Dalyan – 21st & 22nd September

My first day back in Dalyan on Thursday 21st September should have been a quiet one and, as I’d been away for a while, I had a few errands to run. The first job was bank related to sort out stuff for my forthcoming residency renewal meeting, the second was to contact Sonuç to ask if he had got my appointment date yet. It turned out that he had not been able to go any further with that while I was out of the country, because I had not yet paid for my health insurance for next year. I asked for a price and to get that sorted so we could proceed then went to the supermarket and bakery to get some provisions for breakfast. Here’s what I bought and the prices back in Turkish lira:

Fresh loaf of bread 7.50
1 punnet of plums 27.14
2 Quark 35.90
Total spent 70.54 Lira (£2.11)

I was surprised to see that Quark prices had increased, but good that plums were in season now and really cheap.
By the time I got home I had a price of 2,100 lira (£58.78) for a year’s insurance so I arranged to go in to the office and pay it. I also popped to the photographer for new passport sized photos at 200 lira (£5.60), again for the residency renewal application.
At 5pm I met Sonuc, and Leanne, at Lukka bar where I gave him my passport photos and signed some documents. He told me I worried too much and to stop taking any notice of what other people were saying about the renewal process and people getting rejected as I would be fine.
By 7pm I had popped round to Jamie’s to give him his birthday wine and the bottle of Tanqueray gin then accidentally ended up staying to try pineapple gin with diet lemonade which Jamie was having. It went down very well and I got asked to stay for dinner – a delicious veggie pasta bake with cheese. It was a lovely night and I was a bit tipsy when I got home. Drew was leaving for the UK the next day so it was good to have a bit of an impromptu send off session.

On Friday 22nd September I had more excitement in the diary; after a breakfast of fresh bread with butter and a cup of Yorkshire tea then a lunch of Toblerone and plums I was ready to get picked up for a quick trip out of Dalyan. I was going with a friend to Fethiye to run an errand. It went as expected and we even had chance to stock up on sea sickness tablets and some migraine tablets for a Dalyan dweller who was having trouble finding them locally.
Once we had done the task we went for, we had a cup of çay before coming back to Dalyan.
For dinner I made a Slimming World chicken and chickpea curry with steamed rice and it was rather good.

Rhodes, Fethiye & Dalyan – 19th & 20th September

On Tuesday 19th September Michelle made us all a sausage and mushroom breakfast wrap which was so good, then we got on with work. Steve booked in some training so that he could give me a new task, working on UK social media. Because he and Michelle were playing catch up on work since their holiday, they were busy with lots to do.
For my last night in Rhodes, Michelle made a delicious veggie curry and I went to the shop for some ciders. €8.70 (£7.63) for 6 Milokleftis was much cheaper than going to the bar so I was happy with that. It did mean that this week I had consumed 227 syns and had very little chance of having lost any weight on weigh-in day tomorrow! I’d enjoyed my stay looking after Xena and the cats – I’d finally remembered all the names of each cat now, much to Winnie’s disgust that it took me so long!

It was time to leave Lardos on Wednesday 20th September and I was ready to get back to Dalyan. I love looking after pets, especially as we aren’t able to have our own, but I was definitely looking forward to having a little break from it, maybe even that elusive lay-in on a morning. I got on the scales to find I had lost 0.2kg this week, not bad considering the booze I’d had in the last 2 days. My measurements were also good; no change to my bust, 3cm off my waist and 1cm from my hips.
I had 2 options to get to my ferry but I chose to take the bus. It would have been almost a 3 hour round trip for Michelle to drive there and back, during the working day and she was pretty busy. I decided I would get the 10am bus which takes 2 hours to Rhodes Town and then take my time getting to the port.
I said my goodbyes to Steve and Michelle as well as Xena and the cats that were around, before walking to the bus stop in the village square. The bus was due at 10am but it didn’t arrive until 10.13am and the journey cost just €5.60 (£4.91). The bus wasn’t too full and the AC was working so it was quite a pleasant journey and we arrived in Rhodes Town at noon.

I walked, in the hot sun, towards the port, taking a diversion in to the old town to go get some lunch. I decided to go to Nimmo’s where I’ve been before and isn’t too far from the port. I had a litre bottle of water as I was pretty thirsty when I got there, then ordered a pork souvlaki for lunch as it would be the last time I ate pork for a few weeks. I decided to have a glass of red wine to wash down my lunch and this is what I paid:
1l water 3.90
Pork Souvlaki 10.60
1 glass of red wine 3.10
Tip 2.40
Total spent €20.00 (£17.53)

My ferry was at 4.30pm but I had to get there an hour before to collect the ticket, the crossing was fine and took around 2 hours in total. I bought Jamie a bottle of Tanqueray Gin as they didn’t have any sherry for another friend and it’s much cheaper than in Dalyan. I’d arranged to meet Stef at the Erasta shopping centre in Fethiye when I arrived so I walked to the big Migros, stopping to get some Turkish delight on the way for less than £1 at Tuğba.
Stef was in good spirits and we talked about me setting up my own business over a hot beverage in a café. I eventually got the bus back to Dalyan and was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home at 11.45pm.

Rhodes – 17th & 18th September

Xena and I had our last walk together on Sunday 17th September, she was feeling better but I threw away the pork bone from Valantina’s as I didn’t want to chance giving her it. After my bran flakes for breakfast, I spent most of the morning getting prepared for Steve and Michelle returning that night. At lunch time I ate the macaroni cheese snackpot, some pitta, hummus and Baba Ghanoush before taking myself off for a walk. It was too hot for Xena’s paws and quite warm for me but I went to Alapou wine store. I had 1 glass of great wine from the taster menu and also bought 2 bottles of wine to take home with me. One was a present for Steve’s birthday, a nice Merlot recommended by the owner, the other bottle was a cheaper rosé wine for me to drink, also recommended.
On my way home I bought a big sandwich and a cheese pastry from the bakery at a bargain €3.70 (£3.24) – that was my dinner with half of the bottle of rosé!
Steve and Michelle arrived back from an amazing time in Switzerland and we had some nice cheese, charcuterie and, of course, more wine. Xena was so pleased to have her parents back too!
Steve and Michelle had bought me gifts; a bottle of Black Sheep Greek red wine and a giant Toblerone which was very kind.

