Dalyan – 19th September

Dalyan woke up to a smoke filled sky on Friday 19th September, when the forests in nearby Köyceğiz had caught fire and people were desperately trying to put it out and stop it spreading. Friends in Okçular were affected by more local forest fires which were also out of control. I’d barely started work, when Dad arrived with a cooler box and a carrier bag of food. Mom had messaged to say she was sending him over, regardless of the air quality, with the contents of her fridge freezer, to store in mine, as the new one was coming later today. I was glad he was there as I was just pondering how I was going to take the bin out to the end of the road – I didn’t think I could get down the stairs with the bin bag in my hand and a crutch. If I fell, no one would know I had, until potentially market day!
Dad stayed for a cup of tea and a chat but then had to rush off, when Mom messaged to say the new bed delivery had turned up and he should come home. I found him a mask to put on so that he wouldn’t inhale the smoke, which was quite bad. It all got a bit rushed and confusing as Dad took the cooler box back, I’m not sure why but he said Mom had said to. I managed to get down the stairs with the bin and a crutch but had to ask Dad to take it down the 2 bottom steps with no hand rail. I carried it out of the complex and along the road but the usual bin was overflowing so I had to walk a bit further with Dad to the next bin. We said farewell and off Dad went, not wearing the mask, with his empty box, which he thought had something in.
I rushed back hoping to grab a drink or breakfast before it was time for some training I had signed up for, on cruises. This was good timing as, in the afternoon, I had a call with a new customer who was interested in organising a cruise and stay holiday. A woman on holiday put a post on one of the local Facebook groups asking about the fires as she was having trouble sunbathing by the pool with ash falling from the sky – somehow I don’t think the Turkish fire brigade gave a stuff about tourist sunbathing.
I had pasta Bolognese with parmesan for dinner, early, which was tasty. I was hoping to get in the shower and go to bed early but my Mom had said they were going to pick up the food once the new fridge arrived and was working. My parents came round to pick up their fridge/freezer produce at gone 9pm, which I thought late for the arrival of a kitchen appliance but they had been for dinner and drinks in Jiks so were calling on their way home. I made them G&Ts before packing the stuff in to carrier bags (as we didn’t have the cooler box it all came in).

Gratitude List
1. Being able to help my parents out with their food storage
2. Not being directly affected by the fires
3. Parmesan.

Dalyan – 17th & 18th September

It was another busy day on Wednesday 17th September, it was also weigh day. I managed to get on the scales at home to find I’d lost 1.9kg (4lb) which was fantastic. I wouldn’t be able to go to Fat Club this afternoon to get weighed on Carol’s scales, though, as I had a Zoom meeting booked in. I did my measurements to find that although my bust had stayed the same, I had put 4cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips. This was probably due to the lack of exercise as the only movement I was getting lately was the stairs – to come down in a morning and go up to bed at night.
I was so busy that I just had toast for lunch and then my parents popped round to see me. Dad had a cup of tea and used the toilet and then they went on their way.
I did my meetings and managed the pain but felt a bit sickly. By 5pm I was hungry so I closed the laptop and made 3 mini wrap pizzas for an early dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight
2. Seeing my parents briefly
3. Homemade pizzas for dinner.

Along with my Resort Experts to do list on Thursday 18th September, I’d got lots of items on my project to do lists. I still needed to set up my Substack profile and sort out my internal pages for my new travel planner. I didn’t get round to either as I rushed to grab a drink or breakfast but it was time for my first call of the day. That lasted an hour so I was able to rush a piece of toast and a cup of sage tea down before the team meeting.
I was about to have lunch when Jamie and Drew popped round for a cup of tea. It was gone 3pm by the time I got back to my actual work and I still hadn’t eaten dinner when I realised it was too late. I just had cheese and crackers with a green tea, then went to bed exhausted.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy but not falling asleep due to the medication
2. Being part of the Resort Experts team
3. Getting through the day.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th September

It should have been my last painkiller on Monday 15th September but, as advised by the doctor, I started my next packet. This meant I was affected by them and not 100% focused. I had to also make sure I wrote everything down so that I didn’t forget or get distracted with all my daily tasks, which were mounting up. Ironically, I was starting to get busier and had several ongoing enquiries to deal with at once. My bad foot had started to have dry skin/peeling directly where the fracture was which was weird.
I had beans on toast followed by figs and nectarines for brunch. I drank lots of water and herbal tea too.
In the evening, I was asked to meet my parents and The Aussies so I decided to combine them together and suggested Lukka bar, with it being my nearest place. I ordered a vanilla milkshake thinking the calcium in the milk would do me good but it probably wouldn’t make a difference due to the sugar in it. Greg turned up without Amanda because she hadn’t been feeling well. I had another 2 drinks of soda water so my bill came to 500 lira (£9.09) including a small tip so wasn’t bad for an alcohol free night.
We said bye to Greg, who was off to get a kebab before going to check on his wife.
I was on my way home to eat when my parents convinced me to join them at Duble and the thought of a good chicken soup sounded lovely. Ibo, the owner, had chicken soup on tonight so we ordered 3 and it did not disappoint. I had prawns for my main which came with chips and salad. The meal was very nice and, of course, I didn’t drink wine with my parents – just water. When we came to pay the bill, my parents insisted on paying which was lovely. They also walked me back home as the automatic light on the stairs doesn’t stay on long enough for me to get up them safely.

