I did my measurements first thing on Wednesday 5th February; I had put 1cm on my bust and waist, my hips had stayed the same – all were under or on target, though, so I was pleased. On the home scales I had put on a slight amount of 0.15kg (0.3lb) so we would see what Carol’s scales said later at Fat Club. For breakfast I had green tea and a pink grapefruit then finished off a bit of admin. I got dressed in what I thought was suitable clothing, given the sun was streaming in, but I was taken aback when I got outside. It was really cold and windy but luckily I had my big coat as I went to Turkish class. It was the first one back after Christmas and was at Ela’s Kitchen. It’s nice there but the smell of the bacon and sausages cooking is like torture when I had to resist before Fat Club later. I spent 80 lira (£1.82) on a cup of Yorkshire tea and enjoyed it. I got busy with enquiries and had to just go to Fat Club for the weighing and then leave. Surprisingly, I had lost 0.4kg (0.9lb) on Carol’s scales, taking me back to under my target! I quickly called at the shop on the way home and here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 1 carton of Tomato puree 21.95 1 can of Chickpeas 30.95 Cheese spread 39.50 2 large packets of crisps 42.00 1 wholemeal loaf 59.75 Frozen fruit 134.95 Total spent 367.05 (£8.34)
I also got a chocolate croissant from the bakery but I forgot how much I paid exactly (less than £1).
Our team meeting tonight was now moved to Thursday afternoon, which was better for me. I shoved a load of veg, chickpeas and some spices in the slow cooker to make a veggie curry for tonight’s dinner as I had invited a friend over for wine. I worked until 6pm when I found myself researching more than I needed for a Japan enquiry. Did you know there’s a Capybara Café where you can pet them while having a drink? My friend came over and we enjoyed the Levissi wine and our veggie curry – it must have been good as we had seconds, and chatted until almost midnight.
Gratitude List 1. Losing weight and being back under target 2. Turkish class 3. Wine and curry night.
Here’s 15 things I did in January to help get through a long month on a very low budget:
1. I set a budget and divided it in to the 31 days of the month. In my case it was just less than 300 lira (£6.80) per day. 2. I introduced several planned ‘zero spend’ days in to my week where I would not shop or even nip out for a cup of tea. 3. When I knew I expected to spend more than 300 lira in a day, I would not spend anything the day before and/or after to keep within budget. 4. I limited buying any convenience foods like jars of sauce or English products, unless they were on offer. 5. I did meal plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner for every day of the week so that I didn’t spend on eating out. 6. I batch cooked soups and stews and froze at least half of everything I made, to eat later in the month. 7. I bought only fruit and vegetables that were in season at the market or supermarket, making sure to avoid the more expensive ready chopped ones and picked oranges, lemons and pink grapefruit from trees in the garden. 8. I did not throw any produce away which meant making sure I used up everything I had before it went past it’s best. 9. I only bought meat (generally chicken) when it was at a reduced price and bulked out with lentils if using mince. 10. I made 2 lists of things I might spend money on, dividing in to ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ – this really helped to focus on the priorities over the nice to haves. 11. If I went out to eat, I chose something I couldn’t make at home and took any leftovers home and I always checked the menu prices. 12. I drastically reduced the amount of alcohol I drank, specifically staying away from the bars – I’m not someone who can easily drink water or just go for one! 13. I drank tea at the tea gardens where it is very cheap to drink local cay. 14. I walked instead of going to exercise classes or a gym that I couldn’t afford. 15. I limited the amount of cash I had on me so that I wouldn’t be tempted to buy things spontaneously – if I needed it, I would go back to purchase it.
There were other things I did and I’m sure you will be able to add more ideas – feel free to let me know!
On Wednesday 29th January I took my measurements to find that I had lost 1 cm off my bust and waist, plus 2cm from my hips – this was good news as I had consumed 269 syns this week (41 more than last week). I was sure I would have put weight on at Fat Club later so was a bit apprehensive. After tea and toast for breakfast, I left the pool man and a workman drilling away and I was off out and about. At Fire Opal, someone had put a hosepipe leading out from inside the pool to empty the water on to the street and it was pouring out towards the river. I called at the bank as it was nearing the end of the month and I needed to get the rest of my money, with the new increase from January, in to my Turkish account. Turkish class wasn’t on today as my teacher, Sioned, was in Egypt with Jamie so I went back to Jamie’s. Nanny Kay popped round for a cup of tea and a chat. I didn’t have time for lunch as I needed to crack on with day 3 of Charlie Day’s Challenge so I stuffed down a Dido chocolate bar. I was about to get ready to leave for Fat Club when I read a really brave and sad post on Facebook from a friend and ex work colleague who had bad news. His cancer had spread aggressively with no signs of slowing down and he said there was no further treatment available. Over the last few months I had followed the posts and hoped he would beat it and, even though I had not seen this guy in years, I was really upset for him and his family. He always writes so well and I found myself crying over his words as tears blurred my reading. I walked to Fat Club having a bit of perspective that I really needed to get on with life and not be stressing about insignificant worries. At Fat Club I had stayed the same weight, which was a miracle. I went back to Jamie’s, walked the dogs and then made Yorkshire puddings. I ate one but had chicken and veg noodles for dinner and popped the rest in the fridge. I didn’t feel like drinking the wine I had brought over so, instead, I made a list of all the things I wanted to achieve this year and re set my goals and targets. The Team Meeting that evening got moved to tomorrow which freed my night up and I decided to learn a bit more about Amazon KDP, even though it seemed a bit too complicated to me.
Gratitude List 1. Not putting weight on this week 2. Being healthy 3. More free sales training with Charlie Day
On Thursday 30th January I was feeling the pressure I had put on myself during what is ordinarily one of the peak times for UK holiday makers to be booking holidays. I had just 2 days left in the month to sell holidays with departures in the next 6 weeks to be able to hit my ‘self invented’ February money target and it wasn’t looking likely. I had been dealing with a few ongoing enquiries and had sent out lots of quotes but for holidays later in the year rather than for a winter sun holiday in March. It did mean that things were definitely looking more promising for the second half of 2025. This didn’t help me in the short term but I was determined not to quit and knew it was going to take time to build up my customer base. I’d had a couple of people tell me it was pointless as people prefer to book direct these days, and then one proceeded to tell me about a monumental cockup on their last holiday which could have been avoided if they had booked through a Travel Agent, like me. I decided to not let it get me down and keep plodding on, building my customer base and looking at all options I could to earn some money. My budget for January was so small and I knew I couldn’t survive on the same again for next month so I really needed to get on it. Remarkably when I set myself a £200 limit for January, I didn’t actually think I would be able to stick to that but it was a goal and I needed to see how disciplined I could be. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) for breakfast, despite missing a few ingredients and had a quick pancake for lunch before our team meeting. Today our boss told us about a new company we were going to be working with to be able to provide great group bookings for Stag and Hen parties. This was great news as a few of the mainstream operators and hotels are not always happy to take groups like this. We had a really good meeting and there were the usual issues that we all faced which was good to discuss as a team. That afternoon I was busy with work and was meant to meet a friend for a cup of tea but had to cancel. I’d had to cancel a lot of stuff like that lately as I needed to focus on me and work. I managed a dog walk but Norman had been unwell after snaffling some cat food when I wasn’t quick enough to stop him. For dinner I had roast chicken with Yorkshire puddings and it was lovely. That evening I joined a Charlie Day free Masterclass which was really great and focused on follow ups and tracking but it meant I was still up at midnight.
