I was up extra early on Monday 20th January so that I could get organised as today was a busy day. My Mom needed some help which involved popping to the bank so I had moved my work schedule around to accommodate her as it was urgent. I usually avoid banks on a Monday morning as they are busy and always a queue but we didn’t think there was a choice at that point. I had my tea and toast then took Lady C out for a walk. I scheduled posts to go live while I was away from my laptop and then walked to the bank. It was very busy and it turned out a lot of the expats were there for the same reason. A text had been sent out to a lot of bank account holders to say that they must come to the bank with their ID before the 1st February and it had then caused a bit of a concern. Some account holders were, obviously, out of the country and not due to return until later in the year so had been allowed to send an email of their passports over. The woman bank teller who I saw said this was not possible, I tried to give her my parents’ ID which I had on my phone but she insisted she would need their signature too and it would be fine to wait until after their return. It just meant that after February they wouldn’t be able to make any transfers from their Turkish bank accounts. It had been a complete waste of time and they could have put that on the message to save themselves all that bother but at least my parents needn’t be concerned. For some reason, I had changed my passport and renewed my residency recently but they didn’t want my ID! This obviously then lead to people posting about it on various Facebook groups with misinformation going around. I rushed back to let out Lady C and had to eat my lunch of soup and a cheese sandwich while on a Networking video call with Enfys Malone. It was a very interesting experience and it was enlightening to see how many people were purely there to offload all their issues! There were some really interesting people on the call though and it was the first time I had been able to speak to like-minded business people and also other authors, which was great. I shared the title of my book and it was well received – it got a few laughs even. For the rest of the afternoon I was playing catch up and had a few enquiries for holidays in Egypt and The Canaries. For dinner I had curry with egg rice and even got to speak to Captain Caveman who was keeping busy and had secured a deal on a place to rent for the next 3 months in Sheffield, where he would be based. It felt like he had been away for longer than just 3 weeks but he was looking forward to starting his new job in 2 weeks’ time. He needed me to find his log book out of storage which we thought was in the over stairs cupboard. I would get some help to reach it with the ladder and take it with me when I visited the UK next month. The flights were really cheap if I could squeeze it in. I worked really late that night as I needed to get quotes out and I had already made a decision to take quite a few hours off tomorrow for an exciting trip out of Dalyan!
Gratitude List 1. Sorting Ma & Pa out with the bank thing, so they didn’t have to worry 2. Speaking to Captain Caveman who seemed to be doing well 3. Joining my first online networking event.
On Thursday 2nd January I had a busy and expensive day; Our water bill for last month was 351 lira (£7.98) and that was pretty good considering people had seen a rise in utility prices already. The electric bill was 250 lira (£5.68) for the month and of course was much less than usual as we weren’t home all the time. I did my measurements and found that I had lost 1cm from my bust and waist, while my hips had stayed the same. On the home scales I was 0.25kg (0.5lb) heavier than my target which wasn’t bad considering how much we had been eating and drinking and that I had not tracked or stayed on plan at all this week. At the first Fat Club of 2025 I stepped on to Carol’s scales to find that I was 0.25kg (0.5lb) under my target and I was really pleased and relieved. It was good to know that I had finally done it – I had achieved my goal weight of 66kg. In total I had lost 11kg (24.2lb) which is more than the weight of my full rucksack when I take it as hand luggage on a plane. In centimetres I had lost a total of 7cm from my bust, 13cm from my waist and 6cm from my hips and had gone from a size 16/18 to a size 12!Wow, I just needed those ‘before and after’ photos of me stood with a massive pair of trousers, as they do on the Slimming World adverts. What I found out from Carol at group was that once you hit your target, you are allowed some extra Healthy Options as well as a few more syns! I’m sure if I’d known that at the beginning, I’d have done it sooner. The Fat Club had really helped me be accountable, more disciplined and motivated to no longer be fat and I was so pleased to have been able to have the group support. Now, I just had to keep it off but I did decide that I was going to treat myself to something I fancied to eat that wasn’t good for me and that I’d been avoiding since August. I called at a couple of shops on my way home, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 1 Dido Chocolate bar 14.00 Cheese spread 29.90 1 tin chickpeas 29.95 1 pack of egg noodles 33.50 Cashew nuts 74.50 1 small iceberg lettuce 79.95 Mozzarella cheese 89.90 Total spent 351.70 lira (£8)
I did not check on the price of the lettuce as I wanted it for my Pho, but that was an expensive item at £1.82!
Şarküteri 1 pork sausage roll 50.00 3 tins of coconut milk 195.00 Total spent 245.00 lira (£5.57)
I knew the coconut milk would be pricey but it can be hard to get here so I bought the last 3 tins. After eating the sausage roll and not being that impressed with it, I realised I’d finally overcome wanting to eat food that was bad for me, more than I ever thought I would. For dinner, I made Slimming World style pizzas which were lovely.
Gratitude list: 1. Being able to afford to pay the bills this month 2. Finally hitting my weight target at Fat Club 3. Eating a pork sausage roll as a treat then not being that impressed by it.
I slept in until gone 9am on Wednesday 1st January, New Year’s Day of 2025 and I was glad to wake up hangover free. There was a Sunday Swim at Iztuzu beach at 11am and I had contemplated going. Unfortunately, the bus goes at 12 noon, and when I checked with the organiser, they would have left by then. I could still have gone by myself to the beach and the return bus was at 4.30pm, but I decided to crack on with working on how I was going to improve things this year. I had 3 key areas I needed to look at and they were; 1) Money 2) Healthy eating 3) Planning trips/holidays
My first job was to tackle the budget and I did that by first looking at what Captain Caveman and I had spent in December. We had been pretty frugal during October and November with us both living off an amount that was below the Turkish minimum wage (not including rent or mortgage as Captain Caveman owns the apartment). As a reminder we had managed on 10,900 lira (£246) in October and 20,134 lira (£455) in November but, of course, I had already stocked up in the previous month with all of the store cupboard essentials, toiletries and wine, so that had made a big difference. We had been a lot less frugal during December and I was somewhat surprised to see we had spent 32,048 lira (£728). This was still a pretty tight amount for 2 people but it had proved to me that it could be done when needed. Dalyan is certainly not the cheapest place in Turkey to live, as it is a holiday town, however, if I was able to follow a few ‘rules’ it was certainly going to be possible during 2025. This would mean that if I could live on less than 15,000 lira (£340) per month when I had a regular income coming in, then I could start to save up again. I also made a note to write some top tips for saving money in Dalyan. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my friends spent that (and more) on just Christmas Day alone so we were very lucky to have been able to opt out of that unnecessary expense. Do you make a note of what you spend each day, week, and month and do you work to a tracked budget as you go? How do you find it? Are you surprised at our spending in Turkey?