Gratitude List
1. Painkillers
2. Milkshake
3. An impromptu meal out with my parents.

It was a very busy day on Tuesday 16th September and, if I’m honest, I was struggling with the pain. It was also very hot despite having the AC on and I’d not been able to attempt doing any hoovering or laundry yet as I couldn’t carry the hoover or the laundry basket to hang it out very easily. So the chores were mounting up and the house looked a bit messy, which bothered me as I like to keep things neat.
I warmed up some chickpea and spinach curry for a very late lunch at 3pm and had to prop my foot up and ice it around 6pm. I finally ate a beef stew that I’d thrown in to the slow cooker, around 8.30pm and almost fell asleep on the sofa shortly after.

Gratitude List
1. Batch cooking food
2. Having a slow cooker
3. Resting

Dalyan & Ortaca – 12th September

On Friday 12th September I was due back at the Yucelen Hospital for my first check up. It had been 8 days since I was there and the conditions of the insurance policy state that you have to go before 10 days, so I was early due to it being a weekend. Jamie had kindly agreed to drop me off and pick me back up, as he was nipping in to Ortaca anyway. He brought Norman, the dog, and he dropped me off around 11am. This time, Umut the translator wasn’t there so I went to the osteopathic doctor first. He looked at my foot, looked confused and sent me to the pay desk then for another x-ray. I walked to each, and was surprised at how well I managed to not slip on the floor that was being buffed directly in front of me by an oblivious employee. At the pay desk reception I was asked if I had all my insurance documents and asked by a female translator if I’d got a copy of my statement of what happened to injure my foot. I didn’t as I’d never had one so she helped me with what to write and the translation in to Turkish. I then paid 1559.84 lira (£28.36) for my consultation and 2nd x-ray. The x-ray concluded it was still broken and the doctor then told me I should not be walking on it, or swimming and that I needed to keep my foot up and rest it! I was to only remove my brace to shower and to sleep with it on – I hadn’t been! The walking in the hospital wasn’t helping! He said it could take 3 – 6 weeks to heal but I needed to come back in another 10 days to have another check.
Jamie picked me back up, I went to the pharmacy and got more Ketoprofen Painkillers for 108.69 lira (£1.98) before going home to sit on my bum. I warmed up some pasta Bolognese for lunch, caught up on emails, fell asleep on the sofa and then made mini wrap pizzas for dinner. I finally got a call from Captain Caveman at 9.30pm, he’d temporarily forgotten I was due for my check up as he was so busy with work.

Gratitude List
1. Jamie giving me a lift to the hospital
2. Managing to deal with things at the hospital without help
3. More medicine.

Dalyan & Ekincik – 11th September

Jamie had invited me to join him and some friends on a boat trip on Thursday 11th September and it had been booked long before I broke a couple of metatarsals. I had already paid my money to Sioned to go on Captain Unal’s Duran Duran boat and didn’t want to miss it because of being in pain. It has been a week since I’d not seen that very small step! It was also a good chance to catch up with my parents, Nanny Kay, Jamie, Josh & Martha, Ann & Stuart, Karen & Shaun, Julia and Evie. The boat was moored the nearest to home that it could be, which was good for me crutching to get there. I took a seasickness tablet as well as my medication and I was well away before 10am. We sailed to Ekincik and, as usual, we were served welsh cakes and other nibbles with our hot beverages. It was a lovely day out albeit limited because of my mobility but I did manage to get down the lovely disabled friendly steps to go for a swim. The lunch was great and my mom was kind enough to do the buffet run for me. The food was amazing with extra meatballs being dished out by Ünal. In the afternoon there was a delicious cake with fruit. It was probably one of the best I’d had on this boat too – I really did need to just stick to the fruit next time! I was a little sad that Captain Caveman was back at work in the UK and unable to be here for this trip. Due to my medicine it was another alcohol free day, too, and I wasn’t really missing drinking.
After the trip, I was tired and resting up on the sofa while adding stuff to my to do list for tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Being on another one of my favourite boat trips with lots of friends and family
2. Going in the sea and managing to get back out without further injury
3. Amazing food on the boat.

