Dalyan – 7th & 8th June

I worked most of the day on Saturday 7th June. I was trying to stay frugal but as it was so nice and sunny and I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink for a bit, it was tempting to go out. I worked on a few quotes and even got a couple of potential new customers who I didn’t already know. I was busy with holidays for next year, mainly, and it reminded me of the days when I used to be so organised at booking things way in advance.
Eventually, I had a break to go to the weekly market, by which time it was pretty hot, but still with a breeze in the air.
Here’s what I bought at each of the stalls, which I had noticed was getting a little pricier. How does it compare with what you spend on fruit and vegetables, where you are?

Stall 1
Potatoes, onions & garlic 100 lira (£1.89)

Stall 2
Sage (for tea) 50 lira (94p)

Stall 3
Strawberries 150 lira (£2.83)

Stall 4
Cabbage & lettuce 90 lira (£1.70)

Stall 5
Peppers 50 lira (94p)

Stall 6
Spring onions, tomatoes & cucumber 40 lira (75p)

Total spent 480 lira (£9.06)

Lettuce and strawberries are still quit pricey in Dalyan but, overall, I was pleased with my weekly market shop.
I was back home by 1.30pm and warmed up some cauliflower and cashew nut soup which I ate with wholemeal bread and butter. It was deceptively tasty and I carried on with more work. Vanessa had messaged to say she and Matt were at Retro bar, near to me, and I should come meet them for a drink. I said I would finish work at 4pm and pop along ‘for one’.
Just before 4pm I got another text from Vanessa to say that they were having some food and one more drink. I still decided to go and I ordered a white wine and soda water with ice. Retro bar is back in favour with some of the Dalyan Dwellers as beer and wine was only 90 lira (£1.70) – an absolute bargain. Soda water is 50 lira (94p) and I shared one over 3 glasses of wine. Vanessa had already had her fill of wine and had a water, Matt had finished his drink and they were ready to go. After a quick catch up, they left and I ended up carrying on the afternoon with Sarah, Kate and Mark. After paying 590 lira (£11.13) for 6 wines and a soda water, for an afternoon/night out in Retro it was time to go home. Kate insisted we go to Sofra bar to do karaoke. I’d already worn a Kermit the frog shirt while singing and dancing then had Kate’s spare knickers on my head for a laugh – I really should’ve gone home but ….
I ended up having 2 red wines for 300 lira (£5.66) in Sofra and sang several songs, quite badly. Jamie, Drew and all his friends were in too, Sioned joined Kate for a Meatloaf karaoke and I think once Kate and I got in to Teenage Dirtbag, it was too much! We bumped in to Brigette from Fat Club and it was nice to be out on a very rare Sofra visit from me, these days. When I started pouring Mark a glass from the bottle we had brought from Retro, it was perhaps time to leave!

Gratitude List
1. Fresh fruit and veg from the weekly market
2. Going out for one with Vanessa and Matt
3. Ending up out out with karaoke thrown in for good measure.

I did something for the first time this year on Sunday 8th June; my phone was off!!!
I didn’t know it until quite late in the day and I’d accidentally managed to worry people because if it, without realising. I am never not contactable via messenger as I am constantly using Facebook for work. I’d had a heavy night and had woken up at Mark and Kate’s house under a duvet (which was too hot) in their upstairs bedroom.
I went downstairs, it was already 11am and I was meant to have been going for a walk with Vanessa at 10am. She had already been to call for me and had assumed I was still in bed. No one had a phone charger to fit my phone and I had a bit of a panic that I might need it. We established not having my phone on for a change would do me good, but I had to ask Mark to call Matt to explain why I wasn’t at home. Mark made me a cup of Yorkshire tea and Kate made me a slice of homemade sourdough toast with homemade marmalade for breakfast. By 11.30am Glynn had popped round and offered to give me a lift in to town when he left so I thought that would be a good idea. However, once Mark’s sister, Tracey and Kate were in the pool it seemed like a good idea and I got in, wearing my cycling shorts and sports bra. I was meant to be meeting other friends, with it being my only day off and I’d likely made loose plans.
Oddly, it was quite liberating not having any battery left in my phone and I missed my lift with Glynn when he left while I was still in the pool. Mark became the host with the most as he opened a bottle of Prosecco for Tracey, Kate and I and we stayed in the pool for the rest of the day. It was the first time this year I had been in a swimming pool and it felt amazing. The Prosecco was still going strong from when they had bought a very generous job lot which almost filled a spare bedroom.
Kate had bought Mark a toy that you put in the water and it drags you around so he let us all have a go on that. It looked slow but it didn’t half get going and was making my pants fall down. We had a great day and it soon turned in to evening with more Prosecco and some sausages. I did go home but had been wearing my sunglasses with transitional lenses so I was a bit confused when I walked home using a really bright, borrowed torch which I thought was dull. I walked past Sofra and checked with Şükrü that I’d paid my bill last night and apologised for the singing – he laughed and confirmed I wasn’t barred (yet). I also had a quick chat with Carol from Fat Club, who was there with her family. It was only when I got home that I realised I’d walked home in sunglasses and had left my watch and my credit card at Mark & Kate’s.
I had a shower and was about to get ready for bed when I noticed just how sunburned I was! June had certainly started to warm up. After charging it, I turned my phone on to apologise to a lot of people who had all been really worried that I had not be available.
Oops – I felt bad but the break from devices had certainly done me good and it had made a nice change to see friends.

Gratitude List
1. 12 hours without my phone for the first time this year!
2. Prosecco
3. Seeing Mark, Kate and friends for a really great impromptu weekend.

Photo credit – pool photos by Mark

Dalyan – 5th & 6th June

Thursday 5th June was a working day but I decided to spend the morning on my laptop, outside on the balcony. I even heard the gardener doing some work which was good to know. After he had cleaned and topped up the pool, I went and took some photos while it looked good. I noticed we seemed to have a lot of ants on the back balcony so I ate a banana and chucked down the skin. Ants hate bananas so it helps to get rid of them. I have ant powder but it doesn’t seem to deter them at all.
Our Resort Experts team meeting was a good one where the second version of our quote tool, Quote Away, was being launched. Of course, Jamie and I were always on hand to volunteer to break it.
For dinner I tried to recreate the noodles from Simple, mine weren’t as good but they did the job. I’d also made a big batch of cauliflower and cashew nut soup in the slow cooker, it’s really creamy but low fat and the nuts can be counted as part of the B Option on Slimming World. I was determined to get back to healthy eating and being frugal, before Captain Caveman arrived.

