bank holiday weekend on site and seemed to be enjoying it. I had leftovers for my meals and decided to try again to go shopping in the evening. It rained again and I only got as far as the corner shop!
Gratitude List 1. Dog walks 2. Having meetings with the dogs 3. Knowing Captain Caveman was doing well in the UK.
Sunday 4th May was the last full day of my doggy day care for Norman, Edna, Coco and Bebe and the sun was shining. They were so pleased to be able to go in and out as they pleased, they had 2 walks and Norman slept in all the available beds but his own. I did some work which included promoting a 10 night twin centre holiday to Bali in November. We hadn’t arranged a Sunday walk this week with me being in charge of the dogs but I did walk 6km by myself plus another walk to the shops and back. Here’s what I bought on my first trip with prices in lira;
I’d arranged to meet Nanny Kay for lunch and I prepared us a very simple chicken salad which was very nice. Nanny Kay brought chocolate digestives which was a real treat, especially when they had melted stuck so we had to eat them as a triple biscuit! The dogs loved seeing Nanny Kay too and they all got some fuss. We had an unexpected phone call from Vanessa on her husband’s phone. I answered it because I knew they were meant to be in İzmir today, however, they had arrived in to Dalyan early and didn’t have their keys. I had a set at Fire Opal but we were at the other side of town. Luckily, Nanny Kay saved the day by driving us over to mine, where Vanessa could pick up her keys and on the way back we called in to Nanny Kay’s house. It had been a lovely day and when I got back I took the dogs out again then went to the shop. I needed something to go with a mystery meal I’d got out so I bought bulgar wheat and Haribo jellies at the little Migros for 66.90 lira (£1.31). I had a glass of red wine on the terrace, enjoying the sun. My curry with bulgar wheat and chickpeas turned out to be a winner. I finished the evening off with 4 happy, snoring dogs on the sofa while we watched something on Netflix – a perfect Sunday.
Gratitude List 1. Sunshine 2. Lunch with Nanny Kay 3. Dog snuggles.
Monday 5th May consisted of working, book related stuff, free training courses, cleaning and laundry. I popped to Migros and bought more bulgur wheat and some chocolate brownies for 98.90 lira (£1.93). Coco called another meeting and wanted me to know she still hadn’t had the required number of cuddles. I said goodbye to Norman, Edna, Coco and Bebe after feeding them their dinner. Back home that night, I had a quiet one and finished off some work until late.
Gratitude List 1. All the dogs being happy 2. Having a productive day 3. Getting all my jobs done before bed.
I had to declare the day a doggy duvet day on Thursday 1st May. The storm in the night had been quite bad and I’d ended up with 3 out of 4 dogs in my bedroom. When I went downstairs before 7am I had been left 3 presents; 2 wees and a very small poo. I let the dogs out, who were still reluctant to go in the rain, while I cleaned up. It felt pretty chilly out and even indoors was cool, as I had my tea and toast for breakfast. I brought all of the available dog beds out so each pooch could choose their own bed after each one had been towel dried and had their paws cleaned. Norman was hilarious as he tried every bed but his own. Even Edna preferred a different bed. It rained heavily all of the day so it was nice to keep dry. Today was also the first pay day of my book royalties as Amazon pay me 2 months after the sale went through. It was a small payment this month but at least I knew it was working. I still needed to sell more and decided to promote it more on social media this month. At 1pm I joined the Resort Experts team meeting, then had a call to Captain Caveman before a near miss with a cat happened. I’d let the dogs out for a wee and they cornered a ginger cat on the balcony railing so I had to go and rescue it in the rain. After veggie curry for lunch, a chat with my Majorcan colleague and lending some friends a duvet for their grandkids, it was almost time to see if the rain had stopped enough for a dog walk. Norman had taken to scratching at the door to where he knew the food was kept a few hours before feeding time! That night I had spaghetti bolognese for dinner, no wine and was in bed by 10pm.
Gratitude List 1. Receiving my first book royalties as passive income 2. Doggy duvet day 3. Being in bed by 10pm.
