False advertisement. lies lies lies. No wifi. No toilets. The bunks just squuuueaked and sqqqqqueeeak. The backpacks were man handled and tossed to the back to be used as a stepping ladder for the families they shoved back there. The thief is Cambodia we have been warned about countless times. From foreigners that have already experienced it, from kind locals, from books and blogs. But the sleeper train we experienced it. iPads snatched. And the lack of English makes it impossible to even attempt to play nancy drew. Sad sad truth behind the warnings of theft.
Cambodian (well Southeast Asia from what I’ve experienced so far) takes roads rules and traffic laws extremely light meaning they don’t follow them. The warning sign for literally anything (I’m driving on the other side, move scooter/slow car or I’ll hit you) is the blaring of the HOOONK HONK HONNNK. imagine that all through the 9 hour journey. As soon as you begin to drift into an uncomfortable sleeeep HONK it’s like an alarm going off prohibiting the only thing you want to do: sleep. I would try to fall asleep right now but the yakyakyak that is blaring from the driver and passenger and co is preventing me from dreaming. And I that I can’t even eavesdropp on because I can’t speak the language and it keeps interrupting my make-shift dreams.
The voices. The squeaks. The uncomfortable position my body is contorted to. The squeaks. This is going to be a VERY LONG bus ride. Doesn’t help if anyone in this sardine packed squeaker is gasey. Oh dear.
A time surpassed update. It’s been a few hours and squeaks and jerking everytime the driver slams on the brakes. I believe we are in phonm penh to let more people on the already packed bus. Which has now led to an argument in the back (in which most people have no idea what is happening because they are either asleep or a foreigner and can’t understand Khmer). Don’t know if an solution was reach but the driver walked away still mumbling and shit the lights off so? Onward we go.
Still distraught about the fish smell.
I realize on the bus how vulnerable my poor backpack is. That backpack was NOT cheap and is nice quality and a present from my mommy and daddy. And to see it being man handled by people that couldn’t give a shit is rather upsetting. And with the theft and the amount of people that cram on top of the bags makes me weary about my belongings inside my backpack. The manhandling needs to simmer down though. It makes me uneasy knowing that my backpack has become a stepping ladder for those that can’t lift themselves up into the bunk. Rude people. Rude.
SLEEPER BUS MANNERS:
Don’t bring smelly food
No one that is trying to sleep wants your fish smelling up the whole vehicle
All bodily functions that you obtain no control over while you sleep do something about it. A gasey knockout old man is just not fun.
The backpack aren’t a ladder. UGH.
for now i must try to arrange my body in a contorted position and attempt to close my eyes and sleep for a few moments before being abruptly awoken from the driver or the lovely passengers surrounding me.
until the next sleeper bus….if i make it
i didn’t actually fall asleep like this a view from the top bunk
seriously..asian traffic laws give me high blood pressure well claire managed to find some zzzzzz’s
pink pillow chronicles 