This was probably the most that I’ve ever spent in the supermarket this year in one shop and I struggled to carry it home. I called in to a couple of other shops along the way back where I bought Airfryer liners and bun cases for 95 lira (£2.78), coconut milk for 60 lira (£1.76) and a water refill for 50 lira (£1.47).
I had fruit and quark for breakfast and I was trying hard not to fall off the Slimming World plan. I went back to check on, play with and feed Molly, she was pleased to see I’d got her more food. I took 112 lira out of the pot for the Whiskas too which had 8 pouches in. For lunch I had some of the airfried chicken in a salad with beetroot and 2 cups of green tea. At 5.30pm I met Ann at Kefal tea gardens for a çay and a chat. I checked on Molly again and let her know I would only be there twice tomorrow as I had plans. For dinner I made a chicken chow mein with mushrooms and broccoli in and it was delicious. In the evening I had an apple and some cherries but resisted alcohol, this meant my syns for the day were only 10.
Fat Club had been moved to a day earlier due to the women’s football, so I got weighed at home on Tuesday 15th August to find I was 0.5kg lighter than last week. As always, Carol’s scales were what mattered so my real result would be this afternoon. I did my measurements to find I’d lost 1cm from my bust, my hips were the same but I’d put 1cm on my waist. I’d only drank alcohol 3 times in the last week, which was helping keep on track. I went to Rob and Tracy’s to feed and play with Molly, the cat, and had just cherries for breakfast. On my way back home, I noticed that the gardening company had done a bit of pruning around the complex but it still wasn’t looking great. I popped back to Molly at lunch time and fed her some treats then it was time to get ready for Fat Club. I was disappointed to find I had stayed the same as last week on Carol’s scales. I was a bit naughty when I went shopping, I got myself some treats. Here’s what I got at the shop and the prices in lira:
Şevikoğlu Supermarket
2 chocolate orange bars 6.50 Black tea 18.90 Greaseproof paper 23.90 Tortilla wraps 29.90 Gherkins 36.90
Total spent 116.10 lira (£3.41)
Seeing as I had no Yorkshire tea left, I’d had to resort to Turkish black tea, which I had with a couple of chocolate orange bars. The tea is meant to be good for eczema, which was not getting any better. I fed and played with Molly again in the early evening before going home for dinner. I had a tandoori style chicken with a wrap and some quark. Then had another treat of popcorn and crisps while watching Netflix.
Wednesday 16th August was pay day for me and I’d been invited to go up to Rehab bar in the afternoon. I have no interest in watching football, women’s or otherwise, so I decided on a nice relaxing day at home. I had a green tea and some beans on wholemeal toast for breakfast. I made a pizza wrap in the airfryer for lunch then had a healthy feta and beetroot salad for dinner. I also cooked the whole chicken in the airfryer so that I had meat for the rest of the week’s meals. I took my cat sitting duties seriously and went to look after Molly 3 times, she really was a sweet cat. That evening, I finished off the bottle of rosé wine at home and watched Netflix.
By 8am on Monday 14th August I was in Rob and Tracy’s apartment feeding Molly, the cat. While I was there, I took some photos, played with Molly and spoke to Captain Caveman who was at a party with some porters. We discussed me meeting him in Naples at the beginning of October but the flights went via London which was a bit of a faff and they weren’t particularly cheap. Before work, I had cheese on toast for breakfast, but no Yorkshire tea as I had ran out. I messaged our gardening company, to let them know they needed to tidy the grounds of our complex and they replied to say they would come today – they didn’t. I went back to check the cat at lunch time and, as the owners had not left enough food or cat litter in for Molly, I located the spare cash as instructed by Rob. I would check the price when I next went to the supermarket as I had no idea how much cat food was, these days. I played with Molly for a bit, she’s a lovely cat but a bit on the chunky side. I took more photos and admired the river view. Back at home, I had mantı (Turkish pasta) for lunch then got back to work. I went to meet Kate, Mark and Jamie at Sofra bar at 7pm Kate explained she’d been unable to bring me a 2024 diary back from England and she’d forgotten about the Yorkshire tea. I was back to being on a constant look out for a diary as I was getting quite booked up for 2024 already. I messaged Captain Caveman and he said he would try to get me some Yorkshire tea and a diary when he came back from Vietnam in 2 weeks. I finished my drink, kept hold of Teddy, the AWOL dog, until Ghislaine came to collect him again then I went back to feed Molly. I called at the shops for some provisions and got the following items:
It was late by the time I was going home and I’d forgotten to get anything out for dinner. I decided to have a Hatay kebab which tasted great at the time but I’m sure I’d come to regret it at Fat Club on Wednesday.
