Phong Nha – 15th June

‘Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern’ is one of those quotes you read on a friend’s Facebook status. On Thursday 15th June I thought of this quote when I foolishly ended up on another outing I’d not properly planned for!
Captain Caveman had to be at work at 6pm for his Oxalis briefing so we had a last free day to have more Phong Nha fun.
It was before 8am when I suggested that Captain Caveman and I go for a walk to the hidden lake and take a picnic, the forecast looked like it might be a bit cooler. I knew the way but, as we didn’t have a cooler bag, Captain Caveman suggested doing the walk then coming back to eat food and perhaps opening the champagne we bought at Chiang Mai airport. We got ready for a walk, the sun was shining but there were still some clouds.
When we got downstairs, Bluey was there and I couldn’t walk too well so I suggested it would be quicker to cycle, especially as there is no shade whatsoever at the hidden lake. Of course we cycled the long way round and Captain Caveman seemed unsure of whether I would get us lost but I remembered the way. It was scenic, steamy hot and further than I’d remembered, plus Bluey seemed sluggish after the last 2 days of exertion.

Just as we had finished admiring the view and I set off back, Captain Caveman decided to cycle round the lake. It’s fenced off on the far side so I tried to call him back. He was having none of it and carried on, I couldn’t stand the heat and cycled towards the ‘road to nowhere’ hoping for shade. There was none and I was getting a bit moany! When Captain Caveman caught me up I was hangry so we called at the Winmart for some extra provisions and we planned to cycle back for a picnic brunch on the bed.
Here’s what we bought;

4 oranges 17,077
4 sugar free yoghurts 25,600
6 apples 151,585

Total spent 194,262vnd (£6.41)
I was that hot that I didn’t realise how expensive those apples were – more than the last lot I bought.

I got a bit crotchety and needed a break so we stopped for a coconut at a roadside cafe by the river. It took me less than 30 seconds to polish it off and the cute dog came to check on me.
Back home we enjoyed our picnic and a rest in the AC but we didn’t bother with the fizz as I was too dehydrated once again. I had double Oresol and did an hour of work while Captain Caveman packed for his tour tomorrow. He left at 5pm to go to Oxalis and I worked for a few hours.

At 8pm I met him and Tatas at The Villa’s restaurant where he and I had pizza and we all had red wine.
We cycled home and I was actually looking forward to working from home tomorrow, I told Bluey she could have a well earned rest. We had cycled another 10km or more today so over 60km in 3 days – that was a first for me!

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dong Hoi & Phong Nha – 11th June

Bravely, I stepped on the hotel scales on the morning of Sunday 11th June in the Melia Vin Pearl hotel. I had put on 4.3kg since I was in Sapa 18 days ago – that’s almost 9.5lbs if the scales were accurate! My measurements weren’t too good either, with 1cm on my bust and hips and another 3cm increase on my waist.
Captain Caveman and I, undeterred by my weight gain, still went to the all you can eat breakfast in the hotel and had lots of delicious food. Looking out of the hotel window, it looked cloudy outside but it was deceptively hot and sunny, very humid. Captain Caveman and I had a walk to the pharmacy and Winmart to pick up some essentials, I also wanted to buy contraceptive pills as they were increasing in price in Turkey and often unavailable. Unfortunately, the ones I wanted weren’t available at any of the pharmacies near the hotel.
We bought Oresol from the Medicare shop for 17,300vnd (57p) but they don’t do medication, it’s more like a Superdrug type of place.

Here’s what we bought at the supermarket:

1.5l water 9,300
200g peanuts 22,600
100g dried mango 33,600
Pack of 12 toilet rolls 57,000
1 Tupperware tub 65,200
Total spent 187,700vnd (£6.19)

We checked out from a lovely stay at Melia Vin Pearl hotel at midday and asked to leave our bags. Although it was Captain Caveman’s second day of not working he was asked by Oxalis if he could pick up some guests from the train station later. He agreed and we planned to while away the afternoon hours in Dong Hoi. I was also fine with this as it meant we got to visit some new places and a couple of old favourites while there.

Captain Caveman had been recommended by our friend, Phuong (now in Canada), that The Ayatt Coffee cafe in Dong Hoi was a pretty relaxing place to pass a couple of hours. I ordered a pot of rose tea and Captain Caveman had a coffee and a smoothie. It wasn’t cheap but it was rather good and I’d definitely go again.
When a coach party of Vietnamese families with loud kids came in, we left.

Here’s what we paid;
1 black coffee 35,000
1 passion fruit smoothie 40,000
1 pot of rose tea 120,000
Total spent 195,000vnd (£6.44)

I really liked this place, it was close to the physio I spent so many hours at in the past but, as it was a Sunday, Thuy wouldn’t be there to go and visit. It was also a walk, which felt longer in the sun and without a sun hat, to the hospital pharmacies. They did have an alternative contraceptive pill which was double my dose. The engineer in Captain Caveman came in to force when he suggested I buy double the amount but take one every 2 days to counteract the strength. I decided to buy it and they cost 492,000vnd (£16.24) for 6 packets of 21 tablets, which by Captain Caveman’s calculations would last 9 months. In Turkey this would have cost me over £50 but, granted, still cheaper than the cost of a baby at aged 50!

Next, we decided to get a taxi to 7th Heaven restaurant, the driver wasn’t a registered taxi and he looked either drugged or like he’d been crying (maybe both). We got there unscathed and Captain Caveman just gave him the usual amount when he tried to ask for more.
We ordered beers and sweet potato fries to start us off. I love the sweet potatoes in Vietnam, they look like normal potatoes but taste amazing. For main, I thought I’d try to go a little healthier with a chicken breast salad, Captain Caveman had a steak baguette. When mine came it was covered in mayonnaise, I hate mayonnaise so couldn’t touch the salad at all but the Vietnamese love mayo, they even put it on pizzas with sweet chilli sauce! The chicken and roasted garlic was very nice but Captain Caveman enjoyed his lunch more than I did.

