My residency renewal appointment was at 8.30am on Monday 23rd September at the Fethiye Government office. I had enlisted the help of a friend so that I wasn’t doing it alone and at least I wasn’t on the bus as I needed to be at Julia’s straight after to look after the dogs. When I got to the Government building, I gave my documents in to a woman and waited. After less than 15 minutes I got called in and she asked if I had paid the application fee/taxes yet. I said not and she gave me a piece of paper, with the $55 fee written on it, to go and do that. I’d been hoping I could apply for 1 year but it wasn’t to be and I could only go for 6 months. We went to the tax office and paid the fee, which was fairly quick. Back at the Government building, I gave the lady I saw before, my receipt and she granted me my residency renewal, for 6 months. I got the official piece of paper and some of my documents back. I was pleased although now it meant I would need to apply again in February for the next one and wouldn’t be able to leave the country for more than 15 days until after I got my new card at the end of April, which was an inconvenience. We walked back to the car, calling at a bag shop to get a handle fixed for my friend. Then we were off back to Dalyan, as I needed to be back for the 4 dogs. In the car, we ate the sandwiches, biscuits and mints which I had brought and then drove back. I should have felt excited that I was able to celebrate another 6 months of legally being able to reside in Turkey. For some reason I didn’t feel that and I wasn’t sure why not. It had not cost me as much as a lot of people had been saying it would either – here’s the breakdown of what I spent the money on;
Health Insurance for 1 year 1924.20 lira Residency application fee for 6 months $55 (1,883 lira) New Residency card fee 565 lira 2 lots of passport biometric photos 750 lira Post Office and eDevlet sorting 400 lira Location check for my address on the system 500 lira
Total 6,022.20 (£132).
I was pleased that I hadn’t had to wait for a delayed Captain Caveman to return for us to pay for a new rental agreement when I could use the original one from 2019. It also turned out I hadn’t needed the other ones we had paid to translate at the notary in the subsequent years, as the original one is on a rolling 12 months anyway.
On opening the gate at Julia’s house at 11.30am, I was met by a cheeky looking Norman, who was patrolling the perimeter. All the other dogs were inside, in the AC, having a chill out. I was so glad to switch people for dogs as I messaged Jamie to let him know I got approved and that I was now back in Dalyan with some very happy dogs. For lunch I had been left a tasty bolognese that needed eating up so I reheated it and had that. Later, I popped my bikini on to have a swim in the lovely pool. I did 2 separate walks with Norman & Edna first and then with Coco & Bebe.
That evening, I relaxed with the dogs who were so cute and I ate a Sunday dinner which Jamie, Drew & Julia had left for me to eat and it was delicious. All 4 dogs wanted some but they didn’t get any as they had leftover chicken and steak saved for them. I was so happy to be sat having cuddles with cute dogs while having a glass of red wine and some chocolate as a treat to myself for getting another 6 months residency. I was glad to know that my parents were already on their way to Dalaman airport and would be arriving after midnight tonight. I was very much looking forward to seeing them again. I left the dogs snoozing and I walked in to town and called at the supermarket. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Gayle messaged me on the morning of Sunday 22nd September asking where is good to go for Menemen and did I fancy a last breakfast with them. I don’t eat eggs and tomatoes generally so it’s not a dish I like but everyone I know who does, says that Ela’s Kitchen has the best one. Gayle said they had already been there 3 times this holiday so had wanted to try somewhere else and was thinking of Cinar. They didn’t have Menemen on their menu so we ended up at Ela’s, anyway. Beforehand, I had walked over to their’s and they had helped me bring all the rest of my stuff over from my parents’ upstairs room. My parents were arriving in a couple of days but I only had a 2 day window to get my stuff before they left for a holiday in Cappadocia. Once at Ela’s Kitchen, one of my favourite breakfast places, Neil and Gayle both had their usual and I was extra hungry so I had a large full English (no tomatoes or eggs) and a cup of Yorkshire tea. The food was as good as always and I ate every bit of it as I was pretty peckish. The bill came to a total of 1300 lira (£28.63) for all of us so less than an English tenner each for a great breakfast.