My next job was to get myself some fresh juice and a notebook to start to meal plan again. I started a shopping list based on my meal plan which would start tomorrow. There was no weigh in or Fat Club today with it being New Year’s Day and it had been moved to tomorrow. I had the red vegetable soup, which Captain Caveman had made loads of before he left, with fresh bread for lunch. I decided I would do a word puzzle instead of getting in to watching anything on TV that might distract me from getting on with some holiday searches. They were meant to be for potential customers but, if I’m honest, I was looking at places I fancied myself. I saw so many good deals that it spurred me on to start earning money to fund our future trips. Captain Caveman and I had a video call and he had settled in to his parents’ home in London. For dinner, I made myself a delicious Slimming World chicken and vegetable noodle dish and then had a video call with the family. My parents were going round to my sister’s to have a Sunday (on a Wednesday) Dinner with all of them together. My Mom said that after the overindulgence of Christmas they had all decided they couldn’t face any more alcohol. It was good to speak to them all and they looked like they were all glad that the festivities were over. I was meant to have an early night ready to get stuck in with stuff tomorrow, but I was still in my office at 1am, working out how much discount I could get on a cruise. I decided to bring back the writing down of 3 things I was grateful for every day before I went to bed – apparently this can really help to keep a positive outlook so if you need to, join in. I’d be happy to know what you’ve been grateful for too.
Gratitude list: 1. Sleeping in and not having to set the alarm 2. Having plenty of free fresh oranges and pink grapefruits growing on the trees around me 3. My new office in the spare room
While Captain Caveman completed his packing on Tuesday 31st December (New Year’s Eve), I was in my office finishing some social media posts and scheduling them to go live while I was off for the afternoon. Captain Caveman got weighed for the last time in Dalyan and had put on 0.4kg (0.9lb) so I got on the scales to find I was finally under my target and had lost 0.2kg (0.4lb) which was negligible but, still, I had hit my target by the end of the year – on my home scales! It had been tough and I had made some difficult choices to make sure I tried harder, the cutting down of alcohol was the main thing that had worked and mostly avoiding sugar. I was eating so much more healthy foods and even getting some exercise. I finished working at 12 noon as we had arranged to have a bit of a jolly with Jamie. As a last lunch for Captain Caveman we decided to go to the prison restaurant which I always enjoy. We even had some last photos together outside, taken by Jamie. The food is reasonably priced as well as tasty and the service excellent, here’s what we had and the total price in lira;
3 cokes 2 sodas 2 chicken kebabs 1 Adana kebab Total paid 860.00 lira (£19.41)
I paid by card for the 3 of us and it was cheaper than it would have been for the airport taxi! Jamie then dropped Captain Caveman off at the airport and we said a quick goodbye. Captain Caveman was going to England and would be looking to work and live there. He had some interviews and meetings lined up and also needed to decide where he would be based so that he could find somewhere to live. I would hopefully see him again in 3 months’ time, unless I had a chance to meet him outside of Turkey before then. Jamie and I drove back to Dalyan and chatted about plans for 2025 and how I didn’t really know what was going to happen yet. I did know that I was determined for it to be a better year than 2024. I was back home before Captain Caveman’s flight took off at 4.10pm and I decided I was going to enjoy an evening at home by myself. A friend had messaged to invite me for drinks out but I politely declined as I didn’t fancy waking up on the first day of the New Year with a hangover. Instead, I popped my playlist on YouTube, finished off the open wine and had a bit of a dance in the living room. I was actually still awake at midnight, sipping Sage tea to help with my menopause symptoms, which is unusual as I’m often sick on New Year’s Eve. This year, I put it down to the fact that I had been following the Slimming World plan and trying to be much healthier than previous years. That night, the bed felt empty without Captain Caveman and it was quite chilly when I woke up in the early hours, needing a pee.
For me, 2024 was one of my toughest years in a few ways, even though I was very grateful to still be able to have the life I have. The end of 2024 was a good turning point for me; making some pretty harsh changes to my habits and plans. I learned how to survive on a very low income and find a job that was actually a passion of mine; travel. I freed up time to finally get on and do more writing and complete some of the projects I’d started.
My blog became like my therapy and the best support came from places I hadn’t expected it, even though I’m not sure why. My sister became a voice of reason with her blunt words of wisdom and encouragement to put myself first. Friends who were going through some serious health issues took the time to check on me and spur me on with kind words and just the odd message here and there. Captain Caveman, despite all the moans I write about him, always believed in me and pushed me to do and be better. He stuck to the Slimming World Plan alongside me when he was in Dalyan, so that I wouldn’t be tempted and could be the weight I wanted. He encouraged me to write more and not be put off by negativity from people who did not like my style or content and probably did not have my best interests in mind. He never once doubted that we would be ok and would tell me that, often. I also found out that over 60% of the online support I had got in my new venture was from strangers who liked what I did. This is what motivated me to crack on with my 2025 goals as I knew I could really help people have some amazing holidays. I believed I would be able to make enough of a living to meet the minimum criteria to remain a resident of Turkey, which had risen by around 25% from the 1st of January. With uncertainty around what we would be doing in 2025, I was confident that I needed to get on with it and make it a successful one. My mind was made up, and I was going to do just that!!
Thank you to those of you who encouraged, supported, offered help and just generally were there and had my back when I had to take a back seat from being the life and soul of the party so that I could concentrate on building a better 2025.
