Hanoi to Hue - The Satan Express
If anyone wanted to find out what a bus ride to hell would be like... just buy a ticket for Hanoi to Hoi An in Vietnam. Those of you interested in traveling to Vietnam should seriously consider flying and THEN busing from one of three major airports to see what they want to see.
Let me explain a bit further:
In order to get to Hoi An from Hanoi by bus, you need to buy a ticket from one of the hundreds of tour operators in Hanoi. We chose a place called Sinh Cafe because the Lonely Planet guidebook recommended it. Keep in mind that on any given street, there are about 10 Sinh Cafe's... are they all the same? Who knows... we just chose the one with the address listed in our book.
They told us to come to their cafe at 6:30PM so we could get picked up and dropped off to our actual bus. We waited... and waited (questioning the validity of the ticket we purchased earlier)... and waited......... so at 7:50PM, this minivan picks us up, and was obviously in a rush to get us to the bus. We arrive to find that the thing is almost to capacity. They managed to fit everyone perfectly! Or... so we thought... an additional 15 people waltzed on, and to their dismay, realized that there were no seats available.
So, what do bus operators in Vietnam do? They overload them. A bus which normally seats 46 people was force-fit 60... the remaining people had to squat in the aisle. Did I mention that this bus ride was 14 hours long?
The bus, at first glance was quite appealing. Modern with air conditioning, and reclining vinyl seats... too bad the first impression didn't last. Once we started moving, it became apparent that the seats were as good as sitting on a hard, flat, wooden seat. Being one of the last people to board the bus, we had to sit at the back. This location gives the suspension a mechanical advantage to catapult passengers with my seating position... like the fulcrum-action of a see-saw. What's there to worry about? The bus was new anyways, so the suspension has to be pretty good, right?
WRONG
The bus' rear suspension felt like it was attached to a single, hard-coiled spring... similar to one that you'd find in early 60's pogo sticks. These springs, compounded with the fact that the roads are some of the bumpiest in Asia, meant that people in the back row were literally being tossed around like peas. Hard to picture? Try sleeping on a trampoline... with a 400 pound kid jumping on it. Voila! Our bus.
What made matters worse was the fact that the bad driving here translates into bad accidents. We were probably at a standstill for almost two hours because of three separate accidents (two of them looked fatal).
Hue, Vietnam
We were told to get off at Hue to transfer to another bus so we could go to Hoi An. We arrived in Hue at 11AM the next morning, and nobody at our drop-off point knew where we were supposed to go. Sinh Cafe did not give us any further instructions, so instead, we were left to our own devices. After wandering the streets of Hue for a bit, being pointed in different directions, we finally arrived at Camel Travel. What the hell is that? We're not sure either. Boo to Sinh Cafe! They did not tell us of the long stopover, or inform us of the company we were actually dealing with (which would have saved the hassle). Other people looking to travel with them should look at alternative companies, such as Vega Travel, or Kangaroo Cafe.
We plopped off at an internet cafe to kill time, only to get kicked out because the torrential downpour outside was leaking into the room we were in... we only realized this after we stood up - our feet were deep in water. The streets were much worse. Walking around meant stepping in murky street water of unknown depths... you had to be careful where you stepped or else you might get your foot stuck in a storm drain.
Did I mention we had to ride the bus for a few more hours?
Hoi An, Vietnam
Five hours. That's how long it takes to get from Hue to Hoi An. After the 14 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Hue, my ass was in the worst pain imaginable. WORST PAIN EVER!!! Add another 5, and you'd be wishing that someone could amputate that part of your body.
We're here... and that's all that matters. The rain here is the hardest out of any place we've been so far. Its heavy, and it doesn't go away for hours. There are so many good things to say about Hoi An, but I'll save that for another post.
Long story short:
DON'T TAKE THE BUS FROM HANOI TO HOI AN!!!
Take a plane from Hanoi to Da Nang, and THEN bus it to Hoi An. It'll save a lot of pain (in the ass), and trouble.
Let me explain a bit further:
In order to get to Hoi An from Hanoi by bus, you need to buy a ticket from one of the hundreds of tour operators in Hanoi. We chose a place called Sinh Cafe because the Lonely Planet guidebook recommended it. Keep in mind that on any given street, there are about 10 Sinh Cafe's... are they all the same? Who knows... we just chose the one with the address listed in our book.
