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.
I was awake so early on Monday 16th September as the burglar alarm on the neighbouring villa was sounding continuously and it was very hard for me to ignore. It was still not properly light as I went downstairs and discovered that there was no electric or wifi and it looked to have been a windy night. It was only 6.30am so I decided to get dressed, I got to see a glimpse of a sunrise from my bedroom balcony, before I went out for a walk. I had no clue where I was going so I just headed away from the ringing of the alarm. It was quite cold and I had popped on my jeans and a jumper for the first time in a month. In fact, this was one of my outfits that Clare had brought out for me. I took photos as I walked, in case I got lost and then I decided on getting some breakfast and something for lunch at a lovely café called The Cake Box, here’s what I had with prices in Euros;
The Cake Box 1 chocolate croissant 1.50 1 Feta & pesto ciabatta 2.30 Total spent 3.80 (£3.16)
This was a bargain and I continued my walk while eating the chocolate croissant which was so lovely and definitely not Slimming World friendly.
I could still hear the alarm and the streets were very empty. I guessed Ialyssos wasn’t geared up for early rises as even most of the supermarkets were still closed. The nearest beach was small, pebbly and very close to our villa and I had a little walk towards the waters edge. I saw a few people jogging but there were certainly no holiday makers rushing to get a sun lounger on the beach at 8am.
After coming across a lovely row of restaurants and cafes, I noticed an outside sink where I rinsed my chocolatey fingers and face under the tap. I found a supermarket that had just opened and I bought some tea bags and individual milks from the supermarket for €3 (£2.50).
When I got back to the villa, there were the owners and maintenance people next door. They had turned off the alarm and the owner’s sister told me the internet was getting fixed and would be on in about 10 minutes. I was rather surprised to find that none of my friends in our villa were out of bed yet. They obviously had more tolerance for noise than me! I cracked on with work once the WiFi was back on. When the girls got up, they decided they were going to have a walk for some brunch/shopping while I worked and asked if I needed anything. I still had my ciabatta for lunch so I was fine as I was. I got quite a lot of work done and was doing new leads and sourcing information.
After work, the weather had warmed up and the girls were out by the pool sunbathing. I braved the swimming cozzie and joined them for a dip, it was certainly refreshing. We had a bit of a chat before the girls got on with their holiday reads or put their music on. For dinner, the girls knocked up another lovely feast, this time Kelly had cooked corn on the cobs and some chicken to make wraps with! It was so tasty and I ended up having 2 chicken wraps as there was plenty – some even went in the fridge for tomorrow. The white wine which was definitely drinkable went down quite well. I had about half the bottle, meaning I had consumed about 3 days’ worth of syns in one day! While sipping drinks and chatting, one of my friends noticed that the swimming pool seemed to be getting fuller and may be likely to overflow. It did indeed end up in a breach and Clare having to contact the owner as we sat back and watched it. Once again, my evening was filled with laughter and I was very much loving having time with my friends – it was like therapy!!!
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
Captain Caveman and I were tucking in to Bo Ne at Mr Bull’s in Dong Hoi before 8am on Tuesday 9th April. Our flight from Dong Hoi to Hanoi was at 10.50am, meaning we would arrive in to the capital city just before midday. I was a bit cranky in Dong Hoi airport, as I had ordered what I thought was an oolong tea but it turned out to be a bottled sweet tea with tons of sugar. Captain Caveman often goes in to complete shutdown in an airport and doesn’t respond to being spoken to, he is so used to travelling alone that he spends the entire time on his phone and I find it rude. The flight was as expected and we arrived on time with plans to get the number 86 bus to Xuan Dieu to meet an old friend. Captain Caveman had arranged to meet Leonard, who used to live in Phong Nha, at a nice little Italian restaurant of Leonard’s choosing. We were meant to be meeting at Giovanni’s between 12.30 and 1pm but, unfortunately, there was a bit of a delay with our bus. There were quite a few pushy men at the bus station, asking where we were going and probably trying to get us to take an illegal taxi. Captain Caveman was having none of it and we both kept our wits about us as we saw what looked like a bit of scamming. We got on the bus and paid the 90,000VND (£2.84) for the pair of us to go to Xuan Dieu. We sat a while and then we were asked to get on another bus, which was further delayed and meant that Leonard was waiting a long time for us. We didn’t get going until 12.46pm and it meant we had about 15 minutes before the Giovanni’s kitchen closed at 2pm, once we arrived. We said hello to Leonard who was looking very well and was dining on a pesto pasta dish which Captain Caveman also ordered and I went for the tomato version. It was very tasty but I had started to feel a bit under the weather and had a bit of a cough. I put it down to the pollution as we walked Leonard back to his nearby apartment and said our goodbyes.
