Travelers Notebook: 24 Hours & $24 to Hanoi – Part 6

When we last left our wanna-be heroes in Part 5, we were preparing to board the only bus out of the tiny Vietnamese village of Kay-son to make a connection in the mainline town of Vinh and get to Hanoi before we run completely out of cash. Unfortunately our day of travel has been filled with delays, and our driver seems a bit drunk. I’ll pick up the direct transcription of my notes from aboard the bus…

Our driver seems totally trashed, coming back to give us all high fives, stealing our headphones to sneak a listen and dance. This guy is a prick.

We drive up and down Kay-Son’s (main) road several times honking horn, making stops. Driver disappears, I think of ways for revenge. He is very drunk, the Swedes are scared, we all just want to get the ride over with.

45 minutes of cruising and the bus is full, we finally leave four hours after first getting in. Jo and I sing a song, Swedes are terrified, locals laugh, I tune in shortwave radio from Beijing and Amsterdam.

We feel beaten. We do not argue when our bags become seats and footrests, my aisle seat has no back support but more leg room. It begins to rain, the road is rough and under construction, we stop to fix a headlight, we pick up more people and shove them on top of our bags.

Bus pulled over near Vinh – cop paid off? Stop just before end of line to hose down filthy windows of driver and crew, but not passengers. Finally arrive almost 3 AM, Vinh. We only have enough cash for the bus to Hanoi and no idea where or when it leaves… TO BE CONTINUED…