Gratitude List
1. The pool looking good
2. Working outside
3. Great colleagues at Resort Experts

I mainly spent Friday 6th June at home and on my laptop. I had beans on toast for breakfast, worked on the kitchen balcony until soup for lunch and then worked inside when it got a bit breezy. I checked out flights to go back to the UK in July and found that the week before Captain Caveman’s birthday was looking cheaper.
For dinner I warmed up chicken curry with steamed rice and made a cheese and garlic naan bread using 2 wraps in the airfryer. I even treated myself to an Efes beer to go with it and dined on the balcony.

Gratitude List
1. Great food
2. Cheap flights for potential UK visit
3. Being able to work outdoors again.

Dalyan – 14th & 15th May

After yesterday’s boat trip frivolities, I was definitely expecting weigh-in day to be rather unpleasant on Wednesday 14th May.
I took my measurements to find my bust had stayed the same but I had put 3cm on my waist and 4cm on my hips – not good. I rushed to get my Turkish homework done before my lesson at Lukka at 11.30am. Our pool and garden company had sent someone to tidy the decking areas, remove the tree branch and sort the pool out. I just had fruit for breakfast but then had leftover curry and rice for lunch. Today, Carol was away so I was in charge of the scales and books at Fat Club. So that people didn’t have to tell me their weight if they didn’t want to, we all got weighed privately and I left it up to the ladies to let Carol know how they had done. Bizarrely, I had lost 0.95kg (2lb) which I was so pleased about.
I was busy in the afternoon so I didn’t have time to make the dinner I had planned to. Instead, I had marmalade on wholemeal toast. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was still in the sunny north of England and seemed to be doing fine.

Gratitude List
1. Leftover curry
2. Losing weight
3. Speaking to Captain Caveman.

On Thursday 15th May I was up early and had even been shopping by 10am. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Pharmacy
400mg Ibuprofen 113.62
Plasters 140.00
2 packs contraceptive pill 658.36
Total spent 911.98 lira (£17.64)

Migros Supermarket
Chickpeas 33.95
Wholemeal loaf 52.50
Cashew nuts 84.50
Silicon spatula 109.95
1.95kg while chicken 152.22
Total spent 433.12 lira (£8.39)

I noticed that there was Peja, alcohol free beer, in Migros for just over £1 per bottle. Back home, the complex was starting to look a bit more summer ready and the pool looked ready for the first time this year. I had strawberries with Quark for breakfast and then got on with a busy day. I had a cheese and lettuce sandwich for lunch and dialed in to our Resort Experts Team Meeting at 1pm. We were introduced to a new Resort Experts Facebook page; Holiday Help from Locals – feel free to follow and like here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/holidayscheckitbeforyoubook/?ref=share&mibextid=lOuIew
It was to help people looking for holidays get actual advice from people who lived in those destinations (us) and for us to share quotes, tips and any other holiday and travel related information.
I had cheese and roasted vegetable pasta in the evening which was simple but very good.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to afford medicine
2. Tasty food
3. Resort Experts and the colleagues who were supporting me.

It was to help people looking for holidays get actual advice from people who lived in those destinations (us) and for us to share quotes, tips and any other holiday and travel related information.
I had cheese and roasted vegetable pasta in the evening which was simple but very good.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to afford medicine
2. Tasty food
3. Resort Experts and the colleagues who were supporting me.

Dalyan and Ekincik – 13th May

Often in Dalyan, I don’t get invited to anything for ages and then 2 things crop up at the same time. On Tuesday 13th May I was booked on to a friend’s private boat trip for the day. I’d also been invited to a Ladies Night boat trip but couldn’t go to both. The Villa Duran boat is owned by Captain Ünal and his wife Sioned, my Turkish teacher. On board for the day were Julia, her parents, Jamie, Nanny Kay and her 3 friends, so a lovely small group of us. We left at 10am and were tucking in to the home made Welsh cakes by five past. It was my first boat trip of the season, we went to Ekincik Bay so I made sure I took a sea sickness pill as I’m prone to getting sick out at sea.

One of the things I noticed about the boat was the extra wide steps which were good for anyone who might have just had knee surgery (my Dad) on their next visit. Our BBQ lunch was served about 1.30pm and I had chicken, köfte, chips and some salad with a couple of glasses of red wine.

Video of me testing out the steps

It was all very lovely and I really enjoyed the day out. We got to swim in a few spots, saw a turtle, ate delicious ginger cake and got dropped off at Julia’s jetty to see the dogs and have another drink. The boat trip worked out at £40 each, which I had paid by bank transfer before the start of the trip, and we paid for our own drinks at the end. Drink prices were not dissimilar to prices in the bars and the wine was a really nice.
Here’s a video of the boat, on Facebook, which is definitely one of the biggest and is super comfy and immaculate. Captain Unal is super professional and a good chef too.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Z9WvQP2Pr/

I walked from Julia’s with Jamie, Norman and Edna and having really enjoyed the day out, a private boat trip is one of my favourite things to do in Dalyan! Back home, I had a shower and a lay down but didn’t set an alarm. I woke up at almost midnight thinking it was the next day!

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to be on my first private boat trip of 2025
2. Swimming in the sea
3. Spending the day in great company.