Gratitude List 1. Pho for breakfast 2. Pancakes 3. Having good people around me at work.
I had just one dog free day on Sunday 26th January and so, when I woke up, I felt like I should make the most of it. I’d already booked for Sunday lunch in the afternoon with friends but Debbie and I decided we would go for an impromptu Sunday Walk. Today would turn out to be quite the day and neither of us expected what happened to happen!!! It was cold so I put my footless tights on and borrowed Captain Caveman’s nice merino wool socks, they were rather thick but I planned on wearing my wellies due to the amount of rain we had yesterday. I couldn’t decide which jeans to put on so I dragged some jeggings, which were a bit big for me, out of the charity bag I had been filling up. I set off in the rain but I had my small rucksack and an umbrella so all was fine. It did stop raining once Debbie and I got started and we got quite far before the ‘incident’ occurred.
We were walking on the flat on a lane, not too far from Eskiköy, when we came to a bit of a blockage in the path. It was filled with puddles, on the left was a drop to a flowing stream and on the right was a recently ploughed farmer’s field. On our path in front of us were the dirty puddles and Debbie had trainers on. I was wearing much more appropriate footwear; yellow wellies and Captain Caveman’s socks so it made perfect sense for me to offer to test out how deep the puddles were. I suggested Debbie wait while I walked forward to test the depth and I found that the middle of the slippy lane was ankle deep. Debbie really didn’t want to get her feet wet and looked like she may take a chance on walking on the left, too near to the stream for my liking. I said not to, as I didn’t want to have to rescue her if she fell in – it was quite a drop. I mentioned that maybe we could go to the right and risk walking via the farmer’s field which had quite a bit of manure in it but was flat. What happened next was a bit of a blur as I stepped just a couple of steps to my right (if only it was as easy as doing the Timewarp) and ended up in a predicament. My right foot sank very quickly into cold, soft, smelly shit. As my left foot followed suit, I had 2 things pop in to my head, simultaneously. Practical advice from one of my former senior school teachers that was actually about not staying still if ever I was to get stuck in quicksand and to not put my hands down. So, I started to try to move my legs backwards to stop them sinking further as the manure pile was very deep and similar consistency to quick sand. I was quickly sinking further, it was so cold and wet and smelly. Then came the realisation I was not going to be able to get myself out. If you’ve ever seen the TV show ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ where Dawn French goes in to a puddle, it was not dissimilar. Debbie meanwhile, admitted her first thought was to get the camera out but she soon decided against it when she saw the sheer panic in my eyes, I told her I couldn’t move and that she would have to help drag me out. To give credit to Debbie, after the initial laughing, she did effectively manage to drag me out of the shit, without me pulling her in. I was in a mess, a bit shaken and I stunk of shit!! When I looked down I had been almost fanny deep in soaking wet cold manure and now my jeggings were covered and my wellies were full of shit! Debbie was crying with laughter as she got her phone out for a photo and was clearly disappointed not to have actually got one of me ‘in the shit’, literally.
A little way down the road, from what we would later rename ‘Shits Creek’ was a house so we decided we would go there to ask for help to wash the manure off. The farmers were stood outside looking towards us – potentially feeling bad for filling and blocking the arık (small drainage canal) with their big pile of poo. As we walked, and I worried about the squelchy shit-saturated socks I’d borrowed from Captain Caveman’s drawer without permission, I realised how lucky that my phone in my back pocket was still safe. Debbie called Mike to come and rescue us but didn’t actually tell him what happened, just to bring the car, wet wipes, bin liners and an old blanket/towel because we needed rescuing. As we approached the farmer, I saw that he had a water pump in his garden and I moved towards it, he and his wife/sister (it was hard to tell) gestured for me to get back. They hosed me down next to the stream with a powerful hose of cold (but not freezing) water. By this time a bit of shock and hysteria had set in and I was quite happy to just attempt to walk home without taking the wellies off. The shitty socks had swelled and the wellies were suctioned on as I tried to remove them, just to wash my smelly feet. The farmer was overly keen to help and proceeded to use brute force to get them off, not knowing that there was a vacuum created. My bad ankle didn’t half take some twisting and he finally yanked off the wellie while I held on to Debbie. Now that Debbie knew I would live, she was no longer holding back the laughter and we both had tears rolling down our cheeks after saying bye and a reluctant thanks to our ‘helpers’, who had more than likely dumped the manure in the arık in the first place.
Mike arrived and had assumed there was some shit involved but all 3 of us were laughing so much at me getting in such a shit situation just to prevent Debbie from getting wet feet. The bin liners weren’t big enough for me to fit in to so we tied one round each foot and I sat on another in the back seat of their car. We drove with the windows down and they dropped me off at home where I am lucky to always have hot water on. Although our Sunday stroll had been cut short I still needed to get cleaned up for the afternoon antics and pop to the shops. I said my farewell and thanks to Debbie and Mike and walked in to our complex, pondering the logistics of getting my shitty stuff off before I went in to the apartment. I sat on the bench having pulled down my dirty and wet jeggings but leaving my footless tights on. I was about to take off my wellies and socks when a workman from next door looked over and was met with what I can only assume looked like a woman having a toilet break in her own garden. By this time I didn’t care and I just wanted to not be able to smell shit. I put the wellies and socks on the steps, in one of the bin liners and the jeggings in another, destined for the bin on my way back out. That shower was probably one of the best and longest I’ve ever had – I still had manure on my knees and in between my toes which took several washes to get it off!