I had tea and toast for breakfast on Friday 2nd May as 4 cute dogs looked on in anticipation of snaffling a morsel. I reminded them that I didn’t have a nibble of their dentistix or biscuits! We’d all been up since 6am and all 4 dogs had made it to the bedroom during the rainy night. By 9am it was dry and warming up so I decided we would get out for a walk. Bebe had gone back to bed so I took Norman and Edna first and then Coco and Bebe. We didn’t go too far and I didn’t let any of them off the lead. Back home I did some work before realising it looked like another downpour was on its way so I decided I should get to the supermarket while I could. Here’s what I got, prices in lira;
While I was in the shop I checked out the prices of booze, as you do. Here’s what I noticed about the prices, in lira; Angora red wine 439.50 (£8.58) Isabey red wine 325 (£6.34) Fiona red wine 250 (£4.88) Can of Efes 85 (£1.66) Large bottle Efes 83 (£1.62) Large bottle or can Efes Malt 70 (1.37)
I walked back eating the Dubai chocolate flavoured Magnum which was unbelievably good. I also made a Slimming World pizza wrap for my lunch. I did loads of work all afternoon while the dogs slept and it rained again. I was so glad to have done the walks earlier. That evening, I realised I didn’t have enough in for my dinner and could do with a glass or two of wine so I set off to the shop. I’d only gone a few metres down the road when it started to rain again so I made it to the corner shop and bought essentials. Just wine and cheese for a total of 450 lira (£8.79). For dinner I had bolognese with pasta and a Dido for afters before snuggling up with the 4 dogs who all wanted to be nearest to me. It was a good prevention from drinking too much wine as I couldn’t move to reach the coffee table.
Gratitude List 1. Lots of work done 2. Dog walks 3. Prices of wine in Turkey.
Tuesday 29th April was a ‘getting caught up on the work to do list’ kind of a day. It was literally the calm before the storm too as from tomorrow I had more excitement coming up. I had fruit and quark for breakfast and at lunchtime I just had a sandwich because I was busy searching for my own flights. I’d decided I was going to accompany Vanessa on a trip back to the UK and had found some flights. Captain Caveman and I had decided to book the Dalaman to Manchester flight in 3 week’s time, but I wouldn’t book the return back just yet. Vanessa had very kindly said that I could stay with her in Sheffield which I was very grateful for. It also meant that I would be back in Sheffield for 2 birthday celebrations. After work I totted up my money situation and we had spent more than I usually would have on a weekend away. Including food, petrol, accommodation, drink but not the hire car (Captain Caveman paid for that separately and in advance), we had spent 18,772.30 lira – £363. Not bad for the 2 of us but that would be a months’ budget spent in one weekend! The hire car came to £84 for 3 days so we spent just shy of £450 in one weekend. Now, my priority was to work harder and get the savings back up ready for the next one. In the evening, I probably should have been resting up and not drinking wine but I had arrangements. Penny and Phil had invited me round for a Spag Bol and who can turn that down!? Not me, it was lovely and we had a good catch up too. I had quite a bit of red wine and walked home quite late having had a lovely night. Fat Club’s weigh-in wasn’t going to be great tomorrow!
Gratitude List 1. Getting through the working day despite being so tired 2. Spag Bol with Penny & Phil 3. Wine.
I took my measurements on Wednesday 30th April and was very pleasantly surprised; my bust and waist had stayed the same and I’d lost 2cm from my hips – all on or under target! However, my home scales showed that I had put on 2.9kg (6lb) – that wasn’t good and I was now 2.2kg (4.8lb) over target. Today was also the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnamese and American war so friends in Vietnam were having celebrations. Captain Caveman had booked my flight to go back to England with Vanessa in 3 weeks and I was looking forward to going back. After my berries with quark for breakfast and a Yorkshire tea, I headed off for a spell of doggy day care. I’d been awake since 5am when the storm had finally happened. But now it was warm and dry again so I didn’t think I’d need a coat. I was off to look after Coco and Bebe, 2 cute little dogs. I walked the 1.5km over to check on the dogs and feed them some left over lamb chop bones before my Turkish class. Both dogs were so cute and came for some fuss. There was no electric on so I assumed a power cut from the storm and I walked back the 1.5km to Turkish class. After the lesson I walked back again to let the dogs out but by the time I arrived, it had started to rain. The electric wasn’t off, the switch had just tripped so all was good. I had cheese spread on toast for lunch before walking back to town to go to Fat Club, by this time in the heavy rain. Carol’s scales were kinder and I had only put on 1.8kg (4lb) but I really needed to get back on track. I called at the supermarket on the way back, here’s what I bought at the shop, prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 1 plastic bag 0.50 Pasta 12.95 Tinned tomatoes 12.95 2 red peppers 23.99 400g mushrooms 69.95 7% fat beef mince 285.95 Total spent 415.29 lira (£8.10)
Initially I had been meaning to meet with Drew, Norman and Edna for walkies with all 4 dogs but, as it was raining, Drew drove over with the dogs a bit later. None of the dogs were impressed by the stormy weather. Ironically, I had walked 6km today already but none of it with a dog and all 4 refused to go for walks because the rain was now torrential. Most of my clothes were soaked so they were around the house drying. I had fish fingers and beans for dinner then did some work until quite late, while the dogs napped. At bed time, it was very cold so I had to put a duvet on the bed and it was still very stormy. All the dogs were a bit scared of the thunder and lightning.