We walked, with our bags, to the Aisha Hotel where we were staying for 3 nights. It was very nice and it had a super comfy bed and no windows – ideal for getting to sleep in at last! There was no rest to be had though as we needed to get ready for the evening’s entertainment and, quite frankly, Captain Caveman had excelled himself with what he had up his sleeve!
Captain Caveman and I had been invited by his friends, Martin and Martina, to an evening event at the Czech Embassy in Hanoi. We arrived to a champagne reception and I was glad I had worn one of my new dresses, a black floor length number. There was a fundraiser for Blue Dragon where the founder, Do Duy Vi, was there to receive donations from an auction. The designer Mimi Lan Nguyen put on a fashion show which incorporated Vietnamese silk with Czech linen to raise money for the charity. Hynek Kmoníček, the Czech ambassador, was there to introduce it all and was quite an amusing speaker. Vi and Mimi were great and their stories were particularly moving, especially Vi who had grown up in poverty himself. There were stalls dotted around the outside of the building, my favourite being the Belgian chocolate one. We got to taste amazing chocolates by chocolatier Peter Rudolf Braun and it was so good. After the show there was a chance to mingle with the likes of the Finnish ambassador and his wife, both wearing big shiny rings. A buffet of fancy canapes was put on and I had 3 with a glass of red wine. Captain Caveman managed to snaffle down a considerable amount more than me but was still up for food and drink elsewhere later. I’d really enjoyed my evening of Vietnamese and Czech culture a lot more than I thought I would – definitely another first for me.
We left Martin and Martina to ‘finish their duties’ as they work at the embassy and we headed over to 7 Bridges where we arranged to meet back up with them. Here I drank cider as I was still trying to stay off the beer while Captain Caveman tried a couple of different IPAs. We also had some food, I had quesadillas and Captain Caveman had sausage. When Martin and Martina rejoined us we each had a slice of pizza too. It had been a great night, something a little different. Around 11pm we paid half each of our 1,580,000VND (£49.38) bill which consisted of 6 beers, 1 cider, 1 soft drink, 1 quesadilla, 1 sausage, and 4 slices of pizza. I was definitely glad of my bed that night and had a bit of a sore throat as I went to sleep.
I slept in until 7.30am on Thursday 21st March and went for the homestay breakfast at 8.30am. This time I requested the vegetable noodle dish without butter and a green tea. The views of the river were good, the temperature was cool and the rain had gone. I felt a bit out of sorts and couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. My skin had started to itch again and I thought either my eczema was coming back or that I had ring worm. My stomach wasn’t great and it took a lot longer than I’d expected to buy a bus ticket. Captain Caveman had instructed me to purchase my Phong Nha to Hoi An bus ticket from the Diep Le Homestay so I attempted that. We used Google translate and I thought I’d booked the 7am bus on Tuesday at a cost of 400,000VND (£12.62). I thought that seemed expensive but I had no reference point, having not bought a bus ticket since before Covid. I am also not a fan of the bus journey which takes 8 hours, changes in Danang and the drivers can be a bit iffy.
I cycled on the borrowed homestay bicycle to the pharmacy as I wanted to get some medication, it cost me 75,000VND (£2.38) for imodium and fungal treatment which would have been 5 times the price in Europe or Turkey. In the queue, I started to feel unwell so I popped next door to Lantern restaurant for a green tea and to be near a toilet. When I recovered, Tatas joined me there for lunch and we both had vegan pho, her’s with extra chillies and mine with random pineapple in it. Lunch was cheap at 60,000VND (£1.90) for my tasty soup and drink, which Tatas paid for. My next stop was to call at the supermarket, here’s what I bought and the prices in Dong.