Jamie had said they would meet me in Sofra bar, if I wanted to meet there before the Sunday lunch. However, I was pushing it to get there on time and was paranoid that I still smelled of manure. Due to being an eczema sufferer in the past I use only natural products so I wasn’t convinced that they had eliminated the stench. I threw out the shitty jeggings but everything else went in the wash, including my ‘dinlo’ Oxalis rain jacket which may not survive. I’d invited Debbie and Mike round for a drink tonight and wanted to get a few nibbles in from the shop too. I nipped to Migros and here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 2 plastic bags 1.00 (I had none left at home)! Plain Crisps 27.00 Plain hummus 39.75 3 x Dido chocolate bars 40.50 Tomato hummus 42.50 Crinkle crisps 44.95 Dates 81.95 Haydari 92.50 Soft cheese 105.50 1.5kg chicken 107.37 Mozarella cheese 137.90 Total spent 720.92 lira (£16.38)
I popped the shopping away and kept the bags in my rucksack, just in case! I then went to meet the others in Sofra where there were a few Dalyan Dwellers. On arrival, I asked Drew if he could smell shit and he couldn’t, so that was good! I wasn’t going to drink but after my ordeal and the fact that my leg and ankle ached, I took the white wine that Melanie didn’t want. I didn’t have time to drink it before we had to go for our Sunday lunch so I left it.
I had booked a table for the 5 of us at River House for 2pm and we were met by Orhan. It was the first time I had met the new waiter and I was a little taken aback that he kissed my hand then offered us a table outside. We all preferred a table indoors so he went to sort that out while we chatted to some of the Dalyan Dwellers who were sat outside and had finished their first course already. One of them told us that they had been coming to River House for their Sunday meal a few times and that we should ask for extra roast potatoes. I thought it a bit odd but went inside to be seated with Jamie, Drew, Melanie and Nanny Kay. I decided to have the beef, in fact everyone but Nanny Kay had beef, and she had the chicken. Drew and I shared a bottle of red wine that we didn’t think to ask the price of but the beef dinner was 650 lira (£14.77) and the chicken 550 lira (£12.50), including apple pie and custard. I ordered mine without mashed potato but they forgot so I gave mine to Nanny Kay and I should’ve remembered to ask for the gravy on the side as I’m not really a fan. We got a shared starter with bread and the wine was good, Orhan had insisted he give us some to try first as Jamie preferred white. The food was nice but the chicken dinner was better value and it was definitely diet friendly as the portion size wasn’t massive. I certainly didn’t need a Tupperware for any spare. None of us did ask for extra vegetables but we probably should have – there’s something odd about getting your main course, though, and then having to ask for more of it! The food was nice but I much prefer their Turkish food. When the bill came, Orhan explained he had given us discount on the wine, which was kind of him. My share came to a total of 1,200 lira (£27.27) for half a bottle of red wine, my 2 course dinner and a tip. It was great to go out with friends for another celebration, and River House is a nice place with good toilets. I’d definitely go again but I think I’d stick to their traditional Turkish dinners next time – they do an amazing İskender kebab.
After dinner, we went back to Sofra bar where the bar man presented me with my leftover wine from earlier, which he’d saved in the fridge, and I’d forgotten about. I had to put soda water in it to get it down, though, as I’m not a massive drinker these days. Once it started to get chilly, I said my goodbyes and decided to walk the scenic route home, prior to Debbie and Mike popping round for drinks that evening. Every now and then this morning’s manure fiasco came back in to my head and I started to laugh. Debbie and Mike arrived with homemade marmalade and a lovely bottle of wine which we shared and it was definitely not a 150 lira bottle. I did a few nibbles including a selection of cheese and crackers, soft cheese stuffed dates drizzled with honey and a few ‘bought from the shop’ dips with crisps and carrot sticks. Debbie and I could not stop laughing as we retold the ordeal in much detail to Mike, yet again. I’d messaged Captain Caveman to say we would call him as he could not believe how I had possibly managed to come a cropper in the way I did – he knew that path well. We had a video call with him so that Debbie could fill him in as to how I ended up thigh deep in a shit filled arık! Oh how we laughed, while he shook his head in disbelief. I’m sure he was more concerned about his manure-covered merino wool socks that had already been through the wash twice, than me. I drank a few glasses of wine to ease the still throbbing ankle and aching leg and my face ached from all the laughing by the time my guests left. I didn’t go to bed until late but I set my alarm for an early start tomorrow. Dalyan might be a sleepy little town in winter but there’s hardly a dull moment!
Gratitude List 1. Being rescued from a shitty situation and traumatic experience 2. Spending time with friends over a Sunday lunch 3. So much laughter with Debbie and Mike over Manure-gate!
Saturday 25th January was my last day with Lady C as her owners were arriving back late tonight. I had planned to go to the market but the weather wasn’t looking too good. Luckily, I managed to get Lady C out for a walk with Chico and back in before it started lashing it down. I had the same again for breakfast and I was definitely finding it kept me fuller for a bit longer. I noticed when I opened my diary to check flight time that the internet was due to expire today. Unfortunately, it’s a pain that we can only pay per month, with proof of residency, now so I had to venture out in the rain. For 2025 the prices had, of course, increased so I was prepared to be parting with more cash. When I got there I was soaking wet, despite the umbrella, and my tariff had gone from 400 lira (£9.09) to 550 lira (£12.50) per month. It was still much cheaper than the UK but a 38% increase here is a lot. My next job was to call at the shops as I was already out in the rain, anyway. Here’s the prices and also what I spent at the supermarket, in lira;
Pharmacy 2 boxes of Cerazette Total spent 658.36 lira (£14.96)
I got ready for Lady C’s owners returning and gave her a brush to make sure she looked smart, then I had pizza and wine for dinner while I waited for their arrival. Lady C was excited to see them and her owners were so glad to be back. The rain was still heavy so I called Fikri, the taxi driver, and little Lady C tried to jump in to the taxi with me – another dog friend happy with my services! It was nearing midnight by the time I got to bed so I was really tired and looking forward to a bit of a lay in tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Lady C being off the lead but walking with me and following commands 2. Pizza and wine 3. A happy dog.
There was another breakthrough with Lady C on the morning of Friday 24th January, she actually came to the bin with me and walked the opposite direction to what she would usually want to go. The big cockerel wasn’t there so she wasn’t scared. I decided to attempt to list my book on Amazon again and reset my password but then it sent me a code again to a phone number I didn’t have. I decided I would look in to other options as I wasn’t an Amazon fan anyway. After my new breakfast option, which was just as good cold, I cracked on with work so that I could perhaps finish early. I was pleased for Captain Caveman that he was going to the cinema and London today, and I wished I was joining him. The last time I went to the cinema was probably to see the Barbie film in Fethiye ages ago. At home, I noticed that the building next door, which had been demolished and rebuilt, had a concrete roof on but no metal reinforcement in. This either meant that they were not replacing the second floor or that the next floor they added would not be earthquake proof. It was apparent from speaking to some locals that the authorities were cracking down on illegal builds and structures that didn’t comply with the rules. For dinner I had made a lentil bolognese in the slow cooker which I had with some of my recently purchased Gamay wine after a nice dog walk.