After breakfast, Gayle & Neil were going back to get ready for leaving Dalyan tomorrow and, as I was up and off to Fethiye really early, today was the last day I would see them. They invited me to join them at Kingfisher restaurant that night but I was mindful they would probably want a romantic night by themselves. I did invite them to call in at mine for a drink before or after though, so we could say goodbye. I had really had a great time with them and I wasn’t really sure when I would see them again. I popped to the shops and picked up some essentials, including provisions for my trip to Fethiye tomorrow, prices below in lira;
Migros Supermarket 1 plastic bag 0.25 1 Quark 29.95 Water 34.90 Total spent 65.10 lira (£1.44)
Şok Supermarket Water 9.75 Biscuits 17.00 Turkey ham 22.00 Cheese slices 28.50 Total spent 77.25 (£1.70)
Bakery 1 fresh loaf 10 lira (22p)
When I got home, I had a video call with Captain Caveman and I mentioned about me going to Fethiye tomorrow. He didn’t seem at all interested and was preoccupied with something else. He said he would call me back after he had a shower but then he forgot. I was a bit cheesed off that he had not wished me well for my appointment either. Was I maybe imagining that he really didn’t care if I got it renewed or not!? Jamie picked me up at 6.30pm and I was outside trimming the bush that our gardener still hadn’t touched. The elusive gardening company were still experts at doing absolutely nothing and the bougainvillea was below face level for anyone going through the gate. My neighbours were older than me and had to duck beneath the spiky branches. We drove over to Julia’s so that I could pick up a key, meet her dogs and go through the requirements of what I was needed to do for the next few days of doggy care. Coco & Bebe were a little shy of me at first, while Norman & Edna were pleased to see me. Edna was a bit less giddy than usual but it was probably because she was at Aunty Julia’s house and wanted to show she was behaving better than the resident dogs! I wasn’t there long and then decided I would walk the 20 minutes back in to town, calling at the shops again on the way back. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Dido Trio chocolate bar 13.50 Dido Lemon chocolate bar 14.00 Popcorn 21.50 Total spent 49.00 lira (£1.08)
Nova Market (used to be Selcuk Market) 1 bottle of white wine 200.00 lira (£4.41)
I was definitely noticing that, although prices had gone up a little in Dalyan, the prices for drinks and snacks in the shops were definitely cheaper here than in England and Rhodes.
I made cheese and turkey ham sandwiches for tomorrow’s trip to Fethiye, even though it should have been a short visit once there. I was preparing for if it was not straight forward as I didn’t want to be spending money on lunch out. I ate a sandwich while waiting for Gayle & Neil to pop in after their meal at Kingfisher. When they arrived, they weren’t as merry as I had expected they might be on their last night. They had a lovely meal but said they were finished quite early and then had to sit around for a while waiting to get the boat back. We had a couple of drinks and a good laugh. We had used my parents’ shopping trolley earlier to bring some of my stuff over, so they took that back with them. We had hugs goodbye, which is unusual as my sister is not normally one for hugs or soppy farewells. We had all had a really good time together on the occasions I had joined them and there had not been any falling out whatsoever – we were obviously maturing! I was actually very sad to see them leave and a little bit glad that I wouldn’t be able to see them drive off to the airport tomorrow at 9.30am, in case I got upset. I don’t think they wanted to leave Dalyan, having had such a great holiday but they had to get back for the dog. I got all my documents together and set my alarm for 6am so that I could be up and ready for tomorrow’s residency renewal appointment.
It was a funny old day on Saturday 21st September. Most of it was spent faffing about with stuff that needed to be done. I had quite a lot of my belongings at various different places so I gathered those up and dropped them round to Captain Caveman’s apartment. I did about 2 trips from my parents but the heavy stuff, Neil said he would help me with tomorrow. At 11.30am I did the application for my residency renewal appointment, hoping the time slot they gave me would be held on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, and not as early as Monday morning. A friend was helping me do it so we ended up chatting and it taking a while. Eventually we proceeded with the application to the stage where I needed to submit my photos but the ones I had taken in Fethiye wouldn’t. I then had to pay another 400 lira (£8.81) which was more expensive than the first lot I got in Fethiye, for another set. After he had taken them, the photographer legged it for lunch and said to come back in 30 minutes so I went home and ate the leftover calzone that was in the fridge. While I was in the apartment I had a good look around and checked it out. The tenants, Ann & Stuart, had not only left the place clean and tidy but they had also left me quite a few goodies, sun cream and toiletries which were very much appreciated. Finally, the photos got added to the application and the appointment came through for 8.30am on Monday morning! You couldn’t make it up, could you!? I was meant to be looking after and walking 4 dogs that day from very early in the morning, while their owners were on a trip to Fethiye. I had to message them to check this would be ok and I already regretted applying today and not on Monday. I finally managed to get to the supermarket at 8.30pm, having missed the Saturday market today, and I bought the following, prices in lira;
I couldn’t even be bothered to cook anything for dinner as I had more to worry about. I ate a pot noodle which was in the cupboard and then went to bed but I couldn’t sleep.
I felt like I was incredibly lucky on Friday 20th September as I said goodbye to the villa and got in the taxi, with Liz, to go to the port in Rhodes Town. In my bag, as the girls had insisted, was the bottle of red wine we didn’t drink and my leftover ham and mushroom calzone. My ferry back to Marmaris wasn’t until 9am but check-in rules are to be there an hour before. Liz had planned to explore the old town and wait for the other girls to get up and join her for the day. I took my sea sickness pill expecting that it could be as choppy going back as it was coming, and that was not doable for me without medication. Liz and I said our goodbyes and had the privilege of a couple of knights to see us off. It was an emotional goodbye and I had been so grateful for being able to spend time with Liz, Clare, Kelly and Louisa. We had laughed and talked so much and I even had more ideas for my book which they were all very supportive of. I felt I had a renewed energy and belief in myself that, although things were tough at the moment, I was going to be ok. The ferry left over 30 minutes late and there were no fresh sandwiches on this one so I had a peanut bar from my bag and a bag of salt & vinegar crisps with a cup of black tea. I wasn’t quite up to cracking open the wine and eating the calzone for breakfast as I didn’t think it would be too pleasant if I couldn’t keep it in. I fell asleep and woke up as we approached Marmaris, realising that I did not have very long to get my bus connection. The crossing had been relatively calm too so there were no sick bags out. The queue to get off the boat was long and I wasn’t at the front of the immigration queue. I got through and found that there was only 1 remaining taxi and jumped in it. I used my best Turkish to ask to go to the bus station and established it was 200 lira (£4.41) which turned out to be less than a 5 minute journey. I was so lucky to make the bus from Marmaris to Ortaca as it pulled out. It was a small dolmus type bus with only one seat remaining right at the back corner and it was hot and very full! I still had the ham and mushroom calzone which was now in the top of my rucksack as I tried not to offend any muslim passengers who might be getting a whiff of pork products. When I got to Ortaca there was no time to waste as the Dalyan bus was also in and about to set off so I squeezed on, also on the back seat. I made it back to Dalyan just in time to drop my laptop and bag at Gayle & Neil’s and grab my travel towel and swimmers because we were off on one of my favourite things to do in an afternoon.
