Planes, Trains, Automobiles…..and Buses

Is it silly that one of my favourite parts of travelling is just that, travelling?  I guess I am lucky considering that we spend many, many hours each week in transit, somewhere in between point A and B.  I have had time to reflect and I know now that train travel is my absolute favourite way to see places and to get anywhere, but unfortunately since we have left India, train travel just isn’t the same.  India may have train travel down pat but Asia defiantly has them beat with their bus system- which is my second favourite way of getting around.  Generally it’s the same routine, made different by one deciding factor: if we are taking a VIP or a Local bus.  Regardless of the level of comfort, every trip starts the same. I dehydrate myself for the journey, we buy our tickets, arm ourselves with various snack foods, which happily have become more sophisticated with practise and no longer resemble my Halloween loot but more like a light trail blazing snack.  We arrive half an hour early, take our seats and get comfortable for the ride.  If we are riding VIP, this is made much easier, as the seats are reserved and numbered and much like a Greyhound, minus the bathroom- VIP is the more comfortable way to ride, as I am sure you already assumed.  These buses get about as comfortable as you can get when you’re taking a bus, armed with newly upholstered seats (of which I am sure they got the fabric from an arcade or laser bowling alley) that often recline ever so slightly offering the much need relief for the lower back, that, coupled with the leg room made more vast and comfortable by the overhead compartment and we are talking sublime bus travel here.  The shocks are new, so if we happen to score a seat at the front, we will be rewarded with a relatively smooth ride allowing us to dabble in our carefully planned bus ride survival kit- music, reading, or in my case, writing.  These are the times that I love- the easy going surrender that the bus trip allows.  When you ride VIP, a person can just sit back while the driver takes you where you need to go, stopping at various street stalls where just enough English is spoken for us to order some noodle soup and a beverage.  I drink my water and my broth, knowing that every 2 hours the bus will pull over for a potty break, so I arrive hydrated, rested and happy to reflect on the scenery.  Which is always made better by the music that I carefully select to match the passing story I see outside my window.  These are the times I am able to relax and reflect on our travels, when my mind wanders to past memories and my hopes for bright futures.  I get lost in my experiences and frustrations, or just lose myself in a good book or some great tunes.

 Dan and I met this lovely lady on our trip from Vientiane to Phonsovanh.  She looks kinda mean in the picture but on the contrary, she was awesome.

Our local bus parked beside a VIP.  See the difference :)

On the flipside, at times you can be lucky enough to ride on a local bus.  The ride will always be uncomfortable in comparison but your experience will always be that much more rewarding.  When Dan and I take a trip on a local bus, I’m always slightly fearful of the journey ahead, my fear is always enhanced knowing that the ride will be long, as the local bus rides usually are.  Since these buses are smaller, which allow them to better manoeuvre the windy, narrow, muddy roads, we arrive an hour early to get a good seat as they leave when they are full and I mean FULL.  Though they only seat 24, on one of our previous journeys the driver was able to squeeze in 36 people, a motorbike, enough bags of rice to feed a village, a box of ducks and a chicken – just to give you a mental picture.  Dan and I sat on plastic lawn chairs that tipped in sharper corners making our ride more like a balancing act.  Yes, it was uncomfortable but we all laughed when one of us lost control of our chair and tipped one way or the other.  These rides generally don’t allow the luxuries of reading or writing but ducks in a box are pretty entertaining and we often walk away with a local friend or two.  I would like a few more potty breaks so that I wouldn’t have to refrain from liquids for 16 hours, but that is just a minor detail.  The ride lets you be a part of local life for a short time and on these journeys I feel less like I am sitting safely behind glass windows watching the countryside go by but more like I am part of that country side.   They feel all that more human and they are worth all the discomforts that come with them because you will often walk away with a great story and a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you have survived yet another local bus trip.

Now, as nostalgic and as comforting as I find bus journeys, there is always that breaking point.  When I have dirt in my eyes from open windows, I can’t get comfortable, my bum is numb and my ankles and feet are so swollen they look as if they might pop.  It is then that I hate bus travel and count the seconds until we reach our destination.  These feelings are inevitable but luckily surface later and later as we become more practiced with long distance travel.  I have to mention that I am rather nervous.  Dan and I have our longest bus trip yet coming up; we leave tomorrow morning bright and early on a local bus bound for Luang Prabang.  Dependant on road conditions, this bus can take up to 18 hours!!!  Think of all that you can do in 18 hours.  So, as you read this, go to work, come home and have dinner (or whatever routine you might have) Dan and I will be on a bus that whole time- tragic.  Two days from now my love for bus rides might change just a touch :)   Wish us luck!