Dalyan – 9th & 10th September

On Tuesday 9th September I was eating breakfast and looking at flights to go to the UK in November when I saw a message from Jamie on the work group chat. He had won a free trip to Antalya for 5 days in October. It was the day after his holiday with Drew to Kos where I was already looking after Norman, the dog, so I replied to say Congratulations and that I could extend the dog sit by 5 days if he needed me. He didn’t have time to respond before I had checked my emails to see I had also won a place on the same Fam trip with Anex Tours. Sod Norman, the dog, I was going. It was the best thing that had happened in my 11 months as a Resort Expert. Jamie and I had a quick call, got very excited and he had arranged for Drew to do the dog sitting. Next month we would be at a 5 Star All Inclusive resort in Antalya and we were super excited.
I worked extra hard that day with a rest for a cup of tea in the afternoon as my foot was throbbing.
In the evening, I got some bad news; the Turkish classes that were due to be starting back this week were no longer going ahead. Our teacher, Sioned, had decided she needed to focus on her family and could no longer commit to them. I was disappointed as I really enjoy them but I understood her reasoning.

Gratitude List
1. Winning a work trip
2. Getting to go to Antalya for work with Jamie
3. Having a zero spend day.

It was Weigh day on Wednesday 10th September and I was keen to know just how much damage my 16 days of holidaying with Captain Caveman had done. However, I was groggy, in pain and too busy to get to Fat Club, even if I could walk there a bit quicker. I also had a visitor; Jamie had to go to Fethiye and had dropped Norman, the dog, off for me to look after at 8am. I wasn’t quite sure how taking him for a walk would pan out but he seemed quite happy on the sofa while I worked. He had clapped the weight on too so I was in good company. I think Jamie had been giving him Edna’s share of the snacks since she’d passed away.
At 12.30pm, I decided Norman might need a tinkle and I attempted to get him out for a walk. He wouldn’t go down stairs and just stood at the top watching me! I’d been down and back up for no reason while Norman thought it amusing.
For lunch I had cheese, olives and nuts followed by fruit and quark. Captain Caveman asked me to look at flights for him to visit in October but they weren’t cheap. We might need a Plan B.
Jamie came back for Norman and we said farewell, he wasn’t impressed we were leaving him to go off on a jolly next month, but we thought it was funny. Carol from Fat Club popped by with her scales so I could see how fat I was. I had put on 2.2kg (5lb) in the last few weeks – I’m surprised it wasn’t more but I was now back to the weight I was at the end of September 2024!!!
For dinner, I made myself some veggie noodles which tasted ok, I was determined to lose the weight despite not being able to walk much. I continued working until I started to fall asleep and then went to bed. I’d got a day off tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Having Norman, the dog, come over to see me
2. Nice healthy homemade food
3. Not putting even more weight on.

Dalyan – 8th September

I think the phrase ‘I didn’t know my arse from my elbow’ was pretty accurate on Monday 8th September. Firstly, I hadn’t slept well on account of not getting to sleep until after the non-jazz playing Jazz bar had closed around 2am and by then I was tracking Captain Caveman’s flight. Secondly, I’d not heard from my parents to say they had arrived but I imagined they wouldn’t have their UK phone on and would have no Turkish Wifi. Finally, I was in pain with my foot and kept waking up so I was rather exhausted on my first day tackling the Resort Experts to do list. I didn’t even have chance to have breakfast before sorting out a few emails and booking in for some training sessions that were due this week. My mom messaged me to ask if Captain Caveman had got off ok and I let her know he was already back in Barnes, ready to start work. They had loads to do including getting the internet put on, which was in my name. I was very pushed for time and knew I couldn’t walk to the shop and back very quickly so Ma went on her own and sorted it. At 11am I ate some fruit and quark for a late breakfast, with a cup of sage tea. Around 4pm I finished off the White House beef wellington which warmed up nicely in the air fryer.
For dinner, my parents were keen to get out for a meal and I agreed to join them, with it being a while since I saw them. It also meant that they could help me up the stairs in the dark now that Captain Caveman had gone.
They chose Duble so I hoped they had chicken soup but they still didn’t. Dad and I had liver (again) and Mom had a seafood pasta dish. I drank water and my parents had a beer. I paid the 2,610 lira (£47.45) bill as my parents had been good to us when I visited the UK last time, letting us stay at their house. It was a very reasonable price for the 3 of us and we all enjoyed it.

Gratitude List
1. Getting through the day without falling asleep
2. Having my parents back in Dalyan to help me up the stairs if I needed it
3. Dinner at Duble with my parents.