Winmart Supermarket Goûté biscuits 30,100 3 cereal bars 34,000 6 apples 105,512 Total spent 169,612VND (£5.35)
I’d completely forgotten how expensive apples are in Vietnam, compared to Turkey and the UK, so I bought them without thinking. At 55p per apple I probably wouldn’t be buying them very often. I headed back to the homestay and had a video call with Vanessa. We had a great chat and she was still making good progress on her recovery.
After an hour I had to leave to go meet Veronika who had yet another treat in store for me. She’d only brought her own quality red wine with her to The Villa’s and had put the grandchildren (who she was in charge of) on a separate table so we could have dinner and wine together. We shared a green salad and a Momma D pizza which was lovely and before we’d hardly started, we had company. Aussie Pete arrived and proceeded to commence his ritual of asking the staff for a cold Huda and a glass with ice. As we were getting on with our evening we had another visitor; Marc (from Germany), had decided to surprise us. Once Veronika and I had got settled in to our dinner ‘date’ with Aussie Pete and German Marc, there was a call from Bich, Veronika’s daughter-in-law. She wanted to check on how the kids were doing and what they were up to. Unfortunately, they weren’t supposed to have been left to their own devices in the room watching Netflix, so Veronika had to resume babysitting duties and leave us. Tatas arrived in time to save the dodgy looking soirée and another bottle of wine was consumed. Before 9pm Aussie Pete fell asleep (standard practice) and we got kicked out at 11pm, an hour after closing time. As Veronika had provided wine for 2 nights running I paid for her meal too, a total of 595,000VND (£18.90) including tip, which was reasonable.
We had a nice relaxing day on Sunday 29th October. Captain Caveman got his bicycle wheel fixed for 135 lira (£3.96) which he was pleased about. We shared a sausage roll and a cheese & onion roll each for breakfast and both agreed they were lovely. For lunch I had cheese spread and bread but I decided to make a vegetable curry in the slow cooker for dinner. While I was chopping the veg, Captain Caveman got a call from our friend Caroline. We know her from Phong Nha, in Vietnam, she lives in Hoi An now and is Australian but had been in Greece for the last month. Caroline had made loose plans to see us in Rhodes but they never materialised so she would like to come and visit us in Dalyan…. tomorrow! Her flight would land in Dalaman airport at 3pm so it was all systems go to make up the spare bed and get the house clean for our friend’s arrival. We had the veggie curry with steamed rice which was delicious and, of course, we had some spare. We had a few grapes after and wondered how long a visit to Dalyan Caroline was planning.
I worked from 8am until 5pm on Monday 30th October and this would be my last week of working 16 hours. I’d already done some extra from last week so it meant I’d definitely be finished by Tuesday. I had Yorkshire tea and buttered wholemeal toast for breakfast. Captain Caveman went dogging, he likes to walk the dogs at the dog shelter so sometimes he goes up there to help out. He was back for lunch so we had leftover cauliflower mac and cheese. As we knew Caroline was arriving this afternoon, we asked the taxi to take her to Lukka bar, where Captain Caveman would go to meet her. I would finish working and then join them. As I was getting changed to go meet Caroline and Captain Caveman, I saw a post on Facebook reporting a dog that had turned up at someone’s house in Dalyan. It looked similar to Debbie (Darling)’s Brinny but had a different collar on. I messaged Debbie (Darling) who said it was Brinny’s sister, owned by a Turkish man. I also had a message from Kelly, back in the UK, the girls were hoping to be able to book their holiday to Rhodes for next September and had a few questions. It was a long way off but I hoped I’d be able to join them for a holiday. I met Caroline and Captain Caveman at Lukka bar, she looked well and was dressed for winter despite the warm weather in Dalyan. We had a beer together and she told us a bit about her trip to Greece and Sweden. We couldn’t sit about as we had a night out to get to so it was back home for curry before heading out to Sofra bar. The Bengisu Boys were playing a gig and they are great musicians so it turned in to a good night. By 10pm both Captain Caveman and I were on the Sofra ‘dancefloor’ giving it what-for! Caroline was too cool for dancing with the ‘olds’ but was testing out the drink menu and being acquainted with our friends. VLS arrived and I did a karaoke song with her. It was awful and I could see that Şükrü would never let me put in another request! By 11.30pm Brinny’s sister, the escaped dog, had found us and was keeping us company. The walk home, at just gone midnight, involved several stray dogs escorting us home and Caroline tried not to get attached, as she loves dogs.