Our next stop was Tree Hugger for one of those iced mint and lime drinks which are definitely my new favourite.
At 5.30pm we went back to the hotel to retrieve our bags and wait for the Oxalis pick up car. While we were there, the message came that the train was delayed by 1 hour. The train ended up being 2 and a half hours late so we had to wait at the train station for far too long. Luckily the temperature had dropped to below 30°C and there was a squat toilet to use.
We met the guests who were the very last people off the train and drove to Phong Nha while Captain Caveman did his introductory chat. We dropped them off at Son Doong Bungalow where guests stay before their big cave trip and we got dropped at Oxalis. The car park where our bicycles were, was locked as it was gone 9.30pm so Captain Caveman had to get the security guard to unlock it for us. Bluey, wondering where we’d been, was rather whizzy on the way back to the Glass House. It had been an eventful weekend and I was ready for bed. I’d given up wishing for a lay in and looked forward to one of those back in Turkey next month!

Danang – 2nd June

Friday 2nd June was another busy and a pretty exciting day for us in Danang. After finishing work for the week, it was time for a spot of lunch.
Captain Caveman had been to the shop on the corner and bought the following:

2 packs 200g cheddar slices 278,182
1 pack 125g camembert 90,000
1 pack 125g brie 89,091
1 pack plain crackers 47,273
1 1.5l bottle of water 9,091
Tax 10% 51,364
Total spent 565,001vnd (£18.08)

We called at the bus limo service office and Captain Caveman booked us our next trip which would be for tomorrow morning.
We had a lovely lunch at Poomba’s Smokehouse where they have a great air conditioned room up a ladder style staircase. Captain Caveman had a Reuben’s sandwich, I had a slider trio and we both had beer. It was a ‘feels like’ temperature of 42°C outside, no breeze and high humidity so I was so grateful of the air con. On the way back to the hotel, we bought more stuff at the corner shop – 3 tubes of sensodyne toothpaste and 1.5l of water for 264,000vnd (£8.45).
We had a bit of a rest in the AC at the hotel and then we got ready to go meet Caroline, she was back from Cambodia and it was about to get messy!

Captain Caveman had arranged for us to meet our friend, Caroline, at the Paradise Beach bar in Danang for sunset drinks. The traffic was bad but we had an over keen Grab driver who was determined to get us there without being concerned for anyone’s safety. We took a seat, not on the beach as I’m not keen on sand, then ordered cocktails while we waited for Caroline to get over from Hoi An. Service was pretty slow and it appeared that there was only one bar tender making cocktails but numerous other staff milling about. I realised I had mistakenly left the hotel wearing the shower flipflops, which didn’t really set off Carol’s (from Fat Club) dress too well.
Caroline arrived and we had far too many frozen margaritas for us and long island iced teas for Captain Caveman while we caught up on what’s been going on.

At 8.30pm we had a table booked at Le Comptoir, a really lovely french restaurant and I insisted we ate inside in the AC as it was still boiling hot. We decided to have the Tasting menu with wine pairing as well as extra oysters for Captain Caveman and Caroline. We started off well but by the main course it was carnage; Caroline and I had an extra red wine while Captain Caveman lagged behind, when the main course came those two had disappeared and I had to ask for their food to be kept warm while I tucked in to mine. I ended up having 2 of the puddings and yet more wine before we staggered out in search of the nearest cocktail bar.

At the Craftsman I remembered having a lychee martini, Captain Caveman was wasted and Caroline wasn’t much better. We also were hoping to see our Phong Nha friend, Smiley Fox, who worked here but he wasn’t there. He messaged back to say he was actually in Phong Nha!
We all went off in our Grab taxis very much worse for wear but having had an amazing night. I was not looking forward to the early alarm tomorrow and I suspected Captain Caveman may be slightly less enthusiastic about our arrangements than he usually would have been.

Photo credit – some photos by Caroline and Captain Caveman

Hoi An & Danang – 1st June

I had planned to work my last 3 hours of the week on Thursday 1st June, however, it made sense to finish them tomorrow. Instead, we had breakfast at the Silkian Hotel then got ready and packed to check out before noon. We had an expensive day ahead of us as we were heading over to Danang for a couple of nights. But first I was off shopping at one of the best swimwear places in Hoi An. During Covid lockdown, Mommy Shark had helped me out with getting some swimmers and shorts sent up to me in Phong Nha (without having been in the shop) and they had fit. Now we were actually going to the shop which was a bit tricky to find but did have AC and a fan. Na and her mom greeted us and welcomed us in to the overstocked shop. I explained what I was looking for, she plonked Captain Caveman down on a seat with a fan and then started to sift through piles of items for me to try on. I tried a lot of bikinis and shorts on, some of which looked good, others that didn’t suit me or Captain Caveman didn’t like. We both loved the cycling shorts with hidden pockets in though and their matching bra tops.

Here’s what I bought at Mommy Shark and the prices in Vietnamese Dong:
1 red & white bikini 350,000
1 floral bikini 450,000
1 zebra print bikini 680,000
1 black bikini shorts 220,000
3 cycling shorts 750,000
2 sports bra tops 600,000
Total spent 3,050vnd (£97.60)

I wasn’t planning on buying so much but after losing weight, there was so much more stuff that fitted me and it’s better to get it when you can. I thought the prices were extremely good value too. We said our goodbyes and called a grab to head to the Meliora Hotel in Danang. We were a bit early for check in so the receptionist gave us a bottle of water and we sat in reception to wait, it was melting hot outside. Once in the room we made use of the washing machine and I got my Mommy Shark purchases out. We had to hurry along though as we had places to be and people to meet, as is usual.

After drinking 2 cold beers, which I’d got from the shop next door for 11,818vnd (38p) each and waiting for the washing to finish, Captain Caveman and I decided to visit an old favourite restaurant. The Nomad Kitchen, which was within walking distance from our hotel, had changed premises and no longer had AC. It did have a roof top with a bit of breeze and some fans so we went up there. We each ordered a glass of wine, I fancied the chicken salad as I had bikinis to look good in, Captain Caveman ordered pasta. The food was great, more wine was had (we should have ordered a bottle) and then his friend and former colleague came to meet us. Katie, her husband Sasha and her little baby, Sam, are really lovely and we spent a couple of hours with them chatting. We had a complimentary cheese cake, said hello to the owner and our friends shared a generous portion of fish and chips which looked great. I forgot to take a note of the bill as Captain Caveman paid online.