I took the day off work on Monday 30th December as it was Captain Caveman’s last full day in Dalyan and we had exciting plans. I had booked us on to the Yellow boat with Waterlilly & Hakkan for the Köyceğiz market trip, which runs every Monday including through the winter. It had been a while since I had been on the Yellow boat trip as I had often been working or had dogs to attend to on Mondays. Captain Caveman always went to the Dog Shelter to walk dogs on Mondays and so it was never convenient, until today. With The Aussies being here, I thought it would be good to join them and also so that Captain Caveman could have his last day with his friends to say bye. When we got on to the boat, it was all trimmed up in a Christmas fashion and had 2 Calor gas bottle heaters, on full blast to keep us warm. There was tea and coffee being served by Waterlilly and she asked after my parents. There was a nice group of 10 of us and it was good to see Adam & Kath who have become good friends of my parents and we had a little catch up. Kath asked why she’d not seen me in the bars on any day or night with all the usual Dalyan Dwellers. I explained that for health and money reasons we were not able to go out like we were on holiday (as we aren’t) and that I had cut right down on alcohol. I said I was tired of not reaching my weight target and spending too much time out in bars so I distanced myself a bit from the drinking culture in Dalyan in order to achieve what I wanted and to concentrate on my new job.
In Köyceğiz, and for the first time, the Lutra Lutra Bookshop was open while we were there so I was so happy. I wanted to show one of the other guests it so that we could perhaps get a book or two. The book shop has a small coffee shop and the owner showed us around. Karen and I both bought a couple of books and I paid 75 lira (£1.70) each for Turkish copies of Fahrenheit 451 and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
We then went to the fruit and veg market while the others went elsewhere. Here’s what we bought with the prices in lira;
It was cheaper than the Dalyan market but we had paid 400 lira (£9.03) each for the trip, so it’s not something we could do every week just for the shopping. I wanted to get some cheese but there was a queue and we were getting peckish. We decided to walk over to the tea gardens right on the end of the promenade as they have good value, tasty Turkish food. Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt, I had a lemon soda and we mistakenly only ordered one main meal of a chicken shish and ended up sharing it. We also got loads of bread with it so there was plenty of food. Here’s what we paid, in lira;
1 Lemon soda 20.00 1 Efes Malt beer 100.00 1 Chicken kebab 180.00 Total spent 300.00 lira (£6.78)
This was really cheap for what we had, especially the beer – I wondered if the cheap chasers in Dalyan knew this!?
We were due back to the boat by 2.30pm on Captain Caveman’s last full day in Turkey. It was so beautiful that we kept stopping to take photos of the scenic lake as we went back to the boat and it was so lovely to have spent precious time together. It was also amazing that we had spent less than £35 for the whole outing so far!! Back on the boat, Waterlilly had prepared a fruit plate with nuts and more tea which was lovely and the boat was red hot from still having the heaters on. We had brought swimmers as we were told we would be calling at the Sultaniye Mud Baths but we went straight back to Dalyan. I was happy with this as I needed to get back for work.
Once off the boat, we said our goodbyes to The Aussies as they were off to Kalkan tomorrow and, of course, Captain Caveman was leaving tomorrow too. I had said I would be in touch with a Dalyan Dweller who had been referred to me from Jamie as he was wanting to discuss a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Unfortunately, the meeting didn’t take place as planned so I just caught up on what I’d missed coming up in the January Sales then, as it was Captain Caveman’s last night here, we decided to go out. We had a beer and a wine in Ozzy’s Bar for 230 lira (£5.19) but we didn’t stay as English customers were smoking inside and it sets off my asthma. It is illegal in Turkey to smoke in bars, but many of the smoking expats don’t abide by the rules and the bar owners don’t want to refuse for fear of losing much needed winter custom. It’s a shame but I would think twice about going back in. Next, we decided to go to the Waterfall bar where they usually are smoke free and it was while we had our first drink, however, as we ordered a second round one of the owners lit up a cigarette. We drank up and paid our 460 lira (£10.38) bill but I was a bit disappointed that we had to leave because of indoor smoking in bars, yet again. I begrudged paying the money to stink of fags and come out with a cough – it reinforced staying at home in future.
Captain Caveman was really looking forward to the Sunday Walk on Sunday 29th December, and it would be his last one in Dalyan for some time. This also meant that he didn’t care if it was going to be raining or if he had to do it alone. I, on the other hand, had hoped to join but still had a bad back and was super tired so I decided the wet weather was going to put me off. I felt bad as I had said to people I was going to go, even if I had to do the adapted easier route. Captain Caveman left and I decided to clean the house and wash the sofa throws, as they still had dog hairs on from Norman and Edna’s visit. After that, I spent time in my new office, sipping sage tea and looking out at the clouds. Before midday I decided to venture out and go to the Kaunos tea garden to meet Captain Caveman and any fellow walkers. As I went to leave, the heavens opened and I had to retreat to get an umbrella. When I arrived, I met a couple of people who had also missed the walk as they mistakenly thought it had started at 10am and we had a cup of Turkish tea and ordered some lunch. I decided to have a spinach gözleme and it was really tasty. When Captain Caveman and his fellow walkers arrived they were wet and very cold looking – I was also surprised at how many people had turned up. Captain Caveman ordered a large tea and a mixed toastie and I think he was relieved that I had already had a Turkish pancake so that he didn’t have to share. I paid the bill at the tea gardens and said goodbye to the hardcore walkers. Here’s the prices in lira;
Back at home, Captain Caveman had a hot shower and I had to get a spare quilt out for him to have on the sofa, as he was still shivering. It also meant that he was out of action to help with the rest of the cleaning – highly convenient when he had invited a couple of friends over to say farewell to tonight. At 7pm our guests arrived; bringing chocolate cookies, wine, beer and nice wintery wine glasses. We did a little buffet with pastries (börek), veg, dips, crisps, nuts, olives, cheese and crackers which went down well but I got laughed at by the Turkish guests for not making my own Turkish pastries and dips. Captain Caveman was sad to be leaving, he had made some lovely friends from doing the Sunday Walks and Bridge club. It turned out to be a really nice evening, although we only just had enough chairs for everyone.