On Tuesday 31st October Captain Caveman went off to Bridge so that I could work in peace, leaving Caroline with me. I had plans at lunch time to go over to Jamie’s as I was looking after his cute little dogs, Norman and Edna, for a few days. It turned out I’d got confused about the amount of hours I needed to work this week as my boss only wanted me to do 8 per week with immediate affect as from last week, so I’d already worked them. It was going to be incredibly tight for money for the next couple of months so it’s a good job we don’t do Christmas presents or celebrate Christmas out here, in Turkey. I left Caroline to her own devices following a discussion about the use of psilocybin mushrooms for trauma. I packed a bag and headed over to Jamie’s, taking my lunch with me. Around 1.15pm I was just getting a nice feta cheese salad ready to eat when Captain Caveman arrived at Jamie’s. He was meant to have been going back home to see Caroline for lunch but shared my salad. I sent him over to look after our guest with instructions to keep in touch while I looked after Norman and Edna. I didn’t see or hear from Captain Caveman or Caroline again that evening so I had a lovely quiet one with a leftover chicken and veggie curry. I obviously stayed over at Jamie’s and the pooches wanted to come upstairs to bed with me. I told them they had to sleep in their own bed downstairs and gave them a kiss. I didn’t have any alcohol, it was Fat Club tomorrow and I was only on 273 syns for the week. The Fat Club meeting tomorrow had a taster session that we all had to take something for so I’d brought over my ingredients to make something in the morning.
On Sunday 15th October I woke up without a hangover, which was quite a surprise. We sorted out the remainder of our laundry, which had been hung out to dry, and Captain Caveman went to get some much needed water as we had none in the house. We decided to pack all our stuff and leave the traditional Greek house earlier to go for a hot drink/breakfast rather than go to come back again. Our ferry from Rhodes to Fethiye wasn’t until 4pm but we needed to be there for 3pm to get our tickets. I got a message from Steve at 10.40am to say he would send us our ferry tickets shortly. We left the house just after 11am and went to the bakery and Cuckoo’s Nest for everyone (except me) to get pastries and coffee. Even though I no longer have gluten intolerances, I still avoid pastries before travelling as I always get a dodgy tum. I did buy a sandwich to take with me for when we got to Rhodes Town though. Steve and Michelle joined us for a coffee and to say their goodbyes, not knowing exactly when we would see them again but the ferries were going to be running in the winter months. Taxis in Rhodes are extremely expensive and would not have comfortably fitted 4 adults and all our luggage in so we had opted for the pretty reliable public transport option. The bus cost us €5.60 (£4.71) each to get to Rhodes Town and was meant to take 2 hours. We got in to town before 2pm and decided to go straight to the port rather than messing around. It was a bit of a walk but we took it steady as the weather was nice and we were in no rush. At the port, it was the busiest I’d ever seen it and there was no available seating. Eventually we got a seat, I got the tickets and I managed to eat my sandwich around 3pm. It was a long trip back to Dalyan, especially as we took the decision to go all the way by public transport after our usual taxi guy, failed to respond to messages. The ferry crossing was fine and quite relaxing, we took a short but speedy taxi ride to the bus station only to find that a bus to Ortaca was already in. Captain Caveman ran ahead to get on with us rushing to keep up with him. We got on and paid the less than £2.50 fare each to get to Ortaca, about an hour away. The bus ride wasn’t too pleasant, it was rather cold with the windows open plus I soon needed the loo. When we got to Ortaca the bus to Dalyan was in so Captain Caveman was keen to hurry to get it but we had a falling out when I said I didn’t care if we missed it. Even after a pitstop for Mom and I to go for a pee, we still managed to catch the Dalyan bus that was waiting but I had to squidge on to the back seat with a nice Turkish family. It was cold and rain was coming in the open window so we were all glad to finally get off at Dalyan where Captain Caveman had a cunning plan. He needed to