Day 49 - Hell bus to Vientiane

I woke up around 6:30AM and took a tuk tuk for 10000Kip to the southern bus station to catch the VIP bus to Vientiane at 8 am and is due to arrive at 4 pm. I got there and bought my ticket for 135000 Kip and realized my stomach was feeling rather raw. The bus left on time and the attendant gave out water, a cake and then puke bags. As soon as he handed out the barf bags I knew we were in for a ride.

The first hour of the journey to Vientiane was horrendous. It was the the bumpiest ride ever. I was being thrown out of my seat. Everyone was puking, including myself. A few minutes later I could smell burning rubber. As it turns out, the driver going neurotically down the mountain has fried the brakes. We stopped at the closest village for the next hour to repair it. This village was tiny and full of children and puppies. Honestly it was a beautiful little village and we couldn't have broken down in a better place. Children were playing and people were harvesting rice and drying the husks.

Getting back on the bus I took an anti-nausea pill to make sure I didn't puke. It totally made me pass out. I slept for most of the bus ride only waking up when the bus was half was tilted going down the side of a mountain. We stopped for lunch and then continued to drive for another 5 hours to get to Vientiane. The bus driver was driving quite slow probably due to the lack of breaks.

Arrived in Vientiane around 7:15 and took a sawngthaew for 10000kip into the center of town to look for a hostel. I ended up getting a bed in a dorm for 35000 kip for the night. The city is really nothing special. I really hope there is more to do during the day.