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Day 44: Some travel experiences are good; others are character-building. Istanbul to Goreme by overnight bus is a very popular trip in Turkey. It’s just that, when you buy your ticket, there are many factors beyond your control. We knew that our seats, second from the back of the bus, would be poor. Travelling behind the rear axle, no matter how big the bus, can never be recommended.

We did not know, however, that on this occasion while travelling with the Nevsehir bus company:

• the bus would be at least five years older than any of the others we saw making the same journey;
• my seat would be stuck in the reclining position for the entire journey;
• the air conditioning would be feeble, and worse still towards the back of the bus;
• the internal lighting would not work, making it impossible to read;
• our conductor would sleep in the aisle immediately beside us, and at one time attempt to rest his head on Kate’s lap.

With two rest breaks during the journey, one at midnight and the other at 4.30am, on which occasions the AC was turned off and we therefore had little choice but to disembark and mill around in a sleep-deprived stupor in purpose-built theme park/ travel stops miles from anywhere, we arrived in Goreme the next morning ruinously exhausted and feeling decidedly out of sorts.

But then who has travelled beyond the first world and not had a shocker of a bus trip?