Vientiane to Hanoi sleeper bus

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Expectations for the bus journey to Hanoi were extremely low by the time we had spent several days reading 'the journey from hell' stories which might explain why our overall conclusion is one of 'could be worse'.

Stocking up on food and drink then using our well rehearsed routine to negotiate a cheap tuk tuk ride to collect visas (feeling smug) we were ready for pick up at the hostel for 5pm.

A mini bus collected us at 17.15. 2 french were already on and we picked up a Korean couple and a Swiss guy later. Driving 90 mins we were convinced this would be the last time we were happy for a long time and that we would soon meet the bus, already full, be ushered to the back to cuddle with some smelly local and stay there for 24 hours (as we had read). Indeed we were last to arrive and with the Koreans and French heading elsewhere we started to conspire a plan with the Swiss guy (safety in number). Issued a ticket with seat number we were feeling little more positive but still hadn't seen the inside of the bus. Math loaded bags whilst I got in the mix with locals to literally ruck my way to our rightful seats. As it turned out I didn't need to fight anyone (although I was well prepare to) because no one wanted our seats. Back of the bus as warned, a cozy row of 3 next to the toilet we were on the bottom bunk. All the other seats were singles reclining to full beds. Ours reclined fully too, it was sitting up that would be a problem for us with the bunk above being so close. We crawled in to our coffins and crossed our fingers for mercy on the 3rd occupant of our bed. Math (6'2") lay in the middle as the only place he could overhang, me next to the window and our soon to be very close Swiss buddy next to the toilet.

We left at 18.40 and it dropped dark soon after. Laying along side the window was as close to being in a hearse as i'd like to imaging but a great view for the immense electrical storm outside. Huge flashes of lightening entertained us for about 3 hours with a series of split second moments of brightness seeing the grass as green and the sky as blue and occasionally we were treated with a burst of a picture containing the river and valleys which we followed for quite a while across Laos.

Stopping at 1am near the border, the air con was turned off and we felt like our coffin was being interned. Only marginally less like hell was the road house welcome outside the bus. Being stared and laughed at for 4 hours would have been tolerable but the snorting and hocking back greenies greenies by men (seemly a pastime over here) was enough to make me consider walking to my certain death down the deserted road outside. Math was inconsolably ready to book flights home as soon as possible and my gagging then dropping my only hair band on the flooded toilet floor was the last straw. Then, at 05.30, almost as if knowing we were broken, the bus started up, tooted and we were piling back on.

Now grateful for our nests we kept quite for another 90 minutes before arriving at the border then a series of pointing directed us to departures stamp, departure check point then an approximate 2km walk over the bored in to Vietnam. Asians remained on the buss but this was our treat! Then immigration, another checkpoint, bag check, final checkpoint then back on the bus at 8.30. We slept ok until a lunch stop at 13.00 and ate a decent meal. The final leg the journey until arrival in Hanoi at 19.00 was boring, uncomfortable, smelly and hot but... it could have been worse.

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Comments

[sand]

Urghhh
That sounds like the journey from hell--- if you were gagging then I would be unconscious ! Hope Vietnam will be a treat after that - is all travelling across country as bad as that ? looking forward to next blog x