I didn’t get out of bed to feed the cats until 7.15am on Sunday 6th August. I was feeling tired. After feeding the cats and watering the plants I did a bit of blogging. I was quite behind and really needed to catch up. I’d mistakenly thought I’d be able to do that while I was house and pet sitting but the internet wasn’t up to much. It also meant that I probably wouldn’t be able to work online from this house tomorrow and I decided to rearrange my work schedule. I had beans on toast for lunch and lots of fresh fruit. Kate suggested I turn her home grown tomatoes in to sun-dried ones but, instead, I made a fresh tomato sauce to go with some pasta and ate it for dinner. I got messages from Kelly and Clare, who were looking forward to arriving in Dalyan later in the month and I was getting excited for their visit. Captain Caveman would also be back on their last day so we could all do something together. I was in bed before 10pm, picking out recipes from Carol’s Slimming World book.
Monday 7th August followed a similar pattern to the previous day; cat feeding, plant watering, blog editing. I’d decided to work from home once back at home so I had a little swim. Unfortunately, my eczema seemed to be getting worse, possibly from the chemicals in the pool. The cats were more playful today, especially as I tried to drink my tea from a Yorkshire tea mug. I had mantı (Turkish pasta) for lunch and popped to Migros and Rehab bar on the puff truck in the late afternoon. I needed to pay my bar bill which was 240 lira (£7.22) for the 3 pints I had on Saturday. At Migros I bought soup, cooked meats and some aloe vera gel (for my eczema) for a total of 114.26 lira (£3.44). Back at Mark and Kate’s, there was more cat feeding then I had a turkey and lettuce wrap for dinner. Another early night was had but I decided that tomorrow I would go back to our apartment to work from there in the day time.
When I woke up on Tuesday 8th August the power was off but I didn’t know if it was a widespread power cut or not. I fed the cats then I took the puff truck back to my place where the power was on and I messaged people who live in the same area as Mark and Kate to check if they had power. It turned out to be everyone in the area. I made Slimming World friendly pancakes from egg and banana for breakfast and did a bit of work. I had 2 Yorkshire teas as a nice treat before getting the laptop out. I had an airfryer jacket potato with cheese and a Linden tea for lunch, which was lovely. I spoke to Captain Caveman for the first time in a while (he’s not one for keeping in touch or asking how I’m doing) and we came up with a holiday plan. Once he was over in Turkey, he could only spend 90 days here so he intended to go to England and Europe for about 40 days. He did ask if I wanted to go too but I just couldn’t afford it, so I said no. We did think I could possibly meet him in Naples or Rome though, as the flights between Italy and Rhodes were so cheap. I said I’d consider that and went back to work until 5.15pm. Back at Mark and Kate’s I fed the cats and watered the plants, while our own garden seemed to be neglected in comparison and we have a maintenance company there. That evening, I spoke to Ma and Pa and suggested meeting in Italy as per Captain Caveman’s idea. They were also open to this plan and we said we would factor it in to our October holiday. It was almost midnight when I went to bed, tomorrow I had a busier day planned.
I had another healthy day on Tuesday 1st August. For breakfast I had banana, peach, strawberries with quark and a herbal tea. I went to buy another water for the cooler to find it had now gone up to 50 lira (£1.50) for 19 litres but he did deliver it quicker than last time. For lunch I had a chicken and veg pasta then I worked for about 3 hours in the afternoon, once it had cooled down a bit. I was conscious that I was off to Fat Club tomorrow so I was trying my best to be good, it was my third day without alcohol too. I had wholemeal toast for dinner and then decided to pop out to the shops because there seemed to be an increase in the amount of ants we had in the apartment. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
Migros supermarket
Boiled beans 16.90 Bulgur wheat 27.95 Tomato paste 32.50 Ant spray 45.25 Total spent 199.15 lira (£5.96)
Şarküteri 2 tins Heinz baked beans 90.00 Cheddar cheese 110.00 Total spent 200.00 lira (£5.98)
The English products were obviously more expensive here but I really fancied treating myself to beans and cheese.