In the evening, I collected my new glasses from the opticians while slightly squiffy and was convinced I couldn’t see as well as before. The optician suggested I wear them and check again tomorrow.
Captain Caveman treated us both to a fantastic meal at another one of our favourite restaurants, Olivia’s Steakhouse. Here’s what we had and the prices;

1 pepper sauce 65,000
1 750ml still water 70,000
1 grilled sweetcorn 100,000
1 macaroni cheese 120,000
1 grilled asparagus 145,000
1 bottle red wine 950,000
2 250g fillet steaks 2,400,000
5% service charge 196,000
Total spent 4,116,000vnd (£131.71)

This was probably the most expensive meal we’d had in Vietnam so far but it really was worth it. We were served complimentary bread and dips, which Captain Caveman asked for seconds of and we weren’t charged for. We also got 3 shots of complimentary chocolate vodka each for our dessert. Olivia’s has been one of our favourites for a while and the new venue was a winner. We also felt really lucky to have been able to go as Captain Caveman had only just got confirmation that he didn’t have to go back to work earlier than expected.
We were back at the hotel by 9pm as I wanted to be up early for work tomorrow.

Hanoi – 21st May

Foolishly, I’d hoped for quality time and extra snoozes on Sunday 21st May but, obviously, Captain Caveman had other ideas. As he had promised me a shopping trip, we had to get up early to get it done. I’m sure he gave a good reason why and it could’ve been due to the weather but I was too tired to note it. By 7.30am we were showered, dressed and in the hotel dining room tucking in to a shared fruit plate. We both had the chicken noodle soup (pho ga) and a hot drink before Captain Caveman insisted we look lively for today’s mission. At 8am it was already 31°C with a ‘feels like’ 39°C and the air quality was not good in the capital city. Just a couple of weeks ago, Hanoi had suffered a heatwave with the highest temperatures ever recorded.
We got a Grab taxi, which are really cheap in Hanoi, to the shopping centre to find we had to wait for it to open. Once inside, we headed straight for Uniqlo where I’d been online to check the choices and had taken screenshots of a few items I liked the look of. It didn’t quite pan out as well as expected because the largest they had in stock for almost everything was an L (about a size 12). Captain Caveman helped me pick out a few practical items and I headed to the Fitting room a little too optimistic.
I hate shopping anyway so I did get a little despondent when the first couple of things didn’t fit. I had to remind myself that this time last year I wouldn’t have even got in the XL (size 14 approx) if they had any. In less than an hour I had managed to spend 3,194,00vnd (£108.60) of Captain Caveman’s hard earned cash on 6 items and I was happy to have 2 pairs of skorts, which I’d never had before!
We dropped my wares off at the hotel and I had a little fashion show with my new clothes while Captain Caveman took terrible photos of me in them, from the position of him laying on the bed. I’d not even been here quite a week and he was getting bored of taking photos on demand.

Our next stop was to meet two Phong Nha friends for lunch; Leonard, the old guy who stayed at Funny Monkeys from before the pandemic, now lives in Hanoi, and our good friend Kat, who divides her time between Hanoi and Phong Nha. Both were available on the same day so Leonard had chosen one of his nearby favourite restaurants, Pizza 4 Ps.
Captain Caveman and I were the first to arrive and we decided to order a cider that came with some cheese as a pre starter! Leonard was the next to arrive with his arm strapped up after breaking his collar bone in a fall. Other than that he was on good form and it was great to see him. Kat arrived next and was only able to stay for an hour due to her having an upcoming painful dentist appointment. We were having such a good catch up that I almost forgot to take some photos and I had a weird incident in the toilets with the cleaner who wanted me to rate the toilets, on an electronic board, as ‘needing improvement ‘ and then comment on why. The toilets were fine, so I wasn’t quite sure what she was getting at but Leonard said a similar thing happened to him. The half and half pizza which I shared with Captain Caveman was fantastic, the salad was a bit too drenched in balsamic vinegar for me but I managed to get it down me with another cider (no cheese).

After lunch and walking Leonard back to his hotel, Captain Caveman and I walked to the gold shop to exchange some foreign currency and it was so hot that I was getting a bit moany. We had to make a refreshment stop at Puku cafe where, to my delight, they had the iced slushy drinks with passion fruit at 80,000vnd (£2.72) each.
Just as I thought we were off back for a siesta or a rest, Captain Caveman announced we were meeting Lien, our old Vietnamese teacher and friend. We got a Grab taxi to Oliberry cafe where Lien was already waiting. We got chatting about clothes shopping and Lien recommended a woman’s independent clothes shop nearby called Rico Clothing. Within minutes, I was on the back of Lien’s Honda Cub heading to Rico, where I picked out a few dresses to try on. Captain Caveman walked it there and caught us up to give his opinion on the clothes I tried on. I bought a lovely dress and even tried a Size L which was too big for me, I also found a couple of pairs of knickers that fit me too.
We said our goodbyes and I hoped we’d be going home to freshen up and get ready for our dinner date tonight – no, we were out out. Captain Caveman and I had arranged to meet Johan, a friend through caving and Andrea, for tapas with a bit of a difference at Pinchos. We were a little early so we called in to 7 Bridges for a pint of ale, as you do.

At Pincho’s we shared sparkling water and red wine but we didn’t go mad as Johan was on a strict regime and would be up early for boxing class before work tomorrow. Pincho’s was easily one of the best meals I’ve had and it was amazing to be able to eat so much meat and cheese. We tried quite a lot of the different tapas dishes and I only got a surprise chilli the once, luckily I could smell it. We were back to the Aquarius Grand Hotel by 9.30pm and were already setting our alarms for another very early get up. Our day had been an amazing one and when I got in I had to try my new dress on, which I liked more the second try on. The hotel room had cost 765,000vnd (£26) per night and well worth that price, which included breakfast. Captain Caveman paid our bill which also included the 400,000vnd car pick up service (£13.60) from Hanoi airport to the hotel. We also paid in advance for 2 bus tickets at 480,000vnd (£16.32) each as we were off to our next destination for 4 nights at 6.30am tomorrow!