We’d gone to bed at gone midnight, Steve and Michelle were back in their bedroom and I was on the comfy sofa bed in the living room. At 2.30am on Monday 18th September Bob, the cat, decided he was going to start climbing all over me, then he sat on me and just stared. I did eventually get back to sleep but then I was awake once everyone else stirred.
We all worked that day and, while Steve and Michelle went to the bakery for their lunch sandwiches, I had hummus, pitta and Baba Ghanoush at home. We finished work before 6pm then Michelle drove the 3 of us to Flyers in Pefkos. I was also tagging along on the big shop near Faliraki, about an hour away in the car. I decided to use the cash machine to get out some euros so that I could buy some provisions and maybe some pork products to take back to Dalyan. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise until later, but the machine kept my card – great!
We did the big shop, I spent €17.44 (£15.29) on cheese, salami, gluten free pork sausages and coconut milk powder while my hosts bought a massive trolley full of stuff, including lots of pet food.
On the drive back we stopped at Gyros & Burgers in Afandou. Steve had a burger, Michelle and I had the Pork gyros and all the food was super tasty and they have ultra clean and well decorated toilets.

Lardos – 14th September

It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Rhodes on Thursday 14th September, as he was catching a flight to the UK tomorrow. He would spend a month in Europe, seeing family and friends and I hoped to meet him in Italy if work and funds allowed. I still had another 5 days in Rhodes then I was going back to Dalyan. He took Xena on her last morning walk with him and I knew they were going to miss each other.
Our first job of the day was to go to buy the pet food. I’d consulted with Steve who had told us which ones to get. The big supermarket they go to, near Faliraki, has it much cheaper than a local supermarket but we had no option as there was very little left.
At ABC Supermarket we bought the following:
Fairy Liquid 2.79
2 x Dog food 3.74
2kg Friskies Cat food 10.70
Total Spent €17.23 (£15.04)

After shopping, we saw Mark and Maria, in Memories bar sat having a coffee so we went to join them. I ordered a juice but Captain Caveman ordered an Alpha beer! By 12.30pm we had been for a walk to find the house Captain Caveman had booked for us and my parents when they come to visit next month. It was very close to the village centre and looked like it would be a lovely Airbnb so I was pleased. Next, we went to Cuckoo’s Nest for coffee (I had water) with Louise and Mark. It was Steve’s birthday today so we took a photo to send to him. Captain Caveman had been trying to have pistachio ice-cream since being in Lardos but they never seemed to have any. Today they did, on his last day, so he had one and I had a lemon sorbet.
Back home we had bread, hummus and Baba Ghanoush for lunch and we had plans to celebrate our last night together for a while, with a meal out. We didn’t have much money between us so we didn’t want to go mad. In Rhodes I can’t change lira and some places won’t accept my Turkish bank card.

We started our evening out with Mojitos at Cuckoo’s Nest and for some reason my Turkish bank card does not like the machine there as it wouldn’t work. Captain Caveman had to pay using the last of our cash Euros, aside from his bus fare to the airport tomorrow. We had a gorgeous meal that evening at one of my favourite restaurants in Rhodes, Valantina’s. Here’s what we had with the prices in Euros;
1 cheese balls starter 7.50
1 Moussaka 11.50
1 Tomahawk pork steak 15.90
2 Carafes of red wine 16.00
Total spent €50.90 (£44.43)

My pork steak and all the trimmings was amazing and I think Captain Caveman wished he’d had that, even though his moussaka was nice, just not as big a portion. Valantina’s was definitely on the list for when my parents visited Lardos too. The complimentary pomegranate ouzo shots went down well and we wandered home feeling satisfied, with some leftovers for me and Xena. We decided to finish off the night watching a bit of Jimmy Car on Netflix but Captain Caveman fell asleep.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Lardos – 13th September

I’d done all my working hours for the week so on Wednesday 13th September I had the day off. Both Captain Caveman and I went on the walk with Xena. She was getting a bit better at walking on the lead with us, she still pulled me quite a bit and I’m sure she would have no recall whatsoever if we took her off the lead. Captain Caveman had wanted to take her with us to the beach but it would be too hot and we didn’t really know how she would behave if it was busy. We had not been on the beach yet so preferred to explore by ourselves first.
As it was Fat Club day, both Captain Caveman and I had got on the scales to see how we were doing. I was 1.4kg lighter than last week, had put 2cm on my bust, 1cm on my hips but had lost 1cm from my waist. Captain Caveman had lost 0.6kg so we had both done well and it showed that we had been eating healthier meals and drinking less alcohol, on the whole.
We had the rest of the tortilla for breakfast, just before 8am but then decided to have a second breakfast when we got to the coffee shop on the way to the beach. We both had a chocolate croissant, Captain Caveman had a double espresso and I had an earl grey tea. The total cost for this was €11.50 (£9.97) but it was very nice.

By 11am we had walked along a very shingly beach and had a paddle. I had sore feet so we decided to stop for a drink and a sit down at Kanaloa Beach Bar, Lothiarika, which looked a bit fancy. They had a sign saying you could use their comfy looking sun beds and order food and drink from the beach waiters for a service fee of €14 (£12.13) and I made a note that this might suit my parents when they visited next month. We ordered 2 mojitos which were very well made and refreshing at a cost of €16 (£13.86) for both.

