Bus ride from Hell

OH MY GOD.

All I can say about the bus ride from Kratie to Don Det was MISERABLE.

For a 4 hour journey it was literally one of the worst experiences of my travels. Not sure why it bothered me so much... but freakin heck, it did!

First I was in the back corner of a completely full bus! Not good when I get sick! So I moved forward. Great! Then the guy next to me keeps falling asleep and being in my space. I'm already clausterphobic sitting next to the window! Oh, then the guy in front of me decides to put his seat back. Awesome, his seat goes soooo far back its way more than a normal seat! Perfect now I'm a sardine. Did I mention the AC wasn't working and I was sitting on the side with the sun burning through the curtain. I was covered in sweat and dripping bullets! Then the smell set in. The toilet had a leak and someone had taken a huge dump. I was sitting right above the toilet and next to the stairs so I surely had the best 'smell vantage point.' It smelt like piss/poo the rest of the way. Then it was time to cross the border into Laos. Well, at least that was smooth. It took awhile, as expected because everyone waits for the last person! Fine, at least I got to get out of the bus! It was also the first time I've walked across a border as I've always flown or in europe been on trains. That was 'exciting.' Back into the hot stink box I got for the bit to drop off point. The three of us added a bunch of others getting off to go to Don Det. We took a mini bus to the boat... where I experienced the Laosness for the first time. They are in no rush... more on this to come later! Eventually we set off to get to the island. Where we found bungalows and had a chill night! But anything would've been better than that bus ride.

Its crazy when something as simple as being smashed into a bus can be so stressful for me... I was serioulsy close to hyperventilating at times! It was insane. I've been smashed, squeezed and squished on buses/trains/boats,etc before but nothing was as miserable as that experience!