Lardos – 8th May

Having not managed to do my plank or squat challenge yesterday I made the effort when I got up on Monday 8th May. I completed 50 seconds of squats but only 60 seconds plank then Carol, from Fat Club, reminded me that it should’ve been 60 seconds of squats so I did it again. I had an impromptu day off, had slept really well and had a slice of leftover pizza for breakfast. Xena, Steve and Michelle’s dog, was super excited to see me – Trixie, the cat, less so. My hosts were already in the office and were working hard while I unpacked and pottered about.
At 12.30pm we all went to Yamas Cafe in Lardos, which was a short walk from the house. Steve and Michelle had coffees while I had a hot chocolate (the diet was not going too well). We all had a fresh orange juice after that and then it was time to get back for lunch and back to work for some. We had left over pizza with salad and it was pretty tasty – I think the €45 was money well spent on all that pizza.
In the afternoon I met one of the other cats, Pixie, she was friendly but a little shy. There were quite a few outdoor cats which were going to take a while to learn the names of.
While Michelle whipped up one of my favourite dinners, I offered to go to the shop to buy some cheese and wine. We were having pork products, cheese and wine for dinner and I was so excited. Xena and Trixi had also heard about it and were hoping there would be some sharing going on. At the shop, I found the cheese easy to pick out and it wasn’t too expensive (compared to Turkey). The wine was very reasonably priced but I had no clue which one to pick as most only had the tasting notes written in Greek. I opted for one that had it also translated to English, sounded nice and was a Merlot.
For those of you who like to know what’s in my shopping basket and how much it cost for cheese and wine in Rhodes, look no further:

Lardos Supermarket:
330g Edam cheese 2.15
100g Blue cheese 2.58
200g Cheddar cheese 4.72
1 bottle Merlot 8.87
Total spent 18.32 Euros (£15.67)

The food was absolutely superb and I had to remind myself not to be too greedy with the pork products as I snaffled my way through the different ones! Even the selection of crackers was fantastic. Unfortunately, the wine I had bought was pretty disgusting – in fact it’s unusual for me not to be able to drink iffy wine but this was pretty rank. None of us could drink it so Michelle and I went back to the shop for another bottle of something better. This time she was able to help me pick out one of the Greek ones which she recognised as being good. It was the one I had picked up first but put back because I couldn’t read the Greek label. The new bottle was €10.45 (£8.94) and was much better! It was a lovely night and even Xena and Trixi got a little cheese treat before bed time.

Dalyan – 28th & 29th April

When I finally surfaced on Friday 28th April, our shared swimming pool was being filled by hose pipe. This was great news for The Aussies as they had guests arriving shortly who would be staying for 6-7 weeks. I had strawberries for breakfast and went to Turkish class feeling a little delicate. I worked out I’d drank 7 beers yesterday so I was already on 75 syns for this week so far, which was still around the same as last week at this time. I treated myself to a fresh orange juice at Lukka bar for 50 lira (£2 approx) and we had a good lesson.
After class, I checked that the pool was almost filled and it was, an hour later it was a strange colour from all the chemicals. I did the 20 seconds of squat challenge and 40 seconds of plank challenge – it was hard. I popped to the shop to buy bread, cheese and some sugar free lemon drink to perk me up a bit with a late lunch. It cost 76.25 lira (£3.15) for those 3 things, which wasn’t bad, from Bim Supermarket.
That evening, I stayed in for my 2nd alcohol free night of the week and ate leftover sweet potato cottage pie for dinner. Tomorrow I had a few treats lined up!

It was quite a busy day for me on Saturday 29th April despite not going to the weekly market this week. I had 1 week left in Dalyan and my friend, Wendy from Sheffield, was on her way here for a holiday.
My first appointment of the day was to meet another friend, at Ela’s Kitchen for brunch. I always enjoy meeting up with her and today was no different. I ordered a Yorkshire tea which now comes with a home made shortbread biscuit – I couldn’t resist eating that! I decided to take no notice of the diet and ordered a sausage sandwich, which came with chips and salad. My friend ordered a jacket potato with melted cheese which also came with salad. We had a nice chat with Nicola, the co-owner, prices had increased again in Turkey and she had her new menu ready as they were going to be offering evening meals too, during the holiday season. It was still 40 lira (£1.64) for a cup of tea, but 175 lira (£7.16) for the sausage sandwich, so it’s not cheap but the portion sizes are generous, the service is good and the food is excellent. We actually ended up staying there for most of the day and even had another couple of drinks while we chatted on about all sorts of topics.

My next appointment was at the new beauty salon, Sisters, right next to the bank. As summer was coming, I decided to treat myself to a pedicure and some waxing. The pedicure was good and I chose a bright orange nail varnish (but not gel). The waxing was quite a treat as the staff carried the massage bed in to a back room which was off the staff kitchen and had a glass window. Strangely, it was positioned with me being legs akimbo facing the window instead of away from it but the girl reassured me no men would be able to see! She was very thorough and I had to help more than usual by holding my thigh flab and tummy.

When I got home, I saw that the pool was now finished, I’d met the occupants of B1, one of who was not able to walk easily and wanted to know where he could get some sun loungers as the plastic ones had no cushions and were uncomfortable.
On my way out to meet Wendy I popped to Waterfall bar, where I thought I was meeting Pamela. I saw Penny, John and Andrea but didn’t stop for a drink because Pamela was still in Rodrigo’s but was not stopping long. When I got there she was with Glynn and Mark so we all had a drink. Afterwards, Mark and I went to Rehab bar, where he’d been playing pool for most of the afternoon. We played pool, Wendy’s flight was delayed so we ended up playing a game with Jason and Dan, a friendly father and son on holiday. Wendy arrived late and was no longer up for a night ‘out out’ but she did call in to Rehab for 1 drink though, just to say hello before going back to her hotel for some much needed sleep. I really should have taken a leaf out of her book but (obviously) I didn’t. Mark and I stayed out playing pool in Rehab bar until 1.30am. I was eating a homemade chicken liver curry with steamed rice at home by 1.50am, promising myself that I would try harder on the diet over the next few days.