I was on a last-ditch attempt to have lost weight this week on Wednesday 2nd August. I weighed myself on the home scales and I seemed to have done ok but we would have to go by Carol’s official scales at Fat Club. My measurements were less favourable; bust -2cm, waist +2cm, hips +3cm. This wasn’t boding well for a loss this week and I had consumed 266 syns in total, on a 110 syn allowance! I’d done an hour’s work when I noticed the water in the cooler was only half full – it was leaking! I googled how to fix it and did, then mopped up the floor! I had slimming world friendly ‘pancakes’ for breakfast which were made from 2 of my least favourite foods; eggs and bananas mashed together and cooked. I drank 2 Lotus teas and a litre of water, I also made 3 omelettes and popped them in the freezer for egg fried rice at a later date. For lunch I had veggie pasta and another litre of water. I finished work at 2.30pm and walked over to Fat Club. I was pleased to find that I had actually lost 0.8kg (1.8lbs) which was great. I went back home to finish off some work before heading back out to the bank and then to Rehab bar to see whoever was left of the pool gang. Mark, Kate, John and Andrea were still there so I joined them for a drink, with it being pay day. I limited myself to 2 pints of draft Efes and then joined Mark and Kate for another drink (a glass of red wine) at Rodrigo’s. Mark ordered a burger from the burger place next door while Kate and I had chicken rice and chickpeas (really tasty and healthier) from across the road. I walked home via the river and took some photos of the boats along the way. After a cup of tea, I had an early night as I was working tomorrow and then off for a week of cat sitting.
On Wednesday 26th July I made a concerted effort to get back in control of the diet and budget. I had a month until my friends from England visited and I wanted to be able to lose a bit of weight and save some money before they arrived. The last few weeks had been very slack in both those departments and I needed to get back on it.
I had strawberries, cherries and quark for breakfast with cinnamon tea then I remembered to take my measurements. I’d put 1cm on my bust, stayed the same on my waist and lost 1cm from my hips. I had cheese, rice crackers and olives with more cinnamon tea for lunch and I worked until 2.35pm. At 3pm I was at Fat Club to face Carol’s scales and start again on my weight loss journey. To my absolute amazement, I’d lost 0.3kg this week and was able to rush back to my laptop feeling quite motivated. I finished work at 5.35pm and went to see which reprobates were left at Rehab bar after pool. It was just the hardcore few so I had a couple of pints of Efes with Mark and Kate who I’d not seen properly in ages and I’d missed them. We took a photo of the 3 of us to send to Steve and Michelle, in Rhodes, who were really going through some horrendous fire situations and we wanted them to know we were thinking of them.
I got a lift with Mark and Kate, on the puff truck, round to Jamie’s where I had been invited over for an impromptu BBQ. I tried to be good and only drank half a bottle of red wine, had plain chicken, beef and salad. Unfortunately I found it impossible to resist Drew’s homemade croutons, nan bread, peanuts and Nanny Kay’s brownie. I’d been feeling a little sad, worrying about Steve and Michelle, their friends and all the animals affected by the Rhodes fires. Everyone did their best to cheer me up, Nanny Kay even wore her sandals which she’d got from Rhodes and we sent love to Steve and Michelle to try to show support. Towards the end of the night we even discussed a mini break to Rhodes with my friends. As we were leaving, Ann suggested a nightcap in town so she and I popped to Cafe Ivy for a drink. I got home and went straight to bed, looking forward to a lazy day tomorrow.
I helped a friend with a holiday itinerary on Thursday 27th July and did a few chores at home. I popped a beef and pumpkin curry in to the slow cooker for dinner too. It was far too hot to go out but I did need some provisions. I made a shopping list for when the sun had gone down. Steve and Michelle were back home but there was still a chance of resurgence as the winds were unpredictable in Rhodes. I had fruit for lunch and drank lots of water and herbal tea. By 7pm I’d been to the bank and was swanning round Migros getting some shopping in. They didn’t have all that I had on my list so I also had to go to Şok, here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
My beef curry was lovely, I had plenty left for the freezer and I was ready for another early night.