redeem himself for us all being so hungry and thirsty but yet being in Dalyan with all our luggage at gone 8.30pm. Since leaving Lardos at 12 we had not stopped and my parents hadn’t eaten since that pasty for breakfast at 11.30am. Captain Caveman would take our bags home while my parents, their bags and I would go to Duble restaurant and order some food. I think my dad was a bit too tired because he couldn’t decide what to have and said there was nothing he liked despite going to Duble a few times and enjoying it. By the time Captain Caveman got back we still hadn’t ordered either. Mom chose chicken and mushroom pasta, Dad went for a chicken shish he didn’t really fancy and Captain Caveman and I both ordered the same; lentil soup and liver starters as a main. Dad and Captain Caveman ordered alcoholic beverages but Mom and I could not face booze after last night. The food was excellent and Ma insisted that she paid for the meal which was very good of them. It was easily after 10pm as we headed home, Captain Caveman took my parents case to their’s for them so there was no chance of either of them struggling with it on the stairs.
Not only was Saturday 14th October the last full day and night of our Rhodes holiday, but it was also Ma & Pa’s wedding anniversary. We’d not been able to celebrate it properly for one reason or another these last few years so I’d decided it would be lovely to do something special. Nothing gets past my Mom, though, so I had to hatch a plan that everyone but my parents were in on. Yara Yachting were booked for a day’s private boat trip and I’d invited Steve and Michelle to join my parents, Captain Caveman and I. I told my parents that we were going to meet Steve and Michelle at Cuckoo’s Nest for coffee at 9.30am, which was quite early. I pretended it was the only time Steve and Michelle could fit us in with work so we could all go to the beach. Everyone had a coffee and some had pastries (bought from the bakery) at Cuckoo’s Nest, I didn’t as I knew I’d be sailing. When the Yara Yachting car came to pick us up in Lardos Square I lied and said it must be a friend of Steve and Michelle’s, giving us a lift in the hot sun to save us walking. Even when we got to Kiotari Beach they were none the wiser and my Mom started looking for which sunbeds we might want to sit on. I went to pay for the trip while Captain Caveman kept my parents from rolling out a towel, then I told them. My Mom was so surprised that she hugged and thanked everyone for their anniversary surprise. We had to get a small tender to the yacht in 2 trips, Captain Caveman escorted my parents so they could safely be first on to the yacht. I followed with Steve and Michelle and, once on board, the 2 captains gave us a bit of information while we got seated. My parents were given 3 choices of where they wanted to sail to and they chose Hawaii Beach, aka Pink Floyd beach. By 10am we were on our way for a private all day tour with just the 6 of us and the 2 captains – how exciting. The trip ran from 10am to 4pm with all food and drink (alcohol) included. I’m surprised we lasted until gone 11am before I asked if we could pop some fizz. The crew were lovely, amusing and one was a great story teller. We were also asked if we wanted to sail the boat, so my Mom had a go and was quite good. Captain Caveman, who has experience, followed with a go and really loved it so we left him to it. I was glad that he’d worn his Masto Designs stork patterned shirt too as he looked the part and I got lots of photos of him, posing. Even though I once sailed a speed boat down the Saigon river, after a gin tasting event, I decided I wouldn’t do that again and risk an incident. I was quite happy to indulge in some sparkling Greek Cair wine with my parents, who were still a bit in shock at the surprise. When we stopped for a swim near to Hawaii beach, Steve went off snorkelling while Dad and I braved the cold water. It was rather chilly and my legs were going a bit numb but I knew we might not get another chance to say we’d swam in Pink Floyd’s bay. Ma, Michelle and Captain Caveman were happy to sit on board sipping their drinks while Dad and I attempted to swim round the (fairly big) yacht. Realising we were missing out on the all inclusive drinks was enough of an excuse for us to get out and join the others. Steve returned having seen lots of sea life and even he hadn’t explored this area before, so he was pleased.