Gayle & Neil had wanted to book on to one of the Captain Boris’s Cheese & Wine boat trips and had tried to get a space before they arrived in Dalyan. Rebecca and Basrı had been fully booked but I’d asked them to let us know if they had any late availability. We were very lucky to get on the trip although the timings were cutting it a bit fine for me, to say the least, but I was determined not to miss it. On board there were no other people we knew but that was quite nice as it meant the 3 of us could relax and enjoy what would probably be our last night together. The boat trip departed at 2pm and was 5 hours of absolute bliss. There was so much cheese, meats, fruit, nuts, olives, jams, honey, gherkins, breads and crackers, as well as the wine now being included in the £50 price tag per person. We got talking to some of the other guests and everyone seemed lovely, especially after a few wines. We even got to see a gorgeous sunset before heading back to Dalyan around 7pm.
To top off the night, it wouldn’t have been complete without being able to say bye to Captain Caveman’s tenants, Ann & Stuart, who were leaving tonight. The 3 of us had arranged to meet for a drink or two at Aşkın’s and as Neil had insisted on paying my £50 for the Captain Boris trip I insisted the drinks were on me. I think everyone warned Gayle off ordering any Marshmallow Martinis this time but even I had a gin cocktail. Here’s what we all had and the prices in lira:
I didn’t think that was bad considering we had 8 cocktails and spirits are expensive in Dalyan. I found it certainly cheaper than where we had been in Rhodes. It was a great end to Gayle & Neil’s stay who were off back to the UK on Monday and I loved the fact that we had made new friends of Ann & Stuart who were flying later, hence the cokes. We were all sad to say bye but knew we would see each other next time that everyone was in Dalyan at the same time.
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
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.
I was feeling a little bit out of sorts on Friday 13th September. I’d spent the last month trying to budget as best as I could. My pay day was due on Monday and it would be going in to Captain Caveman’s account again, like the last couple of months then he would either transfer me some money or bring US Dollars back with him from Vietnam. The pressure of not being able to just do what I wanted with my wages was a bit restrictive and was definitely taking its toll on me a little. With hindsight, it would have been better for me to stay have stayed in Vietnam until Captain Caveman left. I decided to not proceed yet with the residency renewal application and that I was going to see my friends in Rhodes this weekend. I needed to get away and reconnect with some of the best friends in the whole world! I messaged the girls and told them I would come on Sunday and they were thrilled, as was I. I booked my ferry tickets which were £90 return and I let my Dalyan friend know, who was planning on a Rhodes day trip so we could go together. The girls had already paid for the villa so that was a big help for me and meant I could still go. After a morning of work, I met Gayle & Neil for breakfast, although it was lunchtime by the time we met at Ela’s Kitchen. Neil ordered the Menemen, Gayle had an omelette with baked beans instead of chips and I had the small Full English breakfast (without eggs and tomatoes). It was so lovely and, as I was only on 153 syns for the week so far, it was a nice treat. When we got the bill, I thought we would be splitting it but Neil had remembered about the fiasco at Tapa, when I had paid half of their drinks bill, so breakfast was on them. We all walked to Migros as they needed some bits and I had a browse, ending up buying Quark and some tissues for 54.41 lira (£1.22). Of course, we didn’t need any lunch afer such a big and late breakfast so I was going to make do with what I had in. However, I was moving out of the aparthotel tomorrow and going to stay at a friend’s before the journey to Rhodes on Sunday. It also meant that I had to pack up and move some suitcases and clothes yet again to my parents’ place before I checked out tomorrow. I packed suitcases and emptied the fridge and then distributed them between my parents’ place, a friend’s and going to Rhodes. I was tired by the time I’d finished so I walked to the supermarket to get some nibbles for the journey tomorrow. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
On my way back from the shop, I realised I had only bought nibbles but I didn’t have anything in for dinner. I decided to have a walk around the block and up the main road to see what I fancied. After walking for a while I decided I would try the cheese and bacon burger with fries and a cherry juice from Sheche Burger. I bumped in to one of our walking friends and her husband. They were also having a Friday treat with chicken burgers which looked delicious. My meal came to 370 lira (£8.30) so it wasn’t as cheap as perhaps a UK fast food place would be but the food was so good. It was at least twice as good as a MacDonald’s and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The first thing I heard from Gayle on Thursday 12th September was that she was still harping on about not having any marshmallows in her marshmallow martini at Tapa yesterday. She knew from last year that she had definitely had a proper marshmallow martini (or 2) with marshmallows on the top. I had bread with butter, a cup of tea and some plums for breakfast and then got on with work as I was off gallivanting later. I also saw an alert on Facebook that Rhodes Town was flooded, due to stormy weather and I hoped it would be ok for the weekend for my friends’ arrival. I still didn’t know if I was joining them there, either. I had a quick cheese sandwich for lunch and then finished work around 2pm so that I could speak to Captain Caveman before another one of the Ladies only moonlight boat trips. Captain Caveman was safely back in Phong Nha and visiting Greenfield Ecostay, he seemed ok but we still didn’t have any firm plans for his return date.