Photo credit – some photos by Jamie and other guests on the boat

Çeşme to Kuşadası – 27th April

After a lovely breakfast on Sunday 27th April, at the Kerman hotel in Çeşme, it was time to check out and restart the 2 car convoy. The plan for today was for the 6 of us to drive to Kuşadası with a stop or two on the way. I took a last photo of the small beach beside the hotel and I got in the car with Captain Caveman while Sezgin took the others in his car.
Captain Caveman had got his phone on Google Maps and had programmed our hotel address in, for if we got lost. That turned out to be a good move as we lost the other car when we stopped for petrol. I paid 691.92 lira (£13.51) for petrol for Captain Caveman’s hire car and 15 lira (29p) for a small bottle of water before we decided what to do. There was no sign of Sezgin and we thought he may even have been taking the toll road. Captain Caveman wasn’t sure how the toll road worked for a tourist in a hire car and wanted to avoid it so we chose to head directly to Kuşadası. We arrived around 1.30pm and couldn’t work out where the car park was, I went to the hotel reception and asked and it was in the main public car park behind the hotel – and free. At the Sunday Beach hotel reception we had a bit of confusion as they weren’t sure the rooms were ready to check in. After explaining there was just 2 of us and 4 would arrive later, we were given a key. I paid 2600 lira (£50.78) for 1 night in a double room with sea view and breakfast. and the room was really lovely with a great view, it even had tea and coffee making facilities so I had myself a cup of tea. Captain Caveman was tired so he had a bit of a rest while I had a shower, unpacked, repacked and did a bit of work. Although Captain Caveman had taken Friday and Monday off, I hadn’t so I was a bit behind on my posts for this week – ironically, while in a great holiday resort in Turkey!

In the afternoon, while our friends were still making their way to Kuşadası, Captain Caveman and I had a stroll along Ladies Beach, all the way to the end then back. I noticed there were waiters at most places trying to encourage you in to their establishments, some trying to insult us to make us laugh which had the opposite effect.

Captain Caveman and I decided to have a late lunch at Blu Notte as the others were still off exploring the area and hadn’t arrived yet. I had a glass of red wine, and Captain Caveman ordered an Efes Malt while we perused the very promising menu. We decided to share a vegetarian pizza and admire the sea view on such a lovely sunny day. There were quite a few people in the sea which I was surprised about – I hadn’t brought my swimmers. Captain Caveman is always prepared for any eventuality so had packed his. We had another round of drinks before paying the bill, prices in lira;

Blu Notte
1 veggie pizza 310
2 Efes Malt 280
2 glasses of Red wine 400
Total spent 990 lira (£19.34)

It was funny that I would ordinarily have found that expensive for Turkish prices but we had being pay that for just 2 drinks in a London pub so Captain Caveman found it cheap.

After a short walk, we decided to find another bar and let the others know where we were, we were at Ladies Beach Hotel and Restaurant which you couldn’t miss. We had another round of drinks, which were a bit more pricey. An Efes Malt was 150 lira (£2.93) and a red wine was 240 lira (£4.69). By 6pm it was getting a bit chilly so Captain Caveman nipped back to the hotel to get jumpers while I sat admiring the sea view.

By 7pm we were back in the room, watching the sunset from the balcony. We had some wine left from last night, which Mike had given us to bring back. We didn’t drink it as we were saving it for the others, who unbeknown to me had arrived but I didn’t realise it at the time and thought we were waiting for them.

I took my time getting changed in the room and put on my recently purchased New Look size 12 dress. When we went downstairs, our friends were sat in the hotel bar having a drink. Sezgin looked tired from all the driving. Debbie filled us in on what a great day they had seeing the sights today. It was a shame we had missed it however, it had been nice to relax a bit with Captain Caveman. We ordered a beer and a red wine but I was already quite merry by this time. All of us agreed that we had really enjoyed our weekend roadtrip and we would have to plan another one later in the year, it had been too short. We got chatting and we had not realised that the others weren’t going to be going out for dinner so we had another round and our 4 drinks came to 800 lira (£15.63) – half the price of a similar round in Barnes, London. When we realised Sezgin, Nur, Debbie and Mike had already eaten, it was 9.15pm so Captain Caveman had a look of urgency in his eyes – he’d only had half a pizza 6 hours ago!
We decided to go get some food and, as it was our last night together, we splashed out a bit, at the only decent place still serving food. It was cleverly called Somewhere Else and was rather busy inside. We threw caution to the wind, as we were tiddly, and Captain Caveman ordered a bottle of Angora red wine with our meal of 2 starters and 2 main courses. Here’s what we had, with prices in lira;

Somewhere Else
Garlic Mushrooms 198.50
Onion rings 207.50
Smash Burger 487.50
Sweet & Sour chicken 699.50
1 bottle of Angora red wine 990.00
Total spent 2,583.00 lira (£50.45)

Our day and hotel stay in Kuşadası had cost approximately £160 in total but I’d really enjoyed myself and at least Captain Caveman had got the chance to unwind. I wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to him tomorrow. When we got back to the room it was late, Captain Caveman checked the times and feasibility of buses from Kuşadası to Dalyan so that we might perhaps have another day together tomorrow, before Captain Caveman’s late flight back to the UK. It was doable but with changes that could go wrong and I didn’t think I should risk it. It had started to rain and there were storm warnings so I preferred to get back safely with our friends.

Gratitude List
1. Time spent with Captain Caveman
2. Sunday Beach hotel and the stunning Ladies Beach, Kuşadası
3. Having more than my fair share of wine to celebrate our last night together.

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 23rd March

I took the morning off on Sunday 23rd March. A few of us had decided to go to the beach as it was looking to be a nice day.
We walked along the beach, I had to take my jeans off and have a paddle in the sea. It was cold but not freezing and braver people than me would certainly enjoy a swim in it. We walked back and had a cup of tea where we came up with a plan to have a bit of a trip to İzmir. I said I would invite Captain Caveman and he could perhaps fly in to meet us for the weekend.
I walked back home from my friends’ house, passing Jamie and Drew’s villa. Edna was outside and was barking to say hello but I didn’t go in. I had my jeans in my hand still and needed to get back to shower off the sand.