Gratitude List 1. Lady C coming to the bin with me 2. Finishing work early on a Friday 3. Slow cookers and wine.
Weigh day and Fat Club comes round so quickly and on Wednesday 22nd January I knew my actions from yesterday were going to have an impact. I didn’t bother getting weighed at home, I decided to leave it to Carol’s scales later and we had something a little different planned for today’s session. One of the ladies had agreed to hold a Taster Session party at her house and we all planned to take a dish and share it, along with some wine. I had tea and toast in the morning and took Lady C on a longer walk so that she would sleep all afternoon. It was remarkably sunny, despite the weather forecast saying it should’ve been bouncing down with rain, so I popped to the shops. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
I also worked all morning and up until just before 3pm so that I could take the rest of the day off, but I still had the team meeting tonight to get back for. I roasted some chickpeas in the air fryer and packed up some rice and my rice cooker to take to Debbie’s, who was hosting.
At the Taster Session we all got weighed first and I had, unsurprisingly, put on 0.3kg (0.7lb), meaning that I was just over my target weight now. We had so much syn free or low syn food with wine and we all had such a laugh. It was great to have this support group to keep us all on track or just be there when we fell off the plan, as was so easy to do while living in a holiday town like Dalyan. We had a really nice butternut squash soup from Sarah & Rob, which we all agreed was a firm favourite. The bulgur wheat & sweet potato burgers with an onion dip were fantastic. Debbie had even added some air fryer chips and roasted veggies. One of my favourites from a previous taster session were the cheese pasties which Carol had made and I couldn’t resist having a few of those. I loved Tina’s lentil curry which went well with my steamed rice and some couscous. My two helpings of the dahl went down so well that I forgot to get a photo of it but it always tastes better than it looks anyway. I drank red wine, Debbie also surprised us with a bottle of fizz to cheers the occasion and it was really lovely. But the most surprising dish of the afternoon came from Brigette who had turned fruit and mini meringues in to a masterpiece by stirring some Salted Caramel flavoured Options in to Quark to make the ultimate diet dessert! It was a game changer! While we were busy enjoying ourselves, there was a storm and it rained heavily but by the time Debbie had packed me up with leftover veggie burgers and dip it had stopped.
Luckily, Lady C was now a master of sploshing and she was very happy to get ankle deep in all the puddles, I sploshed along with her as I had my wellies on! That evening, I didn’t have or need any dinner and I was busy with our Resort Experts team meeting. The meeting went well but there was definitely something that I related to well. As is the nature of the business we were seeing quite a few time wasters from potential customers who were asking for quotes from multiple sources and then booking direct anyway. This was likely to happen but it was definitely increasing and we even had people asking 2 of the team for different countries but with the same names and dates. We were encouraged to share our business page with family and friends and ask them to like, follow and share, which I had been doing. I was finding I had more commitment from complete strangers and I wasn’t sure why. I was trying not to compare myself to others but I was still struggling to get family and friends to even like or follow my business page. Some of my team members had over 1,000 followers already and I was stuck at less than 250 and most of them were people I didn’t know. I had 1,700 friends on Facebook but not that many were following me. Naively I had thought at least 50% of my Facebook friends would be on board but it turned out to be less than 10%. So, if you are reading this and haven’t already, please can you like and follow my Jo Lo – Resort Experts Facebook page!? I’d be very grateful and I will most certainly have sent you an invite to it that you may have missed or ignored if you had more important things going on at the time. It really does help build up my business if I get more followers and it also allows access to other useful functions once I get over 500 followers. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567498001133
Thanks to all of you that have liked and followed already, or even popped a comment on – I really appreciate it and know I really can help more people find great holidays and accommodation. I’ve seen so many that I want to go to myself but I’m being sensible for now! I spoke to Captain Caveman before bed and he had a meeting tomorrow with his new manager so I didn’t bother him with my ‘first world’ problems. He was doing well and had plans to go to the cinema in Sheffield this weekend and then was off back down to London for a few days to see his parents.
Gratitude List 1. The Fat Club Taster Session party 2. Having the support of the Fat Club ladies to keep me going 3. Speaking to Captain Caveman who was adapting to England very well.
Debbie and Mike had invited me to join them for a trip out on Tuesday 21st January. The plan was to drive over to Göcek to the wine shop so that we could all take advantage of the reasonably priced wine before it went up in price. I had just 1 slice of wholemeal toast with cheese spread and a cup of tea for breakfast before walking Lady C. The drive to Göcek was smooth and we were in the Levissi Wine House by 11.30am. I was impressed that I had remembered where it was as Debbie had parked on a main road where I hadn’t got my bearings. The lady at the shop recognised me and we chatted about coming all the way from Dalyan for the lovely wine. She said that we could still buy the stock she had left at the same price but it would be going up and stocks were running low. The stocks of Merlot had depleted quite fast but there were still stocks of the Makri brand as well as the Levissi Cabernet Sauvignon, the Gamay (a favourite of ours) and the Petit Verdot. There was still lots of rosé and white but the 3 of us only wanted to get red this time. I decided on 12 bottles of the Gamay which, at still only 150 lira (£3.41), was a great spend of 1,800 lira (£41) for a case of 12. I’m sure that a couple of nights out on the town drinking wine in the Dalyan bars would come to that so I was pleased. I was well versed with borrowing the trolley from nearby Carrefour supermarket, as instructed previously on our first visit with Ian and Janet. I was still very grateful for their recommendation of Levissi Wine House as it meant that we had saved a lot of money on our wine purchases in the last few months. Steering the trolley was funny and, while Debbie went to bring the car nearer, Mike and I tried our best to not injure anyone, or ourselves, with a wayward trolley. As we were so quick stocking up on the wine, we decided to have a little wander in Göcek and we even did the tourist thing of standing on a bridge and getting photos for the Instagram. A couple of young ladies were there doing it and so we just had to join in! Göcek has a lovely port and the sun was shining so after a stroll we returned to a fancy café/restaurant on the harbour front for a beverage. West Café & Bistro was a popular place and the staff were very efficient when us ‘oldies’ didn’t want to use the QR code menus and brought actual ones for us. We weren’t eating but I did take a photo of the menu and noticed a soup was 210 lira (£4.77), pizzas started at 330 lira (£7.50) and a chicken kebab main was 570 lira (£12.95). The place was spotlessly clean and had good toilets so I thought the prices reflected the quality of the place. Debbie and Mike shared a cafetière of coffee and I really enjoyed my large Turkish tea. The tea was 75 lira (£1.70) which is very expensive for Turkish prices, however, it did come very well presented and with a biscuit. We all commented how lovely it was to sit there and enjoy our drinks in the sunshine on such a glorious day. I also thought it would be a great place to come with friends and family when they are over to visit. What we didn’t notice until we were leaving was that they had a cake counter so next time that might be one to try for a treat.