Our ladies moonlight boat trip started at 4pm and we met in the tea gardens. We sailed across to Köyceğiz and got off for a walk, where Vanessa, one of the other ladies and I all strolled to the tea gardens at the end of the promenade, then back. As usual, we got to swim until sunset and we had a bit of a laugh swimming around the boat and chatting to everyone. There was a delicious meal and some Sultaniye wine to share, plus I had another couple of wines. We got back just before 11pm and I’d spent a total of 1,750 lira (£39.24) for 7 hours of fun, food and drink with some lovely ladies.
It was the first time that I had felt a little bit cooler in Dalyan on Wednesday 11th September. I did my measurements first thing to find that my bust had stayed the same but I had put 1cm on both my waist and hips – this didn’t look promising for weigh day. Carol at Fat Club messaged to say that due to there being another storm forecast in the afternoon that Fat Club might be cancelled but if any of us wanted to go to her house to get weighed we could. I didn’t need telling twice and headed off with a screenshot of a map to find it. I was happy to find I had lost 0.5kg (1lb) and then walked back as the rain started to come down again. By the time I was back at my hotel it was absolutely chucking it down and I got soaked! I had the same breakfast as yesterday; overnight oats with quark, frozen berries, figs and plums. It was today that I found out that figs are not syn free and I was gutted as I had been eating quite a few this week without counting them. They are 2 syns each, which is quite high and today I had eaten 3 with breakfast. I worked all morning and the rain didn’t ease up until almost lunch time.
I had an important appointment today with our tenants, Ann & Stuart. They had very kindly invited me out for lunch and, after meeting Gayle & Neil on the boat trip, they had also invited them. Ann had asked me to choose the venue so I’d decided River House might be a nice place for lunch as they have a varied menu, cater well for allergies and always have really good service. As soon as the rain eased, I set off and the others had the same idea as we all arrived early. Ann & Stuart were first and asked for a table undercover so that if it rained again we wouldn’t have to move. We ordered rosé wine for the women and the guys had beers, we shared a meze plate and balloon bread (lavaş) as a starter. Gayle ordered fish with chips and salad, Neil and I both had İskender kebab, Ann chose the liver and onions which came with bulgur wheat and mashed potato while Stuart went for the mixed grill. We had a lovely meal with more wine but Gayle, who hadn’t been drinking much lately got a bit tipsy. Neil and Ann had to keep reminding her to drink some water but the suggestions fell on deaf ears as she got chattier. We were still at lunch and on the second carafe of wine at gone 4pm so it was a good job I didn’t need to get back to work. It had been such a lovely treat and I was very grateful for being invited out.
When we eventually got Gayle to drink some water and get ready to leave River House, on the afternoon of Wednesday 11th September, it was decided that we would go to Tapa for a drink. Ann wanted to introduce us to the delights of the pornstar martini which she had been impressed with there, and Gayle is partial to the odd Tapa cocktail too. Three pornstar martinis arrived for us women and the fellas had a pint of Efes each. The cocktails were impressively large for 350 lira (£7.87). On the next round I decided to have a whiskey sour as it was 2 for 1 on cocktail happy hour. Ann ordered a strawberry daiquiri and Gayle had been hankering after a marshmallow martini so insisted on one of those without checking the ingredients. When the barman brought it, Neil and I saw that it had sauce and biscoff all around the edge which probably contains gluten. I had the biscuit and scooped off the cream as Gayle was going to drink it. When she did drink it, she noticed there were no marshmallows in it and complained. The barman was not impressed with her and told her the marshmallows are only for children’s drinks. She was not happy! Neil told her to order something else so she got a pina colada, Ann stuck with the daiquiri and I asked for a wine which they didn’t bring in the end. Gayle was still going on about the missing marshmallows in her martini so the barman was now asking if she wanted him to go and buy her some, she said yes and pointed out the nearest shop. It was time to leave, we asked for the bill. Neil tried to pay on card, I tried to pay for Ann & Stuart’s and Gayle decided she was only putting so much cash in as she was drunk and unhappy with her drink. I ended up putting the rest of what Gayle should’ve put in instead of paying for Ann & Stuart as that was all the cash we had between the 3 of us. I bet Ann & Stuart thought we were a right set. I walked home with Gayle & Neil as she was insisting we go back to theirs for more drink. When we got there, Neil tried to hoodwink Gayle in to drinking water and pretending it was gin but she was having none of it. I decided I’d better leave them to it. They had an early start tomorrow too as they were off on a boat trip to celebrate their anniversary! I’d had a great day but I was a bit concerned we might have shown ourselves up a bit in front of the tenants. I was still chuckling to myself as I went to bed that night, thinking that Gayle would feel very differently about marshmallows in the morning.