I also needed to get ready for the Sunday dinner that I had invited people to. I’d meant to have made the Yorkshire puddings in advance yesterday, so I was already a stage behind. I only just had enough chairs and the table was a bit of a squeeze, having moved the sofas forward.
Along with plenty of Yorkshire puddings, I made roast chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, and stuffing. Then I opened a bottle of Levissi Gamay red wine which was still going strong, while I waited for my guests to arrive. Everyone brought something that they had made and we had so much food on the table. We had mücver and börek from my turkish friends, veggies and strawberries plus a trifle from my other friends. I almost forgot to make the gravy so one guest got drafted in to help stir. As soon as I sat on the stool (my only spare chair) it cracked and I nearly went through it. I then had to use the folding step stool which I use to reach the top cupboards. The food was well received and everyone was kind about my cooking. I’m not one for catering for large numbers usually but it turned out fine. We had wine and a good laugh – I really enjoyed it

Gratitude List
1. Going to Iztuzu Beach
2. Yorkshire puddings being a success
3. Sunday dinner with friends

Dalyan – 25th November

Captain Caveman went Dogging on the morning of Monday 25th November but I had arranged to meet him at the Fenerbahçe villa at 1pm for something a bit different on a Monday afternoon. While I was having my second cup of tea of the day and my cornflakes for a late breakfast, I read ‘Lily’s Not so Secret Diary of Dalyan Doings’. It’s a Facebook blog written by a friend and ex Dalyan Dweller and I found it very interesting to read, especially as she had promised to share all about her recent departure from Dalyan to go back to the UK to live. It wasn’t nearly as ‘name and shame’ as I thought it might get but she did mention about being palled out by her so-called friends and that it had upset her. It left me thinking I was not the only one this had happened to recently but at least it hadn’t upset me as much as it had her. It was a good read of why, after 5 years of living in Dalyan, that her and her husband had decided to move back to England. Here’s the link if you want to have a read of her Facebook post;
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AmTNPUaaR/

I worked in the morning and then got a bit lost on my way to meet Captain Caveman. Our friend Debbie (walking group, not Fat Club Debbie or my parents’ neighbour Debbie) had kindly offered to drive the 3 of us to the Sultaniye mud baths after I had mentioned how much Captain Caveman and I liked going there and she had not yet been.
We drove to the Denizkizi ferry and paid to cross which was 100 lira (£2.30) and quite a bargain for 3 people and a car, I would say. It’s then a short drive to the Sultaniye mudbaths once you get past Pirates & Skulls and Mavi Yasemin café at the other side of the river. When we got parked it was good to see we had certainly chosen a quiet time to visit and I paid the 30 lira (69p) each entrance fee, which incidentally has no time limit on it. This allows you access to the mud pool, a sulphur hot bath and 2 separate hot pools which are usually inside a dome structure but they were being repaired and currently in use as an open air hot pool. The lake was also there to swim in, there was a hose pipe type of shower, changing rooms, toilets, a café and a bar. If you’ve not been before it is advisable to remove silver jewellery as the sulphur will tarnish it and I’d recommend taking old swimmers as they will get smelly. It was so lovely to get in the red hot sulphur pool which only had Turkish customers there today. We stayed in a while then went in to the open air hot pool, Captain Caveman had a lake swim along the way but that was too cold and choppy for me to indulge in without my glasses on! At the café Captain Caveman fancied a snack and a beer so I ordered in Turkish a mixed toastie, a beer and a tea. The woman told me to take a beer from the fridge, that the toastie would be brought to our table and that I had to wait for the tea to brew. I ended up asking for the tea again and she said she was still waiting for the machine but we saw others drinking and I never got mine. I wasn’t about to ask for a 20 lira (46p) refund as I paid on card but I never got my hot tea. Debbie, Captain Caveman and I loved the Sultaniye mud baths experience and it is easily the cheapest spa/pamper afternoon I’ve had. It’s a shame it is just a bit too far to walk and a taxi would cost more than the visit. Here’s a breakdown of what we spent there, in lira;

Sultaniye mud baths
3 x entrance fee 90.00 lira (£2.07)

Café
1 Turkish tea 20.00 (not received)
1 mixed toastie 100.00
1 Efes Malt 120.00
Total spent 240.00 lira (£5.52)

Car ferry 100.00 lira (£2.30)

Total spent 430.00 lira (£9.89)

We got the ferry back and decided it would be nice to have a walk along the river, rather than going to Debbie’s and walking back home from there. As the sun was going in, it had turned quite cold and we were all togged up in our winter coats. It was just before 5pm when we got home so, after hot showers and getting all our sulphur smelling clothes in the wash, it was time to make the Yorkshire puddings I had promised. We had a roast chicken with cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic and potatoes with the Yorkshire puddings and of course I just had to have 4!!! It wasn’t looking good for a weight loss this week.

Dalyan – 4th November

On the morning of Monday 4th November, we realised we were out of eggs so I popped to Şok Supermarket and bought 15 for 72.50 lira (£1.63) and then went back home for pancakes for breakfast. I’d got some Yorkshire pudding mixture left over from yesterday so it was silly not to eat it up.
There was a bit of excitement for a Monday, and I had decided to take myself off on location. My boss and the sales manager at Resort Experts had been advocating it in the last discussions I had had with them, so I asked if a few people fancied meeting me there, my new office for the day. I had decided that I was going to join Captain Caveman, Ian, Janet and Patricia (from the walking crew) and get a lift to the nearest beach. Captain Caveman had been in touch with the İçmeler walking group and they were doing a walk over the hills close to Iztuzu beach so he, Ian and Patricia had decided to join. Janet and I had already said it was beyond our capabilities but we could use our time wisely while waiting for them, at the beach. I don’t often get to work from the beach and I thought it would be really lovely – a bit different to my usual Mondays. My parents were up for it and said they would get the bus down, a couple of friends said they would pop down too, perhaps for lunch at the cafe. After a hot beverage and saying bye to the walking lot, there was initially just Janet and I. We took some photos and chatted and then my parents arrived. Dad went straight in to the sea and was pleasantly surprised that the temperature was still swimmable and fine once you got in. My friends were next to arrive. After a lunch of a chicken sandwich for a bargain 150 lira (£3.37), and it was rather substantial, I decided it was time for a swim in the sea. Dad was right – it was lovely.
The time flew by and, before we knew it, my parents had to get the last bus back to Dalyan, my friends had to get back as the dogs weren’t being made too welcome on the beach and had to be left in the car (with a window open).
When Captain Caveman and his walking friends returned it was certainly cracking on, timewise. Ian & Janet gave Patricia, Captain Caveman and I a lift back to Dalyan and we all got dropped off near the Waterfall bar.

