There is a reason they say not to go overland...

Trip Start Jan 01, 2010
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20
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Trip End Mar 04, 2011


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Where I stayed
A mini bus from hell
(Vang Vieng hotels)

Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  , Viangchan,
Saturday, April 3, 2010

So I eventually decide that I can't just stay in Luang Pabang the whole time I am in Laos so will venture to Vang Veng a well known party spot where everyone gets drunk on the river and goes tubing. Not sure how it is going to work going on my own but life is an adventure. So we get picked up and taken to our mini bus and there looks to be no seats. However why not just pack the mini bus as much as possible with every seat taken and let the airconditioning (open windows) take care of things. I ended up in the front seat with a girl from the Netherlands called Micja. We chatted pretty much the whole way which was a good distraction from car sickness, the death defying bends and the fact it took 7 and half hours instead of the advertised 5. Almost once every half hour we would stop talking as we took a blind corner overtaking someone with a sheer clift below us. When we realised we had not yet died the conversation continued.
   The journey on the way home was even worse
Cliffs either side of the road
Cliffs either side of the road
. I was sick with heat stroke then got the worst car sickness I have had in a while. I counted down the minutes and congratulated myself for everyone which passed that I didn't throw up on myself. Mercifully the journey only took 6 hours but it did involve a change of cars. The bus going the other direction had broken down twice in an hour so they got our bus and we were put on a local bus. Which was even more uncomfortable and the driver even crazier and of course no seat belts. Then there were road 'repairs' which involved stopping the traffic with no warning and pouring tar down the road following later with a truck dropping stones. An hours wait in the sun didn't help the car sickness. To help myself through it I tried to think of all the countries I have been to. Not ones I have passed through via train or in transit but actually visited. I got to 32 in total - I wonder if anyone can beat me? And also wonder after adding Singapore and Malaysia to the list how I am going to get to number 35.
The list was as follows...(the ones with * I have either lived or worked in)
England *
Ireland
Wales
Scotland
France
Switzerland
Germany
Italy
Spain
Luxemburg
Denmark *
Croatia
Czech republic
Hungary *
Cyprus
Kenya *
Zambia *
Zimbabwe
Ethiopia
Botswana
South Africa
Malawi
Mozambique
Moroco
Dubai
USA
Canada *
Australia
New Zealand
Hong Kong
Thailand
Laos

As you can tell it was a very long and very route back!


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Comments

Nicola on Apr 13, 2010 at 02:19PM

On my 10 hour flight to Bnagalore I will put my list together and see how I fair against yours !! I may be able to give you a run for your money (but i doubt it in all seriousness ;) )

car sickness is the worst you poor thing!!

carole on Apr 14, 2010 at 02:39AM

sorry young niece but I can at least double the count of countries. am loving reading your blogs so keep it up and be careful.

Desert Correspondent on Apr 18, 2010 at 05:18PM

Everyone goes tubing? Wha...they all commute on the underground?! Come back to London, we can do that!

The 6 hour bus trip along the cliff edge with what sounds like schizo driver and without aforementioned air con in what i'm sure is indescribable heat, sounds almost, but not quite, entirely like my idea of hell on earth! Are you sure this is a holiday, not some level of purgatory!? Still, glad to see you've survived in one piece and even managed some video...hair raising stuff!

PS - Despite adding 2 to my list this week, I've only been to 15 countries. Literally, I need to get out more! Think 35 is seriously impressive, you're prob the most well-travelled person i know!

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