I’d been invited to join the weekly boat trip to Köyceğiz market on Monday 9th September and had contemplated taking the day off work, if Gayle & Neil had fancied going. They had decided they would have a relaxing day by the pool as they had the complex to themselves and they were both booked in for a massage at Mimis later on. I had a glass of juice and some fruit for breakfast and then noticed left over pizza and garlic bread which I had forgotten all about. I worked all day and was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere as I had a bit of a hangover. For lunch I decided that fried rice with mushrooms, onion and sweetcorn would sort me out a bit. In the afternoon, I ate fresh figs with grapes and a plum, thinking they were syn free – I would later find out they weren’t. I didn’t finish work until gone 7pm, had cheese spread on toast and finished off the rest of last night’s mushroom pizza. I met a friend at Kaunos tea gardens at 8pm for a tea then I walked via the shop to buy a few items, prices in lira;
I was needing 2 of the items so that I could make my overnight oats for breakfasts again as I’d got in to the habit of having bread again, for convenience.
I was up early on Tuesday 10th September because I wanted to get some work done and then have time for other things. I had a bit of a feast for breakfast. I had overnight oats with Quark and frozen berries, fresh figs, plums and grapes. It was so good and felt nice to be back on some sort of healthy eating regime again. I had already had 280 syns this week and it was Fat Club tomorrow so I was still optimistic for a small loss in weight. Mid-morning we had a power cut so I decided to make myself a pasta dish for lunch. I’d been working on an idea for a book of travel tips, based on my own amusing experiences, and had found it quite difficult to design the front cover of the book. I had no spare cash to pay anyone professional to do it, so I’d decided to do it myself on Canva. I didn’t think it was that good so I sent it to a select few friends, Captain Caveman, my sister and my Mom. In general, the response was surprisingly positive and most people said they would buy it. I continued to set out my page headers and researched a little about the ways to self-publish and costs involved. I thought by doing this book, I could generate some income to be able to do a more professional one on the next one. For dinner I had lentil, tomato and onion soup with buttered wholemeal bread. I went to bed early but I couldn’t get to sleep. A storm came, the lightening was very bright and the rain unexpectedly heavy, going on for several hours throughout the night.
I only had a cup of tea on the morning of Sunday 8th September as I was busy checking out the updates on Typhoon Yagi and the havoc it had wreaked in Hanoi, before I headed off on a day trip. I was happy that Captain Caveman was safe in Hanoi now but still worried he would be ok on the 5th floor of a building. He assured me he was fine, despite the capital city looking like it was a scene from the film ’28 Days Later’.
I was off on a boat trip which started at 10am with Captain Fuat on Adıl boat with some friends and family. There was a quick introduction for everyone then tea/coffee and some simit to nibble on as we sailed out towards Köyceğiz and the lake. The sun was shining, the scenery was lovely and I was looking forward to a day out with Gayle & Neil. Captain Fuat put on a delicious lunch which catered for everyone’s requirements easily (and there were quite a few of us that needed different allergies taking in to consideration). I obviously was not really concerned about the amount of syns I shoved in. I ate chicken, pasta, salads, meatballs, bread, fruit and, later, cake.
We did quite a bit of swimming, where we met a friendly terrapin who we called Bob. He took a shine to Ann’s chest and kept going really close to her, even though she wasn’t keen. He even went off and brought 2 more friends over who swam amongst us and seemed to want to play with us. We called these 2 terrapins Rita & Sue and then when we thought Bob had returned, but it was actually another terrapin who was slightly more interested in the ladies and their chests, we called him Bob 2. I probably found it funnier than most other guests that we had called our new friends Bob, Rita, Sue & Bob 2 after the film. The day was really relaxed and easy going with lots of swimming, which I loved. By the time we got off the boat I was quite merry and I’d gone way over my usual wine consumption by having 5 glasses.
We got off and said our goodbyes to everyone. Ann, Stuart, Gayle, Neil and I were walking the same way home so we ended up stopping off for a quick drink in Askın’s where I ordered a pint of draft Efes. I ended up having a gin & tonic at Neil’s insistence, back at theirs and then Jamie, Drew, Norman & Edna were passing for the dog walk so they popped in to say hello. Edna took to Neil very quickly and wanted to sit on his knee while Norman had a sniff about to check for any scraps of food. I did the dog walk with Jamie & Drew and then realised I was a bit tipsy and peckish. The night ended with me getting pizza that I didn’t recall until the next day. My Sunday had been so good and I still managed to do it on a budget; the boat trip plus drinks on the boat 2100 lira, a beer at Askın’s 120 lira and pizza 310 lira – a bargain total of 2,530 lira (£52.81).
Photo credit – Vietnam ones taken from various news and Facebook pages. Boat trips ones shared from various attendees.