Gratitude List 1. Measurements good, despite weight gain 2. 4 cute dogs 3. Managing to cope with getting caught in the rain without a coat.
Captain Caveman’s flight back to Manchester wasn’t scheduled until 8.50pm on Monday 28th April so he had a long day. I was expecting a bit of a lay in but Sezgin, Nur, Debbie and Mike had already had breakfast and were ready to check out of the Sunday Beach hotel by 9.30am. When we went downstairs for breakfast our 4 friends were ready to leave so they decided to go on a sightseeing trip to a castle on an island while we had breakfast and then got ready. Captain Caveman would then drive me to them around 11.30am so that I could go back to Dalyan with them. The storm forecast could start this afternoon and there were also some road closures so Sezgin was keen to set off back in good time. Our breakfast was very nice – buffet style with lots of choice. I kept it simple and avoided all the Turkish börek which might affect my stomach. Captain Caveman had dialled in to his 9am (UK time) team meeting, even though he was officially on holiday, and I checked my emails and responded. We checked out and I went to the ATM to get some cash out for Captain Caveman, but none of the machines were working. This left us in a bit of a fix as Captain Caveman was going to need to get more petrol and spending money for whatever he was going to do all afternoon. I decided I would give him my cash card for my Turkish bank so that he could use it until he left tonight. I could use my credit card until I got it back from him. When we got to meet the others in a retail park it was time to say bye to Captain Caveman and head back to Dalyan. The drive back was pleasant and I felt like I would sleep well when I got to bed tonight. On the way we stopped at Ateş Doner and I had a chicken wrap and a lemon soda for 175 lira (£3.38) which was ok but I couldn’t finish it all, as was thinking about my stomach being affected for the drive. It turned out to be fine which I was pleased about. We were back home by 4.30pm and Captain Caveman’s flight was delayed by almost an hour. He had managed to spend 877.45 lira (£16.97) on parking, petrol and some food, which was very frugal. I noticed the pool and garden was being worked on but the pool was still empty.
Gratitude List 1. Breakfast with Captain Caveman 2. Not being ill from the kebab shop lunch 3. Being back home after a wonderful weekend.
After a lovely breakfast on Sunday 27th April, at the Kerman hotel in Çeşme, it was time to check out and restart the 2 car convoy. The plan for today was for the 6 of us to drive to Kuşadası with a stop or two on the way. I took a last photo of the small beach beside the hotel and I got in the car with Captain Caveman while Sezgin took the others in his car. Captain Caveman had got his phone on Google Maps and had programmed our hotel address in, for if we got lost. That turned out to be a good move as we lost the other car when we stopped for petrol. I paid 691.92 lira (£13.51) for petrol for Captain Caveman’s hire car and 15 lira (29p) for a small bottle of water before we decided what to do. There was no sign of Sezgin and we thought he may even have been taking the toll road. Captain Caveman wasn’t sure how the toll road worked for a tourist in a hire car and wanted to avoid it so we chose to head directly to Kuşadası. We arrived around 1.30pm and couldn’t work out where the car park was, I went to the hotel reception and asked and it was in the main public car park behind the hotel – and free. At the Sunday Beach hotel reception we had a bit of confusion as they weren’t sure the rooms were ready to check in. After explaining there was just 2 of us and 4 would arrive later, we were given a key. I paid 2600 lira (£50.78) for 1 night in a double room with sea view and breakfast. and the room was really lovely with a great view, it even had tea and coffee making facilities so I had myself a cup of tea. Captain Caveman was tired so he had a bit of a rest while I had a shower, unpacked, repacked and did a bit of work. Although Captain Caveman had taken Friday and Monday off, I hadn’t so I was a bit behind on my posts for this week – ironically, while in a great holiday resort in Turkey!
In the afternoon, while our friends were still making their way to Kuşadası, Captain Caveman and I had a stroll along Ladies Beach, all the way to the end then back. I noticed there were waiters at most places trying to encourage you in to their establishments, some trying to insult us to make us laugh which had the opposite effect.