Our lunch was amazing, I’d been a little worried that Mom and I wouldn’t enjoy it as we are quite fussy eaters but we both loved it. At one point people went on to beer but I carried on with the fizz mostly and we were all quite merry by the time our day trip came to an end. As us ladies still had full glasses, we sent the 3 men in the first tender while we carried on drinking and laughing. Michelle didn’t seem as drunk as us as I concentrated on getting off the yacht in to the dinghy. I’d been concerned about my parents being able to get off and on but they were better than I was. The boatman on the tender dropped us off on the beach where the guys were waiting for us.
Photo credit – some taken by Mom and Captain Caveman
After a wonderful day of sailing for my parents’ anniversary, the Yara Yachting pick-up service took us back to Lardos Square. I’d envisaged we might go straight back home for showers and to get changed for dinner but Steve suggested a beer in Memories bar and we all sat down. At one point I went off to get a cardigan and put our wet swimmers and towels in the washer to get them done for us leaving tomorrow. We decided we would go for a meal at Savas Restaurant round the corner which started well. We ordered carafes of wine, I don’t remember what Captain Caveman and I ate as Steve had started cutting off bits of his pork and was trying to feed it to my mom and I. Dad’s poor eyesight benefitted him as he was at the other end of the table eating his Pastitsio. I don’t think the restaurant owner and staff were too impressed with the loudness from our table and then, the card machine wasn’t working for any of us to pay. We should all have gone home at that point but a rather merry Steve was insistant on more drinks as I escorted him back over to Memories. Ironically, we would all have some rather hilarious memories of today as we tried our best to keep Steve from getting shots. As things got rather messy it was up to mom to give her excuses to leave. Steve wanted us to stay for more drinking but Mom was having none of it, she wanted to enjoy what was left of their anniversary with Dad. Captain Caveman and I had also had quite our full and wanted to escort my parents back to make sure they didn’t get lost. We all had such a great time for our last day and night in Rhodes but tomorrow we were off back to Turkey!
Captain Caveman, my parents and I were moving locations on Friday 13th October. We had breakfast at London’s Athena hotel and then decided to go for the earlier bus as I had a work meeting with Steve and Michelle back in Lardos. I took half of my sausage sandwich with me as I couldn’t finish it all. Captain Caveman had booked us a traditional greek house for the 4 of us to stay in, not far from Steve and Michelle’s house. The bus from Lindos to Lardos was just €1.80 (£1.54) and took about 20 minutes, as it went via Pefkos. When we got to Lardos, Steve told me to take the afternoon off to enjoy being with my parents, which was really nice of him. We checked in to Animone and it was rather lovely. In the afternoon we had a little walk to Alapou wine store for a quick wine tasting and I bought a bottle of rosé wine, one I’d had before. The wine store is amazing and has so much choice, they even sell beers and spirits for the non-wine drinkers. I paid €36 (£30.87) for the 6 wine tasting glasses of wine and €7.30 (£6.26) for the bottle of wine, before saying our goodbyes. We could quite easily have stayed longer but we had to get back to get ready for tonight’s Greek night in Lardos square. Back at our traditional Greek house, we got ready then shared the rosé wine I bought, it was very nice and refreshing, we also drank all the water from the fridge.
That evening, my parents, Captain Caveman, Steve, Michelle and I were booked in at Valantina’s restaurant in Lardos. It’s one of my favourite places to eat in Rhodes and I wanted my parents to experience it. We all had the sharing starter then all but my parents ordered pork dishes, my Mom had seafood and Dad had a chicken shish. Our pork dishes were fantastic, Mom loved the seafood and the carafes of wine went down well too. The dinner cost €55 (£47.17) per couple, including starters and wine and I really enjoyed it. We also managed a couple of drinks in Cuckoo’s Nest, where we were able to watch the Greek night while clapping along to the dancing and music. Back ‘home’ my parents had the bedroom with the 2 double beds in and we slept up some steps opposite the bathroom and washing machine. Captain Caveman had decided to put the laundry on so it was a bit noisy and I couldn’t sleep through the spin cycle.