We decided, as we were on a budget, that we would stick to our plan and eat lunch at Dalaman prison café on the way back. As it was my weigh day tomorrow I was planning on eating healthily but ended up throwing caution to the wind by ordering the köfte which came with bread, chips and onion rings. It was absolutely delicious and our total bill for the 3 of us, with drinks too, came to just 730 lira (£16.60). Less than £6 each for a substantial lunch was more my kind of eatery and the service at the prison is also excellent. As we left the café, it started to rain so it looked like we had timed our jaunt well, and I’m so glad I had decided to go. When we got back to Dalyan, I got the wine in to the cupboards so that I wouldn’t be tempted to drink any tonight, my 4th consecutive alcohol free evening. Lady C and I went out for a walk early as the heavy rain was coming and Chico had been waiting patiently to join us. We also bumped in to a friend who lives round the corner and said hello to her 2 dogs and then another stray joined us on the rest of the walk. There was sploshing aplenty for Lady C and she was soaked when we got back home. She slept while I cracked on with some work and then we had a bit of fun doing the biscuit trick again. We watched repeats of ‘Celebrity Coach Trip’ on TV, the one with Paul Danan on, from ages ago. By bed time I was very tired and really looking forward to a good sleep.
Gratitude List 1. Having some time off to go to Göcek 2. Enjoying a prison lunch 3. Lady C being really well behaved and meeting other dogs.
Photo credit – the photos of me in Göcek taken by Debbie
On Friday 17th January I had to knuckle down and make up for being a bit slack yesterday and I was on a mission. I had my early morning 2 cups of tea while waiting for Lady C to wake up so we could go for a walk. She was a bit reluctant but we managed it and she seemed to be getting a bit keener to go the way I wanted and to walk for longer. I had a disagreement with a bloke on Facebook who didn’t like a holiday I’d posted and was challenging the photos which I had shared from an easyJet booking at the Binlik hotel. I was only round the corner from the Binlik Hotel and decided to go take my own photos. When I got there the builders were there but the man let me have a look and was happy for me to take photos. It looked like they were doing a good job actually and I was pleased I’d been to check. For brunch, mainly as I had forgotten to eat breakfast, I decided I wanted to have beans on toast. I was so happy to have found them the other day at the shop next to Waterfall bar for only 57.50 lira (£1.31) and I wish I’d bought more as they are almost double that price in Migros and they don’t always have them in. I also had another piece of birthday cake for afters but then I got on with more work as I had big plans for tonight – I was actually going out out!!! After completing all my work and doing all my Friday Follow ups, I decided to finish at 3.30pm so that I could go to buy a frying pan from a woman selling lots of new kitchenware (as you do). As luck would have it she had some cute dogs which I also got to pet a little. I also had to nip to the shop, walk and feed the dog, get a shower and get ready for a night out with friends – more belated birthday celebrations! At the shop I just popped to Migros for wholemeal bread and some chickpeas which cost a total of 80.90 lira (£1.84). On the evening walk Lady C was getting a bit confident with Chico, who had taken to joining us on most walks, and was definitely listening to my commands more. I really liked her but she definitely needed far more exercise and a diet. I said this to her and she just looked at me with eyes that said she wasn’t the one polishing off birthday cake instead of a proper meal.
I arrived at Duble restaurant just before 7pm and was warmly greeted by the owner, Ibo. It is one of my favourite places to eat in Dalyan as I think the food and drink is reasonably priced, it’s clean, has a great selection of food but most of all I really like the owner and his wife. It’s located in the old market square and is only small but Ibo has done a lot with it since opening. There’s always a good mix of nationalities and many Turkish friends go there to eat. It just so happened that Debbie and Mike also really like Duble and had chosen it for tonight’s belated birthday celebration. When we arrived there was someone smoking but Ibo asked them to stop and the rest of the evening was smoke free. We decided to choose mezes to share and went to the counter to have a look at the substantial selection. It was a hard choice but we opted for red cabbage, haydari (garlic yoghurt with herbs), mushrooms and something none of us had tried before; sea beans. We ordered a bottle of red wine and some water, we got plenty of warm fresh bread to accompany the mezes which were so fresh and delicious. Surprisingly, the sea beans were fantastic; like samphire but better! They tasted a little bit like artichoke in brine but with the texture of some shrubbery. Ibo had recommended them to us so I think he was pleased we liked them. He knows I’m fussy! After wine, chat, laughs and trying to pronounce the Turkish for sea beans (deniz fasulyesi) we decided we had better order some mains. I was in two minds whether to try the chicken dish with a sauce which Debbie ordered or copy Mike on my usual choice of chicken shish. Having had quite a lot to eat with the mezes and bread already, I decided that I would order the liver as it is one of the best dishes that Duble does, in my opinion. It comes on a skillet with red onion sprinkled with herbs and sumac. For some reason we got a bit giddy and also ordered chips to share, not realising chips would come with the other mains. I had asked Captain Caveman if it was ok to share the news of him getting a new job in the UK and he said it was now official and I could tell Debbie and Mike. They were really pleased for him and we all did a cheers, sending him the photo of us all.
After the excellent meal, we all decided it would be a nice change to go and see the live band which is on each week at Nil Lounge. Debbie and Mike had not been before and I hadn’t been in quite a while so we were up for it. At Nil Lounge it was fairly busy for a Friday night in winter but we managed to find a seat almost opposite the ‘stage’. We had a good view of the lead guitarist as he morphed himself in to a Jimmi Hendrix impersonator and contorted his face up like he was either aroused or needed a poo! I don’t think Debbie, Mike and I had laughed so much but then Jimmi came over to our table, thrusting and fingering his guitar from behind his head, like something possessed. I got dragged up on to the ‘dancefloor’ by Sue who was in her element and having such a good time! It was so funny and we did have an amazing night. The band was great and the female vocalist had such a great repertoire of songs. Although Nil Lounge is not the cheapest place to drink, it was still just less than £20 for a bottle of decent red wine so definitely worth it if you don’t mind a free grind from the guitarist as he strummed in front of you and generally showed off. It’s worth going just to see the show he puts on!
Gratitude List 1. Beans on Toast as a treat 2. Buying a decent frying pan 3. A fantastic birthday night out with great friends and celebrating Captain Caveman’s new job too.