Dalyan – 26th April

It was weigh-in and Fat Club day again on Wednesday 26th April and I was a little worried. Even though I’d done 3 speed days, 5 no alcohol days, 5 days with exercise and 1 meat free day, I had consumed 219 syns. The weekly allowance is 105 and I’d noticed the pattern showed I didn’t lose anything once above 210 syns. I took my measurements to find I’d put 3cm on my bust but lost 2cm from my waist and 1cm from my hips. I took my leg measurements for the first time in a while to find that the thighs still had a difference of 0.5cm but the calves were different by 1cm, still. It was also 3 years now since my ligament injury and my measurements were not back to normal yet. For breakfast I tried something a bit different; strawberries with black pepper and balsamic vinegar and a blob of quark – it was really good too. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea with skimmed milk as usual and then planned for a healthy lunch. I even peeled some carrots and put them in a jar for snacking on. I had beans on wholemeal toast for lunch and then went to find out my weight on Carol’s scales at Fat Club. Carol had brought the dress she promised, plus another one, and I was nervous to see if I would get them. It was only if I had lost weight, that I’d get to see if I could get in to the size 12 dress! (I’m usually a 16).
Miraculously, I had lost! It was only 0.4kg but that was all I needed and I was promptly trying on the dresses. They both fitted me fine and I was so happy, I think Carol was chuffed too as she had really wanted to give me the dresses. I was so pleased and even decided that I would not be going to Rehab bar after class, to avoid temptation and going mad on Weigh day! Instead, I popped to the shops and got some essentials;

Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25
Chickpeas 16.90
White beans 16.90
6 eggs 25.95
Walnuts 32.50
Olive oil soap 78.90
Bin bags 79.90
Total spent 251.30 lira (£10.38)

Back home I made chickpea biscuits and sweet potato cottage pie for dinner, which was fantastic. I retried on Carol’s dresses and even found my high shoes out. I then still allowed myself a weigh day treat without going daft. I had a piece of Easter egg while watching Netflix before bed. For a change I’d only had 12 syns on a Wednesday and refrained from alcohol. This was mainly because I knew I wouldn’t tomorrow, due to there being a big celebration in town.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st April

After a rather boozy and cheesy last night, I decided that Thursday 20th April needed to be a good day. I made pancakes from banana and egg (nothing else) and had them with a fruit salad and chickpea biscuits for an amazing and healthy breakfast.
By lunch time I was tucking in to a warmed up chicken, lentil, aubergine and cauliflower curry with steamed rice, which was also syn free and tasty.
I decided that while I was in the biscuit making mood to nip to the shop to restock on ingredients. I drew more money out of the bank and popped to the A101supermarket where I bought the following;

Becel spread 17.45
Mushrooms 17.50
2 lots of chickpeas 47.50
1 pair of orange shoes 79.95
Total spent 162.40 lira (£6.70)

When I got home and put on my new jazzy shoes, then I sent a photo of them to Jamie, who had always wondered who on earth would wear such shit! On my way in, I had noticed how tidy the outside area was looking for the guests at B1.
I made chicken with black bean sauce and steamed rice for dinner, another low syn meal with extra veggies in. It was an early night for me as I wanted to be up early tomorrow.

On Friday 21st April I attempted what is known in Slimming World terms, as a Speed day. This involved eating only certain veg, meat, dairy and grain – no carbs were allowed. I had an apple, an orange and some strawberries with a cup of tea for breakfast. I had leftover chicken in black bean sauce with bread for lunch and then looked in to what I could have that would fill me up for dinner. I decided to make a courgette grilled cheese ‘sandwich’ type of thing; grated 2 courgettes, and added an egg then mixed it together and put it in to pancake shapes, cooked in the oven so no oil, then melted cheese in the middle. It was so great to say I’d managed no potatoes, rice or pasta today.
I collected some jars from a lady called Michelle, who was giving them away, as they come in handy. Then I went to Jamie’s to borrow his phone again to call my English bank, the complaint I had was turning in to an absolute joke and no one seemed to be able to help at all.
Later, I had a walk with Jamie, Drew and the pooches where we called for a cold beverage at Bistro Blue. I had a diet coke as a treat but when we got the bill I realised soft drinks were 50 lira (£2.06) but a beer was only 60 lira (£2.48) – I won’t make that mistake again in a hurry. Of course, Norman and Edna got free water and we were all made welcome by Selahı and Annie, the owners. We bumped in to Mark and Kate who’d been out and about, both wearing summer wear. I commented on Kate not feeling cold in her short shorts and Mark asked why I was dressed for skiing, which was funny. My clothes were starting to look too baggy on me because of me having lost a total of 7.3kg (16lb) now, so I didn’t have many options of what I could wear. Back home, I was still hungry not having had any carbs, so I snacked on turkey, lettuce and gherkins before bed!

Dalyan – 17th & 18th April

Monday 17th April was the start of my 4th week of working and I was getting in to a bit of a routine with it now. I was able to be flexible with when I worked but I was quite liking doing 2 full days and getting it done early in the week. I suspected when I went to Vietnam I might have to do 4 half days instead but we would see how it worked out. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and an apple for breakfast, then a second cup of tea before lunch time. I warmed up the leftover chicken dish from Saturday for my lunch which I had with steamed rice. After work, I surpassed myself by making a Slimming World Hunter’s Chicken which my sister had recommended. I had it with half of a jacket potato and I even got a half hour walk in beforehand to get some exercise. I called at the Şarküteri to buy some English items which can be on the pricey side because of them being imported. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

1 tin of baked beans 40.00
2 boxes of Jacob’s cream crackers 80.00
2 Chinese sauces 100.00
Total spent 220.00 lira (£9.08).

I had the remaining apple crumble from Lukka Sunday lunch, for dessert with quark on. I put my leftover Sunday dinner in the freezer for another time.
I had 2 days left until weigh-in so I only used a few syns today and refrained from any alcohol for only the 2nd day this week. I would be lucky if I lost any weight this week but I was still trying to put in damage limitations by drinking cucumber infused water, which I don’t actually like!
I sat down to watch Netflix and catch up on messages, the pool lights and filter were not working so we had to buy new ones. I suspected the pool would not be ready any time soon. The Aussies were getting a bit frustrated though, as they had guests arriving for the holiday weekend on Friday and the weather was starting to warm up.

