Kaş - It was the best of bus rides, it was the worst of bus rides

It's cold and rainy so when I get up to visit the Hierapolis ruins I'm not really feeling it. Still, needs must, and after I pay an extortionate tourist tax to visit, I gain access to the Travertines.

The Travertines are natural pools formed by calcıum-rich water. As the water evaporates it leaves the calcium carbonate deposits behind, making the entire hillside look white. From far away it appears like grubby snow but up close it's actually pretty cool. I paddle in the pools in the rain - they must be volcanic because they are hot.

The weather has worsened, so I get pretty wet wandering about the ruins of Hierapolis, just above the Travertines (built by the Romans to take advantage of the natural mineral-rich water). They are reasonably impressive. Had the weather been nicer I could have had a great day wandering all over the huge hillside area but after seeing the main attractions I had had enough and wanted to move on. Besides, it was full of French people.

Had the weather been nicer I think this would have been a trip highlight, but to guarantee that you'd need to come in season, which would be intolerable. There seems to be nothing in Pamukkale but tourism. Well, onwards.

Minibus to Denizli bus station, and try to get on a bus to Kaş. They tell me I need to get to Antalya first, and then get the dolmus (minibus) from there, which run often. All the buses cost the same so I follow the advice of a Turk I've befriended and take the 'best' bus company.

The following four hours are the best I have ever had on a bus. The seats were huge and comfortable, the headset radio distracting, the tea and cake complimentary, the scenery captivating and, best of all, the further from Pamukkale we got the nicer the weather, until we arrived in Antalya in glorious sunshine.

I was then told I needed to get the dolmus to Kaş (expected) and that it would take four hours (unexpected). Looking at the map it seems I must have been conned somehow, but I can't work out who benefitted. Oh well, I've lost a maximum of four hours and less than a tenner, so we chalk this one up to experience.

The following four hours are not the worst I have ever spent on a bus, but for a long-legged fellow like me they are pretty miserable. I get into Kaş at night, find my hostel and dump my stuff. Despite 8 hours of bus ride and a full morning it's not quite late enough for me to crash, so I find a bar, get chatting to some Turks, get ripped off horribly for drinks, and go to bed.