Our next stop off was a short stroll inland to a local Greek restaurant called Taverna Periklis, which probably had the cleanest toilets I had ever been in. We had a lovely lunch and here are the prices we paid in Euros;
1 bottle of water 1.90
1 Alpha Beer 4.10
1 Fig, walnut & pomegranate salad 9.40
1 Beef Stifado 15.90
Total Spent €31.30 (£27.12)

Captain Caveman had planned a bit of a treat after lunch and had decided we were going to walk a different route back, but one that would incorporate a trip to a wine store. Obviously, I was definitely up for a visit to the wine shop which sold wine by the glass too.
As those of you are familiar with Captain Caveman’s walks will be, it was not straight forward. Within 20 minutes we were lost and he wouldn’t admit that the road on the map was not actually a road, it was barely a path and the amount of sleeping goats and their droppings were evidence enough to me that we were not on the right track. Our first argument in Lardos was quite a big one while I stood under an olive tree, trying to get some shade in the height of the afternoon sun. Captain Caveman walked around the perimeter of the fenced field we had found ourselves in and I applied sun cream to my face, neck, arms and legs which were already covered in dust from the ‘road’ we were walking on. He came back and explained that he was definitely still correct with his directions but as I was complaining so much we would try an alternative way – how considerate!

I wouldn’t like to be complaining too much but in the interests of painting the best picture I can of our walk back, I will give you a short timeline based on the photos I took and you can be the judge of whether I was being mardy and unreasonable.

•12.56pm we left Taverna Periklis

•1.09pm we reached a gate which I interpreted as meaning the road was closed

•1.15pm I am under a tree while Captain Caveman looks for the way out

•1.54pm we pass a ‘road’ that I had refused to walk down, after I had to have a wee on an open hill and drank all of the water we had brought

•2.01pm I see a fig on a tree and tell Captain Caveman to pick it for me, it was not ripe yet and he ended up with his hand covered in a sticky residue which I thought was quite amusing – Captain Caveman not quite so much!

•2.15pm we have arrived at the wine shop, I’m purpley-red, smelly and quite dirty. We both use the bathroom and order a wine from the tasting menu

•2.18pm normal service has been resumed and we have a glass of wine

•2.47pm Captain Caveman has bought us a bottle of the wine I was tasting to make up for us ‘not getting lost’.

The Wine Store, called Alapou, was brilliant and we had a nice chat with the owners, after I had apologised for the state of me and we knew we would definitely be back again. The wine was €13.80 (£11.96) and went down a treat with our sausage pasta for dinner.
In the evening we attempted to watch American Made with Tom Cruise in, but I had got the wrong end of the stick and thought it was a film about a cleaning lady from the USA as I didn’t see the opening credits.

Lardos & Pefkos – 8th September

While Captain Caveman continued to be on dog walking and meal preparation tasks, I got on with work on Friday 8th September. I was only working in the morning with it being the weekend and I had almost finished my hours by 12.15pm when I stopped for lunch. Captain Caveman had made a halloumi cheese salad with onion which was very nice and diet friendly. It was too hot to take Xena for an afternoon walk, she would have burned her paws, so we had to let her out in the garden where she loved trying to play with the cats.

That evening, we got the bus to Flyers in Pefkos so there was no dinner to be cooked. At 5.30pm, after pet feeding, we walked to Yamas Bar for a cheeky drink while we waited for the bus. Captain Caveman had a beer, I had a Miloklefti cider and then the bus came and we had to make a run for it. The bus was €1.80 (£1.56) each for the one way trip and we planned to get a taxi back later. As luck would have it, it was happy hour at Dapapa Bar so we popped in to see Hannah and have a pre-dinner drink. Captain Caveman had an espresso martini and I had a pornstar martini for €11 (£9.54) in total. They were very nice and it was good to say hello and ‘Happy Birthday’ to Hannah, who was celebrating with a party later.

We arrived at Flyers just after 6.30pm where Steve and Michelle had kindly booked us in, and paid our deposit, for their famous Greek Night. We were given a choice of tables and we decided to go up to the top section. We ended up next to a big group from Sheffield and ordered a couple of beers. The meal on Greek Night is a set dinner, so we had pitta with a tzatziki dip and a Greek salad to start with. We ordered a carafe of red wine to go with it and got stuck in. The bread is my favourite so, once again, the diet was on hold. The main course was a huge plate of meat (chicken, pork and lamb) with a heap of french fries which tasted a bit like the ones at MacDonald’s. We were impressed at the portion sizes and couldn’t eat it all – I should have brought my Tupperware box with me.

The Rhodian Ballet, and a singer with musicians were the evening’s entertainment and they were fantastic. I even joined in on the group dancing, without injuring myself! Our bill came to €49 (£42.39) and we had a lovely evening.

We returned back to Dapapa’s for a nightcap of red wine, a very generous portion, and our bill for 4 glasses was just €16 (£13.84). We bumped in to Louise and Mark and had a really fun night before getting a lift back with Mark to Memories Bar in Lardos for a cheeky extra nightcap.

Photo credit – some taken by Captain Caveman

Rhodes – 4th September

At gone 2am on Monday 4th September I was up needing a wee and to put the AC on, it was over 30⁰C and rather sweaty in our room. I’d also got a message from my friend about dates for a holiday in Rhodes next year so I was mulling over how I was going to be able to plan ahead, knowing I still didn’t have my residency renewal appointment date for this year and wouldn’t know until Sonuç could confirm on the system. Now that I was out of the country I couldn’t access the system for an appointment so would have to wait until I got back to Turkey to find out more. For breakfast Captain Caveman had found us a nearby café called Dali Extraordinary Art Bistro, it had fancy tea and pancakes with some interesting combinations. Nanny Kay ordered pancakes with ice-cream, caramel and biscuits on, Captain Caveman had bacon, cheese, spinach and egg, smothered in a mayo sauce. I had plain pancakes with bacon on and they were very nice.