I had a soda water and Captain Caveman had an Efes while I fought with my wet swimmers in the loo. I didn’t have any wifi but I was due to pop over to Vanessa’s to say bye once I got home. As we were sat there, at the bar at Waterfall, Vanessa and Matt pulled up in a car and by chance we got to say bye. They had been to ours already and left us some goodies on the stairs. Even though they were planning on spending their last evening in Dalyan at home, they had been invited to a BBQ so were off there instead.
Captain Caveman was quite tired when he got in so he lolled on the sofa playing Bridge on his phone while I made a chicken and vegetable stir fry with steamed rice for dinner. We were still peckish a bit later so we had bread and olives and some Turkish Delight while watching something on Netflix. I’d loved ‘working’ from the beach today and I felt refreshed.

Dalyan – 19th October

We were lucky enough to be on another boat trip, on Saturday 19th October, but I was a bit hung over. I felt bad that we had to kick our friend out as we were on a 9.30am start. We quickly had a cup of tea before we walked her to the bus and said our goodbyes. Hopefully, Steff would be able to come over again and we pencilled in for the day of the Dalyan Winter Fayre.
On board the boat today were a lovely mix of friends as well as Captain Caveman and my parents. We were once again with Captain Fuat and The Photographer on Adil boat and this time we were on a route set by the Captain, especially for us.
We had tea and coffee and some birdwatching on the way. We usually see Kingfishers which are popular in Dalyan but we also saw some lesser spotted species that I’d not encountered before.

**Photo credit – photos by friends on the boat, including Paul**

There were courgette fritters handed round by the Captain after we had a visit to a couple of islands. Dad and I swam round one of them with a friend and it was quite far. The water was a little on the cold side but still ok for us Brits – it was fine once you were in. It took quite some effort to swim round the island but we made it and then Dad and I were a bit weak after. While in the water, each of us saw snakes but did not point them out to one another. We saw that there were wild fires towards Dalaman and water planes kept filling up near us in the lake. It turned out no one else had a swim as it was too cold for them, so we decided to warm up at the mud baths.

**Photo credit – some taken by friends on the boat, including Paul**

When we got to Sultaniye, Captain Caveman and I went in with a couple of the others. Ma & Pa went to the pools that normally have domes on but they were being repaired so were open air, the others didn’t want to go in and saved themselves 30 lira (67p) each. Captain Caveman and I really enjoyed the hot pool and he was impressed, as he saw that beers were only 120 lira (£2.70) and they served food. It was now on his list of places to come in the winter. We had a lovely BBQ in a quiet spot and there were lots of different dishes.

Back home, Captain Caveman and I had Slimming World wraps made in to pizza for dinner which I made without realising we didn’t have any melty cheese in the house so we made do. It had been a lovely day out and I was very sleepy as we set our alarms for 7.30am tomorrow.

Dalyan – 8th October

Captain Caveman and I were lucky enough to be invited on a boat trip on Tuesday 8th October. Jamie was on his way back from New York and was arriving earlier than I had anticipated which made it easier for me to leave Norman and Edna after their morning routines. Captain Caveman was scheduled to be playing Bridge but wasn’t going today which gave us a rare opportunity for him to be available.
We joined Captain Fuat’s Adil boat at 10am and were off to sea with some lovely swimming and snorkelling stops along the way. We had hot drinks and simit as we sailed out to some beautiful coves for our first swim in a really nice spot. Once I take my glasses off, I can’t see to snorkel so I just had a good swim, going several times around the boat. While Captain Caveman swam to shore to pick up trash, I joined some of the ladies to clamber up some rocks. Back on board, the captain had thought we might be peckish and gave us some chicken nuggets and chips as interim nibbles before lunch.

There was a delicious BBQ for lunch and I had a couple of rosé wines with mine, Captain Caveman started on beer and then moved on to wine as both were 140 lira (£3.13) so the wine was better value. I just had the one plate for lunch as I’m always the slowest eater, on it I had; chicken, salad, köfte, green beans, yoghurt, mushrooms, potatoes, rice and a piece of brown bread. Captain Caveman certainly got his money’s worth with seconds and I gave him my köfte too.
There was more swimming and relaxing, we had another wine and enjoyed the hot weather. Later, the captain brought out a cake, as is his speciality, and I indulged even though it would probably not be good on my stomach later. It was gone 6pm when we got back to Dalyan after a really lovely boat trip with a great bunch of people.
After overeating on the boat, I didn’t need any dinner but I did have a couple of cubes of feta style cheese to keep the calcium levels up. It is never a good idea doing a boat trip the day before weigh day and Fat Club but I would suffer the consequences tomorrow. This week I had consumed 130 syns more than last week, at 336 syns, as I had expected I would with Captain Caveman being home.

