Patience is a funny thing. It is that one trait that for the longest time I had wondered whether or not I possessed. While I have no patience with incompetence and other annoyances, I have no problem waiting. part of the reason is that I always find a way to spend my time wisely. I use waiting time to read books, write blog posts and poetry, and even build a life plan for the rest of the year. in that sense, I believe I am patient. but then, it had never been tested. until this bus ride.
There was only one bus that plies the Luang Prabang-Hanoi route per day. It was already my fifth day in Luang Prabang, Laos and it was time for me to move on to Vietnam. While my original plan was to spend a day in the cities of hue and Vinh each, I realized that the little time I had left (one week before my flight back to Manila) won’t be enough to really experience Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and Ha long Bay. I decided to just go straight to Hanoi. but there was a caveat — the estimated travel time was 24 hours. Yes, my friends, one full day sitting in a bus.
The good news was, my friend Josephine would be going with me. Josephine is a lovely French lady I met in Chiang Mai, whom I coincidentally bumped into again in Luang Prabang seven days later. We decided to take the same bus to Hanoi. It was probably the best decision I made in this entire trip.
WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?
The Bus From Hell
Food and Water
Earphones/Headset
Books and Gadgets
A Neck Pillow
Jacket or Scarf
Prípravok na dezinfekciu rúk
Sociálne zručnosti
Patience
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The Bus From Hell
Many a traveler who has taken this ride called it hell bus or bus from hell not because of the bus itself but the long, agonizing duration of the ride. I had read so many horror stories about it but I took them with a grain of salt every time. After all, I had endured hours of bus rides here in the Philippines, and there were times that I thought I actually enjoyed them. but this was different. The 24-hour travel time they promised became 25, then 26, and when we finally reached the city center of Hanoi, 27 hours had already passed. Imagine.
Luang Prabang, Laos
Our trip started at the Luang Prabang bus terminal at 6 in the evening. My friend Jo was already waiting for me there when I arrived. We purchased tickets, reserved seats, and boarded the bus. The bus was the sleeper type with seats that can be reclined so low if it weren’t for the constant motion, it could pass as very comfortable. We shared it with twenty something other tourists, mostly from Europe, and half a dozen Vietnamese. A small TV was installed in the front area of the bus and was showing Vietnamese TV shows the whole time.
I can tell you what happened within the 27 hours in great detail but to make this post useful, allow me to narrate what happened in the form of things to bring with you if you’re taking the same trip!
Food and Water
I had two big bottles of water with me but the biggest mistake that I made while preparing for this ride was not to bring food. since all the buses that I had taken in Laos all made a stop at a good restaurant, I was counting on this doing the same. I was soooo wrong. In 27 hours, we only made one stop at an eatery in Vietnam. The problem was, the place was so dirty that NONE of us (except for the bus staff) decided to eat there. We ended up buying biscuits from a nearby sari-sari store, which did not have much either. how I survived eating only a pack of biscuits was astonishing, given my voracious appetite.
Thank you, Marie! You’re a lifesaver! The only food I had in 30 hours.
Earphones/Headset
I thought it was just me but other tourists noticed it as well. As soon as we entered Vietnamese territory, the driver turned crazy with the honking! The ride across Laos was smooth and quiet (other than the loud music) but the moment we crossed the border, they just kept on honking every 20 seconds or so. eventually they switched drivers and I thought that would be the end of it, but the other driver also did the same as if honking was their national sport. thank God I had earphones on!
Books and Gadgets
I finished a 400-page Neil Gaiman-Al Sarrantonio compilation book during the ride. and mind you, I am a slow reader. If reading is not your thing, bring your iPod, iPhone, iPad, whatever other tablet or player with you and beef them up with as many movies and songs as you can. Anything that would keep you busy. You will need them.
A Neck Pillow
I have a neck pillow but it was not with me on this trip. My neck really ached after the ride because I couldn’t find a good position to make my head comfortable. many other travelers on the bus had theirs. good for them.
Jacket or Scarf
It can get really cold inside the bus. It was especially cold at the border that early morning. You might also want to bring a smaller bag that you can carry around with you becauseVaša veľká taška bude uložená v autobusovom priehradke nižšie.
Prípravok na dezinfekciu rúk
Myslím si, že ručný dezinfekčný prostriedok je nevyhnutným, či je jazda dlhá alebo nie. Mnohé z toalety, na ktorých sme sa zastavili, neboli vôbec upravené. Udržujte ruku dezinfekčný prostriedok po ruke.
Sociálne zručnosti
Mal som šťastie, že som cestoval s Josephine, s ktorou som bol veľmi blízko. Všimol som si ostatných chlapcov, ktorí boli vždy sami a tichí, a jednoducho som si nedokázal predstaviť, že som uviazol v autobuse 27 hodín, s kým by sa s nikým porozprával. Zakaždým, keď som si všimol niekoho sám, priblížil by som sa k nim a urobil s nimi malé rozhovory. Nebol som si istý, či sú to len typ samotného alebo boli len plachí. V každom prípade sa pokúšali osloviť žiadne škody.
Trpezlivosť
Celá jazda bola prinajmenšom skúškou trpezlivosti. Zdanlivo nekonečné čakanie, nedostatok jedla, neustále trúbenie – dostali by sa k vám a napadli by vo vás budhistu. Aj keď sme dorazili na autobusový terminál, mali sme ťažké dostať sa do nášho hotela. Bol to bojovať s vodičmi taxíkov, pretože často účtovali oveľa vyššie, ako sme povedali. Nakoniec sme si vzali raketoplán s ostatnými turistami, s ktorými sme zdieľali autobus. Trvalo nám ďalšie 2 hodiny, kým sme sa konečne dostali do našej hotelovej izby a mali peknú horúcu sprchu.
Hanojový opera
Nebol to vynikajúci zážitok, ale stále to bolo niečo, čo ma potešilo, že som zažil, nie že by som to urobil znova. Je to jedna z tých vecí, ktoré keď o tom počujete ostatných ľudí, nevedomky prelomíte na tvári lstivý úsmev len preto, že ste cez ňu prešli a prežili ste ju.
Myslím, že tu kľúčom bolo len si užiť každú chvíľu. Áno, boli časy, keď som chcel niekoho zasiahnuť, aby som sa mohol cítiť lepšie (wahahaha), ale ak sa necháte dostať k vášmu nervu, jediný stratí by ste vy. Všetko sa scvrkáva na to, ako sa pripravujete na jazdu. Bojujte s konečnou nudou tým, že máte správne veci – dobrú knihu, dobrú gadget, dobré jedlo a dobrú spoločnosť.
Viac tipov na YouTube ⬇
Súvisiace príspevky:
Juhovýchodná Ázia: DIY Backpacking Itinerary and Traces (2 týždne)
Kuang Si Vodopád: Výroba striekania v Luang Prabang, Laos
10 zadarmo a lacné veci, ktoré môžete robiť v Hanoji vo Vietname
Mekong a Nam Khan: V spoločnosti dvoch riek Luang Prabang, Laos
Vietnamské ženské múzeum v Hanoji
Batohovanie juhovýchodnej Ázie na rozpočte: cestovný sprievodca
Vzorka Itinerárov juhovýchodnej Ázie: 5, 6, 7 dní
Vzorky itinerárov Hanoja: 1-7 dní