Photo Credit – Captain Caveman and some of the Sunday Walk group
It was just a normal weekday for us in Dalyan on Wednesday 25th December, or Christmas Day to most people reading this. We had a lay in without any dogs to let out and it was nice to be able to relax and have a day off. I left Captain Caveman getting up and went to the bakery and supermarket. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Parlak Bakery 1 fresh loaf 10.00 2 simit 30.00 2 açma 30.00 Total spent 70.00 lira (£1.59)
Şok Supermarket Milk 24.00 BBQ Sauce 79.00 550g chicken breast 115.50 A 1.7kg whole chicken 160.67 Total spent 379.17 lira (£8.60)
I was the only one in the supermarket but the bakery was busy with Turks who were probably enjoying having the town to themselves for a change, while most of the Dalyan dwelling expats did Christmas. I found it very pleasant and the sun was shining at first but it started to rain while I was out and I had to shelter. We had a Turkish style breakfast; açma, simit, kaymak and cherry jam with tea for me and coffee for Captain Caveman. We had the AC on heat mode as it was a bit chilly. For the rest of the day, we decided to watch some TV. Our first film choice was the rather good Sleuth, with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. We had cheese on toast as promised to ourselves and it was just so lovely. By late afternoon we had opened a drop of red wine, the Christmas present from my parents, and had more cheese on toast, with salt and vinegar crisps. I made popcorn when it went dark and we watched another film; The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing about cracking the German Enigma code. It was not something I thought I would enjoy but it was really good. We finished our really relaxed non-Christmas, Christmas Day by watching a few episodes of 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown. I had one of the best days in ages and I didn’t mind missing Christmas, I was grateful to be in a country where it didn’t matter and we could just have a day on our own. This time next week Captain Caveman would have left Dalyan for at least 3 months. We found a flight for only £27 from Gatwick back to Dalaman at the end of March so we booked it, for that price it didn’t matter if he didn’t get to use it.
Of course there was no apology from Captain Caveman on Thursday 28th November, not that I had expected one, but I had hoped. He said that he would just play Bridge on the days when I was busy working, he said he was annoyed that I had all these things to do but I didn’t finish them because I did other things instead. I explained that when I asked him to do them, he didn’t because he was playing Bridge and then I would end up doing the things myself anyway. He only did the jobs that he wanted to do and played Bridge the rest of the time, he still didn’t see my point of view and, as I looked over, he was playing Bridge while having this conversation!!! I fed the dogs their breakfast and while Captain Caveman went off to Bumming, I stupidly googled Bridge addiction (instead of doing my to-do list) and found that it was really quite serious. All the advice on the internet said to leave and get out of a relationship with a Bridge player as they will never stop. There was no plan to change as far as I could see and I was not the person he would ever listen to enough to change, not that he wanted to. I already knew if he had to choose Bridge or me (or anything else, for that matter) he would always choose Bridge. I went to get a cup of tea and some breakfast and saw that Captain Caveman had made a point of leaving the kitchen a mess with his breakfast pots, as he wasn’t doing the washing up. I decided the only thing I could do was to concentrate on my own goals and surviving the rest of this year – I had certainly made it through worse. I would avoid anything and everyone that didn’t have anything to do with work, the dogs, Fat Club, Turkish class, blogging or content for my books. Once all those were sorted I could look at other stuff. I ate a samosa and a cheese roll and, when Captain Caveman got back, I warmed us up some soup and we pretty much ate in silence, while he watched tv.
We walked the dogs who looked so cosy in their jackets and called in to Fire Opal to pick up some food. For dinner, I made jacket potatoes with leftover chicken chasseur and did all the washing up today. That evening, feeling knackered from no sleep last night, Captain Caveman and I watched a drama called ‘Until I Kill You’ which was pretty harrowing and just the ticket to cheer me up!
On Saturday 9th November, things got a little bit unpredictable; Captain Caveman did not get up before me, nor did he make me a cup of tea in bed. We had said last night that we would get up early to go to the market but it looked like Captain Caveman had changed his mind. I made my own tea and had some buttered toast and a banana for breakfast, while I waited for Captain Caveman to get up, as he said he would do shortly. I chopped all the veg to make a large amount of leek and potato soup and put it all in the slow cooker with some vegetable stock. It would be ready around 1pm, in time for lunch and with some leftover to batch up for the freezer. I got impatient waiting for Captain Caveman to come downstairs and went to check on him. He still hadn’t got out of bed and was on his phone, scrolling at a load of what I would describe as ‘crap’. I needed to go to the bank and I was also meeting a lady as I had some clothes for sale, which she was interested in buying an item from me. I was now down to a size 12 so I had lots of clothes that were far too big for me and were taking up space in the wardrobes and cupboards. Captain Caveman said he would be up and ready for the market after I had been to my parents, the bank and met with the potential clothes buyer. The lady bought the item and we had a lovely chat. My parents were well and were also off to the market and I could have gone with them but I hadn’t brought the shopping bags or list and I was waiting for Captain Caveman so that he could help carry all the items I had on the list. I didn’t want to be too long as I still needed to do some work and some writing and the weekends are the busiest times for enquiries so I wanted to make sure I was available. I also needed to be back to turn off the slow cooker with the soup in. Having been in and out of the house twice already, it was 11.30am as I walked back in glorious sunshine to get Captain Caveman, who had assured me he would be ready to go to the market. He wasn’t, he was still laying on the bed scrolling through his phone. I got told he didn’t fancy going to the market today as he was going to have a lazy day. I was fuming, as I could have already been and done the market shopping ages ago. I would also have loved a lazy day myself but I didn’t have that choice of such a luxury. It really felt like I was trying to fight a losing battle and that Captain Caveman, who was ordinarily more of an action person, was becoming even more of an argumentative, lazy, phone addicted teenager. I wouldn’t have minded as much if he had said hours ago that he had no intention of doing what he had suggested yesterday. I was at a loss as to how to handle the situation as Captain Caveman is not someone who will do anything he doesn’t want to. I decided that all I could do is do things as if he wasn’t going to join in or be of help and then quickly adapt when he decided he would be. I asked the internet for answers but that was a lot more worrying than real life. Finally, at gone 12.30pm, I hurried to the market and here is what I bought at each stall, prices in lira;
Stall 1 A massive white cabbage & leeks 100
Stall 2 Plums 30
Stall 3 Bazlama bread, spring onions, lettuce 140
Stall 4 Potatoes 40
Stall 5 Pumpkin & garlic 90
Total spent 400 lira (£9)
With hindsight, I should not have bothered going and maybe managed without going to the market this week. Even my favourite stall holder tried to rip me off but she had picked the wrong time and I was having none of it, right now. She’s an old lady and it could’ve been an honest mistake but I asked (in Turkish) how much the pumpkin and garlic came to, she replied 90 lira and I gave her the only note I could, a 200 lira. She then gave me 10 lira back and was about to go on with her day. I asked her where my 100 lira was and she told me I gave her 100 lira, the 200 note was still in her hand with the open bumbag and her friend was listening to me to see what I was going to do next. I again, speaking in Turkish, told her I gave her 200, that she had a 200 right there and that I had 10 lira but wanted another 100. She was about to weigh the pumpkin and garlic again but I stood firm and then got my 100 lira – we all had a laugh and I made out like she made a mistake but I was unsure if she hadn’t done it on purpose. My bag was so heavy that I had to not bother getting any more fruit or peppers as I really struggled to carry the bag. When I put it all away at home, we had some of my homemade leek and potato soup with some of the nice bread from the market for lunch. It was gone 2.30pm when I managed to start any work and I had to be finished by 4.30pm to go to meet a friend, who was over from England but leaving to go home tomorrow. I mentioned to Captain Caveman that his laziness and lack of communication this morning had meant I was behind by a lot and he suggested we cancel going for a tea at the tea gardens with my friend. Obviously, this was because he had been playing Bridge and didn’t want to stop. I said he had to come and I had invited my parents as well. At the tea gardens we both drank fresh sage and lemon tea, which is amazing and one of my favourite teas there. My parents had a beer and we watched the sunset after my friend had arrived from her boat trip. By 6.30pm, Captain Caveman was feeling the cold, my friend was still in her shorts so we decided to walk back home. At home, Captain Caveman tried to redeem himself by making a pasta with peppers, olives and sucuk for our dinner. I decided I had too much to catch up on tomorrow that I wouldn’t go on the Sunday Walk, despite probably needing the exercise and it being the last one my parents would be going on this year.