Ialyssos (Rhodes) – 18th September

There was a bit of bad news on Wednesday 18th September and it wasn’t just that I would have put on some weight from overindulgence with my family and friends over the last week or so. I did my measurements, as usual, to find that I had put 2cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips, my bust had stayed the same. Liz and I were up and about much earlier than everyone else, she had been doing her exercises and I had already done a couple of hours work. I saw 2 big black crows on the wall of the villa and they stuck around for a while, one of them let me walk up quite close and I vaguely remembered that superstition suggests that seeing 2 crows is lucky. Apparently it means new beginnings in a relationship or career. I’d had a reply back from my boss’s wife, to say to speak to him about why I hadn’t been paid yet. It was 4 days overdue and I knew from her response that it didn’t look promising. I decided to stop work until I had spoken to my boss to find out what was going on. I had a feeling he no longer could see the need in keeping me on during the quiet winter months. I closed the laptop so that Liz and I could go for a walk, get some breakfast and a coffee for Liz.
By 9.30am Liz was getting us something from The Cake Box. She had a croissant, a coffee and a detox juice while I had a sundried tomato and cheese ciabatta and a juice. It was once again lovely, although Liz didn’t reckon much to the coffee as it wasn’t a brand she preferred. We walked around and I took her to Creamland to see if the coffee was any better and, luckily, it was. It cost €5.50 (£4.58) for her Cappuccino with a Freddo Espresso in it.
Our next stop was a nice walk along the beach where a lovely Dutch woman had been making a cute heart and some writing out of stones on the beach. We got talking to her and her friend then decided to have our photos taken by her over her art work – I bet she thought we were daft, but Liz and I did not care!
When we got back to the villa it was gone 11am, I was hoping to get a call in with my boss, for an update on the work situation. While all the girls were busy enjoying their holiday, I got a message from him. It said ‘things were getting very quiet and he was canning our project’. He thanked me for my help, apologised for the late notice and that I had ended up working 4 days over what he had already paid me for. I already had a feeling this was going to happen so I just replied with best wishes for flood season and to let me know if there was anything I could help with in the future. It was quite a blow that, just like that, I had no further income and I would now have to wait to rely on Captain Caveman once again, until I found another job. I made a decision not to say anything to the girls, I was doing all I could to hold it together lately as it was and didn’t want to ruin their (or my) holiday. I made myself a promise to find another job within a month, though, or set up my own business. As luck would have it, only 2 days ago a friend had suggested I talk to his boss as he thought I would be a good fit for an opportunity at his place. I decided to tell the girls that I had the rest of the week off, which wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth. We only had 2 more days together and I wanted us all to have a good, and happy, time.

As if the girls knew to cheer me up anyway, the fizz was out of the fridge and it was jacuzzi time. Not before being dragged through a yoga/HIT session with Liz and Clare. It was far too difficult for me on a concrete floor with my knees but I gave it a go where I could. Louisa kindly took photos of us and pointed out when I needed to adjust my position.
The jacuzzi was fantastic and the bubbles were very much appreciated as I secretly celebrated being unemployed once again! By 6pm we were showered and changed, ready to hit the town – I even wore one of my dresses. Clare and I took photos of each other by the pool while we waited for everyone to finish getting ready. It was pretty windy and it took a couple of goes to get some without our hair all over the place.

Clare had took the liberty of booking a table for the 5 of us at Cosa Nostra and it certainly did not disappoint.
I was very conscious of being on a budget but I ordered a margarita cocktail at €12.50 (£10.41), a Gnocchi starter at €10.50 (£8.75) and a mushroom risotto at €18 (£15). The steaks started at €45 (£37.50) so I avoided those and we all shared some fancy bruschetta with various toppings.

The food was excellent and the service on our VIP table, second to none. We ended up having more cocktails instead of wine with our dinner and I threw caution to the wind a little having 2 more drinks. At the end of our meal we were brought out free shots of something ridiculously sickly sweet. As we were getting the bill, one of the girls had already paid and it was on her! Wow, I was both grateful and speechless. More free shots were had and a group photo with the staff before heading back to the villa. Of course, that would have been the best thing to do at gone 10.30pm but it was Liz’s first night out and she really fancied another drink somewhere. While Louisa and Kelly headed back home, Clare and I accompanied Liz to a bar which I think was called Blaze Bar. It had a band on and we must have been a bit tiddly as Liz ordered a Bloody Mary, Clare had a cocktail which looked like Sex on the Beach meets a Pina Colada and I, very foolishly, ordered a draft lager. The band was a lot better than we were expecting with 3 members who looked like famous people with our beer goggles on. We joined in on the singing and stayed until closing time. I paid for the round of drinks and had one of the best nights in years for just £20!!
It was gone midnight when we got back and then Liz and I stayed awake talking for a few hours – at least I didn’t have to worry about getting up for work in the morning!

Ialyssos (Rhodes) – 17th September

My day on Tuesday 17th September started with a healthy breakfast but would not continue in that vein – it was probably a good thing I was missing the Dalyan Fat Club tomorrow! I ate a banana and a plum with my cup of tea, then got on with work. At lunch time the girls were going for a walk so I decided to close the laptop and join them. On our walkabout, we spotted a lovely rooftop bar and went in for some lunch and a drink. Kompologaki restaurant also had sunbed rentals by the beach across the road and we had nice views of the sea from our corner rooftop table. There were lunchtime specials on so we ordered from that menu where it came with a beer or wine included in the price. It had one of those QR code readers to view the menu so we used that and I made a list of who wanted what so that I could go back downstairs and order, here’s what everyone chose;
Kelly: Pasta Carbonara + beer + Sprite + Mai Tai cocktail
Louisa: Gyros plate + beer + Sprite
Clare: Gyros plate + wine + soda water
Jo (me): Gyros plate + beer

We also ordered a bottle of still water for us all and the total came to 62.30 Euros (£51.76) and I really liked my lunch. I also ended up with 2 small beers because the lovely waitress had miscalculated the included ones, thinking all 4 of us wanted the beer and not 3 plus a wine. We also got a good deal on 3 bottles of decent wine for 30 Euros (£25), split between Clare and I.

On the way back to the villa, we called at the supermarket for provisions too.
Back ‘home’ I did a bit more work while the girls relaxed by the pool. I was happy to close the laptop and join them for crisps and a wine in the early evening. One of our other friends, Liz, was on her flight to come and join us. We were looking out for her plane, which would be flying directly above us. As we were waiting, we got a bit peckish and started our buffet for dinner, Kelly plated up some for Liz so that we didn’t eat it all. Clare took a video of the BA plane which Liz was on as she came in to land and we were all super excited when she arrived. There were hugs, tears and extraordinary footwear. Wine was had but not the fizz in the fridge as that was for when we went in the Jacuzzi in the main bedroom – oh wow, I hadn’t realised there was one! The rosé wine Clare and I had bought went down a treat and I even got to wear some fancy shoes of Liz’s while we caught up on her news. It was like having the band back together and I was so happy that Liz got the short straw and had to share my twin room for the next 4 nights.

