Typically a VIP bus means nice comfortable seats on the upper level with wide, clear windows for viewing the countryside, air conditioning, a TV console up near the front playing some recent movie in English with Thai subtitles (or sometimes in Thai with English subtitles), and a bottom level with a restroom and luggage storage. I've ridden several of these so I saw no problem taking one back to the city since I had failed to make a reservation on the train and all the seats there were sold out.
But this VIP stood for Very Iffy Proposition. We didn't leave out until 7:30 which wasn't so bad. But as soon as we got on board I knew this was just an extra bus pulled off the company's yard to accomodate the extra travelers for the holiday. Not really dirty, but not the usual cleanliness I was used to. Every seat was full and every one of us had a book to read (must be a reason for all the bookstores in Chiang Mai). Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was that the individual reading lamps didn't work. Then my seatmate noticed that the a/c vent wasn't putting out air. About 30 minutes down the road I noticed that it was getting very dark in the bus and realized that the little running lights that are usually on along the sides of the ceiling and on the aisle were also not working. All this is coming to "light" as the poor bus works hard at pulling up the steep hills for we are in the mountains but there are mountains we must climb up and come down again in order to reach Bangkok.
The driver and his assistant don't speak any English so it's no use to ask them why nothing electrical seems to work on the bus. Most of us have reading lights and flashlights to read by. I heard the girl in the seat behind me complain that there was no light in the bathroom either. Soon we all smelled that chemical bathroom smell and realized that the fan unit in the bathroom didn't work either. This was going to be a long night. All this in the first 100 miles - only 400 more to go.
We stopped at a truck stop about 12:30 in the morning and people gladly got off to stretch, smell fresh air, and use the bathrooms. 30 minutes later we were back on the road again, still trying to get down out of the mountains. I had my GPSr out watching our route and realizing that we were following a highway that ran within 50 miles of the Myanmar border. I looked at the mountains outside the window and listened to the bus engine strain. For some reason I was reminded of WW II pilots and their stories of getting over the hump in Burma. I was developing a new respect for their survival. Around 2am we had to stop for a red light and the driver stalled out the engine. I was getting nervous since students would be back at school in about 6 hours and I was due to teach a class in about 7 hours. Some of the young men sitting near the front of the bus understood the problem and got out to push the bus till the engine caught. Off we went with only 150 miles to go.
We reached Bangkok around 6am: hot, tired, restless, and thankful to be done with the trip and to be alive (the next day I read about a bus just like this one turning over in the mountains and 7 people on board died!). But I was still 2 miles away from the train station where I catch the bus to the school which was still another 2 hours away from Bangkok. I bargained a tuktuk driver down to 50 baht. He drove like a madman but I hung on and somehow arrived at the station with my luggage and myself still in the tuktuk. The bus was just pulling out but I managed to flag it down and board. By 7:30 I was in my room peeling sweaty clothing off my tired body and dreaming of a hot shower.
The water felt so goooood! I came out and looked at my bed and then at the clock. Why not just a little rest before class? I was really feeling the push of the trip and all the sightseeing and no sleep on the all night bus ride and, well, what would just a little nap hurt? The phone ringin in my purse beside me on the bed didn't really register at first. When I finally realized where I was and what was happening, the caller had hung up. I looked at the clock and realized my class had begun 15 minutes before. Holy Cow!!! I dressed quickly and ran to the school to find that Jimmy had taken my class for me. Had just about 10 minutes to prepare for my 11:00 class which I somehow got through as well as the rest of the day. I clocked out at 4pm, went to supper with some of the other teachers, and was in bed asleep by 6pm.
So what great adventure did I have this weekend? A sleeping marathon in my quiet little dorm room. Best trip all year, I think. I had to cure my Songkran hangover from lack of sleep and rest because this weekend I will make one final trip to Kanchanaburi. But for this trip no VIP bus and no long train rides, I promise!
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