Thursday 3rd October gave me an opportunity to sort my banking out for the new month to make sure I put the required amounts in to my Turkish bank. I had already got my 6 months residency renewal but I would need to apply again in 4 months with evidence of 6 months of payments. The weather was hotting up as I gave Norman and Edna their breakfast then decided I was going to apply for some more jobs including a part-time remote Sales Consultant for a UK company. I had tea and toast for my breakfast, followed by a snack of feta cheese and an apple when I got peckish. I was also in discussions with Mehmet, the gardener, again as I decided I was going to complain that he still hadn’t sorted out my bushes to be able to hang my washing out but he had done some stuff on the other side of the complex. He said the lads would be there at 10am, they didn’t come and when I complained he said they had forgotten. They eventually came but it did take unnecessary time out of my day with all the chasing. Mehmet’s lads arrived at Fire Opal around 1.30pm, but I was at Jamie’s so I went back over to check – it had been done, finally! I treated myself to an açma for lunch which I had with some of Vanessa’s jam on.
Back at Jamie’s with Norman & Edna, they had a bone each, I had some leftover chickpea curry and then got ready for a rare night out in Dalyan. I had decided to invite Vanessa on a dog walk with me, Norman & Edna where we would call for my parents and then meet Linda at Ela’s Kitchen. I was keen to see my parents and hear all about their recent trip to Cappadocia plus it was 2 days since Linda had arrived for her week’s holiday in Dalyan so I was looking forward to checking on how she was doing. It was also Happy Hour at Ela’s and I know the dogs really enjoying going there on their evening walk along the river and through town. Vanessa got lost and ended up at the wrong end of the street and had to rush to catch me up. Norman and Edna were on a mission to eat cat poo so Vanessa and I shared the holding of the dogs. Vanessa was so busy telling my parents all about her recent trip to Datça that Edna got away with munching a little bit of cat shit outside my parents’ place. Edna and Norman were as excited as me to reach Ela’s Kitchen where Happy Hour was very welcomed. At only 120 lira (£2.67) for a decent glass of wine, I managed to polish off 3! Vanessa was on water and was updating my parents on all her trips she had planned. Linda hadn’t got my message until later due to having been down Iztuzu beach all day, but joined us still in time for Happy Hour. When Vanessa left to go back home, the rest of us decided we would like to all eat out together this evening. My parents suggested to Linda and I that we go to Firat’s for food as it is one of their favourite Turkish restaurants and I agreed. I had to wait until the sausages, which Sev had cooked for the dogs, were a bit cooler before I could walk them home. Norman & Edna love Sev’s sausages and were so happy to get one each. We paid and I left a tip to account for the sausages and water bowls, as not all establishments are that welcoming to pets. While the others finished their drinks, I hurried back to drop the dogs home and then rushed back.
I was back to join Ma, Pa & Linda within 20 minutes of leaving Ela’s Kitchen and I had even got changed. The 3 of them had managed to get a great table at Firat’s and it was a busy 9pm already. We ordered a bottle of Angora wine which was 650 lira (£14.50) between the 4 of us and we had complimentary balloon bread (lavaş) to start with. All of us went straight for mains and I had a delicious chicken shish. My mom had the fish as it’s her favourite thing on the menu, Linda ordered lamb and dad chose chicken. The main courses ranged in price from 400 lira (£8.90) to 600 lira (£13.36) and our total bill with wine came to about £60 for the 4 of us, which I would say was very reasonable. We all had a really good meal and then decided it would be a good idea to walk Linda back to her accommodation, at Riverside Hotel. I’d never been before, the 4 of us sat on high stools at the pool bar and ordered a nightcap, or two. Ramazan, who my parents and I knew from his previous locations, was working the bar and had a good chat and a drink with us.
Gayle messaged me on the morning of Sunday 22nd September asking where is good to go for Menemen and did I fancy a last breakfast with them. I don’t eat eggs and tomatoes generally so it’s not a dish I like but everyone I know who does, says that Ela’s Kitchen has the best one. Gayle said they had already been there 3 times this holiday so had wanted to try somewhere else and was thinking of Cinar. They didn’t have Menemen on their menu so we ended up at Ela’s, anyway. Beforehand, I had walked over to their’s and they had helped me bring all the rest of my stuff over from my parents’ upstairs room. My parents were arriving in a couple of days but I only had a 2 day window to get my stuff before they left for a holiday in Cappadocia. Once at Ela’s Kitchen, one of my favourite breakfast places, Neil and Gayle both had their usual and I was extra hungry so I had a large full English (no tomatoes or eggs) and a cup of Yorkshire tea. The food was as good as always and I ate every bit of it as I was pretty peckish. The bill came to a total of 1300 lira (£28.63) for all of us so less than an English tenner each for a great breakfast.
