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.
Was befindet sich in diesem Leitfaden?
The Bus From Hell
Nahrung und Wasser
Earphones/Headset
Books and Gadgets
A Neck Pillow
Jacket or Scarf
Handdesinfektionsmittel
Soziale Fähigkeiten
Geduld
Weitere Tipps auf YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Verwandte Beiträge:
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. Sich vorstellen.
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!
Nahrung und Wasser
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! Du bist ein Lebensretter! 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. gut für sie.
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 becauseIhre große Tasche wird im Busabteil unten aufbewahrt.
Handdesinfektionsmittel
Ich denke, ein Händedesinfektionsmittel ist ein wesentlicher Grund, ob die Fahrt lang ist oder nicht. Viele der Toiletten, auf denen wir anhielten, waren überhaupt nicht ordentlich. Halten Sie einen Händedesinfektionsmittel griffbereit.
Soziale Fähigkeiten
Ich hatte das Glück, dass ich mit Josephine unterwegs war, mit dem ich sehr nahe war. Ich bemerkte andere Leute, die immer allein und ruhig waren, und ich konnte mir einfach nicht vorstellen, dass ich 27 Stunden lang in einem Bus stecke, ohne mit dem ich reden konnte. Jedes Mal, wenn ich jemanden alleine bemerkte, näherte ich mich ihnen und machte kleine Chats mit ihm. Ich war mir nicht sicher, ob sie nur der Einzelgänger waren oder nur schüchtern waren. In jedem Fall schadete es nicht, zu versuchen, sich zu erreichen.
Geduld
Die ganze Fahrt war, gelinde gesagt, ein ziemlicher Test der Geduld. Das scheinbar endlose Warten, das Mangel an Nahrung, das ständige Hupen – sie würden zu Ihnen kommen und den Buddhisten in Ihnen herausfordern. Selbst als wir am Bus Terminal ankamen, fiel es uns schwer, in unser Hotel zu gelangen. Es war ein Kampf, mit den Taxifahrern umzugehen, weil sie oft so viel höher berechnen, als wir gesagt wurden. Wir nahmen am Ende ein Shuttle mit den anderen Touristen, mit denen wir den Bus teilten. Wir haben weitere 2 Stunden gebraucht, um endlich unser Hotelzimmer zu erreichen und eine schöne, heiße Dusche zu haben.
Hanoi Opera House
Es war keine hervorragende Erfahrung, aber es war immer noch etwas, was ich erlebt habe, nicht, dass ich es wieder tun würde. Es ist eines dieser Dinge, die wenn Sie andere Leute darüber sprechen hören, Sie unwissentlich ein schlaues Lächeln auf Ihrem Gesicht knacken, nur weil Sie es durchgemacht und überlebt haben.
Ich denke, der Schlüssel hier war nur, jeden Moment davon zu genießen. Ja, es gab Zeiten, in denen ich jemanden schlagen wollte, damit ich mich besser fühlen konnte (Wahahaha), aber wenn Sie es zu Ihrem Nerv bringen lassen, wäre der einzige Verlust Sie. Es läuft alles darauf hinaus, wie Sie sich auf die Fahrt vorbereiten. Kämpfen Sie die ultimative Langeweile, indem Sie die richtigen Dinge haben – ein gutes Buch, ein gutes Gerät, gutes Essen und gute Gesellschaft.
Weitere Tipps auf YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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