tales of the overnight bus:
backpacking through southeast asia on a budget occasionally requires a person to experience things that would not be considered by ordinary folks to be comfortable or even desirable (things i try to positively refer to as "adventures").
the overnight bus we took to chiang mai last night was a prime example of that. we boarded the bus at 6pm in bangkok, sweaty from our trip to the bus stop, but ready to settle in with our books and planning. all the lights were immediately turned off, except for the flickering tv, which flashed and spazzed for another half hour before it, too, was turned off. so we made the best of the darkness by chatting with our neighbours, a couple from israel and two girls from australia. derek was the exception since he fell asleep almost instantly, but i'm sure the guy he was sitting beside and lolling onto thought he was great company.
the bus drove for awhile before pulling into a random stop in the middle of nowhere, with the driver flicking on the lights as bright as they could be turned, i'm sure, and yelling " TOILET! FOOD! FITEEN MEENIT!"
after using the squatties (which i am getting quite good at, by the way), we went to check out the food selection at our little outpost. it was filled with every kind of chinese cake you can imagine, in any colour you might want. it was like finding an oasis of hello kitty las vegas in the middle of a thai desert. odd, but fascinating.
our next stop was even shorter, with the driver now shouting " GASOLINE! FY MEENIT OK!". he wasn't kidding: as soon as he paid, he gave one warning "TANK FULL I'M GOING!" and was already in third gear by the time the last people were lunging into the bus.
i didn't sleep well, but kept my eyes closed... tight. i opened them once to feel the bus swaying from side to side and torquing down the highway at speeds that made me unsure of whether the trees were all blurred together or i was just crosseyed. so when i say my eyes were closed, it's true, but only because i was praying for my life.
anyway, we are now in chiang mai. smelly and tired, but here and ready to begin our northern experience. thanks for your prayers, just keep at it as we're definitely not through with these aventures!
love to you all,
becki