Ialyssos (Rhodes) – 16th September

I was awake so early on Monday 16th September as the burglar alarm on the neighbouring villa was sounding continuously and it was very hard for me to ignore. It was still not properly light as I went downstairs and discovered that there was no electric or wifi and it looked to have been a windy night. It was only 6.30am so I decided to get dressed, I got to see a glimpse of a sunrise from my bedroom balcony, before I went out for a walk. I had no clue where I was going so I just headed away from the ringing of the alarm. It was quite cold and I had popped on my jeans and a jumper for the first time in a month. In fact, this was one of my outfits that Clare had brought out for me. I took photos as I walked, in case I got lost and then I decided on getting some breakfast and something for lunch at a lovely café called The Cake Box, here’s what I had with prices in Euros;

The Cake Box
1 chocolate croissant 1.50
1 Feta & pesto ciabatta 2.30
Total spent 3.80 (£3.16)

This was a bargain and I continued my walk while eating the chocolate croissant which was so lovely and definitely not Slimming World friendly.

I could still hear the alarm and the streets were very empty. I guessed Ialyssos wasn’t geared up for early rises as even most of the supermarkets were still closed. The nearest beach was small, pebbly and very close to our villa and I had a little walk towards the waters edge. I saw a few people jogging but there were certainly no holiday makers rushing to get a sun lounger on the beach at 8am.

After coming across a lovely row of restaurants and cafes, I noticed an outside sink where I rinsed my chocolatey fingers and face under the tap. I found a supermarket that had just opened and I bought some tea bags and individual milks from the supermarket for €3 (£2.50).

When I got back to the villa, there were the owners and maintenance people next door. They had turned off the alarm and the owner’s sister told me the internet was getting fixed and would be on in about 10 minutes. I was rather surprised to find that none of my friends in our villa were out of bed yet. They obviously had more tolerance for noise than me! I cracked on with work once the WiFi was back on. When the girls got up, they decided they were going to have a walk for some brunch/shopping while I worked and asked if I needed anything. I still had my ciabatta for lunch so I was fine as I was. I got quite a lot of work done and was doing new leads and sourcing information.

After work, the weather had warmed up and the girls were out by the pool sunbathing. I braved the swimming cozzie and joined them for a dip, it was certainly refreshing. We had a bit of a chat before the girls got on with their holiday reads or put their music on. For dinner, the girls knocked up another lovely feast, this time Kelly had cooked corn on the cobs and some chicken to make wraps with! It was so tasty and I ended up having 2 chicken wraps as there was plenty – some even went in the fridge for tomorrow. The white wine which was definitely drinkable went down quite well. I had about half the bottle, meaning I had consumed about 3 days’ worth of syns in one day!
While sipping drinks and chatting, one of my friends noticed that the swimming pool seemed to be getting fuller and may be likely to overflow. It did indeed end up in a breach and Clare having to contact the owner as we sat back and watched it. Once again, my evening was filled with laughter and I was very much loving having time with my friends – it was like therapy!!!

Dalyan, Rhodes Town & Ialyssos – 15th September

Sunday 15th September was a long but eventful day, where I very nearly didn’t get to Rhodes for my holiday with the girls. My friend and I were up before the agreed 4.30am and were ready to leave before 5am for our drive to Marmaris. By 5.40am we had a blow out on the main motorway and we didn’t really know what to do. Luckily, we both had a working phone and our torches were able to flag 2 men down, despite the dark. They stopped, but spoke no English and were panicking that we had not managed to get the vehicle off the side of the road. We told them we had a jack and some tools but the bolts were too stiff for us and they didn’t know how to change the tyre for the spare. We managed to get in touch with a Turkish friend and he was on his way but would be about 40 minutes, we put the 2 men on the phone so that they could speak in Turkish to try to help further. We established they were Kurdish and that they were insisting on us moving the car off the road, which they helped us with and we had to push. By 6.45am we were in danger of missing the 8.45am ferry from Marmaris to Rhodes. As I was booked on the 11am we would have to ask if my friend could get on the later one with me. I took photos of the car’s predicament in case we had to prove our excuse for being late. Our Turkish friend arrived in a yellow taxi with a mechanic and they fixed the car. We gave them simits in case they were hungry and they followed us to the next junction to check all was fine with the car – it was. Ferry check-in was at 7.45am but we arrived at 7.46am and the staff member was great. She let me switch on to the earlier ferry at no cost and all was fine. I’d already taken a sea sickness pill as I anticipated a rough crossing but I was thinking I might take another. We were a little in shock that we had made it to the ferry in good time and there were even little bunnies just freely hopping about. The Yeşil Marmaris Lines ferry, left Marmaris at 8.45am, we got sandwiches and tea for a total of 400 lira (£9), and they were fresh and filling. We both decided to take a sea sickness tablet and we were asleep before we had even got out of the dock. When I did wake up an hour later, all I could hear and see were far too many people being sick – not all of them in to the bags that the staff were desperately trying to hand out. It smelled and sounded horrendous, I could see land in the distance through the very choppy sea but I closed my eyes and went back to sleep!
By 10am we were getting off the ferry, through immigration and I headed for the souvenir shop to ask if they did left luggage. The very nice lady there told me to follow her to a shelf at the back of the shop and we popped my rucksack in a hidden room for the day at a cost of just €3 (£2.51). I was glad that I didn’t have to carry it as it was jammed full but it did mean that I could probably have added in some duty free gin if I’d not been so concerned about avoiding vomiting passengers. I still had to pick it back up when we came back at 4.30pm to check in for my friend’s return ferry.

My travel buddy for the day already had a list of things she wanted to see while on the island of Rhodes, and was very keen for us to take the bus to Tsambika Monastery. We walked from the port, along the harbour and via the boats filled with stuff made from shells. The bus ticket from Rhodes Town to Tsambika Monastary on the 11am no.23 bus cost €3.30 (£2.76) each. The bus was in, we only just made it and I think I remembered where we should get off to head for the monastery. On a few of my visits to Rhodes, I had gone past it on the bus on my way to Lindos or Lardos.

