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BUSES IN CHINA - DEALS ON WHEELS?

6/6/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture
35 bunks in a bus.  Beat that!


T plus 28 - Hotan to Kashgar

There’s a lot to like about bussing in China.  First, it offers a route network that is far more comprehensive than rail.  Second, bus stations are usually in the city, unlike some railway stations which can be way out of town (especially the high speed rail stations).  Third, you rarely see the 50-person long queues common in railway stations, and there are always more buses than there are trains.  Fourth and finally, buses are almost always point-to-point i.e. no worrying about getting off at a station too early or too late.

Interestingly however, buses are not cheaper than trains.  The same distance, in roughly the same conditions e.g. a “hard seat” is up to 50% more expensive on bus vs rail.  I guess there’s no competing with the economy of scale offered by 20 rail carriages, with 100 passengers each, powered by electricity.  BUT with all things considered, it may work out cheaper if one prices in the more direct routes and shorter waiting times.

There are, however, some idiosyncrasies which one should be aware of.

Short distance (under 5 hours)

I posted “Road Rape” earlier, on my experience with minibuses in Zhangye province.  Even if you haven’t read it, you may detect undertones of dissatisfaction in its title.  Happily however, minibuses in other regions are much better.  Not that it would have been possible to do any worse. 

Always confirm with the ticket lady at the bus station that it’s a proper bus you’ll be travelling in.  My 2 ½ hour journey to the Dunhuang railway station was in a van, packed to capacity with 12 passengers and their luggage – people on top of bags and bags on top of people.  There are better ways to spend 150 minutes than being compressed into what I can only describe as the ball position.

Long distance (more than 5 hours)

This is where options and experiences get more varied.  The normal seats i.e. 4 astride (2+2) are generally the safest.  Because you know what to expect.  And the seats recline to business-class angles.  Which is great.  Unless you’re seated behind someone who is maxing out this luxury.

There are also “sleeper” buses.  And although they sound fantastic, well, they’re not.  They’ve somehow managed to squeeze in 35 (really) “bunks” into one standard-sized bus.  Three astride, six deep and two decks.  Minus one to accommodate the front console.  The width of one of these “bunks” is precisely 45 centimetres, or one butt cheek of a moderately overweight person.  Of course, to actually fit 35 berths into one bus, they’ve had to overlap the passengers.  Which means a third of you is actually under the person in front of you, whose backrest is raised.  It’s like sleeping on a slide – a constantly losing battle with gravity and inertia.

They make you take off your shoes when you get on, and this sounds like a good idea.  But again, it’s not.  I don’t know how many of you have been jolted from sleep by SMELL before.  This was an entirely new sensation for me.  I was dozing off when my olfactory senses were abruptly assaulted by an overpowering odour.  Looking up, I found this blackened, mangled claw dangling from the berth above, two feet from my face.  With heels so cracked they looked like a close-up of the Utah salt flats.  And toenails so foul they would have made any pedicurist contemplate suicide.

Oh, one more thing.  Unlike trains, there are no toilets on the bus.  And on a 16 hour journey, you’ll have to go, no matter what your bladder is made of.  In Xinjiang, there are very very few rest stops with functioning WCs.  So the following scenario is likely.  Take note.

Tourist:  Driver!  I have to go to the toilet.
Driver:  Ok, we’re stopping soon.
Tourist:  Is there a place for me to relieve myself in the privacy of an enclosed area and running water to wash my hands after?
Driver:  No.  You pee in the open, like everyone else.  You walk further away if you don’t want others to see.  Always have your back against the wind (for men).  Otherwise you will have pee on your pants. 
Tourist:  What if I have no water?
Driver:  If you very steady, you no need to wash hands after.
Tourist:  Ok, but what if I want to do a No.2?
Driver:  You find a tree.
Tourist:  But this is a desert.  There are no trees.
Driver:  Ok, you go behind the sand dune.  Someone may already be there, so you shout first.
Tourist:  Ermmm.  Ok.  What if I have no toilet paper?
Driver:  Then, my friend, you’re shit outta luck.




6 Comments
Debbie Ooi
7/6/2015 10:20:41 am

Hey Sze Ming, what dates are you planning on hitting Bishkek and Uzbekistan? I'll be passing through in mid July-mid Aug. Send me an email would be so awesome to catch up!

Reply
Neoh
9/6/2015 06:47:50 am

Hi Debs! I'm actually gonna be there slightly earlier. I'm already in Bishkek and am heading to Almaty in a few days, and hitting Uzbekistan maybe on 20th June. If you decided to come to Bishkek, make sure you plan a couple of excursions out into the countryside. It's unbelievably beautiful out there.

Reply
Debbie
11/6/2015 05:42:20 am

Thanks Sze Ming. Shame we won't cross paths. Yes, I am trekking in Kyrgystan as I've heard the scenery is quite pleasant :) Good luck with the rest of your journey. I look forward to reading more posts!

Reply
Neoh
11/6/2015 08:36:30 pm

Heya Debs, yeah, it would have been amazing to meet up after so many years! No worries, we can still do so back home. Once I'm home in 4 months :)

You should definitely do some trekking in Kyrgyzstan. The mountains are completely unspoilt and you will experience an astonishing variety of landscapes and terrain. The country also has the advantage of being very affordable, so it's easy to spend a couple of weeks here!

Reply
Debbie
12/6/2015 12:11:15 am

Sounds amazing. I can't wait. I haven't planned too much in Kyrgystan other than the trek as I decided to skip other hot spots such as Osh in the Fergana Valley. The Aussie government has advised against travel to the are due to the terror threat. But I'm curious to see how you get on. Let me know what the vibe is like! I'll be off to Uzbekistan soon after my trek. Looking forward to seeing those beautiful silk road towns.

Reply
Neoh
13/6/2015 05:42:48 pm

Heya Debs. I really don't think there's an issue with Osh or the Fergana Valley at the moment. I didn't have time to go, but I met a Belgian brother and sister who travelled all over the country for 3 weeks and they said everything (and everywhere) was really safe. Travel warnings from governments tend to err on the conservative side. But just to be sure, check up on the lonely planet thorn tree forum just before you go to see if there are any updates.

You may also want to take a trip down to Tash Rabat which I also missed. Apparently the caravanserai there is very picturesque (read: disintegrating and unrestored, which I think is better).

Also the lakes are nice. Song Kul is the prettier one. Issa Kul crawls with people from mid-July onwards, but Karakul on the East end of the lake is supposed to be a great gateway for the mountains.

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