We went to Marks & Spencer’s and I was so disappointed to find they did not have a food section or sell booze. They had a few snacky things and some Percy Pig sweets but nothing that I wanted, even the clothes and underwear were not my style. I wanted to get a bottle of sherry for a friend as a thank you for all the bags of nice clothes she’d given me recently. All 5 of us had a wander round the shops and through the old town, stopping at a place called Streat for lunch, where Captain Caveman and I shared a pork gyros plate which was rather tasty. That night we had plans to celebrate Jamie’s birthday at a rather lovely restaurant Captain Caveman and I had been to before and we’d really enjoyed it.

We had arranged to meet at the Mexican place at 7pm, before dinner, as the restaurant we were going to was opposite it. Captain Caveman had his new shirt on which he’d had made in Vietnam, I had on a nice dress and Nanny Kay had wore her lovely dress from when it was her birthday. We looked the part and were excited for our night out to celebrate Jamie’s birthday. When we arrived at the bar, it was evident that Jamie had been celebrating his birthday already and was quite tipsy. Drew was definitely a little merry too but we all had some drinks and we hoped some food would sort Jamie out a bit. At Piatakia we were seated in the small restaurant upstairs and given our menus. Captain Caveman and I had already mentioned to our friends that the last time we came we had really enjoyed the tasting menu, despite me being rather fussy and having allergies. The tasting menu had 7 courses for €30 (£26.22) which was very reasonable so Captain Caveman and I were going to do that again. Nanny Kay was up for it too and we looked over to see if the boys were in agreement. They weren’t, as Jamie said there were too many foods he didn’t like, he wasn’t that hungry and didn’t want it to be a waste. They decided to just have a main course of the beef stifado, one of the dishes on the tasting menu, which none of us took note of the price of at the time. As luck would have it they also offered wine flights which was €27 (£23.60) for 4 different wines or €23 (£20.10) for 3 which Captain Caveman and I chose the 4 wines flight, obviously. I also made sure to tell the waiter about my allergies, especially molluscs in case they happened to be used in the prawn risotto.
Unfortunately, Jamie and Drew were not impressed with their meal as it was the same size as our taster plate. At €21 (£18.35) just for that course, it wasn’t good value for the size of it. It didn’t help that a storm had started, the restaurant was full but some of it was open to the elements as the rain got heavier and started to come in through the ceiling and the large windows. Our table was getting very wet and we had to move to the bar to finish our last 2 courses but, to placate customers, the waiter served everyone that wanted one a glass of champagne. Then the power went off and the chef continued cooking in the dark on a gas stove. We were assured our risotto would be served soon and given top ups of fizz while Jamie started making his point about his stifado portion being on the small size. The waiter told Jamie he didn’t have to pay their bill, which also included their drinks. Jamie insisted he would pay all or some of the bill (I wasn’t following exactly by this point) and put forward his card. As the storm had affected power, the machine wouldn’t work so he ended up not being able to pay at all. The waiter said it was on him, as they weren’t happy and he probably had a lot of other issues to sort as diners started to leave. Jamie and Drew left just as our risotto came and another top up of the sparkling stuff, which was moreish. While we ate the delicious prawn risotto, we were asked if we still wanted to continue with dessert and our wine flight. We did, even though the storm was definitely getting worse.
Nanny Kay ended up having my pana cotta dessert as I started to feel a bit unwell, all of a sudden I couldn’t breathe and I thought my throat was closing up. Captain Caveman thought I was having a panic attack after the stifado fiasco but I knew I wasn’t. Luckily, Nanny Kay used to be a nurse and had an inhaler with her. She made me use the Ventolin and I instantly started to feel better, I coughed and drank warm tap water but I was ok. Nanny Kay said it had been an asthma attack, which was really weird. When we went to pay, Nanny Kay had to lend us cash as, like Jamie, we only had cards. We were only charged €133 (£116.23) between the 3 of us as we only had 3 wines in the end and it was still pouring rain in.
The 3 of us didn’t really mind the rain and sploshed back the short distance to the hotel where we shared a cheeky bottle of red wine and had a bit of a laugh about the whole Jamie’s birthday celebration debacle. Nanny Kay, Captain Caveman and I had thoroughly enjoyed ours and we all agreed the taster menu was the only way to go. Nanny Kay had probably saved my life with that inhaler too and we realised that maybe there was clam juice in the risotto but in the chaos, the chef had probably forgot about my allergy requirements.

Photo credit – some photos taken by Jamie & Captain Caveman

Fethiye to Rhodes – 3rd September

The alarm was set for 5am on Sunday 3rd September and Jamie was coming to pick us up at 5.30am. Of course, there’s sometimes a bit of a drama when we go anywhere with Nanny Kay and today was no different!
We had been good for once and gone to bed early, set 2 alarms on 2 different phones and were sat in the back of Jamie’s car as he knocked on Nanny Kay’s door. It was still dark so we couldn’t see anything until Drew went to check what was taking so long and found that Nanny Kay wasn’t answering the door. To be honest all of our first thoughts were ‘what if she’s dead?’ she is getting on a bit! Luckily, she had done her usual trick and overlaid so she eventually came to the car in a panic and slightly dishevelled.
We still arrived at the ferry terminal in good time to pick up our boarding cards. Jamie, Drew and Nanny Kay were on the faster ferry, Captain Caveman and I were on the other one. The ferry crossing was fine and of course Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone the whole way there and I don’t think we spoke once. We were right at the back of the immigration queue when we got there so the others had to wait for us. As there were 5 of us plus luggage a taxi wouldn’t have been much use so we all followed Captain Caveman, through the streets of the old town, towards the hotels. Nanny Kay had managed to get the same hotel as us and it was meant to be just 11 minutes’ walk from Marks & Spencer’s. Jamie & Drew were in a hotel with a pool not too far away from us.

We checked in at Mascot Boutique Hotel and had a quick shower/change. It was a hot day and we all needed a beverage so we didn’t waste much time. Our room was lovely with a loft style bed and ladder, we had a bottle of wine left out for us too. Nanny Kay had the largest room in the hotel and was rather nice to say it was the last one left. We reconvened as a group at a Mexican bar/restaurant just round the corner from our hotel. Nanny Kay had a sangria but the rest of us had an Alpha beer, which were about €4/5 each for a big one.