After breakfast, Gayle & Neil were going back to get ready for leaving Dalyan tomorrow and, as I was up and off to Fethiye really early, today was the last day I would see them. They invited me to join them at Kingfisher restaurant that night but I was mindful they would probably want a romantic night by themselves. I did invite them to call in at mine for a drink before or after though, so we could say goodbye. I had really had a great time with them and I wasn’t really sure when I would see them again. I popped to the shops and picked up some essentials, including provisions for my trip to Fethiye tomorrow, prices below in lira;
Migros Supermarket 1 plastic bag 0.25 1 Quark 29.95 Water 34.90 Total spent 65.10 lira (£1.44)
Şok Supermarket Water 9.75 Biscuits 17.00 Turkey ham 22.00 Cheese slices 28.50 Total spent 77.25 (£1.70)
Bakery 1 fresh loaf 10 lira (22p)
When I got home, I had a video call with Captain Caveman and I mentioned about me going to Fethiye tomorrow. He didn’t seem at all interested and was preoccupied with something else. He said he would call me back after he had a shower but then he forgot. I was a bit cheesed off that he had not wished me well for my appointment either. Was I maybe imagining that he really didn’t care if I got it renewed or not!? Jamie picked me up at 6.30pm and I was outside trimming the bush that our gardener still hadn’t touched. The elusive gardening company were still experts at doing absolutely nothing and the bougainvillea was below face level for anyone going through the gate. My neighbours were older than me and had to duck beneath the spiky branches. We drove over to Julia’s so that I could pick up a key, meet her dogs and go through the requirements of what I was needed to do for the next few days of doggy care. Coco & Bebe were a little shy of me at first, while Norman & Edna were pleased to see me. Edna was a bit less giddy than usual but it was probably because she was at Aunty Julia’s house and wanted to show she was behaving better than the resident dogs! I wasn’t there long and then decided I would walk the 20 minutes back in to town, calling at the shops again on the way back. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Dido Trio chocolate bar 13.50 Dido Lemon chocolate bar 14.00 Popcorn 21.50 Total spent 49.00 lira (£1.08)
Nova Market (used to be Selcuk Market) 1 bottle of white wine 200.00 lira (£4.41)
I was definitely noticing that, although prices had gone up a little in Dalyan, the prices for drinks and snacks in the shops were definitely cheaper here than in England and Rhodes.
I made cheese and turkey ham sandwiches for tomorrow’s trip to Fethiye, even though it should have been a short visit once there. I was preparing for if it was not straight forward as I didn’t want to be spending money on lunch out. I ate a sandwich while waiting for Gayle & Neil to pop in after their meal at Kingfisher. When they arrived, they weren’t as merry as I had expected they might be on their last night. They had a lovely meal but said they were finished quite early and then had to sit around for a while waiting to get the boat back. We had a couple of drinks and a good laugh. We had used my parents’ shopping trolley earlier to bring some of my stuff over, so they took that back with them. We had hugs goodbye, which is unusual as my sister is not normally one for hugs or soppy farewells. We had all had a really good time together on the occasions I had joined them and there had not been any falling out whatsoever – we were obviously maturing! I was actually very sad to see them leave and a little bit glad that I wouldn’t be able to see them drive off to the airport tomorrow at 9.30am, in case I got upset. I don’t think they wanted to leave Dalyan, having had such a great holiday but they had to get back for the dog. I got all my documents together and set my alarm for 6am so that I could be up and ready for tomorrow’s residency renewal appointment.
Thursday 19th September was my last full day with my friends in Ialyssos as I was leaving Rhodes early the next morning. Tonight would be our last night together and all the girls were really looking forward to us celebrating the end of our (too short) holiday together. When I woke up, I felt like absolute death and could hardly clean my teeth without puking. Liz did a walk, the girls all went out for brunch and it took me until 2pm to force down a slice of buttered toast and a cup of tea. The girls had fancied trying out Casa Italia tonight and I pretty much had to drag myself out of bed to attend the evening’s meal out and I am so glad that I did. Casa Italia is owned by Costas, the same owner as Cosa Nostra, Creamland and Kostas Village Taverna. As we arrived, Louisa, Kelly and Clare were walking ahead and didn’t notice Costas who came to chat to Liz and me. He was a very nice man and you wouldn’t have known he owned all the restaurants, very humble. Once seated, the manager was not happy with where we had been plonked and moved us to a nicer table. The girls were on it but I could not face any alcohol and stuck to water. We shared garlic bread and more of the fancy bruschetta. Liz ordered shrimp linguini, Louisa spaghetti Bolognese, Clare the burata on a huge plate of prosciutto, Kelly a rather lovely salad and I had to have the ham and mushroom calzone. When the food came, it was absolutely marvellous but my calzone was so big that I had to take half home with me, with a piece of the garlic bread, for good measure.
At 10.15pm we paid our bill and some of the girls fancied ice-cream at Creamland, I’m not a fan of ice-cream so I faffed around taking photos, as you do. It was such a good night but I was sensible and was back at the villa with the rest of the girls by 11pm. That next hour was the saddest as I said my goodbyes (with tears) to Louisa, Kelly & Clare. Liz was going to get up with me early tomorrow as the taxi to the port was booked for 7am.