Captain Caveman and I decided to have a late lunch at Blu Notte as the others were still off exploring the area and hadn’t arrived yet. I had a glass of red wine, and Captain Caveman ordered an Efes Malt while we perused the very promising menu. We decided to share a vegetarian pizza and admire the sea view on such a lovely sunny day. There were quite a few people in the sea which I was surprised about – I hadn’t brought my swimmers. Captain Caveman is always prepared for any eventuality so had packed his. We had another round of drinks before paying the bill, prices in lira;
Blu Notte 1 veggie pizza 310 2 Efes Malt 280 2 glasses of Red wine 400 Total spent 990 lira (£19.34)
It was funny that I would ordinarily have found that expensive for Turkish prices but we had being pay that for just 2 drinks in a London pub so Captain Caveman found it cheap.
After a short walk, we decided to find another bar and let the others know where we were, we were at Ladies Beach Hotel and Restaurant which you couldn’t miss. We had another round of drinks, which were a bit more pricey. An Efes Malt was 150 lira (£2.93) and a red wine was 240 lira (£4.69). By 6pm it was getting a bit chilly so Captain Caveman nipped back to the hotel to get jumpers while I sat admiring the sea view.
By 7pm we were back in the room, watching the sunset from the balcony. We had some wine left from last night, which Mike had given us to bring back. We didn’t drink it as we were saving it for the others, who unbeknown to me had arrived but I didn’t realise it at the time and thought we were waiting for them.
I took my time getting changed in the room and put on my recently purchased New Look size 12 dress. When we went downstairs, our friends were sat in the hotel bar having a drink. Sezgin looked tired from all the driving. Debbie filled us in on what a great day they had seeing the sights today. It was a shame we had missed it however, it had been nice to relax a bit with Captain Caveman. We ordered a beer and a red wine but I was already quite merry by this time. All of us agreed that we had really enjoyed our weekend roadtrip and we would have to plan another one later in the year, it had been too short. We got chatting and we had not realised that the others weren’t going to be going out for dinner so we had another round and our 4 drinks came to 800 lira (£15.63) – half the price of a similar round in Barnes, London. When we realised Sezgin, Nur, Debbie and Mike had already eaten, it was 9.15pm so Captain Caveman had a look of urgency in his eyes – he’d only had half a pizza 6 hours ago! We decided to go get some food and, as it was our last night together, we splashed out a bit, at the only decent place still serving food. It was cleverly called Somewhere Else and was rather busy inside. We threw caution to the wind, as we were tiddly, and Captain Caveman ordered a bottle of Angora red wine with our meal of 2 starters and 2 main courses. Here’s what we had, with prices in lira;
Somewhere Else Garlic Mushrooms 198.50 Onion rings 207.50 Smash Burger 487.50 Sweet & Sour chicken 699.50 1 bottle of Angora red wine 990.00 Total spent 2,583.00 lira (£50.45)
Our day and hotel stay in Kuşadası had cost approximately £160 in total but I’d really enjoyed myself and at least Captain Caveman had got the chance to unwind. I wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to him tomorrow. When we got back to the room it was late, Captain Caveman checked the times and feasibility of buses from Kuşadası to Dalyan so that we might perhaps have another day together tomorrow, before Captain Caveman’s late flight back to the UK. It was doable but with changes that could go wrong and I didn’t think I should risk it. It had started to rain and there were storm warnings so I preferred to get back safely with our friends.
Gratitude List 1. Time spent with Captain Caveman 2. Sunday Beach hotel and the stunning Ladies Beach, Kuşadası 3. Having more than my fair share of wine to celebrate our last night together.
I was up and out by 7.30am on Friday 25th April, having had a Yorkshire tea, a slice of buttered toast and a travel sickness tablet. I was the first to arrive at Sezgin and Nur’s house, ready to meet Debbie and Mike for a weekend road trip. We had arranged for the 5 of us, driven by Sezgin, to have a trip around the İzmir area of Turkey. Captain Caveman would meet us in Çeşme, at the Kerman hotel after picking up a hire car from İzmir airport upon landing, later tonight. We left around 8am with me sitting in the middle of the back seat to start with. After a couple of hours on the road, we stopped next to a reservoir/picnic stop so that Sezgin and Nur to eat whatever breakfast we had brought. I avoided any gluten or stodge by having a banana for my snack while the others shared their food. Sezgin pointed out places of interest along the way and we stopped for comfort breaks, our next one being in a lovely fishing village called Urla. Sezgin and Nur had previously lived in İzmir so it was good to get first-hand local knowledge about the surrounding areas and see where they had lived before Dalyan. Sezgin told us a funny story about him, his friend and a famous singer in the Dokuz Pub, as we walked past it. There were all types of fish available, which could be browsed in the stalls outside.