We decided to eat at Rhodes Blue for lunch and what a lovely place I thought it was. Drew had beer, Nanny Kay had a coke and the rest of us shared white wine. For starters we all shared pitta bread with hummus and tzatziki and we had quite an eclectic mix of main meals; Pepperoni pizza for Drew, Beef Stifado for Jamie, Moussaka for Nanny Kay, Pork Souvlaki for Captain Caveman and Spare ribs for me. There were extra french fries ordered too. The total bill came to €107 (£93.46) with the cheapest thing on the menu being a can of coke at €3, the most expensive being the wine at €13.50, meals were between €10.50 and €12.50 so not bad and the portions were good.

We nipped back to the hotel after lunch but then met up again at a bar called Ottima. We were meeting Steve and Michelle to go to a festival that was on at Therme Park in Rhodes Town, nearer to Marks & Spencer’s. Steve and Michelle were really busy with work so they couldn’t stop long, just long enough to meet everyone and have a pint of ale from The Mule’s Brew pop up bar. After they left, the 5 of us stayed to listen to the singers, had another drink from the cocktail bar and it was a nice little event.
We walked back to our hotels and called in to a lovely bar called Koykos on the way back, we sat outside and ordered wine and a sharing platter which was lovely and not expensive. Our night finished at Felini, an ice-cream place where Captain Caveman had his favourite, pistachio. I had a mixture of mango and raspberry sorbet – the diet was once again on hold!

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman and Jamie

Dalyan – 2nd September

We had an exciting last day (for a while) in Dalyan planned on Saturday 2nd September. I had booked Captain Caveman and I on Captain Boris’s Cheese and Wine boat trip. I’ve been on it before but Captain Caveman is not usually in Turkey early enough in the year for him to be able to go on one. Rebecca and Boris are such good hosts and we had joined a group of people we didn’t know, which was nice. Anıl, their captain, also has skills I’ve never seen before; he can steer a boat while opening a bottle of wine with one hand.

The photos obviously speak for themselves with all the amazing food that is offered. We sailed to the lake for swimming and to enjoy the massive spread, we were all wowed by the presentation, quality and amount of food – the wine flowed well too. I particularly like the Isabella rose wine and had bought a box from Boris last time I did this trip.

By 6pm we had moored up at Little Dalyan, behind Iztuzu beach, to enjoy the sunset. We got off for a stroll and a paddle along the beach while the boat moved up to the other end of the beach to await us there. It was just after 7.30pm when we got back, a little squiffy and full of cheese! It cost £40 each plus extra for the drinks, where the wine was a generous serving. It was definitely a great way for Captain Caveman to spend his last day in Dalyan, until next month.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman & Rebecca Uğur

Dalyan – 30th & 31st August

On the morning of Wednesday 30th August I got weighed at home to find I had put on 0.25kg (half a pound). Although this was a bit of a step backwards, I was grateful it wasn’t more as I’d been eating and drinking my way round Dalyan without a care in the world – and there was still Carol’s official scales this afternoon at Fat Club. I’d also lost 3cm from my bust but put 1cm on my waist and 3cm on my hips.
Captain Caveman and I popped to pay the council tax but the nice man in the office explained that it can’t be paid after the 28th of the month so we would have to come back on the 1st! He told us it would be 1219.35 lira (£35.75) for the year, which included a late payment fee – what a bargain.
I popped to BC Spa Hotel to see Kelly who had booked in some more spa treatments to alleviate her ‘being stuck in Dalyan’ stresses – there was definitely worse places to be stuck! A cat there took a shine to my porter sandals so I had a lay on a sun lounger, in another one of my new dresses, by the pool. I left to walk over to Fat Club and the sun was shining so I was a bit warm and sweaty when I arrived. Amazingly I had only put on 0.1kg on Carol’s scales!
It was Janice’s 70th birthday so we celebrated after Fat Club with a trip to Kefal tea gardens where I’m advised they sell a decent measure of gin for a reasonable price. I had a burger and a glass of wine to help celebrate with Janice, Tina and Brigette – they had G&Ts and shared some nuts as they were being good. After, I walked up to Rehab bar where all the pool players but Mark and Tayfur had already left. Captain Caveman, Kelly and Linda joined and Kelly ordered a few different dishes from Sosyete next door including salad items in sauce I didn’t recognise, a wrap and some onion rings. They went well with one of Tay’s cocktails too. I’d had the sense to sling a Mediterranean chicken in the slow cooker for our late dinner when we got home. It was diet friendly and very tasty.

Thursday 31st August was Kelly’s actual last day, seeing as her original return flight had been cancelled. While she had a morning of relaxing and packing, Captain Caveman and I had a morning appointment booked to go with Sonuç and Hüseyin, the translator, to the notary in Ortaca. We were officially changing my address and I was ‘moving in’ with Captain Caveman on a rental agreement. The process was straight forward but costly;
Hüseyin’s fee 2,000 lira (£58.84)
Sonuç’s fee 1,000 lira (£29.42)
Notary fee 400 lira (£11.77)
I paid the total of 3,400 lira (£100) out and asked Sonuç if it would be a good idea, while we were in Ortaca, to get the electric bill put in to my name. I’d heard from a few friends, who were doing residency renewals recently, and had been asked for this so I didn’t want to risk me being declined my renewal. I was conscious that we only had 1 more working day with Captain Caveman being in Turkey for signing anything so it might be a good idea. Sonuç firmly told me that we did not need to do that, I had a rental agreement now, Captain Caveman was my official landlord and therefore the bills should (quite rightly) remain in his name. Captain Caveman was happy with this too, I was still dubious, so we left it and returned back to Dalyan.
When we got home, I was hungry so we had the leftover Mediterranean Chicken for lunch then I sat out on the balcony. In the late afternoon, we decided to call for a drink at Tez bar and I wore my new red dress and had my hair down. When I went round the corner, I saw a waiter I knew at Taste of Heaven bar. He’d been drinking and came out to give me a hug and invited me to join him for a drink. I said no and waved over to where Captain Caveman was sat to say I was meeting my husband. We sat with Penny & Phil and a few others but then the drunk guy sent over a red rose with Ismail, the flower seller. As we were leaving Tez bar, I gave my rose to Kelly and the guy shouted me back to say he had bought it for me, not her. It was all a bit odd.
We decided to eat at Eylül restaurant which always gets good reviews. We arrived early as we were thinking Kelly might be better to eat dinner then get a bit of sleep before her 2.15am departure tomorrow. I ordered a glass of white wine, Captain Caveman had a beer and Kelly had a beer and a Sprite to make a shandy.
We shared a mixed meze and lavaş (balloon bread) starter which was really nice. For mains, Captain Caveman and I ordered traditional Turkish dishes while Kelly surprised us by ordering Bombay Chicken. My ottoman kebab was a large portion so I took half home but Kelly’s was a dish I’d never heard of or tasted before – it had banana in and looked awful. Captain Caveman ate most of his Hünkar Beğendi (a beef and aubergine dish) but Kelly couldn’t manage much of her’s. It wasn’t as cheap as I thought it would be either.

