Chinese Sleeper Buses

Oh...the joys of bus travel in China. I have never liked travelling by bus, even on smooth "western" roads...so imagine what this was like. We boarded at 19h a bus that basically had three rows of beds running lengthwise....lower and upper levels. They were comfy enough in that they were soft, had a complimentary pillow and duvet (with a disney motif on it!) However, the highlight of the trip had to be the smell of feet, the cigarette smoke (cause people smoke freely) and the regular sound of spitting. I spent quite some time laughing hysterically! Probably the nerves of thinking I would have to put up with this for TEN HOURS!! The worst part was the road....it was bumby as hell, so there was very little sleeping going on and a lot of holding on to the bars on the side of each berth to avoid hitting my head on the roof of the bus! Needless to say, the existence of these bars, whilst enabling me to keep some part of my body in touch with the mattress, also meant I had to lie down like I was in a coffin, cause they were so narrow! Then after 2 hours of calming music, my iPod ran out of battery so I had no option but to look out the window and attempt sleep. Unsuccessful. I spent a few hours talking to a Dutch couple from Utrecht who were vacationing in China for 3 weeks and sleeping below me. They were equally astounded at the experience of the overnight sleeper bus. I arrived in Kunming this morning andas I stepped off the bus, I felt like I was gonna puke my brains out! Instead, I ended up getting a rather long run around town by a local cyclist with a push cart who was trying to take me to the hotel (but had no clue where it was). I got some fresh air, which made the qeuasiness subside...but then I had to jet to the nearest toilet....Oh lord, the toilets in this place are nothing short of a nightmare....particularly if they are public and on a 2nd floor above some street stall. I think the snails I ate yesterday in Lijiang, mixed with the bumper ride on the bus were a perfect cocktail. Thankfully, I made it to glorious Camellia hotel and slept for a few hours in the same dorm room as the last time. It felt like home, let me tell you. Welcome to the world of travel in China! Overall, a good experience to have. Wait till you see the pictures of the bus!