It was a busy day in my world on Thursday 5th September. My sister and her husband were arriving tomorrow so I had to make sure that my parents’ place was ready for them. I only had a biscuit for breakfast as I had to go to meet the cleaner at my parents’ apartment. There is only 1 key so I said I would meet her back there at noon I had a morning in Ortaca where I first went to the council office to identify which property I actually lived in on their maps and get an address certificate, then I paid the council tax up to date at a cost of 2426.20 lira (£54.16) to bring everything up to date in order to proceed with my residency renewal application. The next job was to call to see the insurance broker where I got myself a new annual policy for 1,924.20 lira (£42.95) but was very basic cover and probably doesn’t really cover anything but accident and emergency. Back in Dalyan, I walked over to my parents’ trying to get there in time to pick up the key. It was hot and I hadn’t put any sun-cream on as it was packed. As I arrived at 11.59am I saw the cleaner riding away on her motorbike. I left my bags, including wine and stuff for the fridge, outside the door and walked to King Emlak to retrieve the keys. Once there, I had a bit of a chat with Leanne, picked up the keys and walked back, a sweaty mess. I stayed there for a glass of water and a pot noodle then had a call with my boss. Things weren’t very good for him as his son was in hospital in Hanoi, and it was quite serious. I warmed up a mystery defrosted dinner and added some pasta to it for my dinner. Tomorrow I was going to enjoy a leisurely day before my sister and brother-in-law arrived.
It was a long day on Friday 6th September. My sister, Gayle, and her husband, Neil, were going to be arriving at Dalaman airport at 10pm tonight so I was making sure everything was ready for their arrival. My Mom had given them a spare key for the apartment but she wasn’t sure if it worked as it was a newly cut one that had not been tried yet. I had the other key so it had been arranged that I would be at the apartment when they arrived tonight. I started the day with tea and toast while reading the news that a typhoon was about to hit North Vietnam. Captain Cavemen was currently in Sapa but was due to travel to Hanoi very soon. He called me while he was out walking with our friends and didn’t seem unduly worried about the weather at that point. I got on with as much work as I could and tried not to worry about the weather in Vietnam. I just had a cheese and crisp sandwich for lunch. I had a break from work and popped over to check the elusive gardener at Captain Caveman’s apartment, it was impossible to tell if he’d done anything and it still looked uncared for, in my opinion. Then I popped to Captainnet to sort out my parents’ internet and extend it for the month. This cost 675 lira (£15.13) for the top plan, as my Mom would be organising for the TV Firestick to be put on for Neil. I bumped in to Drew who was at Mono & More with Pete & Carol so I stopped for a pot of green tea. It was very hot today and I was all of a fluster so it was nice to sit and have a quick catch up. The tea was really good and only 60 lira (£1.35). I also called at the bank to transfer the rest of the required amount in to my Turkish account, this then meant that I could get the print out of my account to show the deposits for the last 8 months, including this month. On the way back, I noticed that there was a new clinic in town, next door to Şok supermarket in the old market square, where they displayed information and access to a private ambulance, as well as various cosmetic procedures like mammoplasty, gastric sleeve, hair transplant, liposuction, botox and filling. I said hello to Lou Colson who was working there now, as the receptionist, so she was the first point of contact to book appointments for these sorts of procedures which were very popular in Turkey now. The rest of the afternoon was spent working and then I went over to my parents’ apartment to make sure everything was ready for the new arrivals. Luckily I had my laptop and something to eat at the ready so that I wasn’t sat about doing nothing. I warmed up a chicken casserole for dinner and opened a bottle of rose wine while I tracked their flight. Unfortunately, they were delayed but when they arrived they were very excited to be in Dalyan. We opened a bottle of fizz that I’d had chilling and Neil had a beer in an iced glass. Gayle is coeliac so I’d got some rice crackers with prawn, pork and spring onion (Banh Ep, from Vietnam) for her to nibble on. It was 1.30am when I got to bed and I was quite tired so I didn’t take long to fall asleep.
When I woke up on Saturday 7th September, I checked the news to see that Hanoi had most certainly been hit by typhoon Yagi and it looked pretty horrendous in parts of the capital city. Captain Caveman was safely in Sapa but was going to head to Hanoi today. I was concerned and said he shouldn’t travel but stay where he was until the storm had passed. He thought it better to get out while he still had the chance. I got on with lots of work and decided, while my boss was caring for his sick son in a typhoon, I would make the most of finding new sales opportunities from Facebook and news articles where Travel Agents were posting about the weather conditions.
I’d mentioned going to the Saturday market with Gayle & Neil but they couldn’t be bothered so I went much later than usual and it was unbearably hot with a full rucksack. I got some bargains, here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
Saturday Market Mushrooms, Grapes & 3 peaches 85.00 4 onions 5.00 3 red & 3 green peppers 15.00 Plums 30.00 4 Apples 30.00 16 fresh figs 100.00 Total spent 265.00 lira (£5.94)
On the way back I also called at the shop for other essentials;
BIM Supermarket 1.5l Water 6.50 2 soda water 12.00 3 tins sweetcorn 61.75 Total spent 80.25 lira (£1.80)
I still needed more and had to drop the stuff off then go back to the supermarket. I decided to treat myself to more water and some juice as I was super thirsty. I was surprised to see the difference in the price of a bottle of water between Migros and BIM, though.