Dalyan – 6th September

Captain Caveman and I were having breakfast at home on Saturday 6th September. He was contemplating going to the dog shelter to walk some dogs. I was going to do a few bits of content editing for next week, being back at work, so that my 2 weeks off went smoothly. I also had loads of stuff to share from this holiday, with Captain Caveman, and couldn’t wait to get it on my business page.
Our friends Josh & Martha had arrived in Dalyan to join their family and they had booked the Princess of Ekincik boat for a private day trip, after I had recommended it. There had been a group chat to discuss requirements for the wheelchair user on board so I hoped it would be suitable and comfortable for all of them. For those who might need to know, a wheelchair up to 60cm wide will fit!
Martha got in touch to say that her and Josh had been delayed on their flight, after another passenger had a medical emergency, so they were super tired. She wanted us to join the trip so that we could catch up and help keep everyone lively. I was on the strong medication and lidocaine based sprays, so I was away with the fairies and said yes. I hadn’t accounted for the fact that I needed to walk all the way to the boat which took me absolutely ages. When I got there, Ismail mentioned that they do have a mobility scooter that they can collect disabled guests on, should I have needed it. I got a hot drink and sat myself down with my leg propped up until the others arrived.
When everyone got on board; Martha, her parents, brother and Josh, it was really nice to see them all and we got on great straight away. The wheelchair went on and off fine and was parked up so that Zac could see the amazing scenery as we sailed down the river to the sea.
The crew, the boat, the food, the drinks and the company were absolutely perfect and to see Zac be able to enjoy a boat trip in Dalyan was just fantastic. We had a couple of swim spots and even a visit to the back of the beach, Little Dalyan, where I kept Martha’s mom company on the boat while the others went off for a bit of adventure. I even had a cherry juice in a wine glass so that Trish wouldn’t feel alone in her red wine enjoyment – it was a real pleasure to see her have a bit of time to herself and not worry about Zac, who was in very capable hands.
When the family got back, they had enjoyed a jaunt over the beach to the sea and Captain Caveman didn’t fall for the joke of me having red wine in my glass – he knew I wouldn’t be drinking against Doctor’s orders. We then decided to go to the boat end of the beach so that we could see the tourist part and it was very busy. We saw turtles which was great as some of the guests on board hadn’t seen them before in Dalyan. We all enjoyed a really lovely lunch on board which, given that Captain Caveman and I had decided to join only this morning, was plentiful.
After spending the rest of the afternoon on the boat and enjoying ice creams, then some cake with fruit, we returned to Dalyan at gone 5pm. I’m not mentioning any names but I think more than 1 of us had a power nap, as we were just so relaxed.

That evening, after resting my foot, Captain Caveman took me for a slap up dinner at White House. We both had my favourite meal, the beef wellington, which is just so good. Captain Caveman had wine and cocktails but I had water and a friend booked our table while waiting to chat to her boyfriend. Our bill was 4,000 lira (£72.73) which I thought was reasonable. Because of having eaten so much, though, I had to take half of mine home. Tomorrow was Captain Caveman’s last day in Dalyan and I wasn’t looking forward to him leaving.

Gratitude List
1. Having such an amazing day that it was difficult to pinpoint just 3 things to be grateful for!
2. The Princess of Ekincik boat trip, being so good.
3. Beef Wellington Dinner with Captain Caveman at the White House.

Photo credit – some photos by Martha and her family

Cappadocia – 1st September

On Monday 1st September Captain Caveman and I started our month and day watching the hot air balloons at sunrise from the terrace of Mithra Cave Hotel in Göreme, Cappadocia – how romantic. It’s a very strange sensation and is eerily quiet aside from the sounds of the flames roaring in the balloons, which are very close. We were out for 90 minutes before the sun finally got over the mountain at 6.30am and then Captain Caveman went off to explore and I lost him before breakfast. He went on to a building site while I followed some wood pigeons down a hill.

It was too early for breakfast so, back in the room, I checked August’s blog progress and set a September budget. My blog in August had received 173% more views compared to the previous month’s and I had finally managed to get Vietnam readers back in to the top 10. The top 3 countries for views in August were the UK, Turkey and the Netherlands, followed by France, USA, Vietnam, Spain, Ireland, Australia and then Sweden.
At breakfast, it was a bit of a free for all and the food was absolutely lovely. There was so much choice of all the different types of Turkish breakfast dishes to help yourself to. We sat on the terrace to eat and there were quite a few wasps, which most of the foreigners flapped about at. Interestingly, I didn’t spot any English people but maybe it was the wrong time of year for Cappadocia for the Brits.
Today we were on the Red Tour with a group of randoms and were being picked up at 9.30am.

For those of you who are able, I recommend you visit it yourself, we visited the following sites; Zelve, Paşabag, Avanos, Dervent (Imagination) Valley, Uçhisar Castle, and Love Valley – most of it was rocky, hilly and very sunny so it was quite hot for me but Captain Caveman was so happy. The trip included lunch which was a soup, a kebab with mezes and was pretty good to say we were on an organised trip. The water was also included. We didn’t have to pay anything extra to the 100 Euros we had paid for the trip and we met some nice people, including our guide, Mr H. I wasn’t sure how Captain Caveman would adapt to being a customer on a tour, rather than the leader, but he enjoyed it and we both had very dirty feet and legs when we got back to the hotel.

In the evening, we decided to try out the ‘Buy one get one free’ wine at the Forked Road pub. We sat on the roof terrace and ended up having 4 glasses of decent wine and a bottle of water for 1,134 lira (£21).