On Friday 28th July my friend, Annie, let us know that she was on her way to Dalyan. As I ate my breakfast, she suggested that her and I join a boat trip tomorrow as the weather forecast for the next few days was scorching hot with very little breeze. Of course, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t go one better than joining an existing boat trip. Before lunch I’d arranged a private boat trip with Princess of Ekincik and invited a few friends to join us. I had fruit for breakfast, and a pizza wrap in the airfryer for lunch because the AC man was due over. I’d asked Leanne at King Emlak if we could get a workman round to service the units as they didn’t seem to be working properly. She’d just messaged me to say he would have to come over the weekend, when he arrived. He proceeded to drag the TV, which is directly beneath the living room AC unit, from the wall. This ripped the wires out of situ and disrupted the small DVD cupboard as it’s all attached. He was not careful at all so I rushed in to help, wearing what can only be described as beachwear. In the end, I had to go and sit on the balcony as he was making a bit of a mess and I was annoyed that he’d pulled all the wires out for the TV and internet out when I had no idea how to put them back. He took a while, had to replace two broken capacitors and I still wasn’t sure how much more than a service it was going to cost me. When he left he didn’t even clean the floors and told me to get the mop out! Luckily, he did fix the cupboard and TV, making sure that and the internet worked, so I was relieved. I tried to get Leanne to send a cleaner but she was busy so it looked like I’d have to do it. On a more positive note, the AC was working much better and it was pretty chilly. Leanne even gave me a great AC tip; put it on to dehumidifier around 25°C and it will do it’s thing! I ate leftover beef curry, with nan bread warmed in the airfryer, for dinner. I’d had trouble getting the remaining curry in to the freezer so I took a random box of Tupperware out with pineapple in so that I could finish that off.
After a hot and humid night’s sleep, the temperature on Saturday 22nd July felt like the hottest day so far in Dalyan. It was already above 33°C when I got up and was forecast to be 43°C in the afternoon. Today I was having a day and night off while the family went on a jeep safari and then for a meal at Alegria. Yesterday’s amazing boat trip had been paid for by Gayle and Neil so I’d only had to pay for my wine. I felt very grateful that I’d only spent 600 lira (£18) and was off to the market today for some provisions. Due to the heat and weather warnings I went at a more sensible hour. I bought 2 red peppers, 4 green peppers, 1 red cabbage, 500g of cherries, 1 punnet of strawberries and 6 peaches which cost 193 lira (£5.80) then had to call at a new cafe on the way back. It was hot and I needed refreshment so I called in to Asaf Bey which had been recommended on Facebook groups for coffee and cake. I’m not a coffee drinker so I had a juice and a water which took a good while to be served as there were already 2 other customers. It’s a nice place, the staff are friendly and they do the traditional coffee, made in sand. I personally didn’t like much on the menu but they had a fan on and it was a nice place to cool down a little. I paid 50 lira (£1.50) for my 2 drinks and a cool down in a nice peaceful environment so I was happy as I went out in to the now midday sun. On the way home I bought lavaş wraps, cherry juice and smoked turkey at Migros supermarket for a total of 117.50 lira (£3.53). I made a turkey, cabbage, carrot and quark wrap for lunch, whacked on the AC and rested up. The weather forecast had been accurate and it was extremely hot, the humidity had dropped though. Unfortunately, other countries were suffering the heat far worse than us and things in Rhodes had took a turn for the worse. There were forest fires which were spreading across certain areas in Rhodes and, by 2pm my friends, Steve and Michelle, were having to evacuate their home in Lardos. It looked pretty scary and I was worried about the people I knew there. I offered to put them up at our place and said if it got worse to get on a ferry to Fethiye and come to Dalyan. For dinner I made a chicken and veg stir fry which I ate while worrying about my pals in Rhodes. I had an early night but didn’t sleep much as I was watching the Rhodes news.
