We managed to get our water bill sorted out at Alsancak Beledeysi, following their computer problem. Another bill paid. Only a small amount of gardening and Mal cleaned the pool before the rain started. Cat and her kittens all seemed to find refuge from the rain under our terrace on our cushions! I have now covered them with old towels.
I did notice when out shopping that milk has gone up in price. The cheapest place is still Lemar at 2.10tl
An hours power cut in the evening. We have got out of the habit of power cuts but thankfully laptops were charged and so we watched a couple of downloaded programmes.
Later, at 10 to 10 we had another power cut. We gave up then, went to bed with our head torches and read!
Thought for the Day – “ The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It rained during the night and it looks as though “Cat” spent the night on one of our comfy cushions under the terrace! Paw marks gave her away.
There’s only so much gardening you can do in a day and thankfully after lunch the rain started. The bougainvillea has gone a little wild again down the drive, so Mal had to cut all of that.
Well, “Cat” decided to bring all her kittens to run around the garden! I have also seen them where they actually belong, at the Russian House this morning.
I forgot to mention yesterday, I went to put some petrol in the car at Green Garage. I told him I wanted 50tl. I said this 4 times both in English and Turkish. Mal and I were chatting in the front of the car and he only put 40tl in the car. I told him I had asked for 50tl, a Cyprus shrug and reluctantly he handed me 10tl change. A good thing I have snapped back into Cyprus mode already, checking any money I hand over. ALWAYS check your change and also how much fuel they actually put in your car!!
It’s not just in Cyprus. I dropped the Avis rental car off at Stansted, having filled the tank at the garage next to the airport. Of course we had an early morning flight and the office was shut and I had been told to leave the keys in the box, which I did. Yesterday we received the invoice for the rental with a fuel charge for £16.34. No way was I going to phone one of Avis’s expensive phone numbers, so I called the Dover office where Darrel said he would investigate. Today I have received an email saying the amount will be refunded on to my card! So, it is always worth checking your email invoices if you have hired a car in the UK.
Thought for the Day – “ It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens.” ~ Cynthia E. Varnado
David was going to pay our water bill in our absence but we haven’t had one. He did say that they were having problems with their computers. So, we went down to the Beledeysi. Mal was sent “upstairs”. They repeated that they had computer problems and Mal gave them the meter reading and we have to go back tomorrow.
We bought Cyprus Today, an important article about Atlas Jet!
Then on to the dentist. After so many dentists we have used here who insist we have masses of work to do, we decided to try Ipek Gűrpınar at Smile Care. Well, let’s say I decided as I had chipped a tooth and lost part of the filling. She was really nice and took 5 X rays, cleaned my teeth thoroughly, and remade the filling, a really good job. In all I was in the chair over an hour. She also suggested a crown, which will be needed before long, which I have made an appointment to start the work on Monday. The x rays are right in front of you and she explains exactly what needs doing. Total cost for today 240tl and she is going to charge 400tl for all the crown work.
I came out so pleased (I hate dentists!) that Mal then decided he would go to her as well, so he had a brief chat with her and has his first appointment on Saturday! It seems between the pair of us we will be spending quite a time in her surgery over the next couple of weeks.
Robin recommended her to us and I am pleased that he did. If anyone else is interested her phone number is 0392 815 2812 /0533 880 2700.
Her surgery is from Alsancak, turn left before you get to Girne at the old Tempo supermarket. Go past the first turning on the left (where Pertev’s Vets is) and it is on the left hand side. OR contact me! She is also very good at English having trained in the UK.
As we arrived back home “Cat” was there to greet us at the door, thankfully not being followed by her kittens. She looks well fed and obviously just came for a visit as I put some food down for her but she wasn’t really interested, just wanted to be stroked!
In the evening Scarlet and Jack came on the web cam.
Smile Care
Thought for the Day – “We do have a zeal for laughter in most situations, give or take a dentist.” ~ Joseph Heller
We were up early and probably the first people in to breakfast then back to the room and packed. Our transfer came on time but when we arrived at Antalya airport he didn’t know which of the two airports to drop us off at. Made even more confusing as we had to alter our arrival, as we came from Stansted instead of Ercan and on our transfer voucher they had put we were returning to Stansted even though it had the Pegasus flight number to Ercan. Anyway, he was so nice and instead of just dropping us off, he went into the airport and enquired first.
Only in Turkey…. we had to laugh as after you have gone through all the checks and are at the departure gates, there is an outside smoking area where you can watch all the planes! They didn’t even ask us to take out computers out of our bags either.
As everyone will know only a 35 minute flight which means as soon as you take off it is almost time for the descent. Chris was waiting for us to take us home. A quick stop at Ileli for some shopping and to top our phones up.
The temperature today has been 28 degrees.
In the evening Lou, Rhys and co came on the web cam. They have just returned from a weekend in Torquay. Little Josie was the star and kept on and on talking to us about their fireworks. She isn’t shy on the web cam any more.
It was Ollie’s birthday and so we phoned him in the morning. We did try to use our Cyprus phones but we had to top them up before we could use them. I went into one of the hotel shops to buy a Turkcell top up only to be told that it would cost us double the normal amount as it was in the hotel! We’ll wait until we get back to Cyprus.
A day spent by the pool, in the shade. reading and playing cards! We had to laugh when we saw the sign about the entertainments team having a night off! Not the best entertainment we have ever had!
In the evening we went to Topkapi Cocktail bar which has far longer opening hours than the one in our hotel (which doesn’t open until 9.00pm!) and they also make far better cocktails. A late night but then it was our last night here.
I was up at 5 and so sat on the balcony, a lovely early morning sky.
After breakfast we went for a long walk. We arrived back by Mardin Palace Hotel and asked the security guy if we could walk along their beach back to the Kremlin. He said of course. I know the Mardin Palace is a grand hotel but didn’t realise they have white/silver sand on their part of the beach!
We then had a much needed drink in the pool bar as it seems now it is November the beach bar has closed down, also the ice cream stand, where I was going straight to get an ice cream after our walk!
Then by the bar having a drink we managed to spot the very rare species…..a member of the Entertainments team! The first one we had seen. Out of all the hotels we have stayed in along Lara Beach, this has to be the worst for entertainment and actually to find out what is going on. They don’t mix with the guests, we are convinced they hide! So far, evening’s entertainment…Mr Muscle, Karaoke, Miss Kremlin, Bingo. We have not bothered with any of them.
So, in the evening we sat in the bar and watched the Hammers game. At least they had the good grace to show that game and Mal was very pleased, a draw against Manchester City! But this bar doesn’t do cocktails, you have to wait until when the Cocktail Bar opens.