Here’s what we paid at Eylül:
1 Efes Malt 100
1 Efes normal 100
1 white wine 100
1 Sprite 50
1 Shared meze plate with lavaş 220
1 Bombay Chicken 240
1 Hünkar Beğendi 350
1 Ottoman Kebab 350
Total spent 1510 lira (£44.23)

By 8.15pm we were in Bistro Blue having our last night drinks for Kelly, with me trying to get Captain Caveman to put his phone down, join in the conversation and have a photo.
Our goodbye was emotional, it had been so lovely having the girls over to Dalyan but it had definitely made me miss them, and my other friends back in England, more.

Dalyan – 28th August

It was Maddie and Sam’s engagement celebration on a Princess of Ekincik boat trip on Monday 28th August. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had to go without me as I had plans with Kelly and Clare. Kelly was leaving after midnight tonight but Clare was off around midday. It had not been a long enough trip and I was going to miss them a lot. I’d loved having them both here in Dalyan and it had really made my week! We all had more last day BC Spa treatments booked in. While the girls had their last full on pamper, I had a much needed pedicure. It was £10 which I didn’t think was bad and the therapist did a good job. I was trying my best not to sob when Clare left, especially as we hoped to meet up when I came back to England and maybe get a cheeky Rhodes holiday in for 2024.

Kelly and I waved Clare off as Fikri took her to the airport then we decided to have a last walk down the river. We stumbled across Sahil restaurant, where I’d not been to in ages. I’ve got friends who love it but I’d also read bad reviews of them ripping people off fairly recently. It took a while for one of the many staff to pass me the menus he was holding and I was on my guard to see if they were dual menu/pricing for foreigners. I did speak in Turkish but was given an English only menu. It has amazing views of the river so I didn’t expect it to be cheap but it turned out to be one of the more expensive places I’ve eaten at, in August. A coke was 65 lira (£1.94)! My chicken wrap was the most expensive I’ve had in Dalyan but the chips were very good. The chicken fajitas, which Kelly ordered without the wraps, were 447 lira (£13.34), which I remembered as it was a strange price. Having said that, Kelly did say it was one of the best meals she’d had all holiday and thought it was worth the price.
On the way back through town, it was pretty warm so we stopped at Sofra bar for a swift drink. It’s probably a good job we did as the TVs had some important news showing! The Air Traffic Control System in the UK had failed and was causing chaos. Flights to and from the UK were either cancelled or delayed until further notice. Clare was at the airport with a delayed flight but access to the lounge so was coping well but we didn’t know yet if it would affect Kelly’s flight, which was at 4.50am tomorrow.

While uncertainty for whether Clare’s flight, already delayed by a couple of hours, would take off still, Kelly checked the news and called home. Regular updates came from Clare at Dalaman airport but it looked like even the staff didn’t really know when flights would continue to fly. My mate, Josh, was stuck at a UK airport trying to get to Italy. All we knew about Kelly’s flight was that she should still go to the airport to check in, as normal, even if there was going to be long delays so that was the plan. We went back to BC Spa finished off some wine and then got ready for our last meal together.
Captain Caveman was back from an amazing day on the boat with lots of friends and had not heard about the flight issues. Of course, he said if Kelly’s flight got cancelled or delayed she was welcome to stay at his place and proceeded to tidy the spare room, just in case.
We ate at Bistro Blue that evening where Captain Caveman had liver & onions for a starter and Kelly had the onion bhaji. I didn’t have a starter as I knew I’d be having a big main meal. We shared some Allure rosé wine which went down very well and for mains we ordered a steak with onion and mushrooms for me, a chicken casserole for Kelly, and Captain Caveman chose the chicken & halloumi salad. I loved the food and was very full after eating all my dinner. As we drank more wine, Clare messaged to let us know she had finally landed at Gatwick but she had been one of the lucky ones. I managed to squeeze in the shared dessert of baklava with ice-cream which was delightful and not at all Slimming World friendly. We did a cheers with our complimentary amarettos to our last night together and recorded a birthday message to the other Claire, who hadn’t been able to make it out to Dalyan this time. The bill came to 2,800 lira (£83.58) for the 3 of us. All was well except for the fact that Captain Caveman was able to ascertain that Kelly’s flight was probably going to be cancelled before she got informed of it. The plane was still in the UK and would not be leaving any time soon so it would not be likely that Kelly could get on it from Turkey. Fikri was still on hold though for 1am as we weren’t sure if she was definitely going to the airport or not.
Captain Caveman, feeling tired after a long journey from Vietnam and going out since he got back, went home. I went back to BC Spa with Kelly where we explained the flight situation and the receptionist said the hotel room was available for tomorrow anyway, should she need it.