We’d seen a hotel with a gorgeous swimming pool which we wished we had booked so we decided to go there for another glass of wine and a nosey round the hotel. It was just 770 lira (£14.26) for 2 glasses of wine with a 10% tip but with a poolside view. I spoke to a member of staff to see if they had rooms to stay there after our current hotel booking finished. He made us a deal for €160 (£140) for a good room and we thought about booking it tomorrow. For dinner we went to a restaurant opposite where we had eaten last night. Turkish Ravioli had a more varied menu and we had a bit of a feast, they didn’t sell alcohol, though. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;

1 Big bottle of water 40
2 Icli Kofte (Bulgarballs) 260
1 Saç Tava (chicken on a tray) 900
1 Clay pot beef 950
Total spent 2,150 lira (£40)

It was definitely the best meal in Cappadocia so far and we both really enjoyed it.

Gratitude List
1. Mithra Hotel breakfast
2. The Red Tour in Cappadocia with Mr H
3. A fantastic evening in Cappadocia with Captain Caveman.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dalyan to Cappadocia – 31st August

I went downstairs in the early hours of Sunday 31st August to find Captain Caveman fully dressed and asleep on the sofa. I had barely slept upstairs while full of cold and my alarm went off at 2am. Sonuç was insistent on taking us to the airport early, as he thought there may be queues even for the domestic flights. He arrived at just after 2.30am, the fare was £30 and we were at the airport before 3.15am. Captain Caveman was a bit mardy when we only took 5 minutes, maximum, to get through to the gate and, of course, it was too early for us to know which gate for our flight at 5.10am. Captain Caveman had booked us on a cheap flight to Ankara for less than £25 each and we would arrive at 6.25am. We landed a bit early and made our way to the Havaş shuttle bus which took us from Ankara airport to the main bus station. I forgot the price as we paid cash but it was cheap. Captain Caveman had booked us a Flixbus from Ankara bus station at 9am to take us to Göreme in Cappadocia which was less than £15 each and took about 4 hours. The bus station at Ankara is huge and we sat and ate our Ela’s Kitchen sandwiches there. There were toilets which had squat and western ones but you did have to pay to use them. I bought a water, a coke and some travel sweets in the bus station for 100 lira (£1.85).

The Flixbus was good, it had a toilet on but we also stopped for a loo break. We arrived in Göreme, Cappadocia, a little early after a couple of tours round the bus station. There was a bit of a walk up the hills to our cave hotel and it was hot and sunny. This was Captain Caveman’s first time in Cappadocia and he already looked impressed as he sped off up the hills. I had to shout him to wait to take my heavy bag at one point. We were early for check-in by an hour at Mithra Cave hotel, but the room was ready. Our room had a round bed and was inside a cave suite, I thought we had booked a room with a view and that the hotel had a pool but their Website was a little misleading and neither were available.

After unpacking and drinking all the water in the minibar we went off to find a tour company to book our Red & Green tours with. Originally, I’d asked a lovely guide called Ozzy but he was booked up already. It cost us €220 (£191) for each of those for both of us with Cappadocia Visitor. We also got a free bag from the guy in the office, which I was happy about. We went in to an off licence where we didn’t find any screw top wine so we just bought a big water for 25 lira (46p) and a big bag of crisps for 75 lira (£1.39), before making our way back to the hotel.

It was so good to be in Cappadocia with Captain Caveman. We had a stop off at a cafe for soft drinks, here’s the prices in lira;

1 small water 80
1 Lemonade 120
1 Double Espresso 170
Total spent 370 lira (£6.85)

It was definitely more expensive than being in Dalyan and I drew out more cash at the ATM. I had to check the budget later but I had a feeling August had been an expensive month. Captain Caveman and I were still on holiday in Turkey for another week too, so September was also likely to be extravagant in the first half.
We walked back up to the Mithra Cave Hotel and had a rest in our cave suite before I attempted a bath. It leaked and the water went everywhere so I didn’t try the jacuzzi part. The toiletries were also screwed to the wall and not near the bath.

For sunset we walked around the hotel then sat on the hotel terrace with a glass of wine each and took the obligatory Cappadocia skyline photos. I went to pay the bill and was quite surprised to find it was 880 lira (£16.30) for 2 glasses of red – luckily we just had the one!

Captain Caveman had chosen a rooftop eatery for dinner, close to the hotel. At Zukra we had a glass of wine each, a bottle of soda water and 2 tubs of very tasty mantı (Turkish ravioli) for 1,800 lira (£33.33). Not the cheapest meal but we enjoyed it, despite the paper container and wooden fork to eat it with. The staff were lovely and they also had a beautiful dog which we petted.
I was begging for mercy by 10.30pm having still got cold and being dosed up on Theraflu. I checked the budget spreadsheet and found that despite a £1000 budget for August, we had gone over that. I’d put in £844 and Captain Caveman had contributed £900 but we still had £310 left to go in to next month. I was happy to have spent less than £1500, given that I had been in the UK for 11 days and Captain Caveman had been in Turkey for 9 days already – we spend more when we are together. I was tired so it was an early night, ready for our full day tour tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. An easy (& cheap) journey from Dalaman to Göreme, Cappadocia
2. A holiday in Cappadocia, staying in a cave hotel with a round bed
3. Being able to afford a short trip to Cappadocia!