There was a bit of bad news on Wednesday 18th September and it wasn’t just that I would have put on some weight from overindulgence with my family and friends over the last week or so. I did my measurements, as usual, to find that I had put 2cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips, my bust had stayed the same. Liz and I were up and about much earlier than everyone else, she had been doing her exercises and I had already done a couple of hours work. I saw 2 big black crows on the wall of the villa and they stuck around for a while, one of them let me walk up quite close and I vaguely remembered that superstition suggests that seeing 2 crows is lucky. Apparently it means new beginnings in a relationship or career. I’d had a reply back from my boss’s wife, to say to speak to him about why I hadn’t been paid yet. It was 4 days overdue and I knew from her response that it didn’t look promising. I decided to stop work until I had spoken to my boss to find out what was going on. I had a feeling he no longer could see the need in keeping me on during the quiet winter months. I closed the laptop so that Liz and I could go for a walk, get some breakfast and a coffee for Liz. By 9.30am Liz was getting us something from The Cake Box. She had a croissant, a coffee and a detox juice while I had a sundried tomato and cheese ciabatta and a juice. It was once again lovely, although Liz didn’t reckon much to the coffee as it wasn’t a brand she preferred. We walked around and I took her to Creamland to see if the coffee was any better and, luckily, it was. It cost €5.50 (£4.58) for her Cappuccino with a Freddo Espresso in it. Our next stop was a nice walk along the beach where a lovely Dutch woman had been making a cute heart and some writing out of stones on the beach. We got talking to her and her friend then decided to have our photos taken by her over her art work – I bet she thought we were daft, but Liz and I did not care! When we got back to the villa it was gone 11am, I was hoping to get a call in with my boss, for an update on the work situation. While all the girls were busy enjoying their holiday, I got a message from him. It said ‘things were getting very quiet and he was canning our project’. He thanked me for my help, apologised for the late notice and that I had ended up working 4 days over what he had already paid me for. I already had a feeling this was going to happen so I just replied with best wishes for flood season and to let me know if there was anything I could help with in the future. It was quite a blow that, just like that, I had no further income and I would now have to wait to rely on Captain Caveman once again, until I found another job. I made a decision not to say anything to the girls, I was doing all I could to hold it together lately as it was and didn’t want to ruin their (or my) holiday. I made myself a promise to find another job within a month, though, or set up my own business. As luck would have it, only 2 days ago a friend had suggested I talk to his boss as he thought I would be a good fit for an opportunity at his place. I decided to tell the girls that I had the rest of the week off, which wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth. We only had 2 more days together and I wanted us all to have a good, and happy, time.
As if the girls knew to cheer me up anyway, the fizz was out of the fridge and it was jacuzzi time. Not before being dragged through a yoga/HIT session with Liz and Clare. It was far too difficult for me on a concrete floor with my knees but I gave it a go where I could. Louisa kindly took photos of us and pointed out when I needed to adjust my position. The jacuzzi was fantastic and the bubbles were very much appreciated as I secretly celebrated being unemployed once again! By 6pm we were showered and changed, ready to hit the town – I even wore one of my dresses. Clare and I took photos of each other by the pool while we waited for everyone to finish getting ready. It was pretty windy and it took a couple of goes to get some without our hair all over the place.
Clare had took the liberty of booking a table for the 5 of us at Cosa Nostra and it certainly did not disappoint. I was very conscious of being on a budget but I ordered a margarita cocktail at €12.50 (£10.41), a Gnocchi starter at €10.50 (£8.75) and a mushroom risotto at €18 (£15). The steaks started at €45 (£37.50) so I avoided those and we all shared some fancy bruschetta with various toppings.
The food was excellent and the service on our VIP table, second to none. We ended up having more cocktails instead of wine with our dinner and I threw caution to the wind a little having 2 more drinks. At the end of our meal we were brought out free shots of something ridiculously sickly sweet. As we were getting the bill, one of the girls had already paid and it was on her! Wow, I was both grateful and speechless. More free shots were had and a group photo with the staff before heading back to the villa. Of course, that would have been the best thing to do at gone 10.30pm but it was Liz’s first night out and she really fancied another drink somewhere. While Louisa and Kelly headed back home, Clare and I accompanied Liz to a bar which I think was called Blaze Bar. It had a band on and we must have been a bit tiddly as Liz ordered a Bloody Mary, Clare had a cocktail which looked like Sex on the Beach meets a Pina Colada and I, very foolishly, ordered a draft lager. The band was a lot better than we were expecting with 3 members who looked like famous people with our beer goggles on. We joined in on the singing and stayed until closing time. I paid for the round of drinks and had one of the best nights in years for just £20!! It was gone midnight when we got back and then Liz and I stayed awake talking for a few hours – at least I didn’t have to worry about getting up for work in the morning!
My day on Tuesday 17th September started with a healthy breakfast but would not continue in that vein – it was probably a good thing I was missing the Dalyan Fat Club tomorrow! I ate a banana and a plum with my cup of tea, then got on with work. At lunch time the girls were going for a walk so I decided to close the laptop and join them. On our walkabout, we spotted a lovely rooftop bar and went in for some lunch and a drink. Kompologaki restaurant also had sunbed rentals by the beach across the road and we had nice views of the sea from our corner rooftop table. There were lunchtime specials on so we ordered from that menu where it came with a beer or wine included in the price. It had one of those QR code readers to view the menu so we used that and I made a list of who wanted what so that I could go back downstairs and order, here’s what everyone chose; Kelly: Pasta Carbonara + beer + Sprite + Mai Tai cocktail Louisa: Gyros plate + beer + Sprite Clare: Gyros plate + wine + soda water Jo (me): Gyros plate + beer
We also ordered a bottle of still water for us all and the total came to 62.30 Euros (£51.76) and I really liked my lunch. I also ended up with 2 small beers because the lovely waitress had miscalculated the included ones, thinking all 4 of us wanted the beer and not 3 plus a wine. We also got a good deal on 3 bottles of decent wine for 30 Euros (£25), split between Clare and I.
On the way back to the villa, we called at the supermarket for provisions too. Back ‘home’ I did a bit more work while the girls relaxed by the pool. I was happy to close the laptop and join them for crisps and a wine in the early evening. One of our other friends, Liz, was on her flight to come and join us. We were looking out for her plane, which would be flying directly above us. As we were waiting, we got a bit peckish and started our buffet for dinner, Kelly plated up some for Liz so that we didn’t eat it all. Clare took a video of the BA plane which Liz was on as she came in to land and we were all super excited when she arrived. There were hugs, tears and extraordinary footwear. Wine was had but not the fizz in the fridge as that was for when we went in the Jacuzzi in the main bedroom – oh wow, I hadn’t realised there was one! The rosé wine Clare and I had bought went down a treat and I even got to wear some fancy shoes of Liz’s while we caught up on her news. It was like having the band back together and I was so happy that Liz got the short straw and had to share my twin room for the next 4 nights.