Dalyan – 27th August

I was awake on Sunday 27th August before Captain Caveman landed in Dalaman, on time, at 7.55am. I checked the weather forecast and it looked to be a bit cooler than what he’s used to in Vietnam but still quite warm and dry. He was only going to be here for a week and then he had a Europe and UK trip planned, so he hoped to make the most of being back in Dalyan just for a short time. The most important thing was for me to sort out all the necessary paperwork so that I would be able renew my residency. Hopefully, I would have everything he needed to sign, completed before we left for another trip to Rhodes.
Captain Caveman arrived but, as he gets paid in Vietnamese Dong, he had no Turkish money. I went out to pay Fikri, the taxi fare of 850 lira (£25) while he brought in all his luggage. I was excited to see him but by 10am I was even happier – he’d managed to get me some Yorkshire teabags! His friend, Damo, had purchased a box from Cornwall, took it to Saigon to handover to Captain Caveman and then he’d brought it over to Dalyan! Unfortunately, there had still been no 2024 diaries anywhere on his journey so I would have to wait until he went back to England.
I’d waited to have my breakfast with Captain Caveman but he’d eaten already so I had fresh figs, banana, strawberries and quark with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I drank quite a bit of cucumber infused water in the hope of my eczema clearing up but it still looked quite bad.

By 2pm I was sending a copy of Captain Caveman’s tapu (deeds) and his tax code to Sonuç for my residency renewal file. At 3pm we decided to head over for a cheeky snifter at Tez bar before we went to meet Clare and Kelly at Lukka bar. Tez wasn’t there but his wife, Rabia, was feeding Bailey the new kitten so we had to get a photo. Of course, with Captain Caveman having been in Vietnam for 9 months I’d decided to book us in for a traditional meal as his first one.

All 4 of us were booked in for a Sunday lunch at Lukka where they do amazing Yorkshire puddings. We had pre-ordered the meat choices; Captain Caveman was having lamb and the 3 of us were having beef. The lamb dinner was 495 lira (£14.77), 400 lira (£11.94) for the beef dinner and that included apple pie and ice-cream. Captain Caveman had a couple of Efes beers which were 85 lira (£2.54) each. My glass of rosé wine was 98 lira (£2.98) but I didn’t order a second one as I wasn’t keen on the Buzbağ rosé. We shared a large bottle of water which was 45 lira (£1.34) as we needed to keep hydrated.
The food and service were good and I really enjoyed what I managed to eat, a little less than half of my meal went in to Tupperware for another day as it was huge. I even took my apple pie home as I was trying to be good. It’s not the cheapest place in town, we’d paid 1,248 lira (£37.25) for Captain Caveman and my Sunday lunch with drinks, but we had full tummies and enjoyed it. Clare and Kelly both said it would have cost more than that where they live in England so it was a nice treat, for a bit of a change.

Just after eating our meal, I got sad news that a friend, John, had died. He was the guy I met when I volunteered to push him round the Dalyan 5k Race in a wheelchair. He was quite a character and a lovely fella so I was rather sad. We decided to pop to Bistro Blue for a bit of a drink and I was in a bit of a daze for Clare’s farewell drinks. I managed a pint of draft Efes, Captain Caveman had another Efes Malt, Clare a gin & tonic and Kelly an English Garden cocktail.
On the second round I just had half and everyone else had the same as before. Here’s what we paid for the drinks:

1 litre of water 75.00
330ml draft Efes 75.00
500ml draft Efes 90.00
500ml Efes Malt 90.00
Gin & Tonic 130.00
English Garden cocktail 330.00

Our total bill for 4 of us came to 1,415 lira (£42.24) but the cocktails are probably the same as you’d pay in the UK. Back home, I was back on the cucumber water, while Captain Caveman had a gin and tonic and I made him a mini pizza wrap in the airfryer. While I was happy that Captain Caveman was back, I was sad that Clare and Kelly were leaving tomorrow.

Dalyan – 26th August

At 9am on Saturday 26th August I would ordinarily be thinking of getting to the Saturday market for some fruit and vegetables. They do sell lots of other things there, including bags, shoes, clothes, spices, Turkish delight, as well as being able to buy a cheap gözleme (Turkish pancake). I’d asked Kelly and Clare if they fancied a wander round it later but they weren’t really up for a 15 minute walk (each way) in such hot weather, especially as they didn’t really need anything in particular. I knew I’d mostly be eating out with my friends, rather than cooking at home, so there was no point stocking up either.
We all spent the morning in the treatment rooms of the BC Spa and had mixed massages. I had some reflexology which was fantastic while the lady sorted out Kelly’s back. Clare was in another room getting a full body massage. We were all super relaxed by the time we emerged and we were fit for doing nothing, except for maybe a stroll down the river for some lunch.
I suggested an old favourite to eat at, Yakamoz, so we could sit and admire the river view. It was a hot day so the slight breeze was welcome and we got a couple of glimpses of a turtle swimming nearby. The starters had a theme of cheese; stuffed mushrooms, cheese rolls (sigara böreği in Turkish) and Halloumi all with salad garnish and plenty of fresh bread. For main I ordered the chicken shish, Kelly had chicken casserole and Clare had the mixed casserole. We all had soda water or a soft drink as we needed to keep hydrated. My meal came to 570 lira (£17) which was a bit steep for lunch time and wasn’t the biggest, or best, chicken shish I’ve had in Dalyan. The girls enjoyed their casseroles so I’d probably have that the next time.

We strolled back through town and the girls grabbed dessert at the Dalyano ice-cream shop, 70 lira (£2.09) for 3 scoops.
Next, we popped in to the Dalyan Turkish Delights and More shop on the main shopping street to buy some Turkish delight. It wasn’t as cheap as when I get it in Fethiye but it was very fresh and the lady let us taste quite a few flavours. I bought rose for me and pistachio for Captain Caveman, who would be arriving in Dalyan tomorrow. Our final shopping spot was Aladdin Bags, where we browsed the purses. I have a Hermes purse which I bought a couple of years ago and he was selling them for the same English price as back then which was good. Both Kelly and Clare got themselves a bargain and it meant it was time for a light refreshment.

