On The Buses: South East Asia

photo from Flickr by: lynhdan

You think airport parking is stressful, when you are still two hours early for your flight and the shuttle bus keeps you waiting for ten minutes, but as soon as you take your first bus ride in Asia this minuscule, insignificant delay will seem like a dream.

From my experience so far, buses in South East Asia turn up as and when the please. It is not uncommon to be left on borders or be told your bus has broken down and there isn’t another one until tomorrow. You can always pick out first timers wearing slightly worried and bemused faces as you are all dumped at a road side rest stop and watch while the bus you presumed would be yours for the duration of the journey disappears into the sunset. It’s going to be a long day.

Traveling from Don Det in Laos to Siem Reap we all hopped off the bus at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere, presuming it was a toilet break, to be told by the driver that the bus we were actually on was going to Phnom Penh and we would have to wait for a different bus. Right, no worries,
“when will it be arriving?”
“Four to five hours” the driver replies in a very non committal tone that suggests he has absolutely no idea and definitely couldn’t care less if we spend the next week waiting for it. Brilliant!

Better even was the ride I took from Sihanoukville to Kep, where the bus shot straight through Kep without stopping to let me off. Maybe ten miles outside the town the driver realizes the mistake and stops to flag down what can only be described as a skip on wheels being dragged by a very sorry looking moto. It’s crammed with passengers who are all finding the situation hilarious, as I get told to jump in and be taken back. Fifteen or so minutes later we hit central Kep, the driver makes no sign of slowing down and dear God I have forgotten the word for stop! I am actually going to miss the town again and spend my life yo-yoing between its outskirts in increasingly ridiculous forms of transport. Lots more giggles from my fellow skip rides as I gesture helplessly and eventually get my point across.

And lets not forget the VIP “sleeper” buses where you can lie down, but really only if you are four foot tall, otherwise the lack of leg room means you have to lie slightly uncomfortably spooning the complete stranger in the next seat, to the romantic backing vocals of the drivers constantly beeping horn.

The shuttle bus from the Heathrow parking area will without doubt be the least stressful bus ride of your entire trip. That said the ridiculous journeys you end up on, are all part of the fun, there is nothing you can do about any of it, you will arrive somewhere at some point so there is no point getting stressed or worried. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

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Jen Hoggett has written 20 articles. I grew up in Bristol though all my family are from up North. This means I pretty much sidestepped the Bristolian accent although I did manage to pick up the brilliant intonation which means I raise the pitch of my voice towards the end of my sentences; making everything I say sound like a question. This West Country trait is balanced out nicely however by the fact I am an excellent cider drinker and can dance shamelessly to the Wurzels.