The breakfast at Lindos Athena on Thursday 12th October was pretty good and I enjoyed it. My parents sunbathed by the pool, Captain Caveman kept covered up and out of the pool due to his rash. I did a bit of work and organised for Steve and Michelle to come over later on.
When Steve and Michelle arrived they gave my parents a lift down Cardiac Hill, in to Lindos town, while Captain Caveman and I walked. My parents had a look over the edge to the sea, next to the bust of Ionnais Zigdis, a Greek politician. We walked to Mario’s as we were off to introduce my parents to the curry sauce. It was very busy, we ordered drinks and food. Dad had pork with curry sauce which was a normal size but Mom had a huge pork chop. It was so good and we got given free shots from the owner at the end of our meal. After our meal we had a walk through the streets of Lindos, calling at Pals for a drink. We bumped in to an old friend and ex-colleague of mine, Elaine. She was in Rhodes, staying in Pefkos, with her hubby and friends and we had been trying to meet up for a few days. Steve and Michelle had work the next day so couldn’t stay out out but they kindly dropped my parents back off and picked up some luggage to take back with them to Lardos, where we would be going tomorrow. We had a couple of drinks at the bar before going back to our rooms for the last sleep at Lindos Athena. It was a lovely hotel but not one of us had been in the pool which was a shame. We managed to pay our bills for drinks and breakfasts, which came to €135 (£115.81) for Captain Caveman and I on our room for the 2 nights (not including the accommodation). Our last round of drinks for the evening was €36.50 (£31.31). Tomorrow we would be up early and off to Lardos but at least we didn’t have to carry as many bags on the bus.
On Wednesday 11th October Captain Caveman was up and about before me, unpacking his bag. I got so excited when he gave me my 2024 Diary as I’d been wanting (needing) one for ages. As it was a Wednesday it was weigh day but I had no scales, probably a good job considering how many syns I must have had this week! I did do my measurements though and they were as follows: Bust -2cm, Waist +2cm, Hips +1cm.
We checked out of the Kahlua Apartments and made our way to the bus station as we were off to stay in Lindos for a couple of nights. Michelle had recommended the Lindos Athena hotel where my Mom had booked the last two rooms for us. On the way to the bus station we stopped off at a cafe for breakfast. My parents and Captain Caveman ordered omelettes which were lovely but I made the mistake of ordering a cheese and bacon pancake. It came smothered in mayonnaise both inside and on the top and I couldn’t eat it. My parents paid for breakfast, and we walked to the bus station where Captain Caveman had already bought our bus tickets. It was only €5.50 (£4.72) each and took about an hour and 20 minutes. My parents had a big case and a couple of bags between them but it wasn’t too cumbersome to get it on the bus. Captain Caveman and I had 3 bags between us so we all filled the bag area with our luggage.
The journey went well and we got off at Lindos bus station for the short walk to the hotel. When we arrived, we insisted Ma & Pa have the best corner room, with (distant) views of the Acropolis and we took the smaller, but perfectly adequate, double room. Lindos Athena was very nice and, while my parents and Captain Caveman went down to the pool and bar area, I did a bit of work. The internet was good, I used the chest of drawers as a desk but I didn’t work for too long.
We met for a drink at the bar then walked in to Lindos for our evening meal. We called at Lindian House for a pre dinner drink so that my Mom could see the Acropolis lit up from their roof terrace area.
Captain Caveman had chosen a nice rooftop restaurant called Kamariko for dinner and it didn’t disappoint. Dad and I had pork, Captain Caveman had lamb and my Mom had a seafood dish which was massive. We all enjoyed our dinner, Dad particularly enjoyed the complimentary dessert. The cost per couple for the meal was €51.65 (£44.29) including wine. Back at the hotel, we had a nightcap at the bar before bed, where our bed was super comfy.
