In response to: Msg #209448 I love using local buses, well that was until one of our overnight buses in India rather ruined it for us, taken from the blog from that day:
'Woolly says – We were quietly proud of ourselves having found our overnight bus tucked down the back streets of Hampi, having stored the big backpacks and climbed into our double bunk we settled down for what we hoped would be a good night’s sleep. The speed at which the driver left the town behind meant us all being thrown around like rag dolls, trying to doze while part of your body is constantly leaving the mattress is tricky. As hour after hour passed and I could hear not just my own teeth rattling but everyone else’s as we sped over bump after bump, it was painful to keep landing on my trunk! The girls lay watching the cars go past and trying to not fall out of the bunk, until Zoe had a desperate need to pay a visit, having been travelling for over five hours this did seem reasonable, the driver however disagreed and sent her back to us, half an hour past and she tried again I could hear raised voices when suddenly the transport skidded to a halt which meant Jo and I sliding from the window area into the passageway, it appeared that Zoe had got her way.
Jo Says - The ride continued, and another two hours passed of relentless honking and skidding round corners and leaping over lumps in the road, when I also need to go, by now the coach had stopped several times for men to dash out and have a quick one against the wall, not so easy for us females.
Woolly says – I couldn’t understand why we weren’t getting a comfort break, by now I was also holding on and as we came to a sudden halt and I fell out of the bunk completely I decided that my need was great, Jo feeling the same way took the lead.
Jo Says - Several men where outside already in the manly position and as I got to the driver and explained, I received a very curt ‘no toilet’, I stood as the men climbed on board again and asked when we would stop for a toilet break, ‘not stopping, sit down’, I didn’t like his tone and the urgency was growing by the second so standing my ground I explained that it didn’t seem very fair that the men could jump on and off but the women weren’t allowed to, by now another women had joined me at the front, ‘not toilet sit down stupid women; was the response.
Woolly says – I felt the blood drain out of my face, what would Jo do? Would murder ensue? Who would win the battle of the loo? It appeared that Jo would as she told the driver rather forcefully that if he didn’t stop the bus immediately that she would do it there! Before I could consider if she would actually carry this out we nearly shot though the windscreen as the cantankerous man slammed on the brakes and the door opened, Jo disappeared into the night and I hurriedly did what I needed to do and retreated back to the bed area. As she returned I almost cheered, but realised that we were already speeding off again at a hundred miles an hour, the lady who had followed my hero to the front had still to go, having gone back to her husband, he then arrived at the front of the bus and quite a lot of screaming took place which resulted in another hand brake stop and she was allowed off, why didn’t he just let us all have a break and get it over with?
Jo Says - Why indeed, muttering about his failings we sat for the next two hours bouncing from one area to another and plotting the email that would be sent later in the day to complain, having checked our watches we realised that it was only five in the morning and we had at least another two hours to go when we honked and braked our way into a city, it appeared that we had arrived, two hours earlier than the coach should of, someone obviously wants to be home in there own bed regardless of the needs of the customer, having added another mental note for the email we crawled onto the pavement, grabbed our bags and set off to find the accommodation.'
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