It was weigh day on Wednesday 19th July and I had a quiet day planned. In the last week I’d been on 2 boat trips, a hen party, a leaving meal, a wedding and a meal out last night. I’d drank alcohol 5 nights out of 7 so it was bound to not be a good result at Fat Club this afternoon. I took my measurements in the morning; Bust +2cm, Waist -4cm, Hips -1cm. I think the waist measurement was a fluke and I still wanted to lose another 5cm there. I couldn’t work in the morning as I had internet issues but I started work after lunch. I had leftover lentil Bolognese with airfried aubergine chips and it tasted great. At Fat Club I had put on 1kg and really needed to get back on it, once my family had gone. On my way home I called at Migros Supermarket to buy provisions and I even got some items with the airfryer in mind. Here’s what I bought and prices in lira: 6 eggs 24.95 2 Quark 29.90 Cheese triangles 32.95 500g cherries 39.90 Beetroot 44.90 1.8kg whole chicken 88.82 Total spent 261.42 lira (£7.82).
I was pleased with the shop as I got a bag full for less than £10 quite easily. Back home, I popped the whole chicken in the airfryer as adviced by Fat Club Carol and got back to work. I did another 3 hours of work before eating the chicken which was an absolute success. I ate chicken with courgettes and mushrooms, also done in the airfryer while I carved up the chicken. I saved the carcass and skin to make a stock for soups another day.
It was another expensive day on Wednesday 12th July as well as it being my first Fat Club since the beginning of May. I did my measurements to find I’d lost 1cm from my bust, no change to my hips and I had put 2cm back on my waist. My home scales said I was 0.4kg heavier than last week at Steve and Michelle’s so I wasn’t holding out for a good result on Carol’s scales this afternoon. I spent 520 lira (£15.50) for 2 month’s worth of internet, and 72 lira (£2.15) at Migros where I bought 2 Quark, 3 packets of pasta and fabric softener. On the way home I bought a replacement water for the cooler, which was 30 lira (89p) for 19 litres. I worked from 12.15 to 2.45pm then popped to Fat Club. To my amazement it wasn’t as bad a result as I thought it would be; I was 1.5kg (3.3lb) lighter on Carol’s scales than I had been on Steve and Michelle’s last week. I was happy with that and had a spring in my step as I walked to the hairdresser’s. I paid 600 lira (£17.89) for a colour, cut and blow dry with Emrah then went back home to carry on working. I had the leftover chicken shish from My Arancia the night before last and it was even tastier than the original. I served it with steamed rice to try to keep healthy, for a change. When I finished work at 8.30pm my parents and the rest of the family were still at their apartments, having some drinks after a BBQ by the pool and had invited me round. I took some soda waters so that I could be good and have a night off the booze as I had work tomorrow. They were having another boozey one but I did well to resist and I didn’t join mom and my nieces in the pool as I’d just had my hair done. I left before 11.30pm which I didn’t think was bad to say I was sober.
On Thursday 6th July I was up early, busy with plant watering and animal duties then I worked 9am to 4.30pm. After feeding the cats, getting the hang of who’s indoor and outdoor, I decided a quick trip to the shop was a good idea. I spent €13.30 (£11.41) on Prosecco, crisps and chocolate at Big Family supermarket then decided to stop at a bar. I ordered a cheeky Milokleftis cider with ice at Yamas bar and sent a message to Louise to see if she had finished work. Shortly after, she arrived and ordered a coffee but another Milokleftis and a cocktail arrived. What was a quick drink after work with a new friend, turned in to quite an impromptu evening. After a few ciders I decided I couldn’t be bothered to go home to cook so suggested we eat out.
Louise and I both love Valentina’s restaurant in Lardos and it was very close by. We opted for a white wine each then I had a carafe of red wine while Louise ordered a lemonade then a passion fruit cocktail. There was a complimentary pumpkin soup which was very tasty. We had the amazing cheese balls and some garlic bread to share for starters and we both ordered steaks with mushrooms and onions for mains. Once again we got complimentary dessert of baklava with ice-cream and watermelon ouzo shots to round off the meal. It was amazing and I was impressed with the food, yet again – I’ve never had a bad meal there. The total bill came to €79 (£67.79) which was reasonable for what we had and I went home with a doggy bag! I think Xena disapproved of me coming back drunk without her parents, but they were due back tomorrow.