I’m always busy on Wednesdays and Wednesday 15th January was no different. I started the day with tea and toast and a check of my measurements. I’d lost 1cm from my bust, but my waist and hips had stayed the same. I had consumed 228 syns this week so it was not going to be good on Carol’s scales this afternoon at Fat Club. I had so much on my To Do list that I was quite glad of the cancellation of Turkish class that morning so I could get stuck in, after the dog walk of which Lady C was going a little further each day. I nipped to the shop to get more ingredients for my dish for tonight’s meal. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Şevikoğlu Supermarket 1 Dido chocolate bar 15.00 Milk 29.90 1 pack of tortilla 54.90 Cauliflower 93.49 Total spent 193.29 lira (£4.39)
When I spoke to Captain Caveman he was very calm and collected and said he thought the interview had gone well and they were going to get him an offer and the contract out. Captain Caveman was waiting to find out more details in this paperwork before committing but it did sound like this was going to work out well for him. I was really pleased that things were going in the right direction as, despite being a positive person, I do worry more than Captain Caveman does. He also helped me install Maps.me on my phone so that I could find places easier when offline, perhaps on a Sunday Walk. Foolishly, I ate a chocolate bar and some peanuts for lunch, put my cauliflower cheese in the slow cooker and then went to Fat Club at Nish Caria hotel, as usual. Unfortunately, I had put on 0.5kg so I was now exactly at my target weight. I was going to need to be careful this week with those ‘extras’. I finished Fat Club and rushed to meet a lady from the walking group who was going to be at Waterfall bar to return Captain Caveman’s walking poles. As is often the case in Dalyan, that did not go to plan! I ended up paying 140 lira (£3.18) for a glass of red wine to sit on my own in Waterfall bar. I wasted 50 minutes and risked my cauliflower chees being spoiled to have to go find the lady’s house, when she called me with directions, then turned out not to be at home! She came running down the street in a flap with a tale about her ID card not arriving before she left for England.
I rushed back to a slightly overcooked cauliflower cheese and a dog who wondered what had kept me. We did the dog walk and I got ready for an evening with friends. Jamie picked me up, with Julia already in the car so she got to hold my cauliflower cheese (not a euphemism), which was precariously covered with tin foil and in a tray with handles on. We then went to pick up Nanny Kay, which meant she could join me on the wine. I’d brought a nice bottle of the Levissi stash over and my dish went in the oven. Jamie and Drew were the perfect hosts; as Drew took charge in the kitchen, Jamie poured everyone a glass of celebration fizz which was so lovely!!! We were celebrating quite a few occasions including Drew’s return, my birthday, several people’s departures and just being together for a laugh!!! Not only had Jamie and Drew put on the soirée and bought the Prosecco, they had also bought me a bottle of red wine. Nanny Kay had got me a card and a gift which I thought was a cricket bat at first, but it turned out to be a lovely hand painted paddle type item which you hang on a wall. I certainly didn’t already have one so she had chosen well and it was very kind of her. The drinks flowed, the music came from Alexa, which I didn’t even know they had, and our Sunday Dinner on a Wednesday (so wild) was delightful. I had no idea that Jamie and Drew had got me a birthday cake too and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. Even Norman and Edna tried to get a piece of cake, which was gorgeous and blowing out candles has made a comeback since Covid (who knew!?). I felt so lucky to be with such good company and of course we had a great time, laughing non-stop and even dancing. We ended up all shouting song requests at Alexa while keeping Fikri, our taxi driver, waiting a little too long at the end of the night! He was slightly miffed at having to wait for us so all 3 of us put in extra lira. Jamie insisted I take the remaining cake home and I remember holding it in the taxi as I clambered out and wobbled about getting up the steps and indoors. It was late and I don’t recall what happened to the cake from that point. I do remember drinking one glass of water in an attempt to ward off the hangover I knew I would have tomorrow. I also recall checking Nanny Kay had got home ok, despite us all going in the taxi together. I also followed it up with a very crude post from Facebook which was a good job Nanny Kay had a sense of humour.
Even though it was my birthday on Saturday 11th January, I had made the decision not to celebrate it. I had a half finished handy travel tips book that I had been wanting to finish for ages, but it always took a backseat. I decided today that I would turn my phone on silent, take the day off work and get it finished. I no longer wanted to make it perfect and decided that I would do a series of them, meaning I could do short books which readers would be able to read quickly and even take on holiday with them. I had gorgeous oranges and pink grapefruit on my doorstep so I had picked them and made juice which was so good. I had cheese spread on bread for breakfast and then took Lady C on a walk. I cracked on with the ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle……and other handy travel tips’ book and got quite far. I didn’t stop for lunch until 2.30pm when I had a feta cheese salad with my overpriced lettuce. I had the slow cooker out and made a very quick and easy dahl for dinner. I spoke to my parents who wished me a happy birthday and then I spoke to Captain Caveman who later sent me photos of Whernside and Pen-y-gent with snow on. I think he was just about getting used to how cold it was in the UK. When I came off the phone I had a delivery from good friends, some flowers, Dido chocolate bars and a birthday card – which I thought was really sweet and made my day. After finishing all the chapters of the book, bar one chapter that needed changing, and taking Lady C out for a walk, I decided to sit and watch a film on Netflix as a break from my screen. I chose badly; ‘Mother of the Bride’ wasn’t funny and not my thing at all so I decided to watch a documentary next; ‘Avicii – I’m Tim’ was really good but rather sad, obviously. I got an invite to Nil Lounge tonight for the Cat Paws charity night. I politely declined as I was doing my best to be disciplined with my time. The Aussies were soldiering on too and had a barbecue which I also declined as I wanted to concentrate on getting the book finished. By this time it was raining but weather doesn’t stop a group of Aussies having a barbecue. I’d also been invited to Duble for birthday celebrations which we had already postponed too. My lentil and chickpea curry was rather tasty but I didn’t even have a drink on my birthday. I did watch another film that was mildly entertaining called Carry-On. I went to bed without setting an alarm as I had nowhere to be tomorrow and knew I’d wake up early anyway.
Gratitude List 1. So many birthday wishes, plus cards and gifts 2. Fresh tasty food 3. Book Day – at last.