Migros Supermarket 1.5l Water 25.25 Croissant 27.95 Milk 28.25 Washing up Liquid 33.95 Cherry and Apple juice 49.95 Total spent 165.35 lira (£3.71)
I had juice and a croissant for breakfast which was not Slimming World friendly and then another cheese sandwich for lunch. I worked for the rest of the afternoon and the AC from the bedroom cooled the dining area enough too. Captain Caveman arrived during the eye of the storm and managed to get to his hotel unscathed, but the damage in a lot of Hanoi was bad. I had a quiet Saturday night in and had figs, plums and grapes while cooking a really good mushroom risotto for dinner. I had an early night, while Hanoi got hit by the worst storm that they had encountered since 1964.
Photo credit – Vietnam photos taken from various sources/new articles.
On Tuesday 3rd September I spent most of the day working on my laptop. I had cereals for my breakfast with a Yorkshire tea. At lunch time I had to make do with a cheese and lettuce sandwich. I spoke to another Health Insurance provider who said they could insure me for a lot cheaper than the existing one so I said I would think about it while other companies came back with quotes. It rained in Dalyan for the first time since I’d been here and I had to bring the outdoor cushions in. It was soon over and it dried up very quickly again. For dinner I warmed up some of the chicken casserole that I had previously batch cooked and then had a walk with the dogs. I spoke to my parents back in Sheffield who had booked their flights to come to Turkey and were excited to be getting back to Dalyan soon.
It was weigh day on Wednesday 4th September and I was hoping that the 178 syns I’d had this week, combined with some dog walking, would mean I was lucky enough to still lose weight. I did my measurements to find I had put 1cm on my bust and hips but lost 1cm off my waist so it wasn’t looking optimistic for the Fat Club weigh-in. I had wholemeal toast with cheese spread and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast and cracked on with work. Before 11am, I was at the Turkcell shop getting phone top up of 400 lira, on top of the 200 lira I’d already paid online. It seemed a bit steep to have to pay 600 lira (£13.39) for a working phone that I barely use but I needed to have it for my residency renewal application and to receive an OTP code from the post office for my E Devlet. I called at the bank to put more money in – it was turning in to a part time job, keeping tabs on how much and when. I had guests coming over tonight so I also had a quick trip to the shops while the dogs were at home, sleeping. Here is what I bought at various shops and the prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Peppers 6.99 Pot Noodle 19.95 Chicken noodles 33.75 614g Chicken 119.73 Magnums 139.90 Total spent 320.32 lira (£7.15)
I nipped back to the bank in the afternoon to ask about increasing my 10,000 lira (£223.21) credit card limit but they now require a document from a UK pension which has been translated. Obviously, I am not retired therefore I don’t have such a document and they couldn’t increase it. I did ask if I could get a letter from an employer but they said no. This was a bit of a pain as with the rate going up and up, I had not increased my limit accordingly. If ever I needed to use the card for anything more than a bit of shopping, it was going to be too low a limit. Back at Jamie’s, I threw the ingredients in to the slow cooker for a chicken curry and did some more work. I didn’t have time for lunch so I just had an apple and legged it to Fat Club to see how kind Carol’s scales were to me. To my delight I had lost 1.4kg (3lb) so I was really pleased with that and was spurred on to keep on the plan to get back to target – I had just 4.4kg (9.7lb) to lose! I finished work at 5pm, Ann & Stuart (the tennants) came over later and we celebrated with Prosecco for Ann & I, and beer for Stuart. We had a good laugh and the dogs really enjoyed having more visitors. We had a lovely curry and the pide bread I bought earlier, doubled up as a great naan bread substitute. We had a fab time, going on to the wine after the Prosecco and taking photos to send to Jamie as we sat at his dining room table. It was quite a late night and I had drank quite a lot, the most I’d had in 2 weeks, so I might regret it tomorrow morning when the alarm went off at 7am.
Sunday 1st September was Independence Day in Vietnam and Captain Caveman was celebrating by meeting our friend, Johan, in Hanoi for a Sunday brunch. I was a little envious as I had a simit with cheese spread and washed it down with my cup of Yorkshire tea. This month was going to be full of surprises and some adventures and it was the last month of me being without Captain Caveman. My first mission was to go to Captain Caveman’s apartment where our tenants had kindly agreed to let me rummage through my locked cupboard for my documents from when I did my residency renewal last year. We had a chat, mainly about the incompetence of our pool and garden company, then I tackled the cupboard in the spare room. I went through every single box and thing, to not find the set of documents, or my diary, from last year. However, I did find what looked like Captain Caveman’s original copy of the Tapu (deeds), which would be handy. A hot sweaty mess, I went back downstairs for a glass of water and to ask if Ann & Stuart would like to join a boat trip when my sister and brother-in-law are here next week. I called at the bank, the supermarket and the bakery on my way back to my parents’ apartment and was in a quandary as to where my documents must be. The lira was now 44.8 to the pound which was pretty high and people in Turkey were speculating if it could reach 50 by the end of the month. Here’s what I bought, price in lira;
Yaman Büfe 2 1 Bottle of Rituel red wine 210.00 1 Bottle of Cielo White wine 315.00 Total spent 525.00 lira (£11.72)
I only had fruit for lunch because I had invited Nanny Kay over for wine and a takeaway in the evening. We had originally decided to go to Simple but it was closed on Sundays so we decided a takeaway from Mahir Kebabs would be ideal for us. It had been a little overcast and looked like there could be some rain but it held out enough for Nanny Kay to cycle over. Norman and Edna had been looking forward to seeing Nanny Kay, especially Edna who had heard that there was going to be wine. We had a lovely evening where we both ordered the Chicken Kapsalon which is layers of French fries, chicken doner meat, cheese and salad – not Slimming World friendly. The dish is very filling, cost 400 lira (£8.93) each with free delivery and was very speedy. After 12 whole days of abstaining from alcohol, we shared a bottle of red wine and I could tell I’d had it. We limited it though, so that Nanny Kay could cycle home safely.