I had a banana and 2 cups of Yorkshire tea for breakfast on Tuesday 18th April before starting work at 9am.
I decided to make broccoli and potato soup in the slow cooker while I got on with my day’s work and I warmed up some leftover Hunter’s Chicken for lunch. I really enjoyed it and would definitely have it again.
After work I went to check on my homemade slow cooker soup to find it was terrible and I had to admit defeat and bin it. Instead I had a turkey salad wrap and a cuppa soup, loads of cucumber infused water and a couple of toffees.
I got a message from Sue asking if I would be able to help her set up a Facebook event for her forthcoming 70th birthday. She had decided that she would be combining her birthday with Adam (married to Kath) who was 60 and they planned on celebrating with a boat trip. I set up the invite which was for the 17th May, let her know I wouldn’t be there and showed her how to invite people, once I’d set her and Adam up as co-hosts. She then proceeded to invite everyone she knew in Dalyan and it looked to be a good day with 4 boats going.

Dalyan – 15th April

I didn’t bother with any breakfast on Saturday 15th April as I had to get to the weekly market. This is what I bought there:

2 garlic 5.00
6 Oranges 7.00
Strawberries 50.00
2 apples, 2 cucumbers and 11 tomatoes 20.00
Total spent 82.00 lira (£3.39)

It was 1 month until I would be back in Vietnam, I was conscious of planning my meals and batch cooking so that I didn’t end up with too much food left when I had to turn the electric off on leaving the apartment. Lunch consisted of reheated Minestrone soup and tasted better than it looked. I went to the supermarket, as I sometimes do on Saturday afternoons, and here’s what I bought;

Migros Supermarket
Cheese triangles 17.50
Milk 18.50
Turkey slices 19.25
1 box of Linden tea 23.00
400g chickpeas 23.75
1 jar gherkins 34.50
1kg Rice 35.90
1 pack GF Wraps 48.50
1kg Chicken 48.88
Total spent 269.78 lira (£11.13). Kitler, the cat, was sat between 2 of the ground floor apartments hoping as if posing for a photo.

It was good to see that if you spent more than 200 lira in Migros there was quite a bargain to be had on chicken. I reported back to my mates at Fat Club and to Jamie so they could also take advantage of the offer. I realised I was out of cheese so I went to buy cheddar at Şarküteri and it was 90 lira (£3.72) for a small piece, which is pricey, but I’d already asked my mom to bring some more when she came to Dalyan.

I decided to go back to the supermarket around 5.30pm and bought the following;

3 Tomato puree 32.70
Bananas 40.17
3 Quark 44.85
1.1kg chicken 49.23
2 tins of tomatoes 49.80
Beef bacon 55.90
Total paid 352.45 lira (£14.55)

Obviously, because I spent more than 200 lira again, I bought more chicken at a bargain price. When I messaged Jamie to let him know he had also gone back and got more. The beef bacon also had a big discount.

I made chicken with green peppers, spring onion, mushrooms and paprika for dinner and had it with steamed rice. It was super tasty and I really enjoyed my healthy dinner before putting my PJs on for an early night.
As it happened, my night would not end there!

I was definitely settling down for the evening, with no plans to go out on a Saturday night, when I got a text. Jamie had already invited me out earlier and I’d been in 2 minds but had said no. Mark messaged me from Sofra bar to say my presence was requested, as our friend, Gareth, was in town for one night only. I also got the tip off that Cath and Keith were out on the tiles and that everyone was having a good time so I agreed to come out ‘for one’. I got back changed in to clothes and called at the bank for some cash, arriving at Sofra bar after 9pm.
When I arrived, I made a joke about some keys on the table and whether a fruit bowl would be a good idea. Everyone was pretty merry apart from Gareth who was also only having a couple of beers. I ordered a draft beer which were still only 65 lira (£2.68) for a pint. I noticed later that the small beers had gone up to 50 lira (£2.06) and shots of whiskey were 60 lira (£2.48) now. By 10.30pm, Ged had joined us and someone had convinced him to sing an Ian Drury and The Blockheads number on the karaoke. It wasn’t long before one of us really wished we had a rhythm stick to hit him with! Mark and Cath started the dancing with a bit of Club Tropicana, both of them hoping the drinks were free. In the end there was lots of dancing and I even managed to drag a few other customers up to boogie with us. Jamie was sat outside with his goddaughter, friends and the dogs and he was having an easy night too. We had a great night, that is until it got to 1am. Most people had (sensibly) gone home, I’d had 2 pints of draught Efes and there were just Cath, Keith, Mark and I left. Keith insisted on buying another round of drinks and I helped Cath get ‘her’ jacket on, thinking we were going. When she got the bill she tried to pay but couldn’t get the card to work so I took a photo of the bill. Keith then had a little mishap and he fell on to the table of drinks, cutting his hand quite badly. We got them in a taxi after some struggling and Mark dropped me off at mine before heading home on the mobility wagon via the beach road. The small bridge was still down so he had to go the long way round, using the main roads. At 1.40am Cath called me to say she couldn’t find her keys and they couldn’t get in the house. I spent the next 20 minutes on the phone trying to help her empty her bag and jacket pockets to try to find the house keys, but she was too drunk to make any sense with. I didn’t know where she lived so I couldn’t even go to help and I gave up in the end.
At just before 2am, Mark called to say he’d had to turn back because there were police checks on the main road and could he stay at mine. He’d called Kate and she’d told him to go to mine so that he didn’t get in to any trouble. While I had one last attempt to help Cath, Mark sipped the red wine I had opened. We only had the one glass before calling it a night as Mark was already falling asleep on the sofa. I’d had a good night but could’ve done without all the drama towards the end. I was definitely going to resist any more alcohol now until after Fat Club on Wednesday.