I’d arranged to look after a cute dog from Tuesday 7th January. I had my Yorkshire tea and overnight oats with grapefruit for breakfast. I packed up my work stuff and some food for lunch and dinner, plus wellies as it looked like rain later. Around the time I was waiting for my friend to pick me up, the power went off and so I had no internet. We drove to hers and the little dog, who I affectionately renamed Lady C, seemed a bit sad that the big suitcases were out. The lovely neighbours popped round and I met them and a few of the regular cat visitors who I would also be feeding and keeping an eye on. While I was saying bye to my friends, Captain Caveman was in a Premier Inn in Sheffield, preparing for an interview. He’d decided to check in there for a couple of nights so that he had no distractions and had somewhere nice and comfy to stay. Meanwhile, Lady C was out on her dog bed, having a snoozy sunbathe while I caught up with some emails. I made the kitchen island in to my temporary desk. Unfortunately, I got a message to say that the flight was delayed and then later that it was cancelled due to a medical emergency on the inbound fight. Luckily, my friends were offered a room in a hotel for the night so Lady C was stuck with me. I’d only had a cheese spread sandwich for lunch with waiting to see what was happening with flights etc, but, after a very short dog walk, I had chicken and vegetable stir fry with egg noodles for dinner. That evening I started to watch the latest Harlen Coban series ‘Missing You’ and I waited for a video call from Captain Caveman. When we spoke, Captain Caveman seemed optimistic and I was a bit relieved. In between all of that I still managed to do some work and I was tired, looking forward to some much needed sleep, before a busy day tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Captain Caveman having an interview lined up 2. Captain Caveman finding somewhere nice and comfy to stay in Sheffield 3. Watching TV.
I was meant to have been going on a fabulous Princess of Ekincik boat trip on Wednesday 8th January and had done my best to move my working day around, however it was not to be and I had to let The Aussies down. I wasn’t feeling too great and had been up since 5am. I tried to go back to sleep but we had the new Resort Experts Quote tool to test so I started that. When I took Lady C for a walk she was very stubborn, she wouldn’t go in the direction I wanted to and she was really funny and cute. I didn’t do my weight but I did take my measurements and I had stayed the same on my bust, put 1cm on my waist and 2cm on my hips – this was not boding well for Carol’s scales at Fat Club later. I spoke to the dog’s owners and they were eventually heading off on the new flight to Gatwick after a disappointing stay at the Ramada Hotel in Dalaman. I had just an orange, which I picked from the garden, for my breakfast – it tasted delicious. At 2pm I should have been meeting a walking group friend to go to Ortaca. She had arranged for free Turkish lessons if we could get a group of 20 people and now we needed to go to Ortaca with our residency permits to register. I didn’t have the time to break off what I was doing, so I sent her a photo of my ID and she agreed to take it for me. When I finally got on the scales at Fat Club, I was surprised to find I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb) which meant I was now 0.5kg under my target. I was very pleased and only having consumed 167 syns this week had really helped. Carol loaned me a Slimming World book which was about how I managed to maintain this healthier weight from now on and I took it home to digest the information. What I had not realised is that once you hit your target weight, you can have extra Healthy A & B options as well as a few more syns, although you are meant to use them for healthier fats rather than crisps. If I’d known that at the beginning, it might have spurred me on a bit faster!! I had soup, then cheese and crackers with 2 glasses of wine as my little treat and got ready for a busy evening. I had a video call with Captain Caveman who had been to another online meeting/interview and things were progressing on the job front. As he was staying in a hotel, he hadn’t got weighed but he hadn’t been over indulging since he got back, too much. My next appointment was at 8pm when I attended the Resort Experts team meeting and found out we were able to match On the Beach quotes using Classic Collection – this was really good for people looking online at cheap package holidays. The Quote tool was working and we were able to use it for more operators later this week. I finally got sat on the sofa about 10pm and finished watching the rest of ‘Missing You’. It was a late night and I was quite tired so I decided that tomorrow I needed to take it a bit easier.
Gratitude List 1. Captain Caveman having a second interview 2. Losing weight 3. Having the opportunity to test the Resort Experts’ new quote tool.
I stayed in bed writing my blog on Friday 3rd January as it was too cold to get out. I put the AC on warm but it took a while to warm up the room. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup), with the rather pricey lettuce in, for breakfast and got on with some work. At 12.30pm a friend arrived to pick me up as I was going over to her place for a quick cup of tea and a catch up. It was nice to have an hour out and I went to the supermarket afterwards where I picked up a couple of bits. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
BIM Supermarket Frozen sweetcorn 42.50 250g strong cheese 79.50 2 X 1kg basmati rice 110.00 Total spent 232.00 lira (£5.27)
While prices in general had gone up for the new year, basmati rice was on offer so both me and my friend bought a couple of bags as it’s not always in stock. I had a cheese sandwich for lunch and decided I would have a curry for dinner. In the afternoon Jamie and I had a Resort Experts meeting at mine over a couple of cups of tea and we talked about what was working and what wasn’t. I’d already set my targets for the year and was on a bit of a mission. I made a Slimming World Mauritian curry with leftover chicken kebab from the prison and almost gave myself food poisoning. When I cut it up, it was still still raw in the middle which may have accounted for why I had a bit of a dodgy tum as soon as I got home after dropping Captain Caveman off at the airport. Still, I had chopped all the ingredients and made the curry base now so I had it anyway. It tasted amazing but it was probably a little foolish. As it was a Friday I also had some wine as a bit of a treat. My stomach wasn’t great afterwards but I wondered if that just meant that the sun’s I’d counted for tonight, would no longer be contributing to my total.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to have a cup of tea with friends and their dog 2. Having Jamie to bounce ideas off 3. Speaking to Captain Caveman who was busy on the job searching front.
While Captain Caveman completed his packing on Tuesday 31st December (New Year’s Eve), I was in my office finishing some social media posts and scheduling them to go live while I was off for the afternoon. Captain Caveman got weighed for the last time in Dalyan and had put on 0.4kg (0.9lb) so I got on the scales to find I was finally under my target and had lost 0.2kg (0.4lb) which was negligible but, still, I had hit my target by the end of the year – on my home scales! It had been tough and I had made some difficult choices to make sure I tried harder, the cutting down of alcohol was the main thing that had worked and mostly avoiding sugar. I was eating so much more healthy foods and even getting some exercise. I finished working at 12 noon as we had arranged to have a bit of a jolly with Jamie. As a last lunch for Captain Caveman we decided to go to the prison restaurant which I always enjoy. We even had some last photos together outside, taken by Jamie. The food is reasonably priced as well as tasty and the service excellent, here’s what we had and the total price in lira;
3 cokes 2 sodas 2 chicken kebabs 1 Adana kebab Total paid 860.00 lira (£19.41)
I paid by card for the 3 of us and it was cheaper than it would have been for the airport taxi! Jamie then dropped Captain Caveman off at the airport and we said a quick goodbye. Captain Caveman was going to England and would be looking to work and live there. He had some interviews and meetings lined up and also needed to decide where he would be based so that he could find somewhere to live. I would hopefully see him again in 3 months’ time, unless I had a chance to meet him outside of Turkey before then. Jamie and I drove back to Dalyan and chatted about plans for 2025 and how I didn’t really know what was going to happen yet. I did know that I was determined for it to be a better year than 2024. I was back home before Captain Caveman’s flight took off at 4.10pm and I decided I was going to enjoy an evening at home by myself. A friend had messaged to invite me for drinks out but I politely declined as I didn’t fancy waking up on the first day of the New Year with a hangover. Instead, I popped my playlist on YouTube, finished off the open wine and had a bit of a dance in the living room. I was actually still awake at midnight, sipping Sage tea to help with my menopause symptoms, which is unusual as I’m often sick on New Year’s Eve. This year, I put it down to the fact that I had been following the Slimming World plan and trying to be much healthier than previous years. That night, the bed felt empty without Captain Caveman and it was quite chilly when I woke up in the early hours, needing a pee.