I had the luxury of being flexible on the hours I worked, however Steve and Michelle had to be ‘at work’ early on Monday 3rd July. I woke up still very red in places and my eyelids and back were clearly sunburned. As Steve and Michelle have bathroom scales I thought it wise to get on them. It was time to face the music and compare my weight now, to when I was last here. I was 4.2kg (9lb) heavier today than when I last used these scales back in May. I worked from 10.30am until 1pm then broke for lunch. Michelle made us burgers with cheese and chorizo wraps which were very tasty. I worked from 2pm to 7.45pm with a break to say bye to Steve and Michelle as they were off to Crete for a friend’s wedding. I was looking after Xena, the dog, the 6 house-allowed cats, a clowder of outdoor cats and I was looking forward to having a bit of a rest.
My day started with a Captain Caveman video call on Tuesday 4th July, he tried saying hello to Xena but she wasn’t receptive. I was up by 6am as Trixie wanted breakfast, and LuLu was so hot that she tried to cool her bum on the freezer door. I worked from 9am until 11am with Trixie trying to help again. After a quick lunch I did a few more hours work and decided to finish about 4.30pm for cat and dog feeding. I went to the bakery for some bread and called at the ABC supermarket in Lardos square where I bought the following;
I didn’t think the prices were too bad for Europe and I got some pork and cheese so I was happy with that. In the evening I watched TV and even got some snuggles from Milo, the (not so) pissy cat.
I was up and about early on Wednesday 5th July to feed and check on the animals. Lulu was particularly eager to get fed and Xena was happy to run about in the garden. I did my measurements to find my bust and hips had not changed but my waist had increased by 2cm. I worked from 8am until 6.30pm with breaks for meals, garden watering and pet tending. I did try to stick to Slimming World again and didn’t have any alcohol so was doing well. In the evening I watched TV and spent time with the pets before having an early night.
Saigon was a bit cooler than Phong Nha on Sunday 25th June and the forecast looked like thunderstorms, usually in the afternoons at this time of year. We had breakfast from one of my favourite bakeries, Micro Boulangerie, very close to the Common Inn. Captain Caveman had picked up a cream cheese and cranberry baguette and a caprese sandwich. We had half each of both and they were delicious, not cheap at 280,000vnd (£9.24) but so fresh. By 9.30am we were getting out of a Grab taxi and walking round Decathlon looking for trainers for Captain Caveman. Within less than 12 minutes he’d bought some and we were on to the next shop of our extravaganza. I had a knee support on because I was having a few twinges and wasn’t really sure why. I was surprised to see that Body Shop sold something I’d been trying to find for years, Elderflower eye gel, so we got that and some moisturiser before moving on to stock up in the pharmacy. Here’s what we bought and the costs in Dong;
The Body Shop 1 Elderflower eye gel 229,000 1 face moisturiser 599,000 Total spent 828,000vnd (£27.32)
We decided we needed orange juice so that we could have Buck’s Fizz tomorrow but it was harder than you’d expect to find orange juice in Saigon. We tried a couple of shops before eventually getting some at Tops supermarket for a fairly steep 59,000vnd (£1.95).
We had to hurry along because we had an appointment to meet up with Phuong and her family at The Jetty for lunch. When we arrived, it looked like rain so I suggested we sit at a table undercover and we ordered some sparkling water. Phuong, her husband (Jonah) and their 3 extremely well behaved kids arrived and we ordered lunch. I decided a salad might be a good idea, given that I’d not been sticking to the diet and I ordered the Halloumi and asparagus salad. We were too busy chatting so I didn’t take many photos but I got a video when the rain came. After lunch, it had stopped raining, and I played fetch with a random chocolate Labrador while we waited for our Grab taxi. By 2pm we were back at the Common Inn to have a little break before our next lot of shenanigans.
Video of the rain at The Jetty
Captain Caveman and I arranged to meet our friend, Andrea, and her friend at 6pm, for wine and dinner. Captain Caveman and I met them at Soho wine bar, another one of our favourites, in Thao Dien. The red wine was an absolute treat and we had several before we had to leave to go for dinner at a swish little place called Okra, recommended earlier by Jonah.