I took a turn in the front passenger seat in the afternoon as I’d been fighting the affects of the travel sickness pill which I realised was one of the stronger drowsy ones. We visited a beach and I ate quite a few sweets, trying to stay awake. We stopped at the Altın Yunus (Golden Dolphin) hotel, where everyone had took the mickey out of me for not realising a joke about the wind turbines being there to cool us down when it got too warm. Debbie and I had a Turkish tea while enjoying the lovely sunshine and views of the marina below us.
The last leg of the journey took us on a detour to a very unusual house which had live fish and octopi, plus a random eel, in the walls of the garden. It didn’t look like the creatures had a great existence, although I was assured the owner loved and cared for them! It was definitely one of the weirdest houses I had ever seen. From that point we could see our hotel across the bay.
It was just 3.20pm, when we checked in to our sea view rooms at the Kerman Hotel in Çeşme. Sezgin had negotiated some discount so we paid 3,500 lira (£68.36) for a 2 night stay in a double room, for 2 of us including breakfast. We had originally looked at staying at the The Ilıca hotel which was a bit more swish but to keep the costs down I think everyone was happy to choose the cheaper alternative. I was happy with the Kerman as the rooms were clean, comfortable and basic with a small balcony and an amazing sea view which was definitely worth paying the extra for that room type. Captain Caveman’s flight wasn’t due to land until 8.10pm so we took a walk around the town of Çeşme. I really liked it and had a chuckle to myself on how the Cheap Chasers in Dalyan would react to the prices of alcoholic beverages at some of the bars. We didn’t even drink in our own hotel because they kept changing their minds about the cost of beers in the bar downstairs. It was empty, yet they raised the price to almost 300 lira (£5.86) for an Efes stating that it was to pay for the live music which was on later. The cheapest I saw advertised on a board, was 175 lira (£3.42) for an Efes. The town was a mix of old and new and it felt very calm, I didn’t notice any English people and most of the bars along the water front were empty.
We came across an eatery which had the perfect name; Friendly Corner Steak House. It was ran by a friendly Turkish guy who had lived in the UK for a while and the restaurant was located on a sunny corner. They also sold steak but we had beers first then some delicious hot chips. I’m always a bit boring and go for the steady option to placate my iffy stomach and to ensure the restaurant is unlikely to serve me a rubbish meal. I plumped for a chicken shish which was served with rice, chips and a fair amount of salad. Sezgin ordered the chicken schnitzel and Nur the chicken strips – I tried the schnitzel and it was very good. Debbie took me by surprise a little by ordering sardines which Sezgin checked if they were fresh with the staff, they were frozen but Debbie was fine with that. There was about 8 sardines and some salad. Mike ordered a pizza which wasn’t great but he managed about half of it. To give an idea of costs, I paid 1,000 lira (£19.53) for my share of the meal and drinks (including discount and tip). I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner and was actually thinking I should have been a bit more adventurous with my choice.
We had a post dinner stroll while watching a lovely sunset over the harbour. We got as far as a mermaid sculpture when Captain Caveman’s plane landed. I didn’t expect he would call or text me so we had been tracking the flight, which landed just 10 minutes late. Captain Caveman had booked a hire car from İzmir airport and we worked out he would be due to the hotel by 10pm. Our hotel now had a rather loud, and not that great, live band on so we didn’t fancy the hotel bar. Many of the bars were telling us they didn’t sell Efes in the area, which we knew they did so we avoided them. We called at the shop where we bought some beer (Efes) and wine and took it to my room to wait for Captain Caveman’s arrival. He didn’t have a Turkish phone and his English phone probably wouldn’t work so I just had to hope he arrived. By 11pm we had all retired to bed having got no answer when I called any of his numbers. Sezgin went outside to walk about and keep a look out for him and I was a bit concerned he was this late. By midnight, Captain Caveman was still not in Çeşme and we had no word from him. I reassured myself that he’s extremely well travelled and would be fine. I would go to bed and hope he arrived or contacted one of us soon.
Gratitude List 1. A lovely drive to Çeşme, taking in some fantastic sights 2. Kerman Hotel sea view 3. A wonderful evening with friends at Friendly Corner.
Photo credit – some photos taken by my fellow travellers.
joloyolo 