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dalyan and Devil’s Bay – 29th August

It was time for another boat trip on Friday 29th August, this time with Captain Ünal on Villa Duran Boat Trips. We had booked it at short notice when a couple of spots had become available due to a cancellation. It was going to Devil’s Bay, cost £40 each and included breakfast, lunch and afternoon cake and fruit. We were on board before 9am and the boat departed from very near to where we live so there was no falling out this time. Apo, the Captain’s mate, made us all a hot drink and we set sail towards the sea. The breakfast consisted of bread, cheeses, salad, olives, eggs, cheese rolls, jams, honey, and fruit – it was excellent. I’d took a travel sickness pill just in case. The sea wasn’t too choppy so we were moored up in a quiet bay for our first swim. On the boat were various passengers, none of who we knew already. There was a family on who were friendly and funny so we got talking to the son who was a nice young man. We gave him scores for his diving off the top of the boat.

By 12.30pm, Ünal had started the BBQ and we ate lunch around 1.15pm in a bay on our own, except for a few Turkish men who ate on the beach, having arrived by speedboat. They seemed to be quite taken with the young girls on board and went past a few times to ogle!
Lunch consisted of several mezes, bread, hot chips, chicken and meatballs – again, all excellent. Captain Caveman drank Efes Malt and I had rosé wine. There were lots more swimming and drying off in the sun before sailing to a secluded spot to scatter some ashes of the young man’s father.
I’d found myself sat in the middle of the family, so I excused myself and we gave them some space to say a few words and support each other through the tears.
Captain Caveman and I raised a glass for the poor guy as a mark of respect and kept quiet while they did what they needed to do. I didn’t know the bloke but I think he would’ve been pleased to be scattered where he was, in such a beautiful place.

Cake and fruit were served around 4.45pm and it was a very nice chocolate one.
Back home, I went for a shower and a short lay down, I was so tired that I didn’t wake up until it was very late so there was no dinner or going out!

Gratitude List
1. Getting a trip to Devil’s Bay with Captain Caveman
2. Fab food and drink on the Villa Duran Boat Trip
3. Swimming in the sea.

Dalyan – 20th to 22nd August

Weigh day certainly seems to come round a bit too quickly; Wednesday 20th August was meant to be my last good weight loss before Captain Caveman arrived for our 2 week holiday. I’d definitely cut down on the alcohol and only had 5 glasses of wine all week but I had been round to a friend’s for dinner and been on a boat trip this week, so I hadn’t avoided 2 lots of desserts. At home I’d lost 0.45kg (1lb) but we would see if Carol’s scales differed later. My measurements were good and I’d put 1cm on my bust but lost 2cm from my waist and 1cm off my hips. I got on the bandwagon with the water bottle to make sure I drink more water. I always drink at least 2 litres per day but, as it was hot, I was aiming for 3! I popped over to Jamie’s for a quick Resort Experts conflab and I intended to pick up his loppers and pruners but forgot them – we were too busy chatting about holiday destinations. On the way back, I remembered as I went in the Block A entrance rather than Block B, that side looked much better, as if the gardener only does that side of the complex then gets bored.
At Fat Club I was pleased to find I’d lost 0.6kg (1.3lb) although I was still 4.35kg (almost 10lb) over my target now. It just goes to show how much crap I was having in the UK, how quickly I was putting weight back on when I went there and wasn’t following the plan. It would be interesting to see how much I put on when on a 2 week Turkey holiday with Captain Caveman in just 3 days time! I missed a Zoom call about my forthcoming travel planner which happened to clash with Fat Club and then I also had to get back for a client call. This one was the start of a special enquiry as it was with a friend’s husband who was wanting to organise a surprise trip for a specific birthday next year. I can’t say too much on here as she will probably be reading it and it’s going to be one of the best kept secrets! The call went so well and I actually couldn’t wait to see what I could find on this one. We had quite a long discussion and there were lots or requirements and a specific budget but it was a good ‘un! Jamie popped his gardening tools over to mine so that we had them ready for Captain Caveman.
For dinner, I had a mystery meal from the freezer with mushrooms in (forgot the photo as I was hungry) then decided I needed to go shopping at 9.30pm.
I had hoped the supermarket would be less busy at that time but it wasn’t. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 13.95
Milk 19.90
Chickpeas 32.95
Bananas 67.17
Cashew nuts 84.50
2 Quark 91.80
Walnuts 98.50
Cheese 114.90
Total spent 523.77 lira (£9.61)

It was certainly a sign things were better than at the start of the year as I would have thought twice about buying nuts as they were a treat. I was still concerned at the sharp rise in Quark prices, though.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight this week (even if it wasn’t much)
2. More new enquiries for my travel business
3. Being able to rely on Jamie for gardening tools.

