Travelling China by Bus: Useful Tips
We have already talked about train travel in China, how to buy train tickets and how to get sleeper trains. But what about other forms of transportation while visiting the Middle Kingdom? Of course, any traveller knows that where the train is not going, usually it is cheap and possible to go by bus. The bus! Such a fantastic, cheap and sometimes cramped and scary way to get around China!! Let’s get down and dirty with some useful bus riding tips for your Chinese travels…
The Bus Station: mayhem
Yep, it usually is. Bus stations are generally crowded and full of touts pushing you in every direction and shouting in Mandarin… and generally, the smaller the town you go, the louder they will scream and push! But do not worry, they are only trying to help you to get your ticket… Bus stations in China might seem quite daunting places, at times: huge and crowded, or small and deserted, you’ll get both sides of the spectrum. The important thing is to keep calm, know where you are going, and make sure you get the destination name written in han zi on a piece of paper, so that it will be easier to purchase a ticket or ask for directions.
Types and kinds of bus
Being China a country of variety and contrasts, its bus system aptly reflects this situation. You can get a ride on a vehicle that is as close as a luxury coach with a/c and declinable seats, or a pre-cold war rattler usually used to ply busy city routes. Usually these kinds of older, scarier vehicles shuttle people between major cities and smaller towns or villages, or are mostly used on city routes. Do not worry if the engine shrieks and the exhaust puffs mephitic black smoke, usually the driver knows how to handle its baby. This kind of buses is usually smaller, and it is not uncommon to end up seating in the aisle, on a plastic stool or an emergency seat which slides out from the side seats. Your journey will definitely be jam packed and uncomfortable, but this is a must do Chinese experience. Medium length routes such as Kunming to Dali in Yunnan use this kind of buses over their 4 hours journeys, so make sure you get a real seat before boarding, or wait for the next connection, usually quite frequent. Fares are very reasonable, and most times the same route might be served by better buses too, so it always pays to check and ask around, and eventually wait. Most routes havedepartures every half hour during the day up to the evening.
Night Travel via Bus
Let’s put it straight, some train routes are much longer than the same bus routes, and although sleeper trains generally offer a leisurely paced way of travel, sometimes time is not given by the bag. Sleeper b
uses are a pretty comfortable and fast way to get from point A to point B overnight without particular hassle, and in decent comfort. To my knowledge, the kind of sleeper buses found in China are unique in the whole East Asia, being only found elsewhere in Vietnam: they are organized in three rows of small bunk beds, one central and two at the sides, fitting around 35 people per bus. The berths are soft and comfortable for small people (typically Asian sized), and if you are a normal sized Caucasian, you might feel like someone gave you a go-kart to sleep in. But again, this is another must-do experience in China. There is no separation between berths, so it is quite obvious that getting close to your neighbor’s sounds and smells will be part of the experience. Sometimes, ear-plugs are recommended. Most of these buses ply longer routes, like Chengdu to Lijiang via Panzihua, and usually consist of 16 to 24 hours journeys, equipped with screens and DVD movies flashed non-stop trough the night. But again, you wouldn’t have read so far if you weren’t interested in adventure, so, let the adventure begin, and get on that bus!!
Tags: Adventure Travel, bus travel, china bus rides, china bus system, China Train Travel, China Travel, train travel
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