Hanoi, Vietnam [Post #8, Day 28]

I have made it to Hanoi and let me tell you, it was an adventure to get here. I took the overnight “sleeper” bus from Luang Prabang, Laos and it was a transit experience I will never forget. The duration of the trip is listed as 25 hours on the bus ticketing agency website, and here are some word-for-word notes about the trip…

Buses on Tue, Thu, Sat have toilet, wifi and normally are in better conditions. Better is a very subjective term. Please expect that buses on Mon, Wed, Fri and Sun could be below your expectation. Far below. Do not say we did not warn you.

Please note that departure and arrival time can vary up to 12 hours due to traffic, construction and random acts of God.

I took the Friday bus.

The bus looked decent from the outside and when I first boarded (at about 6 pm) I saw rows of reclined single chairs (double stacked) which looked odd, as I have never been on a sleeper bus before, but reasonably comfortable. But I was ushered past these to my “seat” which consisted of a raised compartment about 9 feet wide by 3 feet tall in the very back of the bus. This bunk space wasn’t just for me however…it was for me and five other people, with a similar chamber of confinement below. There were six folded blankets positioned on the floor which was similar to a wrestling mat padding-wise, it was dark with no windows. I picked a spot on the end, thinking I’ll at least have the sidewall to myself. By this time there were two other passengers in the compartment and they were in as much disbelief as I was. When I first tried laying down, it felt similar to when I was in a full-body MRI machine, I’m generally not claustrophobic but the MRI experience approached my panic threshold. More and more people loaded onto the bus filling all seats, and even every foot of space along the center aisle floor. Between the confined space and the inability to exit the bus, the claustrophobic feeling started creeping up. But after a minute or so, when I realized I could sort of sit up in a hunched over position, and once I started talking and joking with my bunkmates about this bizarre situation we found ourselves in, I soon relaxed.

I shared the bunk space with four awesome people – Mariana from Guatemala City, Lison from France, Neil from Ottawa, and his wife Amy from Chicago. We quickly bonded in our little sarcophagus in the back of the bus.

The ride was slow going from the outset. We were traveling on winding, highly inconsistent mountain roads. The bus jerked and lurched this way and that, shuddering and straining, bumping up and down all the way.

About 3 hours in, the bus stopped and we were instructed to get off. The bus crew did not speak English so communication was very limited and we didn’t know what was going on. When I exited I saw that we had come to a washed out section of gravel road, with several very large ditches and deep ruts, and I thought there is no way the bus could make it across. We watched as the bus driver made a first attempt, the bus didn’t have enough clearance to get past the first ditch and the front dug into the ground with a bad crunching sound, I thought there was a very real possibility the bus could tip over as well. There was a lot of commotion, the other bus crewmen were yelling and squeezing inside the wheel wells trying to position (highly inadequate looking) wooden planks under the tires. The driver was able to reverse and back the bus out. There was a line of heavy trucks coming from the other direction also stopped at the washed out portion of road. A truck made the attempt to cross next. The axles squealed and groaned as the truck slowly inched forward, and miraculously, it made it. Then another passenger bus coming from the other direction made it, I couldn’t believe it! Then it was our bus’ turn to make another attempt. Again more yelling and the front dug into the ground. But this time the driver gave a burst of acceleration and somehow (I still don’t know how) made it past. We cheered. There must have been some magic in the surrounding forest, we did in fact hear voices calling out to us from the dark, tree-lined ledge above us, presumably locals enjoying the night’s entertainment. I said to the couple standing and watching next to me “this is surreal”. Actually, the whole bus ride experience reminded me of the purple Knight Bus from Harry Potter.

The rest of the ride wasn’t quite as eventful, there was water dripping out of the ceiling onto Amy’s head at one point which we were able to plug with some chewing gum. We did the border crossing at Nam Kan, and after about 26 hours we pulled into Hanoi. We departed Luang Prabang, Laos at 6:30 pm on Friday, February 16th, and arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam at 8:30 pm on Saturday, February 17th. We did it, with no bathroom on a jam-packed bus and only 3 stops over the 26-hour duration.

I arrived at my hostel (Little Charm Hanoi Hostel) in the Old Quarter last night, immediately started rehydrating and had a nice phở for dinner. I had a hot shower and a very comfortable sleep last night and am walking around Hanoi today. I thought Bangkok was chaotic and bustling, but Hanoi seems to be on yet another level. I have a very poor sense of direction, and the streets in the Old Quarter are like a labyrinth, I turn a couple corners from my hostel and I’m already totally lost! Cars and scooters go flying past from every direction, I have to keep my head on a swivel! It’s so much to take in, it’s a whirlwind, I love it. Two men have pointed to my sneakers and asked me if I want them cleaned, it made me a little self-conscious about my dirty shoes!

I have procured my Vietnam book for my reading around the world book tour, finding it in the first bookshop I tried. It is The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh. I finished my Laos book on the last leg of the sleeper bus yesterday (Mom I will send it to you!).

Now I am taking a break at Vườn Bách Thảo Hà Nội (Hanoi Botanical Garden) as I write this post. I plan to do more exploring of Hanoi by foot today.