For the past few years our trips between Shangri-La and Kunming has mostly been on a night bus. We did the day bus one time, but it was a challenge with Alianna bouncing all over the place and me carsick as can be. So, we decided that it might be the best option for now... or until we get our own vehicle. Night buses (or sleeper buses) are something that I have never seen before I came to China. Imagine a huge bus, like a Greyhound or Translux. When you step into it though, there are no seats (except for the driver’s), just bunks. Really narrow, mostly short bunks. The norm is to have three rows of these bunks, which leaves you with two aisles. Right at the back of the bus the bunks are next to each other to make one big bed. Oh, and there are upper and lower bunks, which means that somebody who is claustrophobic is probably better off taking the day bus. On the upper bunk you are close to the roof and on the lower bunks you have the upper bunks not too far above your face. On the newer buses the one aisle ends fairly quickly and there are then several rows of three bunks next to each other with only one aisle. If you know your neighbours, this isn’t so bad. If you don’t... well, let’s just say you will know them after 12 hours of laying spoons. On each bunk is a small pillow and a thick comforter.
The first thing that strikes many foreigners, is the distinctive sleeper bus smell. It is a little like dirty hair. Or dirty clothes... or dirty linen. Or all of those mixed with a generous dose of smelly feet (because you take your shoes off, you see). You make your way down the aisle, bumping against fellow travelers, hoping not to loose anything as you get to your bunk. As a family we always get the back bunks. That way we are together and we can get a window, important for more reasons than just the smell. I always find it a bit challenging to get into a crowded bus with Alianna on my back, our bag with food, our personal bags and the bag with the sheets (the reason for taking sheets will be explained shortly).
Alianna loves, loves the bus. If she is not on my back she will jump on the first bunk and take off her shoes. Then I have to put her shoes back on, because there is no way that she can walk down the aisle on her socks only, hoping that the person with the cigarette waiting behind me won’t set my hair on fire. When we finally get to our bunks, we take off our shoes, yell at Alianna not to touch the comforter or the pillows, try to put our bags in such a way that they will not be opened and emptied of their contents in the event of us actually falling asleep, lay down the clean sheets over Alianna’s bed and the places where our heads will be and then try to get comfortable. I normally take a small blanket for Alianna as well, but we just use the comforters. When you unfold your blanket it is good to find out which side was used at the previous passenger’s head. If it isn’t obvious at first glance, the feet smell will normally let you know if you have the wrong side anywhere near your nose. In the summer we don’t use the blankets much, but in the winter even the smelly ones are welcome. One can only wear so many layers.
So the bus finally pulls out of the station (we like getting the seven o’clock bus), it gets dark and we are on the highway. If you are coming from Kunming, sleep is not far away while you are on the wide, straight highway. Starting from the Shangri-La side is a bit winding and bumpy, so getting to finally rest isn’t so easy. The one problem with staying asleep is the bumps. Chinese highways might look nice, but there is something about road construction here that leaves a newly paved road still very bumpy. Even the main highways in our province. Being in the back we normally feel these bumps more than otherwise. So much so that we are airborne many times during the journey. I am not exaggerating, you literally are in the air, especially if the driver is going fast.
There is a Chinese law that prohibits smoking on public transport. I kid you not. No-one living in China would guess this. People always smoke on the buses. So, that is where having a window by your bunk becomes very important. As soon as we smell smoke, Karl normally goes to the person who is smoking and ask them to open their window. If they are very close to us we inform them of the law. I have gotten so annoyed that I have told people that it is a shame that a foreigner knows the laws of the country better than a local person. That doesn’t work though, just makes people angry... as can be expected. The last trip we were on we shared the bus with a whole bunch of army guys. Just as the leader started to hand out cigarettes to his buddies (sometimes Chinese generosity is a real bother, because now one guy feels like smoking and the whole bus lights up with him), Karl went to him and asked him very nicely to please make sure that no-one smokes, because it is the law. Ha! It really worked. Very funny. When we stopped at a gas station they couldn't get off the bus fast enough to get some nicotine. They all stood behind the bathrooms, smoking like school boys. That is until one of the gas station attendants yelled at them for smoking at a gas station. “It is really dangerous, are you crazy?!”
The last bus we took was brand new. It didn’t smell bad, it looked clean and even though it was air-conditioned, it had a window at the back. I was so excited, until I lay down, that is. We were leaving Zhongdian and the road is very windy. I was rolling over Karl or Alianna, depending on which way we turned. And every little bump in the road felt horrible. Karl and I didn’t sleep at all. Alianna finally managed to dose off long after ten. At four o’clock we had to get off on the side of the road, because our destination was actually about three hours before Kunming, but that is a different story. We drove the last ten minutes in the front of the bus and that was when we realised that the whole bus is very bumpy, not just the back. So much for the new buses.
Road travel in China keeps a person’s pr life alive. Narrow roads without shoulders, wild drivers, crowded buses and big, blue trucks that often have no tail lights all make the roads more dangerous than you would be used to in our home countries. Next time you travel far, say a prayer for us.
Much love
