Bus Boy part 1 of 3

The couple of times that our family has ridden overnight trains in Asia, it has been such a fun adventure that we thought we would expand our repertoire. We decided to try a night bus from Kunming to the city of Dali where we would then catch a local bus to the town of Old Dali.

Taking the night bus was a brilliant idea, because it would save us time –instead of using valuable daylight to travel, we would be traveling while we slept. It would also save us money; it was one less night we would have to pay for a hotel. Besides, traveling by bus –during the day or night- is just about the cheapest way to get from Kunming to Dali. The 250 mile trip was only going to cost us about $12 each.

We clambered onto the bus and started checking the berth numbers to find our assigned bunks. The bus held 48 sleepers/passengers. Instead of seats, the bus was outfitted with bunks two high that ran front to the back in three rows leaving to narrow aisles. The bunks were eighteen –maybe twenty- inches wide and only five-and-a-half feet long –a little short for this six-foot traveler.

This was shaping up to be as much of an adventure as the overnight train.

We settled in and got ourselves situated. We fluffed our pillows which may have been washed since the last three or four passengers had used them, but probably not. Our big backpacks were in storage under the bus, but I had a small overnight bag with me. My bunk had a perfect spot for my mini-back pack: a little stainless steel rack welded in place right above the spot where my feet would be. The girls were a little giddy and I got caught up in the excitement. I pulled out my camera and took pictures of each of the girls in their bunks. I think we provided a few minutes of entertainment for the rest of the bus riders. I don’t think they get too many western families with young daughters riding the overnight bus. As he watched me slip my camera back into my little overnight bag, I gave a little self-assured head nod to the guy in the bunk across the aisle.

At 10:00 p.m. –right on schedule- the bus took off. The large window next to me slid open all the way from my head down to my waist. The sill of the window was even with the top of my mattress. If the bus was taking a sharp curve and it hit a bump, it was conceivable that I could roll right out the window. But it sure made for cool evening breezes. I put my hand out the window to ride the waves of night air. As the bus snaked its way out of the city limits of Kumning I slowly drifted to sleep to the sound of traffic, taxis horns, and late night bicyclists clambering down the street on their Chinese-made bicycles.Our family’s seventeen-day trek across China was underway.