It took us 50 minutes to get there and the sun was already pretty warm so I wasn’t relishing the thought of walking to the top but my friend was so keen to see this place and I’d never been. A Greek lady who also got off the bus and was wanting to visit the Tsambika Monastery was chatting to us, in Greek, as a car came past and we flagged them down. The 3 of us managed to cram in the back and got a lift to the first main car park, then set off walking. My friend reminded me a little of Captain Caveman as she forged on ahead, stopping to briefly check I was still following. I finally reached the top at 12.30pm and took a selfie at the Greek flag.

The old monastery is built on top of a big hill with gorgeous views to the sea and the surrounding area, the views over the beaches of Tsambika and Kolymbia are pretty amazing too. Like a lot of tourist attractions, the monastery itself was underwhelming, small and full of vendors selling religious tat. My friend loved it and had already taken photos while I had a puff of my inhaler. The 300 steps with just a small bottle of water and some polo mints had been hard work and there was no time to rest at the top. We had to descend the 300 steps, buy some more water and get back to the bus stop on the main road by 1pm. I’d asked when we had bought the bus tickets what time the return bus was and got told 1pm, the driver had told us 1pm from Lindos so we weren’t sure as we flagged a fancy car down and we got a lift to the bottom with some kind locals. We both needed a wee as there were no toilets at this tourist attraction. We waited ages for the bus, other potential passengers came and went, we drank all our water, ate our emergency apples and generally moaned about the sun and lack of any shade – we could see how Michael Moseley could have got in to difficulty in this type of terrain and temperature.

I was just about to go in to the bushes for a pee around 1.50pm, when the bus came and we were very glad to get on it. By 2.30pm we were safely back in the old town and ready to tick off another few ‘must sees’. My friend was quite a lot more taken with the Temple of Aphrodite than I’ve seen any other person be, as we simply walked past it in the ruins and walls.

By 3pm I was ready for food and a drink. We sat upstairs at Archipelagos and ordered a glass of rosé wine for €7 (£5.85) each and a main meal each. I chose the pork skewer for €16.50 (£13.80) and my friend went for the beef stifado at €17.50 (£14.63). The food was lovely but we were only just going to make it to the ferry port in time to check in.
I retrieved my left luggage and bought another bottle of water for 1 Euro then it was time to say farewell to my travel buddy. We had enjoyed a great day out in Rhodes and I was glad she had finally had someone to suffer the monastery with her.

At 4.45pm I was on my way out of the port and off to the bus station, once more. There was a bus which would leave at 5.25pm and take 38 minutes to get to a hotel near to where the girls were staying in Ialyssos, on the North West of the island. My bag was heavy, the sun was strong and I was tempted to get a taxi but there were none about. The bus stop was crowded and there was only one bus coming so I decided to walk back to the taxi rank and pay the €15 (£12.50) for the 10 minute ride. Unfortunately, without a working phone, I couldn’t find the location and the taxi driver only new the approximate place. I asked a waiter at a nearby restaurant but he was too busy and unhelpful. I finally found the villa, which was about 10 metres away from where the taxi driver dropped me in the first place!
Finally, after a very long and eventful day, I was reunited with Clare, Kelly & Louisa at the extremely lovely villa. I was welcomed with hugs and rum which was nice and then given a little tour of the premises, logged on to the internet and I shoved my bag in the twin room. Even though I still had to work while I was there, I was sure I would get lots of time to enjoy being with my friends again. Dinner was a fantastic buffet of meats, feta cheese, salad and bread which went down very well. I hardly took any photos as my phone was on charge after today’s jaunts. We stayed up chatting and catching up on who was doing what, while drinking. I stuck to just rum with ice as I had got so used to not drinking any fizzy drinks or juice most of the time and didn’t want to dilute it. That night, I was so tired I could’ve slept on a washing line and I did not need any help nodding off.

Photo credit – some photos taken by my travel buddy

Dalyan – 14th September

Saturday 14th September was full on for me. I worked for a couple of hours in the morning before popping to the shop to get some breakfast, as I had emptied the fridge & cupboards already. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Peanut bar 9.95
1 Simit 12.50
Granola bar 15.36
Polo mints 18.95
Total spent 56.46 lira (£1.27)

Meanwhile, Gayle & Neil were off on a weekend trip with Murat to Datça early this morning. My friends Kelly, Clare & Louisa were on their way to their respective airports and then to Rhodes.
I finished work and then went to the bank so that I could put a load of cash in to the bank to pay on to my credit card. Captain Caveman had decided that it would be best for him not to use his Vietnamese card to pay the money for my hotel stay and that he would transfer it to my Wise account instead. I had transferred it and paid extra on to my credit card so that it was in credit, ready to pay the hotel. When I went back to check out, the receptionist said she could only accept cash, even though I had specifically booked this hotel to be able to pay on card. It was now a bit of an inconvenience as I had no cash and there was over 14,000 lira on my credit card which I had no intentions of spending on anything else! I had to ask a friend if I could transfer some money to her and her pay the hotel when she arrived tomorrow. After sorting out the payment and transferring money to my friend in the UK, the owner turned up and said it was ok to pay with my credit card, but it was too late.
I got picked up by a friend, with my big rucksack and all my luggage/laptop for Rhodes and we drove to the beach. I was reluctant to leave all my stuff in the car but I also really wanted to get in the sea after a stressful morning. I paid the 100 lira (£2.24) parking fee on my card and then we went to the beach café for a late lunch. My friend ordered a tuna sandwich and a diet coke, while I had a chicken sandwich, a bottle of water and a Turkish tea for 375.00 lira (£8.41). The food was hot and tasty and not a bad price for what we had – I noticed a sign which said the café closed at 6.30pm.
The sea was super choppy but the sun red hot as we got in for our swim and stayed in there for ages, mainly jumping the waves. I thoroughly enjoyed splashing about and trying not to lose any of my bathers as it was a top and bottoms combo. It was gone 7pm by the time we had got back to my friend’s place, cracked open the wine and got a bit of a picnic out on the balcony, in time to watch the sunset.
It was an early night, the alarm was set for 4.30am the next day, as we were off to Rhodes, via Marmaris.