Started off well. Pammukule bus booked for 12 noon, so no rush. Cup of tea in bed, yoghurt, fruit, honey and pollen for breakfast, lovely shower, dress and go. Packing mainly done last night, so easy peasy.

Taxi to the bus terminal, we are early but thats fine. Cuppa in the terminal, bit of people watching. Lovely.

We have used Pamakkule bus company throughout our Turkey adventure. They have been top notch. But this bus had a funny atmosphere, the driver was a stroppy git too fond of his right foot and the hooter. For a change I embraced the video function and watched a cartoon called `Stork`, which was hilarious even in Turkish. The journey should be about 5 and half hours. I am a bit of a back seat driver, as many of you are aware. This guys driving is not great, lots of screeching to a halt just in time for red 

Iights. Lots of cutting people up despite a virtually empty road. Bit unnecessary really.

There are scheduled stops on the way at bus terminals. People get off to use the WC, have a cigarette or just stretch their legs. There is usually a count done before we set off again. Not so this time. We head out onto the dual carriageway only to do an emergency stop. We have left a lady behind!!! She comes huffing up the hard shoulder, well cheesed off. Lets just say, in a fight  I want her on my side! Its not a pretty exchange. She huffily takes her seat, glaring at the driver whos driving does not improve. Then he starts doing detours to drop people off at unscheduled stops. Ok if there is time but we are running late. People are getting tetchy, the tension is mounting. Then we sail right past Canukkale Otobus Terminal (our stop). A shout goes up! A man from the back comes storming up the aisle, another emergency stop, not even on the hard shoulder. From the body language and gesticulations he says `Excuse me., that was my stop. Why have you gone straight past it?`. Only guessing the language was a bit riper than that. If it wasn't for the man in front of Norman I think it would have resulted in fistycuffs. The driver leaves his seat and they meet in the aisle. Lots of very loud words are said. The man gets off on the hardshoulder, takes his bags and goes. The rest of us are left wondering where we are going.

I am seriously cheesed off. Our tickets clearly say, `Canukkale Otobus Terminal`. I booked a hotel relevant to the location. These buses can travel a lot of kilometres between stops. The man behind me reassures me that we are going to the Istanbul ferry terminal! Thats reassuring then as the final stop is Istanbul ferry terminal, a good 200kl away! We carry on for 20 minutes, I have no idea where we are. Finally we pull up at a ferry terminal. Tensions are high. We get off the bus, help ourselves to our luggage (no help is offered so I open the hold myself, drag our bags out and leave it open so others can get their bags out!) and stand on the concourse. We have been on the road for 6 & 1/2 hours by now. A fellow traveller (Turkish with good English) offers some help. He is cheesed off too, and shows us to the taxi rank. We load up our bags, show the driver the address of the hotel. Oh how he laughs, we are standing not 50 metres from it!!! How funny is that? We stand on the pavement and have a good belly laugh. Of course its not so funny for the people who were being met at the Otobus Terminal.

There is a Pamakkule bus office on the corner, I lodge a complaint. I doubt if much will be done but it made me feel better.

So, Hotel Helen here we come!