They told us to come to their cafe at 6:30PM so we could get picked up and dropped off to our actual bus. We waited... and waited (questioning the validity of the ticket we purchased earlier)... and waited......... so at 7:50PM, this minivan picks us up, and was obviously in a rush to get us to the bus. We arrive to find that the thing is almost to capacity. They managed to fit everyone perfectly! Or... so we thought... an additional 15 people waltzed on, and to their dismay, realized that there were no seats available.
So, what do bus operators in Vietnam do? They overload them. A bus which normally seats 46 people was force-fit 60... the remaining people had to squat in the aisle. Did I mention that this bus ride was 14 hours long?
The bus, at first glance was quite appealing. Modern with air conditioning, and reclining vinyl seats... too bad the first impression didn't last. Once we started moving, it became apparent that the seats were as good as sitting on a hard, flat, wooden seat. Being one of the last people to board the bus, we had to sit at the back. This location gives the suspension a mechanical advantage to catapult passengers with my seating position... like the fulcrum-action of a see-saw. What's there to worry about? The bus was new anyways, so the suspension has to be pretty good, right?
WRONG
The bus' rear suspension felt like it was attached to a single, hard-coiled spring... similar to one that you'd find in early 60's pogo sticks. These springs, compounded with the fact that the roads are some of the bumpiest in Asia, meant that people in the back row were literally being tossed around like peas. Hard to picture? Try sleeping on a trampoline... with a 400 pound kid jumping on it. Voila! Our bus.
What made matters worse was the fact that the bad driving here translates into bad accidents. We were probably at a standstill for almost two hours because of three separate accidents (two of them looked fatal).
Hue, Vietnam
We were told to get off at Hue to transfer to another bus so we could go to Hoi An. We arrived in Hue at 11AM the next morning, and nobody at our drop-off point knew where we were supposed to go. Sinh Cafe did not give us any further instructions, so instead, we were left to our own devices. After wandering the streets of Hue for a bit, being pointed in different directions, we finally arrived at Camel Travel. What the hell is that? We're not sure either. Boo to Sinh Cafe! They did not tell us of the long stopover, or inform us of the company we were actually dealing with (which would have saved the hassle). Other people looking to travel with them should look at alternative companies, such as Vega Travel, or Kangaroo Cafe.
We plopped off at an internet cafe to kill time, only to get kicked out because the torrential downpour outside was leaking into the room we were in... we only realized this after we stood up - our feet were deep in water. The streets were much worse. Walking around meant stepping in murky street water of unknown depths... you had to be careful where you stepped or else you might get your foot stuck in a storm drain.
Did I mention we had to ride the bus for a few more hours?
Hoi An, Vietnam
Five hours. That's how long it takes to get from Hue to Hoi An. After the 14 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Hue, my ass was in the worst pain imaginable. WORST PAIN EVER!!! Add another 5, and you'd be wishing that someone could amputate that part of your body.
We're here... and that's all that matters. The rain here is the hardest out of any place we've been so far. Its heavy, and it doesn't go away for hours. There are so many good things to say about Hoi An, but I'll save that for another post.
Long story short:
DON'T TAKE THE BUS FROM HANOI TO HOI AN!!!
Take a plane from Hanoi to Da Nang, and THEN bus it to Hoi An. It'll save a lot of pain (in the ass), and trouble.
posted by Alan at
5:53 AM
3 Comments:
airplane = good. check. and noted!
By
eLdon, At
9:32 AM
Hi Alan,
my name is caro-lin and i work with your dad . I have been to SE asia several times, including thailand, lao, vietnam, cambodia and malaysia. please, make time, three days or so, at the end of your trip to go to erewan falls in kanchanaburi in thailand. it's 50 bahts each way on the train just a couple of hours fromm bangkok. there, you can see the famous bridge over the river kwai, visit jeath war museum, stay in a ghesthouse floating right on the river ( SAM'S). the falls are about 60 km from town, there are 7 waterfalls over 5 kms in the forest and you can swim in each one. absolutely gorgeous, i've been there 3 times as well as the tiger temple, a tiger sanctuary run by monks, tours are organised, and you can actually go up and pet a few tigers, just amazing.you will also be blessed when you go there. please you must go there!!!
By
Anonymous, At
6:12 PM
Hey you!
Aw I hope your butt feels better! Sounds like an interesting experience!
By
Unknown, At
9:50 AM
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