Andy's not here, man.: into 'nam

Sunday, January 23, 2011

into 'nam

From Jinghong I took a bus and then caught another bus and then walked across a bridge and then took a cab and then a train to get to Hanoi. The first bus was a sleeper and well, a bit too small. Here's what I wrote the next day.

I'm sitting in my bed for the night. The bed is one of many on the sleeper bus from Jinghong to Mengzi, a 15+ hour ride of pure fun. It's more fun when your body doesn't even come close to fitting on the bed. The only way that I can sort of lie in it is if I'm in a cross between fetal position and utkatasana (that's right, I'm throwing yoga terms out there). My sleeper from Kunming to Jinghong at least sort of fit, and it also had a toilet and a water cooler. This has neither and smaller beds. Did I mention the child of an age between 9months to 18 months with his dad in the bed next to me? I know it will be a rough night of sleep. Added to this is my thoughts of how difficult crossing into Vietnam will actually be. I'll still have a 4 hour bus ride from Mengzi to Hekou and then to cross there into Lao Cai, Vietnam's border town. And then from there to Hanoi by train. Many unknowns involved and the only known or really hope is that I'll somehow make it to Hanoi.

It's 6:40 am the next morning and I've arrived in Mengzi. Sleeping was interesting. It was like they designed the bus so that no matter what way I tried to sleep I always had a metal bar pushing into me or blocking a possible comfortable position in someway. At one point it occurs to me to switch around and put my head where my feet are, a world of difference. I can now sleep moderately comfortably. I'm not too worried about lack of sleep as the bus from Mengzi to Hekou is 4 hours and not a sleeper so I can probably fall asleep on this.

From China, looking into Vietnam.