The restaurant was a real hit and we tried lots of different tapas style dishes, drank Primitivo red wine and got free tequila shots just for knowing Phuong and Jonah! By 8pm we were hammered and I was asking the chef how he made the charred red cabbage which was my favourite dish of the night. On our way home we popped in to the pharmacy and bought the following; 1 bag 3,000 2 pack Loperamide 4,300 1 pack wet wipes 13,000 7 packs of salted lemon sweets 52,500 2 boxes Fexofenadine 260,000 Total spent 332,800vnd (£10.98)
Video of me, Captain Caveman and Andrea having our Tequila shots Captain Caveman’s video of me doing another shot of Tequila
After saying bye to Andrea and her friend, the two of us went to a bar Captain Caveman had been meaning to try which did unusual cocktails. 86 Proof might have been where we had one too many and we were heading home when we accidentally had a night cap at Mad Wine Bar, where 2 big glasses of Malbec was 270,000vnd (£8.91). I was definitely drunk as I had made Captain Caveman pose outside a well-known coffee shop with a funny Vietnamese name, so that I could get a photo. It had been a long day as we didn’t get back to the hotel until gone 11pm.
‘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;
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!
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!
Wednesday 7th June was a much calmer day than yesterday. I was naturally up early with the sound of the lost Casio watch at 6.45am and it was measurements day. My bust had remained the same but I had lost 6cm from my waist and 3cm from my hips. I still didn’t have any scales so I wasn’t sure how much I’d had put on from our holiday. I decided to take myself off out for breakfast, seeing as I didn’t eat well yesterday. It was back to being hot and sunny again but it was early enough for me to cycle in to town to visit the supermarket. Phong Nha now has a Winmart and I was keen to get some ‘healthy’ provisions.
Here’s what I bought with the prices in Vietnamese Dong:
I’d completely forgotten how expensive apples are in Vietnam and should have bought bananas instead. I think 54p each for an apple may be a bit much but they turned out to be one of the nicest apples I’d had. At The Villas I had a mango smoothie and a beef noodle soup for breakfast. It came to 128,000vnd (£4.22) and was very nice. I was back home working on the laptop in the afternoon and had just a cereal bar, an apple and a KitKat for lunch. For dinner I had cheese with crackers and another KitKat – the KitKat diet was going well!
It was the 12th anniversary of Oxalis on Thursday 8th June so I was expecting there might be some sort of event either today or this weekend to celebrate. Captain Caveman and I had plans at the weekend but we would have to cancel them if there was an Oxalis party. So I was surprised when Tatas confirmed we would meet this evening for wine and then go for a curry. I asked her if there was any party planned but she said she’d not heard of anything. For breakfast I had a cereal bar, a yoghurt and an apple which meant I was back on the Slimming World plan. I worked from 9am until 3.45pm stopping for a lunch break at home of another cereal bar, 60g of cheese and 2 apples. I met Tatas at 7pm at Tree House for red wine and there was still no mention of an Oxalis anniversary party. However, one glass in to the bottle, she received a call to say there would be a bit of a do at Big Ben and could she come over after she had finished dinner. We drank the wine, which had to go in an ice bucket as it was still very hot at night here.
At Ganesh Indian restaurant I ordered chicken samosa for starter, then for main a chicken tikka with saffron rice and a garlic naan. Tatas, who likes everything extra spicy, ordered an extra hot chicken vindaloo with plain naan bread. We both had a couple of bottles of Saigon beer each. My food was amazing, even though my samosas looked like a pair of boobs and I’d brought my trusty Tupperware to take half home! Tatas was upset that her’s still wasn’t spicy enough despite it making me cry when I sniffed it! Here’s the prices of what we had so you can compare how much it costs where you are:
Towards the end of the meal, while I was still eating but Tatas had given up, the calls and messages from Tatas’ colleagues increased. By 9pm she had left me to go to Big Ben for the Oxalis anniversary party. I decided to chat to the staff at Ganesh and get some photos. When I left, one of the Indian guys came out to help me put my light on my bike as I had my hands full of tomorrow’s Indian takeaway! It was great to have an Indian restaurant back in Phong Nha and, although we missed Raj at Namaste, Ganesh was certainly one of my new favourites. I cycled home, popped my leftovers in the fridge and set my alarm for work tomorrow.
joloyolo 