For our transportation through Southeast Asia we have taken 9 bus rides, 4 flights, and 2 trains. Flights are quick, trains have been overnight, and so I figured that I needed to give some insight into what a bus ride is like half way across the world. First let me preface that it is no Greyhound! You normally have three options; the VIP bus (most expensive) which is two decker, has a bathroom, and A/C; a local bus that is cheap but has little or no space in between the seats for your legs and possibly air condition; and lastly a mini bus (which is basically just a large van) where 13-15 people will be crammed into every fold down seat possible, air is hit or miss and it is normally bumpy as hell. There are plenty of tourist agencies where you can buy the tickets and its basically a gamble whether or not they sold you a ticket for the actual bus you requested. So I wanted to share with you a couple of our bus experiences through the various countries.
Laos:
We were on our way to Vang Vieng from Luang Prabang. When we bought our tickets, the man assured us there was A/C on the bus. We took the last 2 seats on the "mini bus" of about 15 people. I took the only seat next to a couple who cuddled and kissed the entire time. The A/C wasn't on so I questioned the driver only to get a response of "NO A/C!" and that was the end of that. With windows only on 1 side of the bus (not the side we sat on), the air circulation was that of none. For 6 hours, we sped up and down the mountain side where the roads were covered in potholes making for a very bumpy, unbearable, and sweaty ride! Needless to say we were bruised and exhausted after this bus trip.
Vietnam:
We were on our trip from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This time we were sold the correct ticket and boarded our VIP bus. To our own misfortune, Brett and I always seem to have the seats in the back of the bus where the unevenness of the roads is felt the most. There were a couple times where I felt myself "catch air" and being lifted out of my seat while sleeping after the driver accelerated over a 2' deep pothole, hoping to ease impact but only making it worse. The seats on these buses are normally fabric on the back and leather on the bottom. Well as comfortable as a leather seat can be, when you are sitting for 6 hours any time you switch positions your legs tear away from being stuck to the seat too long. Too fast of a position switch can cause extreme pain if you haven't moved in awhile. This happened to me the entire trip. As for the air condition, the vents are directly over head which sounds nice however, they open at a 30 degree angle and blow directly behind you nicely cooling off the ceiling. The only way to feel a decent air flow was to strain your neck or sit on your legs which is only comfortable for a short period, the rest of the time you are just hot and sweaty. Also, on these VIP buses they normally have a small television for the passengers entertainment. The TV is always located at the front of the bus, clearly out of view for those in the back. Although I guess if you can't see the Vietnamese soap opera (which consists of lots of yelling) than they assume you would still want to hear it, so they project the sounds throughout the bus on the various speakers (one of which was directly across from our seat). The sound is at a level meant for the hearing impaired, not even my music turned up to the max could block it out. Lastly, as we were crossing the river a bunch of young local boys were playing in the water. One of which looked directly at me, butt naked, wagging his little "thing" and laughing. Welcome to Cambodia!
Cambodia:
So we got our tickets from Siem Reap to Bangkok which was going to be an 8 hour bus ride, eghk! Although we were stoked because we got a good deal on a VIP bus with big seats and A/C. Only to be picked up the next day and see that there was no VIP bus with big comfy seats but rather the feared local bus, which is just like a school bus, 2 to one leather bench which are not bolted to the floor. Being the last ones on the bus our seat was pushed up so close to the seat in front of us we couldn't sit down without having our knees to our chest. We were on this for 3 hours. When you go the cheap route you meet other people who HAVE to go the cheap route, for instance, we got on our bus to find a drugged out tatted French guy who kept talking to him self and laughing. Once the bus started he proceeded to lie down in the aisle to sleep. OMG! This is when you have to put on your music and shut out the weirdness going on around you to keep your own sanity.
Traveling in SEA is not all Pad Thai's, Singha's, and beautiful beaches; you've got to have some torture in it to make it all worth while.
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