There was a bit of excitement on Thursday 21st August as I had been invited round to a friend’s after work. I was really apprehensive about taking time off when Captain Caveman arrived but I knew how much he needed a holiday, and I probably did too. I didn’t want to be spending the money we were getting in just yet, as I really wanted to build back up some emergency funds and rainy day money. I was also a little worried that I might miss some precious holiday bookings and book sales. I was still at the stage that each opportunity was important and every bit of commission counted. I was keen not to be ‘unavailable’ should a potential customer want to book. Captain Caveman wanted to travel around Turkey and some of the journey by train, which meant I probably shouldn’t take my laptop with me. It’s a fine line but I would see how the first week went, I was already pre scheduling all my social media posts up to the end of the first week of September, just in case.
I had quark with berries (no oats) for breakfast then I worked all day. In the morning I had a catch up with my friend and colleague, Dagne, in Majorca. There was a Resort Experts team meeting too at lunch time, so I ate beans on toast around 2.15pm. In the afternoon I played telephone tennis with one of the suppliers I had asked to price me up a bespoke trip.
I switched the laptop off at bang on 5pm and walked over to Janet and Ian’s villa. It was precisely 24 minutes but would have been 25 had Ian not come to meet me at the shortcut through some bushes. I met their friends, Sam & Lucy, who had a lovely daughter and they seemed somewhat familiar. We hit it off right away and we all had a lovely afternoon. I joined Janet with a glass of wine or two and it was very relaxing just sat by their pool.
On the drive back to take me home, Janet, Ian and I decided to nip to Mono and More for a bite to eat. Janet had been telling me about the scampi she had tried so I was keen to eat that. We both ordered the same with a glass of wine while Ian had soup and fish and chips. All the food was very lovely and at a reasonable price for non-Turkish meals. The scampi was whole-tail, not the reformed stuff, and I really enjoyed it. I did see one of the owners eating a Chinese dish which looked amazing. Funnily enough I only ever eat a Chinese meal when I’m in the UK and even then, not very often but the portion size and the food looked impressive. I was even invited to try a mouthful, on account of my eyeing up of her food, but of course I politely declined. I’d had a really lovely evening and we made plans for when Captain Caveman arrived too. Ian offered to drive me home but I decided it would be a good idea to walk off my meal.
Recently, I had seen various Facebook posts and news articles saying how quiet Dalyan was. If the streets by the mosque were anything to go by, that wasn’t true. It was 11.20pm as I walked past lots of tourists either on their way to a bar or doing some browsing in the shops.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to have a holiday with Captain Caveman
2. Eating great food
3. Having a wonderful time with friends.

It was only 23°C when I awoke on Friday 22nd August but, looking at the forecast for today and the week, the weather was looking great for Captain Caveman’s visit. I was super excited and his flight was tonight at 9.50pm from Gatwick. We both still had our last day at work to go but I had already put on my out of office and had a to do list longer than my arm. In my lunch hour I nipped to buy eggs from Şok and ended up getting 15 eggs and some jellies for 104.95 lira (£1.93). I also bought a Turkish loaf and a simit for just 30 lira (55p) from the bakery. I ate the simit for lunch and got straight back on to the to do list for another hour. Captain Caveman called me while he tucked in to a more substantial lunch (I think a fish finger buttie) and he was really looking forward to getting back to Dalyan. I tidied up, changed the bedding, did the laundry and ran out of time to do more cleaning up before dinner. I ate a chicken and mushroom Slimming World concoction for dinner at 10.15pm, but didn’t particularly enjoy it. I went to bed, knackered and thinking I’d probably forgot to do something important.

Gratitude List
1. Sunny weather in Dalyan
2. Captain Caveman coming to Dalyan in just hours
3. Getting a lot done, even if I still didn’t finish everything.

Dalyan – 19th August

I had very kindly been invited to a friend’s house for a Turkish breakfast on Tuesday 19th August. I’ve known Murat from trips I’d been on with family and friends in the past and have always enjoyed his tour guide skills. He does bespoke trips as The Lost Tour Guide now, both in the Dalyan area but also Istanbul and even Montenegro. We hadn’t caught up in ages and Murat had ordered a copy of my book, ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ which he wanted me to sign for him. I arrived at Murat and Sıdıka’s house where their daughter was a little shy at first. I bought her a notebook and a small purse as a little gift and she wanted to see Dad’s book too.
The family welcomed me to eat a feast in their home and I felt a little sorry for Sıdıka as Murat and I chatted about all sorts of shit, including my family, who he had got to know well over the years. My sister was on the other end of the phone and we sent a video and photos. She was in Scotland where her dog, Sumo, was posing for a photo with my book.
After a delicious home cooked breakfast by Sıdıka, we took a few more photos and then it was time to give some attention to Lina Su and the cat – the cat didn’t want our attention and escaped, while Lina Su and I did some drawing. I could’ve stayed longer but I had to get back to work, so I said thank you and farewell with plans to catch up again when Captain Caveman arrived.