There was a power cut first thing on Monday 2nd September but, luckily, I had already done some work and was with Norman and Edna at Jamie’s villa. For breakfast I had Yorkshire tea, melon and strawberries, then a lovely homemade lentil, carrot and tomato soup for lunch with some bread and butter. I was tempted to eat the rest of the chicken kapsalon from last night but when I got it out, I decided not to and threw it out. As it was a new month, I went to the bank to put some foreign currency in to my Dollar/Sterling accounts. Meanwhile, in Hanoi, Captain Caveman was meeting up for lunch with Lien and then spending the evening with Martin and possibly Martina. It was his last night in Hanoi for now, as tomorrow he planned to go to visit more friends in Sapa. I spent time on the laptop and looking after the dogs but I did manage to pop to the shop for some essentials and order some water for the cooler, at Jamie’s. It costs 70 lira (£1.56) which is cheaper than the shop that I use but I did have to walk to the shop to order as I didn’t have the right money. I managed to spend 155 lira (£3.46) for coconut milk and curry paste at the Şarküteri which I didn’t think was bad. I wasn’t hungry at dinner time, which is unlike me, so I just had some BBQ crackers and a cup of tea while watching some TV. I was already on 158 syns for the week so far, with one more day to go.
On Thursday 29th August I had the pleasure of looking after Norman and Edna. In Vietnam, Captain Caveman was off to Dong Hoi as he was on his way to Hanoi where he would be catching up with several friends. I had fruit for breakfast with a cup of Yorkshire tea and then went over to Jamie’s. Norman didn’t give a stuff but Edna was very excited to see me as I explained what was going to be happening this week. As I was busy working and fussing dogs, I had a quick lunch of cheese on toast and some crisps, followed by 2 pieces of fruit. I was trying to keep to plan again this week and figured a few crisps instead of booze would be ok on my syns. For dinner I made a stir-fry with chicken, spring onion, courgette, mushrooms and egg noodles. I had another zero spend and no alcohol day, much to Edna’s surprise as she wanted some wine. In the evening, once it had cooled down, we had a nice walk around the Gulpinar area. The evening consisted of lounging on the sofa while watching The Chase and eating the rest of the crisps, which I was meant to be saving.
On Friday 30th August I was awake at 6.30am so that I would be up to sort out Norman and Edna with their breakfast. Neither dog was particularly impressed by being woken up at 7am for ablutions and biscuits. I had brought all the food I would need over and I was hoping to not spend any more money for the last 2 days of the month, as well as not going out to eat or drink. The water bill came out of my bank account today, so I was skint. I did have some foreign currency left to pay in to the bank but I was waiting for the new month to be able to deposit for September’s amount. I worked all day, only breaking off for leftover stir-fry for lunch. For dinner I had fruit while I waited for my potatoes with cheese to cook. After dinner and walkies, it was time for The Chase and a bit of fetch with Edna while resisting going to the pub for a drink.
The end of the month had arrived and I decided to treat myself to a simit with cheese spread and a cup of tea for my breakfast, on Saturday 31st August. I also decided not to go to the Saturday market and make do with what I had already. Norman and Edna were now used to my routine of getting them up early and even appreciated my office at the dining table. Unfortunately, Norman had put in a formal complaint about the lack of toast corners since Little Daddy’s departure and we had to have some toast at elevenses. While I was working, Captain Caveman got in touch with some disappointing news. In order for him to leave Vietnam, he needed to wait for his criminal/police check document and he had been told it wouldn’t be available in Quang Binh until the 25th or 26th September. He had been hoping to fly from Saigon around then, and it also would mean relying on the weather conditions being appropriate for him to leave Phong Nha or Hanoi. I was obviously upset but there was nothing I, nor Captain Caveman, could do about the situation. We both agreed it would also be a good idea for him to stay until he had this document and any outstanding pay/taxes sorted too. I did feel sad that I couldn’t be there to celebrate/commiserate him leaving Oxalis, or that he wouldn’t be in Dalyan with me sooner.
For lunch I cheered myself up with a Slimming World style pizza which I added some thinly sliced sucuk to and it was delicious. While I worked all afternoon, the pooches napped and then they came to tell me it was tea time a bit early. They had their biscuits and we went out for a bit of a longer walk, making sure I didn’t go near any bars that would tempt me to drink some alcohol. Back home, I had chicken and chickpea curry which I had brought over with me and it was really nice. Before bed, I totted up how much I had spent in August and was surprised that, including the first 11 days of the month being in England, I had spent just under £840. Obviously I had been treated in the UK very generously but I did sit back and wonder if I could afford to live anywhere else but Dalyan.
joloyolo 