WOW, there is no way to describe the bus adventure that we embarked upon last night, but I will try to express just how tired we are and how horrible the ride was.
We left Luang Probang at 7:30pm, we arrived at 6:15 as told since it was planned to leave at 7:00pm. The total trip hours was 9 hours, or so we were told multiple times. We were also told we would arrive Vientiane at 5:00am. (not 9 hours for those that dont do math,...mom)
We thought there was going to be plenty of room on the bus, but at the last minute a connecting bus drove up and everyone from that one hopped on ours. This, to be exact was about 15 Chinese men who we would come to know as the most LOUD, obnoxious and rude people ever. (not a general steriotype, just applies to the men we met on the bus) The bus was over booked and two Americans next to us had to ride the complete journey on plastic stools in the middle of the isle along with 6 or 7 other people.
As the bus started to pull away from the station, the driver started blaring!!!!! Laos music. We also happened to be seated directly under a speaker, however there was one speaker every two seats so there was no escaping the madness. Imagine being at a club and trying to yell at your friends to tell them something, this is how loud it was...it was a night bus for crying at loud. At first we found it rather amusing, or Becca did, I not so much ever, until the Chinese men, started blaring Chinese music from their cell phones. Just our luck that the men all happen to get the only remaining seats which surrounded our seats. Not only where we now deaf from two different ethnic sounds, but at this time, the men starting to throw food across our seats. It only got better when the group of men started handing out cigarettes and lit up ON the bus! Americans and Shayna did not see it this way so we started to retaliate. We opened the windows which only created more problems when the ashes came back in the window and landed on me.
Becca utilized the rest stops, which consisted of "popping a squat" on the side of the road with 45-50, laoians, chinese and tourists. She came to find out she was using the restroom among six or seven grunting goats. I could not stop laughing.
Needless to say, eventually the bus driver made them stop smoking and a hour or so later the driver turned off his music Becca could not stop applauding. It was obnoxious, but I just couldn't finally believe he turned it off. The Chinese men turned theirs down for a bit, but the night consisted of music being turned off and on, constant stops to eat dinner at 1:30 in the morning (the bus driver) and so on and so forth. It was mayhem all night and we didn't sleep at all. The day we arrived to Vientiane we basically ate and slept and felt like zombies all day.
We are flying out to Vietnam tonight, can't wait for Ha Long Bay, that is the part I have been most looking forward to. Ahhh
Good times in Laos,