After an ok sleep we were all up and about early on Tuesday 10th October, ready for the delights of Rhodes Town. Captain Caveman and I had already decided we would take my parents to Dali for breakfast and he’d checked on the internet that it was open. Off we all toddled with a short stroll along the seafront to one of our favourite Rhodes cafés. Unfortunately, when we got there it was closed and there were decorators at work. I checked if they were likely to open any time soon and they weren’t so that was our first plan scuppered. Almost an hour later, we were having a breakfast drink in a cafe because we were thirsty and/or needing the toilet. Captain Caveman paid for our coffees and juices and we decided to head nearer to the port to find somewhere open for breakfast. By 9.40am we had found Trianon Cafe that was open and serving breakfast. We all ordered a full english which included an orange juice for €13 (£11.13), I had an earl grey tea, Mom a cappuccino, Captain Caveman a double espresso and we all shared water. It wasn’t the best breakfast I’d ever had but, considering we were in Rhodes, it would do. I was surprised to see my mom drink her orange juice as it doesn’t agree with her but it was fresh and tasted good. The total bill came to €62.70 (£53.69) but we were all full and probably wouldn’t need any lunch.
We had a wander through the old town and Captain Caveman took up his role of tour guide as we weaved through the cobbled streets and away from the crowds. Just before midday mom felt a bit unwell (it was probably that orange juice) and we found a lovely little bar to have a rest up in. Baluse had a lady owner who was friendly, the big Alpha beers were €4.50 (£3.85) and a sprite (for Ma) was €4 (£3.43) – we did all comment the beers were much better value. By 1pm we were back off on our walking tour of the old town where we managed to wear out my parents. We had an afternoon rest and a freshen up at the apartments before heading back out for a night out.
We started with the short walk to Malt pub where we saw the sunset and had some beers, a round of 4 came to €20.50 (£17.55) so we had a couple in there before walking back to the restaurant, Rodos Blue, where we went last time with Jamie, Drew and Nanny kay. Between us we ordered a moussaka, grilled pork, 2 beef stifado, a small carafe of white wine and a large carafe of red wine and it came to €68 (£58.23). Wine is good and reasonably priced in Rhodes so we were quite happy to indulge. I also knew I wouldn’t be getting weighed tomorrow so I was being a bit naughty with the syns and had stopped counting. On our way back to the apartments we had a nightcap at a nearby bar and my Mom found that the shop below where we were staying, sold sherry!
On Monday 9th October I worked a full day at Steve and Michelle’s. When we finished work, Michelle decided she would drive me to Rhodes Town, instead of me getting the bus. We went to Gyro and Burger in Afandou on our way, where the food is always great. This time both Steve and I had the burgers and Michelle had the Gyros, all of which were very tasty and big portions. I was conscious we still had a car journey to go so I took the rest of my burger with me. For 3 soft drinks and the 3 meals it came to €23.90 (£20.90).
I said bye to Michelle and Steve who dropped me right across the road from Kahlua Apartments – it was raining. Our holiday plans included coming back to Lardos so we would meet up again very soon. I went upstairs to the reception area only to realise I needed to check-in at the shop downstairs. Back down in the very well stocked shop I got given the keys to both rooms and a nice gentleman showed me round one of them. I decided Captain Caveman and I would take the one with the single beds on the top floor, giving my parents the room nearer to reception, with a double bed. I ate the rest of my cheese burger and had a brief lay down.
When everyone arrived, it was almost 10pm so we decided to go to the Mexican place round the corner for beers and snacks. I was that excited to see everyone that I forgot to take any photos. We all had a big Alpha beer each then ordered some food, I had a fish taco without chillies and it was great. Mom said her burrito was excellent too. We had more big Alpha beers before paying our bill, which came to €70.50 (£60.41), beers were €5 (£4.28) each. We had a walk to a bar not far from where we were staying and called for a nightcap; red wine for Captain Caveman and I, gin & tonic for Ma and brandy and lemonade for Dad. We chose Koykos bar as we had been there before with Jamie, Drew & Nanny Kay and it was nice but it was quite dimly lit and already after midnight. We paid €27 (£23.14) for our 4 drinks and walked back to the hotel for some sleep. Captain Caveman slept in the furthest away bed from me so I wouldn’t touch him and his shingles. He was feeling better but still had a scabby rash so we didn’t want to chance me catching it.
joloyolo 