Stories from the Overnight Bus

by Martha Edwards on

Overnight buses are a budget traveler’s friend. They’re a cheaper alternative to planes, trains and automobiles, and they allow you the freedom to get off and on where ever you please. Plus you save on a night’s accommodation because you spend it on the bus. However, the mere mention of taking an overnight bus sends shivers up my spine. Perhaps it’s because I find it impossible to sleep in an upright position and the next day, like a creature of the night, I stumble down the steps of the bus into the bright early morning sunlight with bright-red eyes, wildly disheveled hair, an aching back and numb limbs. Then I have to sleep a good portion of the day to catch up on the sleep I missed by not sleeping on the bus. Convenience my ass.

But perhaps my disdain is because of the following experiences:

  • The first overnight bus I ever took was from Bangkok to Surat Thani in Thailand. We were wooed by the amazing price of this bus ride, but a couple of days later, we realized how they make their money — we were very stealthily robbed during the night. How they got to the wallet that I hugged to my chest all night is beyond me. A night of firsts, this was also the first time I’ve been robbed — actually make that the only time (fingers crossed.) We splurged on the train on the way back and enjoyed a crime-free rest.
  • About a month later, we found ourselves in on a long overnight in Vietnam. For the record, buses in Thailand are like Buckingham Palace compared to buses in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Anyway, the un-air-conditioned bus was so full that they actually sat people on folding chairs in the aisles. Lo and behold, we broke down in the middle of the jungle at 3am and the drivers couldn’t get the bus going again until about 5am (I think they need AAA in Vietnam.)
  • From Brisbane to Airlie Beach (a mere 17-hour trip), my travel friend Lauren ended up with a broken chair that didn’t recline. Right next to the bathroom, allowing us to enjoy some pleasant odors all night long.
  • Also in Australia, I spent one night busing it behind a troll-like man who snored unimaginably loud almost the entire trip (10+ hours) and then engaged in questionable behavior while he was awake (it was dark on the bus and we were looking at him at a funny angle so we couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing but it looked bad)

I suppose these are all down to bad luck, and I realize that overnight buses have saved me lots of money in the long run, but in some ways they’ve taken years off my life too (ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.) My point? Beware.

The Worst Places to be Hungover When Traveling

by Martha Edwards on

Most of us have gone a bit overboard on the local beer or spirits when in another country. My worst experience was in Sydney, where my two friends and I found ourselves with a 4L box of wine that we bought for $10 and refused to haul any further on our way up the coast. We had one night to drink it, and it just happened to be Mardi Gras.We finished it all right. But most of my share ended up coming up the way it went in, if you get my drift. Running through the halls of the hostel, trying desperately to get my key card to open the door to the communal bathrooms before spewing up last night’s ill-advised double serving of fries rates up there as one of the worst days of my life. Make that two days.

Here’s what I consider to be the worst places to be hungover. Feel free to add your own in the comments:

  • On a boat off the coast of … well … anywhere: After one tequila-fueled night in Puerto Vallarta, my friends and I had to take a booze cruise or forfeit our deposit. So we went and oh my goodness, I’ve never been so seasick in my life. Actually, I’ve never been seasick period, besides that day. The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns is also notoriously choppy — one girl on a boat trip I went on had to be air-lifted back to shore!
  • In a Tuk Tuk: Bangkok is beautiful but it’s also hot and polluted and I can see why people splurge on cabs — breathing in the exhaust is enough to make anyone hurl, whether they’re already feeling a bit queasy or not.
  • In transit: Not only will exhaustion make you prone to missing your bus/flight/train/ferry but the motion/turbulence/rocking is bound to make you feel a bit ill. Plus, those miniature bathrooms leave something to be desired when you’re feeling nauseous.
  • Locked out of your hostel: Many hostels have lock-out rules during the day so while you want nothing more than to sleep it off, you’ll have to do it elsewhere. I recommend a nearby park if it’s nice out. If it’s not, you might be outta luck.
  • Outside when it’s hot: Laying on the beach with a bunch of bottled water is an okay way to recover, but there’s a fine line between being tolerably hot and being unbearably hot. Insane heat is uncomfortable when you’re feeling your best, so it’s really, really brutal when you’re feeling your worst.

So while we don’t ever really plan to be hungover, next time you’re tempted to say ‘cheers’ a few too many times, look at your surroundings. Must-haves for the hangover are air-conditioning, a decent bed that you can crash in for as long as you want, a supply of water and aspirin, and good friends who will bring you greasy food when you’re too sick to move.

Photo of the Day (7/26/07)

by Neil Woodburn on

Ah yes, globalization.

That’s the thing that makes people like Ronald McDonald forsake the societal norms of his homeland and embrace the local customs and religion of foreign lands. Here he is in Bangkok, for example, offering a traditional greeting to all his Thai buddies.

I don’t know about you, but personally I’m a bit freaked out by this. Perhaps it’s the semi-psycho look on his face. Or simply because it causes a nostalgic disconnect in my brain; Hey! I thought Ronald was American!

Well, it’s a global village folks, and sometimes one must act like the chameleon if they want to corner the burger market in some far off land.

Congrats go out to Sarah and Michael who took a break from their Harry Potter marathon to snap this great shot.

Thai Beer & Formaldehyde, Plus Other Beer Myths, Exposed

by Martha Edwards on

When I was backpacking around Thailand a couple of years ago, there was a persistent rumor (often mistaken for fact) that Chang Beer and its competitor, Singha, contained formaldehyde. Apparently, that’s why they tasted so good, and also why we felt so awful the next day (right, because the fact that we had 12 of them had nothing to do with it.)

According to one of the locals, the government took the formaldehyde out of the beer, only to be met with outrage from its loyal drinkers because it just didn’t taste the same without that toxic preservation agent in it. After an instance of gut rot that I blamed on the formaldehyde, I decided to stay away from the Thai beer.

Turns out that’s all a load of hooey — there’s no formaldehyde in the beer, so I needn’t have avoided it so fervently. Other beer myths that you might have heard while traveling? That Guinness tastes better in Ireland (I still believe it does, if only for the atmosphere) and that Corona contains Mexican urine (apparently, this one was started by Heineken.)

Earth Day Celebrations Around the World

by Jamie Rhein on

From Karachi, Pakistan to Koh Samui, Thailand to Chelewah, Washington people are celebrating the earth this weekend. Yep, Earth Day is April 22. You can plant trees, clean up a beach, go to a lecture, canoe, pet animals, hike, dance, sing, participate in a 5-K run and eat Earth Day fare at an Earth Day fair somewhere on the planet. The calendar page of the website Envirolink: The Online Environment Community lists scads of possibilities.

Each link goes to a link that links to each event’s website for more information. This is a place you can spend a lot of time just to see what people who are environmentally conscience are up to. Here’s one event that caught my attention. John Muir’s Birthday Hike is taking place near Madison, Wisconsin. Muir was the founder of the Sierra Club and his boyhood home is part of the John Muir Memorial County Park. This event includes talks about Muir and his writing. Plus, there is a hike and a tour of the house he grew up in.

To find an Earth Day event near you, check out the Earth Day website. It looks like you can type in where you live and events near you will pop up. If you’re wondering what started Earth Day, here is an overview.

Also, stay tuned for Gadling’s April 22 posts when Gadling writers’ pay homage to Earth Day with their special brand of posts and whatnot.