Sunday 15th September was a long but eventful day, where I very nearly didn’t get to Rhodes for my holiday with the girls. My friend and I were up before the agreed 4.30am and were ready to leave before 5am for our drive to Marmaris. By 5.40am we had a blow out on the main motorway and we didn’t really know what to do. Luckily, we both had a working phone and our torches were able to flag 2 men down, despite the dark. They stopped, but spoke no English and were panicking that we had not managed to get the vehicle off the side of the road. We told them we had a jack and some tools but the bolts were too stiff for us and they didn’t know how to change the tyre for the spare. We managed to get in touch with a Turkish friend and he was on his way but would be about 40 minutes, we put the 2 men on the phone so that they could speak in Turkish to try to help further. We established they were Kurdish and that they were insisting on us moving the car off the road, which they helped us with and we had to push. By 6.45am we were in danger of missing the 8.45am ferry from Marmaris to Rhodes. As I was booked on the 11am we would have to ask if my friend could get on the later one with me. I took photos of the car’s predicament in case we had to prove our excuse for being late. Our Turkish friend arrived in a yellow taxi with a mechanic and they fixed the car. We gave them simits in case they were hungry and they followed us to the next junction to check all was fine with the car – it was. Ferry check-in was at 7.45am but we arrived at 7.46am and the staff member was great. She let me switch on to the earlier ferry at no cost and all was fine. I’d already taken a sea sickness pill as I anticipated a rough crossing but I was thinking I might take another. We were a little in shock that we had made it to the ferry in good time and there were even little bunnies just freely hopping about. The Yeşil Marmaris Lines ferry, left Marmaris at 8.45am, we got sandwiches and tea for a total of 400 lira (£9), and they were fresh and filling. We both decided to take a sea sickness tablet and we were asleep before we had even got out of the dock. When I did wake up an hour later, all I could hear and see were far too many people being sick – not all of them in to the bags that the staff were desperately trying to hand out. It smelled and sounded horrendous, I could see land in the distance through the very choppy sea but I closed my eyes and went back to sleep! By 10am we were getting off the ferry, through immigration and I headed for the souvenir shop to ask if they did left luggage. The very nice lady there told me to follow her to a shelf at the back of the shop and we popped my rucksack in a hidden room for the day at a cost of just €3 (£2.51). I was glad that I didn’t have to carry it as it was jammed full but it did mean that I could probably have added in some duty free gin if I’d not been so concerned about avoiding vomiting passengers. I still had to pick it back up when we came back at 4.30pm to check in for my friend’s return ferry.
My travel buddy for the day already had a list of things she wanted to see while on the island of Rhodes, and was very keen for us to take the bus to Tsambika Monastery. We walked from the port, along the harbour and via the boats filled with stuff made from shells. The bus ticket from Rhodes Town to Tsambika Monastary on the 11am no.23 bus cost €3.30 (£2.76) each. The bus was in, we only just made it and I think I remembered where we should get off to head for the monastery. On a few of my visits to Rhodes, I had gone past it on the bus on my way to Lindos or Lardos.
It took us 50 minutes to get there and the sun was already pretty warm so I wasn’t relishing the thought of walking to the top but my friend was so keen to see this place and I’d never been. A Greek lady who also got off the bus and was wanting to visit the Tsambika Monastery was chatting to us, in Greek, as a car came past and we flagged them down. The 3 of us managed to cram in the back and got a lift to the first main car park, then set off walking. My friend reminded me a little of Captain Caveman as she forged on ahead, stopping to briefly check I was still following. I finally reached the top at 12.30pm and took a selfie at the Greek flag.
The old monastery is built on top of a big hill with gorgeous views to the sea and the surrounding area, the views over the beaches of Tsambika and Kolymbia are pretty amazing too. Like a lot of tourist attractions, the monastery itself was underwhelming, small and full of vendors selling religious tat. My friend loved it and had already taken photos while I had a puff of my inhaler. The 300 steps with just a small bottle of water and some polo mints had been hard work and there was no time to rest at the top. We had to descend the 300 steps, buy some more water and get back to the bus stop on the main road by 1pm. I’d asked when we had bought the bus tickets what time the return bus was and got told 1pm, the driver had told us 1pm from Lindos so we weren’t sure as we flagged a fancy car down and we got a lift to the bottom with some kind locals. We both needed a wee as there were no toilets at this tourist attraction. We waited ages for the bus, other potential passengers came and went, we drank all our water, ate our emergency apples and generally moaned about the sun and lack of any shade – we could see how Michael Moseley could have got in to difficulty in this type of terrain and temperature.
I was just about to go in to the bushes for a pee around 1.50pm, when the bus came and we were very glad to get on it. By 2.30pm we were safely back in the old town and ready to tick off another few ‘must sees’. My friend was quite a lot more taken with the Temple of Aphrodite than I’ve seen any other person be, as we simply walked past it in the ruins and walls.
By 3pm I was ready for food and a drink. We sat upstairs at Archipelagos and ordered a glass of rosé wine for €7 (£5.85) each and a main meal each. I chose the pork skewer for €16.50 (£13.80) and my friend went for the beef stifado at €17.50 (£14.63). The food was lovely but we were only just going to make it to the ferry port in time to check in. I retrieved my left luggage and bought another bottle of water for 1 Euro then it was time to say farewell to my travel buddy. We had enjoyed a great day out in Rhodes and I was glad she had finally had someone to suffer the monastery with her.
At 4.45pm I was on my way out of the port and off to the bus station, once more. There was a bus which would leave at 5.25pm and take 38 minutes to get to a hotel near to where the girls were staying in Ialyssos, on the North West of the island. My bag was heavy, the sun was strong and I was tempted to get a taxi but there were none about. The bus stop was crowded and there was only one bus coming so I decided to walk back to the taxi rank and pay the €15 (£12.50) for the 10 minute ride. Unfortunately, without a working phone, I couldn’t find the location and the taxi driver only new the approximate place. I asked a waiter at a nearby restaurant but he was too busy and unhelpful. I finally found the villa, which was about 10 metres away from where the taxi driver dropped me in the first place! Finally, after a very long and eventful day, I was reunited with Clare, Kelly & Louisa at the extremely lovely villa. I was welcomed with hugs and rum which was nice and then given a little tour of the premises, logged on to the internet and I shoved my bag in the twin room. Even though I still had to work while I was there, I was sure I would get lots of time to enjoy being with my friends again. Dinner was a fantastic buffet of meats, feta cheese, salad and bread which went down very well. I hardly took any photos as my phone was on charge after today’s jaunts. We stayed up chatting and catching up on who was doing what, while drinking. I stuck to just rum with ice as I had got so used to not drinking any fizzy drinks or juice most of the time and didn’t want to dilute it. That night, I was so tired I could’ve slept on a washing line and I did not need any help nodding off.
Photo credit – some photos taken by my travel buddy
joloyolo 