On weekends it can often be tricky to find a reasonably priced bar which doesn’t have sport on so when I saw that Corner bar was empty and had no TV on, we plumped ourselves down on the comfy seats. I ordered a pint of draft Efes, the girls opted for a cocktail. While the drinks were being prepared a half naked English bloke and his mates came up and asked for the football to be put on and the bar man obliged. Our peace was shattered, Kelly went off for another browse round the shops for souvenirs while Clare and I tried to ignore the football on TV. We left after the one drink and sauntered back to BC Spa. Around the same time, Captain Caveman was boarding his plane from Saigon to Istanbul. We stayed around the girls’ hotel room and had leftover nibbles and wine for the evening. I got home after midnight again – this time knowing that when I woke up tomorrow, Captain Caveman would be on his way from Istanbul to Dalaman.

Photo credit – some by Clare Spindloe

Dalyan – 25th August

I spent the morning of Friday 25th August making sure I had all the paperwork and information that I needed for my residency renewal appointment. Next week we were able to apply for the appointment date as it can be applied for up to 60 days before my existing expiry date.
At 11am, we were all booked in to BC Spa for our spa treatments which consisted of a foam and scrub in the hamam, a face mask and a massage. The classic package cost us £35, lasted 75 minutes and was really good, even better than the last time I had it.
For lunch the 3 of us treated ourselves to a meal at Egehan with a glass of wine. We had complimentary starters of hummus, red pepper and walnut dip and baba ghanoush – all were delicious. For mains we had the following; Clare Sea Bass 370 lira (£11), Kelly meatballs 300 lira (£8.96) with an extra side salad instead of the usual rice and chips, I had mantı, Turkish pasta, 270 lira (£8.06). The food was delicious and it’s a lovely little boutique hotel with dining by the pool. After Egehan, the girls fancied an ice cream so I introduced them to the delights of Cherry Up where they both selected 3 scoops in a tub for 70 lira (£2.09) each. I’m not a huge ice-cream fan so I didn’t have any, I was still full from lunch.
Our next stop was the supermarket as we had decided to stay in at BC Spa tonight.
We chose to take a bit of a buffet/picnic approach where I bought the shopping and the girls bought the wine. Here’s what was in the shopping basket and the prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket

2 plastic bags 0.50
Apples 9.87
Chocolate biscuits 10.00
Turkey ‘ham’ slices 16.90
2 packs of normal sliced turkey 19.50
Cucumber 22.72
Tomatoes 36.25
Hummus 40.75
Plastic plates 49.50
Walnuts 53.50
Crispbreads 72.00
Pastrami slices 79.50
Smoked cheese 104.90
Smoked turkey slices 109.50
White cheese 119.90
Total spent 745.29 lira (£22.25)

Kelly and Clare thought it might make a nice addition to our evening dining to get some takeaway meat from the Kokoreç place. We waited for a fresh portion to be cooked but I wasn’t sure if it would be very nice, especially as I don’t tend to like eating lamb or goat. It cost 180 lira (£5.37) for just 100g so it wasn’t cheap but it is considered a delicacy in Turkey.

I called at home on the way back so that I could get changed and pick up a corkscrew, more wine from the fridge and a few bits and bobs from the fridge/cupboard. We had a feast and plenty of wine, while chatting away. The ofal didn’t end up getting eaten as it looked disgusting when we took off the lid and none of us could bring ourselves to taste the very fatty, now cold, meat. I got home after 1am, a little merry after another great day with my friends.

Dalyan – 24th August

On Thursday 24th August Clare was on her way to Dalyan and would be joining Kelly at the BC Spa Hotel in the afternoon. I had fresh figs, strawberries and quark for breakfast and then popped to the bank to transfer money from my US Dollar account to my Turkish account. I had a feeling it would be a bit more of an expensive week with having my friends here and I needed to have some funds available. At the bank, the resident cat decided she’d quite like a bit of attention and came for a cuddle while I waited for the cashier.
By 1pm I was with Kelly by the pool at BC Spa and we decided to have some lunch there. I had a chicken wrap which came with a few chips and Kelly had a salad. It wasn’t expensive and I really enjoyed the very filling wrap. Clare arrived at the hotel just after 3pm and I was so glad to get a big hug from her, again it had been far too long!
While Clare got settled in, I had an important meeting with Sonuç who I was paying to do my residency renewal stuff for me. We met by the river at BC Spa and I bought us a hot drink while we discussed the requirements and timeline. Unfortunately, Sonuç told me I would not be able to go for a 2 year renewal unless I had £10,000 in my Turkish Bank account which would be a bit tricky!
When I got back to the girls, they were sat in the outdoor dining area of the hotel and had ordered some food; a yoghurt dish, stuffed mushrooms and some breaded chicken pieces. I joined them for a glass of rosé wine which was very nice. The girls and I already had pre-booked the classic spa packages in for tomorrow and they mentioned they might book some more treatments in to.

That evening, we shared a bottle of Angora white wine at Tapa bar on our way in to town for dinner. I’d been keen to eat at River House for a while as I’d not been in a long time. We were given complimentary lavaş (balloon bread) with dips and we ordered main meals to share, Kelly had a salad while Clare and I shared a pide. We had a bottle of white wine and enjoyed a lovely reasonably priced evening, they have also made some improvements to the restaurant toilets since I was last there. I really enjoyed the meal at River House and definitely needed to visit again.
On our way home, we stopped off for a last drink at Bistro Blue and for the girls to say hello to Annie and Selahı. They had a new cocktail called the English garden at 330 lira (£9.85), with cucumber in it. It was a bit out of my budget so I stuck to wine but the girls said it was fantastic, really refreshing. It had been a cracking first full day with my friends and the next 4 days were going to go too fast!