A short video of some karaoke

Video of a bit of dancing

Dalyan – 8th April

In the morning of Saturday 8th April I popped to the market just to buy strawberries for 50 lira (£2.08). I had some for breakfast with a cup of Yorkshire tea when I got back. I went to Bim supermarket in the afternoon and I only bought some essentials;

1 wholemeal loaf 10.00
6 eggs 16.50
500g of pide bread 19.00
Total spent 45.50 lira (£1.89).

I got a top up of water, 19 litres for 30 lira (£1.25) at Selçuk Market.
I was getting excited because I would get to see my parents in just over 3 weeks, then I was off to Rhodes and would be reunited with Captain Caveman again in Vietnam, shortly after that. For lunch I warmed up some of the minestrone soup and it was delicious. I’d arranged to meet Pamela and Mark at Rehab bar in the afternoon because I still had some of the bottle of red wine from Wednesday left. It also meant I got to see the lovely Angelique and Tay. While we were playing pool, I got a pleasant surprise; our friend, Babs, was back in town and had popped in to Rehab bar to see me and joined us for a drink – her cocktail was an aperol spritz. After finishing the wine in Rehab, Mark, Pamela and I went to Aşkın’s bar and we each carried some of Pamela’s shopping. We just had the one drink there before heading down to Sofra bar. It was all a very civilised evening up until then. Friends, Cath and Keith, joined us and we were talking about landlords putting rents up by more than the 25%. It’s illegal but unfortunately it’s happening to a lot to tenants here, as landlords want to get new people in who will pay more. We had a good time in Sofra bar, for the rest of the night. I made sure that in between my drinks I had a water and some of the time I sat without a drink, while Cath was double parked. Prices of drinks were still reasonable in Sofra bar; large draft beer or glass of wine 65 lira (£2.70), small draft beer 45 lira (£1.87), shot of Jameson’s 50 lira (£2.08). I ended up doing karaoke (again) which Mark took a video of. It was generally a good night until it was almost time to go home. Mark and I had been keeping an eye on Cath, when Keith fell over and banged his head on a bench. It was home time for them, we put them in a taxi which took ages because neither of them remembered where they lived but one of the taxi drivers and Ahmet, the bar man, knew. Mark said he’d walk me home but instead of going home we ended up going to Dalyano’s for a glass of wine. I got my coat zip stuck about halfway up and I couldn’t free it, so ended up getting upset. I went home by myself from Dalyano’s (which isn’t far) and Mark got a taxi home, but called me to check I was home safely. I was, but I couldn’t get my coat off until he suggested I take it off over my head and look at the zip in the morning. I think I’d got a bit emotional as I was concerned about Cath and Keith more than my coat.

Mark’s video of me doing karaoke

Dalyan – 1st April

Last month had been a tough one but I’d managed to get by and I was glad to see April. This would be my last full month in Dalyan as I was planning to go back to Vietnam to see Captain Caveman next month. On Saturday 1st April, Mark rang me to see if I wanted to meet him at Tez bar at noon. I agreed and went round the corner a few minutes before. I ordered a cheese toasty and a cup of tea for my brunch which was 80 lira (£3.37). It came with chips so that was rather naughty of me – so much for being good this month! When Tez brought my tea he put a carnation on the table for me, which was nice. Mark arrived and ordered a coffee before going to meet the pool group at Rehab bar. I finished off my food and drink before getting a lift with Tez to the weekly market. It was busier than usual, lots more tourists were here now and there were more stalls open.

Here’s what I bought at the market this week, I didn’t get the individual prices just the total. Prices were going up but it was still fairly affordable compared to the UK.

6 bananas
1 punnet of strawberries
1 bunch fresh mint
4 big potatoes
8 small potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
3 leeks
1 bunch spring onions
3 onions
1 lettuce
6 carrots
5 green peppers
2 bulbs of garlic
1 bag of pumpkin
Mushrooms

Total cost 273 lira (£11.50)

I even got a free snail on my bunch of spring onions and had to take him downstairs in to the garden. I chopped some of the veggies and the strawberries, putting them in to glass jars to keep fresher for longer.
I met Jamie for a dog walk and quick soft drink in Waterfall around 5.30pm. On my way back from Waterfall I happened to see Kaan on his building site and he showed me the villa he is building. It’s very nice and I had the full tour.
My next stop was at the supermarket and here’s what I bought;

Migros Supermarket
Soup 12.50
1 Bounty 13.95
Noodles 15.90
Turkey slices 19.25
Lentils 25.90
Chickpeas 34.90
Mozzarella Cheese balls 49.90
Wholemeal wraps 57.50
Fish fingers 61.90
Total spent 291.70 lira (£12.28)

For dinner I made a veggie pizza on a wholemeal wrap and it tasted very nice. I resisted the urge to go out to meet Mark, who had gone from Rehab bar to Rodrigo’s then to Mustang. Instead, I had a no alcohol and a no meat day, for the second time this week. I organised a cheese and wine boat trip for when my parents were here and then I had an early night because it was Amanda and Greg’s last day in Dalyan and we had a big day planned tomorrow.

Dalyan – 23rd & 24th March

I woke up on Thursday 23rd March feeling full of flu. I was still cold despite sleeping in pyjamas and my dressing gown under two duvets. I made myself a cup of Yorkshire tea and a fruit salad to force down for breakfast. In my fruit salad were 2 bananas (even though I don’t like them), 1 kiwi fruit, strawberries and some low fat yoghurt (which I also don’t like). As I was eating the fruit, I was finding it more difficult to chew, swallow or breathe and it was getting worse. As I tried to drink the tea, the roof of my mouth was super sensitive and it felt like it was blistering despite the tea not being too hot. I went to the bathroom and got a bit of a shock, half of my face had started to swell up, my lips were tingling and my throat felt tight. Then it dawned on me, the side of my mouth I’d eaten the kiwi fruit on yesterday and today was more sore than the other side. The face swelling, and now tingling, was similar to when I ate a mussel in Belgium – I was having an allergic reaction. I was out of antihistamine tablets and so I had to go to the pharmacy to get some. It turns out allergies to kiwi fruit are more common than I’d thought.
Once I’d got the allergic reaction under control, after several cold flannels to the face and head, I felt able to eat and had a Slimming World friendly mushroom pasta for lunch. I did still have a bad cold but I could breathe a bit better and the blistering mouth was recovering. I forced more Strepsils down, had 5 walnut halves, some sugar free lemon drink, a satsuma, lemon tea and linden tea, as well as 3 litres of water, in an afternoon. I was still taking the ibuprofen and paracetamol alternatively every 4 hours in the hope I’d feel better soon.
My Mom had been told that some work had been done at her apartment and she asked if I’d mind checking on it from the outside. I got some warm clothes on and took myself round there. The walk was fresh, the work had not even been started and I noticed that our complex was much more pleasant to be walking back in to these days – Elite Maintenance seemed to be doing well so far.
For dinner I had more chicken curry with steamed rice and tried for an early night. I was coughing a lot when laying down so I was still awake after midnight.