For me, 2024 was one of my toughest years in a few ways, even though I was very grateful to still be able to have the life I have. The end of 2024 was a good turning point for me; making some pretty harsh changes to my habits and plans. I learned how to survive on a very low income and find a job that was actually a passion of mine; travel. I freed up time to finally get on and do more writing and complete some of the projects I’d started.
My blog became like my therapy and the best support came from places I hadn’t expected it, even though I’m not sure why. My sister became a voice of reason with her blunt words of wisdom and encouragement to put myself first. Friends who were going through some serious health issues took the time to check on me and spur me on with kind words and just the odd message here and there. Captain Caveman, despite all the moans I write about him, always believed in me and pushed me to do and be better. He stuck to the Slimming World Plan alongside me when he was in Dalyan, so that I wouldn’t be tempted and could be the weight I wanted. He encouraged me to write more and not be put off by negativity from people who did not like my style or content and probably did not have my best interests in mind. He never once doubted that we would be ok and would tell me that, often. I also found out that over 60% of the online support I had got in my new venture was from strangers who liked what I did. This is what motivated me to crack on with my 2025 goals as I knew I could really help people have some amazing holidays. I believed I would be able to make enough of a living to meet the minimum criteria to remain a resident of Turkey, which had risen by around 25% from the 1st of January. With uncertainty around what we would be doing in 2025, I was confident that I needed to get on with it and make it a successful one. My mind was made up, and I was going to do just that!!
Thank you to those of you who encouraged, supported, offered help and just generally were there and had my back when I had to take a back seat from being the life and soul of the party so that I could concentrate on building a better 2025.
I took the day off work on Monday 30th December as it was Captain Caveman’s last full day in Dalyan and we had exciting plans. I had booked us on to the Yellow boat with Waterlilly & Hakkan for the Köyceğiz market trip, which runs every Monday including through the winter. It had been a while since I had been on the Yellow boat trip as I had often been working or had dogs to attend to on Mondays. Captain Caveman always went to the Dog Shelter to walk dogs on Mondays and so it was never convenient, until today. With The Aussies being here, I thought it would be good to join them and also so that Captain Caveman could have his last day with his friends to say bye. When we got on to the boat, it was all trimmed up in a Christmas fashion and had 2 Calor gas bottle heaters, on full blast to keep us warm. There was tea and coffee being served by Waterlilly and she asked after my parents. There was a nice group of 10 of us and it was good to see Adam & Kath who have become good friends of my parents and we had a little catch up. Kath asked why she’d not seen me in the bars on any day or night with all the usual Dalyan Dwellers. I explained that for health and money reasons we were not able to go out like we were on holiday (as we aren’t) and that I had cut right down on alcohol. I said I was tired of not reaching my weight target and spending too much time out in bars so I distanced myself a bit from the drinking culture in Dalyan in order to achieve what I wanted and to concentrate on my new job.
In Köyceğiz, and for the first time, the Lutra Lutra Bookshop was open while we were there so I was so happy. I wanted to show one of the other guests it so that we could perhaps get a book or two. The book shop has a small coffee shop and the owner showed us around. Karen and I both bought a couple of books and I paid 75 lira (£1.70) each for Turkish copies of Fahrenheit 451 and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
We then went to the fruit and veg market while the others went elsewhere. Here’s what we bought with the prices in lira;
It was cheaper than the Dalyan market but we had paid 400 lira (£9.03) each for the trip, so it’s not something we could do every week just for the shopping. I wanted to get some cheese but there was a queue and we were getting peckish. We decided to walk over to the tea gardens right on the end of the promenade as they have good value, tasty Turkish food. Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt, I had a lemon soda and we mistakenly only ordered one main meal of a chicken shish and ended up sharing it. We also got loads of bread with it so there was plenty of food. Here’s what we paid, in lira;
1 Lemon soda 20.00 1 Efes Malt beer 100.00 1 Chicken kebab 180.00 Total spent 300.00 lira (£6.78)
This was really cheap for what we had, especially the beer – I wondered if the cheap chasers in Dalyan knew this!?
We were due back to the boat by 2.30pm on Captain Caveman’s last full day in Turkey. It was so beautiful that we kept stopping to take photos of the scenic lake as we went back to the boat and it was so lovely to have spent precious time together. It was also amazing that we had spent less than £35 for the whole outing so far!! Back on the boat, Waterlilly had prepared a fruit plate with nuts and more tea which was lovely and the boat was red hot from still having the heaters on. We had brought swimmers as we were told we would be calling at the Sultaniye Mud Baths but we went straight back to Dalyan. I was happy with this as I needed to get back for work.
Once off the boat, we said our goodbyes to The Aussies as they were off to Kalkan tomorrow and, of course, Captain Caveman was leaving tomorrow too. I had said I would be in touch with a Dalyan Dweller who had been referred to me from Jamie as he was wanting to discuss a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Unfortunately, the meeting didn’t take place as planned so I just caught up on what I’d missed coming up in the January Sales then, as it was Captain Caveman’s last night here, we decided to go out. We had a beer and a wine in Ozzy’s Bar for 230 lira (£5.19) but we didn’t stay as English customers were smoking inside and it sets off my asthma. It is illegal in Turkey to smoke in bars, but many of the smoking expats don’t abide by the rules and the bar owners don’t want to refuse for fear of losing much needed winter custom. It’s a shame but I would think twice about going back in. Next, we decided to go to the Waterfall bar where they usually are smoke free and it was while we had our first drink, however, as we ordered a second round one of the owners lit up a cigarette. We drank up and paid our 460 lira (£10.38) bill but I was a bit disappointed that we had to leave because of indoor smoking in bars, yet again. I begrudged paying the money to stink of fags and come out with a cough – it reinforced staying at home in future.
joloyolo 