Video as I walked towards the river

Video of the Co-operative boats

I walked home along the river and caught a glimpse of the garden boat as it went by. Lots of the co-operative boats were lined up in readiness to take tourists to Iztuzu beach after lunch and I noticed they had reduced the return fare to just 100 lira (£1.83). The sun was hot and there were not too many people around. Back at home, I was busy until 8.15pm when I knocked up some veggie fried rice for my dinner and looked forward to an early night – the trick is to fall asleep before the Jazz bar starts playing music.

Gratitude List
1. Having a Turkish breakfast with Murat and his family
2. Selling more copies of my handy travel tips book this month
3. Being busy.

Photo credit – some photos (the better ones) by Murat Deniz, The Lost Tour Guide.

Dalyan – 17th & 18th August

I chose to work all day on Sunday 17th August as I’d got quite a few things to do. I’d started to get a few enquiries about solo travel for next year. By lunch time I had a quick snack and got a photo from Sausage Dick to say he’d got my book, his daughter had already delivered it – impressive!
I had to have the AC on as I was really hot and it was still pretty warm at 5.45pm when I started walking over to Penny and Phil’s. They had invited me over for dinner so I took a bottle of wine with me. I shared it with Penny and they had a lovely spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, followed by apple pie. It was nice to catch up and to also see Lady C, the dog, who was pleased to see me.

Gratitude List
1. A book selfie from Sausage Dick
2. Air Con
3. Dinner with Penny & Phil.

I woke up early on Monday 18th August and had tea and toast for breakfast before opening the laptop.
I had a tea break just after 10am where I took the kitchen scissors downstairs and started trimming the bushes that were in the way of the path and gate. It had been 6 days since I’d been back in Dalyan and I had still not seen the pool and garden man. It was very annoying that we just couldn’t get them to do their job and, when I asked them to come, it was just excuses and promises that were rarely kept. This had been going on for a year now and I was sick of it. Captain Caveman had more things to worry about and had given up on our maintenance company, despite him still paying for it. If it was up to me, I would not be paying for it, but I only stay there so I have no say.
In the afternoon, I spent time working on a bespoke Vietnam trip and then I had a random mystery meal from the freezer with steamed rice. I still couldn’t tell you what it was but it had chicken in. At around 9.30pm I had a video call with Captain Caveman and we discussed our holiday plans, as he was arriving in Dalyan at the weekend. He also said if I could borrow some tools he would do the garden himself. I had intended to have an early night because I had a lot to do tomorrow but that was not to be. Not only was the Jazz bar belting out very loud (not Jazz) music but a neighbour had decided to try to catch the stray cats outside to feed them in the apartment and was talking to them very loudly until way after midnight. I think she’d had a few shandies as I got a good half hour of her baby talking to Turkish cats and her going up and down the communal stairs in what sounded like clogs! It was 2am when I started to drift off to sleep.

Gratitude List
1. Planning Vietnam trips for customers
2. Planning a Turkey trip with Captain Caveman
3. Finally getting to sleep.

Dalyan – 16th August

I had another busy day on Saturday 16th August and I had planned time in my diary to write more of my next handy travel tips book. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do that as I was busy with doing Resort Experts quotes. I also spent some time researching the train routes and times in Turkey. At 1pm I met a friend who Jamie had introduced me to for ideas and help with planning a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2026.
I met another friend at Kaunos tea gardens at 4pm for a cup of tea and a catch up before our evening event. Here’s what we had and the prices in lira;

2 small waters 30.00
4 Turkish teas 80.00
Total spent 110.00 lira (£2.02)

Some Dalyan Dwellers complain about the prices in the tea gardens but you can still get a cheap tea and I think it’s the cheapest water in town.
One of my friends had arranged a moonlight boat trip from 6pm so I paid just £30 to go on an amazing boat trip. It was with Captain Fuat who makes the best courgette fritters and the Adıl boat is big and comfy. This time we had a mixed male and female group rather than keeping it to a ladies only night, some people came from Dalaman. It was a really lovely trip.

We ate, we drank and we swam quite a bit. The wine was 180 lira (£3.30) per glass and I stuck to my limit of 3. My plan to keep on the healthy Slimming World plan had already been thwarted by the delicious cake to start the evening. Towards the end of the night, out on the lake, we lay on the comfy cushions on the top deck and gazed at the star filled sky. It was just 4 days after the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower and we were very lucky to see 7 shooting stars.
We had a wonderful, relaxing time and we discussed future boat trip plans that I might be able to attend too.
It was gone midnight when I got home, feeling very relaxed and ready for a busy day of work tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting more holiday enquiries
2. The moonlight boat trip
3. Seeing 7 shooting stars in one night.