Busload of faith to get by.
Trip Start
Feb 17, 2009
1
22
71
Trip End
Ongoing
Vientiane, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Friday, March 6, 2009
Checked oput a cave where I think people take their Buddha Icons, the ones that have lost their Mojo, I guess. There were about 4000 tiny to mid sized buddhas strewn around a pitch black cave. So dark and large that my head lamp made little difference. There are some pictures here.
It was a slow boad but we had a pretty interesting conversation betweem a couple of India Indians and a couple English girls about Buddhism. Starting to make a bit of sense. Still not sure about the elephant god with pants though.
These girls had takem the reverse direction bus that I was getting ready for and they filled me in. Not enough let me tell you.
I signed up for the VIP bus the previous day. Air Conditioned, bathroom and comfy seats. I was lead to believe that it was a speicially designed tour bus with loads of features to make the trip breeze by. Seemed like a good way to make the 12 hour journey. $12 I think.
The tour company imcluded the transfer to the bus station on the Tuk Tuk so that was conveinient too.
The bus left a half hour late amd every seat was taken. Luckily the AC went to full blast as we left the bus stall. Thge seats were not made for anyone with an inseam longer than 28 inches, I am way beyond that but found a position that I thoght would work. Then the little but stout asian guy sat down next to me. reducing my wiggle room to a negative level. For some reason the bus designer decide it would be good to add bottle holders. Nice touch but it was made of hard metal with sharp corners. Then the tiny little asian girl decided to recline her seat. whick allowed me to realize that all the seat back trim was positioned exactly to meet the spot where the doctor knocks you to test your reflexes. The a tall white guy sat behinf me so there would be no reclining for me either.
This was before we left the parling lot. The AC gave out just as we hit the road. The bus pulled over to figure out what the problem was, I assumed. Actually no. He stopped to pick up a load of people from a Tuk Tuk. They were given little plastic stools to sit in the aisle. That had to be short term, right, Nope they lasted the entire 12 hours. The driver also thought that blaring Laotian Folk music would be a fine entertainment option. I couldn't hear my I-Pod ove the din.
Luckily there was a bathroom. Unluckily it was the side of the road. every couple of hours the bus driver would pull over and everyone would pile out amd stand or squat, depending of gender and need.
After a couple of hours, we started the bumpy climb into the mountains, up and down, around turns, the night pitch black except for the head lights amd fires burning in the distance. The bus air was stale with heat, sweat and the smoke of the crops being burned. I was getting queasy but wasn't sure what would happen if worse came to worse. I started to MacGyver a solution but didnt have a knife As I was frantically trying to chew the top off my plastic water bottle. You would understand why if you ever tried to blow dinner into the mouth of a pop bottle. It doesn't work at all.
As I was failing miserably, I realized that VIP did not stand for Very Important Person. It meant, Vomit Is Probable. Luckily, the effort took my mind off the motion and I was feeling better. I think I got a couple of minutes between funnybone triggering bumps. It had to me one of the worst 12 hour rides I have ever taken.
But here I am in Vientiane. Time to check it out.
