Bus trip Vancouver – Castlegar
Bus Accident or Chicago Shooting, what’s more likely?
Bus travel in South America is fabulous. It’s not often you’ll run across an opening statement about South American transport that positive, but what options are there? Train services barely exist, and in those areas where trains are available they are generally intended more for tourism than for serious mass transport. There are plenty of people who will gripe about the safety of the buses, the dangerous, sometimes reckless driving, the poor condition of some roads, the personal security on the buses and a whole slew of other complaints – obviously they’re used to driving their own cars everywhere and haven’t been on buses in Asia.
I have.
Inter-provincial regular bus in Thailand
Orange-Crush Buses – A Uniquely Thai Experience
I distinctly recall a particular bus trip between Bangkok and Hua Hin in Thailand on what used to be called the “Orange Crush Bus” – orange-coloured inter-provincial buses. The road going south at the time was dual lane, with trees and ditches on both sides, with very little shoulder space. At one point the bus I was on sped up and was passing another bus of a similar colour. The ‘conductor’ of the bus I was on was hanging out the open door, waving his arm madly at the bus we were in the process of passing, trying to get it to slow down, move over, and let us pass – it wasn’t doing so. Suddenly both buses started blaring their horns, and these were not your everyday simple klaxons, no, these were air horns of the best quality, and they screamed across the countryside. In reply came the single wail of another airhorn from up ahead, another orange bus was joining the cacophony, except this bus was moving toward us at break-neck speed in its own lane. Not a single one of the buses slowed down, they all simply plowed ahead at full speed, and for a few moments, three buses were side-by-side crowding each other and spilling across both lanes and the narrow shoulders, narrowly missing the trees along the sides.
Inter-provincial bus interior, clean and efficient.
The only action that seemed any different was from our conductor who had judiciously pulled his body and waving arm back inside our bus as there were only millimeters separating us from the bus we were trying to pass. There was no momentary silence from the passengers, most were asleep through the entire episode, while others simply stared into the distance. Karma.
Bus Tickets at Airfare Prices
On the opposite side of the scale are the transport services in North America. The only problem with them is that they just don’t seem intended for the mass transportation or movement of people from coast to coast – or even regionally. Yes, the cost of living in North America is a lot higher, and yes, gas prices are high, but surely there must be some way of making ground transport more comfortable, enjoyable, affordable and mass, whether by bus or train? I actually had a taste of a long-haul bus trip in Canada – 11 hours from Vancouver to Castlegar, for the price of a plane ticket in many other countries. Although the safety standards of the buses are high, the on-board service is non-existent, the seats don’t recline comfortably enough for long-haul travel, and the prices are outrageous – its no wonder people insist on driving themselves.
Yes, travel by road in South America can be dangerous, and yes, night-time travel is more dangerous than day-time, and yes, you have to keep your wits about you, and yes, sometimes you wonder if you’re going to reach your destination at all, but the chance of getting shot in Chicago is probably higher than being in a bus accident in South America. I suppose the gist of what I am trying to get across is that travel has its risks; the alternative is to stay at home and insular, missing out on some of the greatest experiences life has to offer, the opportunity to make friends across continents, and the chance to see some amazingly beautiful places.
View from the window in the mountains : Bogota to San Gil
Enjoy the Journey, that’s what it’s all about
I chose to fend for myself and sort out my own bus travel across the continent, and daunting as it at first seemed, everything worked out well, even for me with a Spanish vocabulary of about 100 words. The first experience of getting from point A to point B in Colombia was a bus trip from Bogota to San Gil, a 12-plus hour day-time journey that allowed me to see some of the beauty of Colombia from my seat and through a window. I suppose that hiking or bicycling would be the ultimate way of exploring the highways and byways, but when pushed for time, there’s nothing like a day-time bus ride. The trip was uneventful, the seat reclined sufficiently that I could stretch out and snooze occasionally, and a number of longer stops along the way allowed for a reprieve and a chance to buy some food and water and stretch my legs. There is, somewhere along this highway, a waterpark in the mountains, complete with water slides, the works. I didn’t stop in, it wasn’t on the bus itinerary, but it would be interesting to see just how popular this park is. Maybe the excitement lies in the water slides that stretch out over steep cliffs before twisting around on themselves and dumping sliders into a huge pool safely anchored to the cliff edge. I will have to travel somewhere between 6 – 8 hours on another bus to find out I guess.