On Friday 24th March I was starting to improve a bit! I could still have stayed in bed all day but I couldn’t because I had plans. I went to the shop to buy some essentials. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Sugar free mints 12.72
Tissues 13.90
2 packets of wine gums 17.00
Toilet rolls 68.90
Total spent 112.52 lira (£4.79)

I had a banana and linden tea for breakfast then got ready for a couple of days out of Dalyan. I had vegan pasta bolognese for lunch, which was healthy and tasty.
Unfortunately, I was going to miss Roy’s 60th birthday bash at Tez bar at 4.30pm today. It was disappointing as Roy and Debbie (Darling) are 2 of my favourites, but it had been booked a while for a trip with friends to Fethiye and Hisarönü this afternoon. After a taxi ride with Fikri, from Dalyan to Fethiye and running some errands in the town we got a lift to Hisarönü.
We went to Fez bar, and the guy there took a photo of Mark and I at the entrance to the bar so that I could send birthday wishes on. I thought it would be funny to send it to Debbie (Darling) with apologies for going to the ‘wrong’ birthday venue – Fez, not Tez! I couldn’t finish the beer because I was still suffering from the sniffles. That evening, our friend cooked a lovely chicken pasta dish for dinner and I really enjoyed it.
I also decided that I would have another break from my blog for a couple of days, by which time I hoped this cold had gone.

Dalyan – 21st & 22nd March

Tuesday 21st March wasn’t such a good day as I woke up feeling like I had a cold/flu/Corona type illness coming on. It might have had something to do with the fact that I was still awake and a bit merry at 2am! I had 2 cups of Yorkshire tea and more masaman curry with steamed rice for breakfast. By lunchtime I was sipping linden tea and sucking Himalayan salt and lemon sweets because my throat felt like razor blades. I had my leftover sweet and sour chicken with chicken fried rice from China Town for lunch and it was so good, but foolish as I would definitely have put weight back on this week.
In the afternoon I paid the 5,000 lira (£213) to the pool and maintenance company, which Captain Caveman had sent over. It felt difficult because it was a lot for me to pay out upfront when I wasn’t yet working.
In addition to that I also had been told that the Communal electric was being reconnected but we all needed to pay 1382 lira (£59) to have it reconnected. I didn’t understand how it could possibly cost almost £600 (between 10 properties) to have the issue sorted when it was not our fault and the electric company had told me they were sorting it. I was annoyed and upset about this because I just didn’t have it in the budget plus we now had to put extra in to a kitty for any future bills. Of course, Captain Caveman was in the cave so I had to go along with what was asked. He had paid the communal electric for 3 years prior to all this too with no intention of him asking for the money from anyone.
In the afternoon I logged on to the 2nd day of the course I was doing, which I enjoyed, but I started to feel more ill.
I found some Strepsils in the medicine box so I had some of those and 2 slices of wholemeal toast for dinner. I went to bed feeling sickly, tired and disappointed that my Fat Club weigh-in tomorrow would not be a good one.
This week I’d consumed twice the syns of the week before, had more alcohol and 3 times as much sweet stuff.

My health was much worse on Wednesday 22nd March and I could barely speak or swallow. I didn’t want to get out of bed but I knew I needed to feel better for this afternoon’s Fat Club.
I did my weekly measurements and got on the scales at home, the results weren’t ideal. According to the home scales I was 0.85kg heavier this week, my bust and hips remained the same but I had put 4cm on my waist. As I knew the scales would show heavier at Fat Club, I decided to attempt to treat my symptoms. I had ice-cream, cream crackers and some Gouda cheese for breakfast. I could hardly manage to drink a cup of tea as my mouth felt weird. I went back to bed for a nap but was restless.
By 1.30pm I was convinced I had Covid as all my symptoms pointed towards it so I took a test. It was negative.
Before Fat Club, I ate strawberries, Quark and some cheese spread on wholemeal bread.
On my way out of the complex I noticed that the maintenance guy had moved both benches back to outside B1, I’d only asked for 1 to be moved back to where it used to be. I went to get my bike and saw that the string Captain Caveman had tied my faulty kick stand up with, had been removed and the stand was down. I wasn’t very happy because the stand rubs on the wheel when it’s up, hence why it’s tied up and the bike leans against something. I checked my basket to see if the string was in there but it was gone and so I had to walk to Fat Club, feeling crap and late.
I went in, got on Carol’s scales to find I’d only actually put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) so I was a bit happier at that. Carol could see I was quite sickly and suggested I dose up on Vitamin C and get back to bed. She’d noticed that Migros had some kiwi fruit on offer so I decided to pop and get some, as well as a few other items;

Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25
4 kiwi fruit 10.58
Bananas 17.72
2 Quark 29.90
646g chicken 58.08
Total spent 116.53 lira (£4.96)

When I got home, I had 1 kiwi fruit but it took me a long time to eat it. I forced a bit of bread and cheese down while I waited for my dinner to cook. I’d gone for chicken curry with a hot pot style potato top and it looked pretty good.
I’m not quite sure what happened after starting to eat the kiwi fruit at 4.50pm. It took me until almost 9pm to eat dinner. I’d started to feel like my throat was getting smaller, I couldn’t breath as easily and I thought I’d started to lose my sense of smell. I was coughing a lot too, my eyes seemed to want to close and my face and head hurt. I took paracetamol and ibuprofen and went to bed sucking on a Strepsil.