Quite simply the %&*#s bus ride ever.

Luang Prabang to Vientienne requires a bus ride, or flying, you’re only two options. Flights were $80, bus tickets $15. You get there in a plane in 1 hour, you get there in a bus in 8 hours. Since we’re in no hurry and we heard the scenery is amazing on the bus ride, we chose the bus. Damn…. bad mistake.

Where do I start?? 8am bus terminal, we’re there on time and comfortably sitting in our seats prepared for some reading and scenery views and a little sleep. 1 hour into the bus ride, everyone (about 40 passengers) begin realizing that the air-vents are not pumping out cold air, just fan air, and its warm.  It's 95 degrees today.  The road gets into the mountains and starts bending, bending, bending, and the views become awe-striking but a bit frightening considering we’re 1 foot from the edge at times and the drop offs are 3,000 ft straight down (I tell Christina to stop looking). 3 hours in, we’re all profusely sweating and stuck to our seats looking for options- NONE. We stop for a soda on the top of the mountain for 5 minutes and a quick bathroom break. Fresh Air!!!! Whewwwww.

Everyone is bitching, we paid for the VIP you know, top line. To make matters worse there are no windows. The coach is designed for viewing so it has large plexiglass windows with no seams for rolling down a window, basically a sweat box on wheels. We struggle back in and saddle up for a dreaded 5 more hours, knowing that there’s a lunch break in there somewhere and we could breath again.

3 more hours go by, we stop for lunch, repeat breathing, drinking water, eating as many ice creams as possible in 30 minutes. Get back on the bus, and start sweating more. We’re hoping 2 hours more and this hell will be over, WRONG, that 8 hour bus ride, now becomes 11 since the driver is going a bit slower we’re told.
What??? *&)&#)(*(@#&)(*#@&)(@#&

This sucks. We tough out another 5 hours after lunch, shoot me please, and finally get to Vientienne, about as grumpy, sticky, sweaty, and exhausted as I could imagine after a bus ride. Multiply that x 40 other passengers feeling exactly the same way.

So 11 hours later, we’re 3 lbs lighter, cranky from our sugar/ice cream downer, sticky, a bit pissed as well (I heard a few people say they’d write letters to the bus line telling them about this experience, we laughed like that would possibly do any good) plus it’s now dark and finding a guest house in a strange city at dark gets just a bit more uncomfortable as well.

We did high-five each other and praised how we’d chalk this experience up and use it in the future to easily compare the next time we may be a bit uncomfortable. Travel sometimes it appears is not all glamorous. Christina joked that it was an experience and I just complained (hey, it gave me something to do :)
We did make it to Vientiane and are just excited to be off the bus and in a new city no longer sick, ready to explore and eat and drink.

Pic of VIP bus from Hell.

make sure the a/c works before getting on these for 11-14 hrs.