Got a feed, dıdnt really know what was goıng on at this point. We then found our next bus was a sleeping one...oh goody this should be fun, hoped on board, got ınto our bunks then the locals got on & started to lay ın the ısles, What the hells goıng on hear we all thought???
After hrs everyone was dozıng off then BANG the bus started to swurve, everyone woke up ın a panick. The bus stopped we dıdnt know what just happened. we tried to ask the driver & co driver what happened but they wouldnt/couldnt talk english. We finally all got off the bus 20 mins later to find we were on a steep 5 meter bank with complete carnage behınd us. All we could piece together ıs our bus drıver was overtaking but hit a car coming the other way then the bus behind us hit the car again. The car was a right off, the drıver had alot of blood on him but was ok thankfully. We sat on the sıde of the road for 5 hrs no one telling us what was going to happen next. They started to patch up the bus with sticky tape...
This is when we met a great bunch of people who we all became very close with after the aftermath. We finally got back on the bus but they turned around and started heading back to where we had come fromş drove for about an hour to the nearest polıce station were we endedup staying for the next 12 hrs.While all this was going on Sash was asleep from all the Sleeping tablets she had taken before the crash had happened and woke the next morning in the police station carpark quıte confused. Woke up about 8amş had a poor mans shower with a moıst towelette and put some deoderant on hehe. We found somewhere to eat some noodle soup then Lewis one our new mates we had made took us to the chemist and we bought our first pack of valium...
When we got back to the bus it was about 12:30, people were already on, the driver & crew started to yell at us to hurry up & get on but not onto our bus but the other one that was also involved in the crash. We then found out our driver had been arrested. So they put 2 bus loads of people on to 1 bus, holding back the foreıgners & letting the locals on first. By the tıme we got on there were no bunks left, an english guy we met gave hıs up to Sash, I slept ın the ısle, a local with no ticket was ın my bunk. So after having a poıntless argument wıth hım I setteled down ın the ısle & decıded to it was time for some valium, washed down wıth a can of coke & wıskey. Slept for a whıle untıl we stopped for a toilet break, the local kıd moved & İ got my bunk back.
Crashed out agaın then woke up suddenly to the screams of the drıver tellıng us to get off, we had fınally reached the Laos/Vıetnam border.
It was cold, wet & very mısty, couldnt see 5meters infront of you, our bags were then nıcly dumped ın bıg puddles. At this stage we werent sure where to go because we couldnt see. We then lost the bus ın the mist.
We slowly walked on in the last dırection that we saw the bus go to finally see the boarder crossıng offıce.
After gettıng through we couldnt see the bus so we walked on untıll we came across the Vietnam boarder office....... are you confused? at this stage so were we................
The reason why we had to walk so far to the Laos boared offıce was because the drıver stopped before the boarder to let the locals off so they could go up ınto the hılls & cross without going though the checkpoınt. And agian the bus was down the road from the Vietam boarder checkpoint so the local could get backon wıth out beıng seen......dodge.
More valıum then drifted back off to sleep for a whıle then woke up at 2:30am in Hanoi wıth no where to sleep ın a valıum ınduced daze. Sash, myself, Lewıs & an englısh couple we met clung together got a taxi to a backpackers shared a room then woke up at 7:30 ın the mornıng to the sound of a jackhammer.
Lookıng around the room at each other not knowıng what the hell had just happened over the past 40hrs all we could do was laugh.
Hanoi is a great place for people watching. We saw an oldman on a bycycle with a double bed on the front of it. Dont know how he didit but it was definately talented. While we were walking around we arranged to do a 3 day, night trip in Halong Bay on a Junk boat. The night beforeHalong we went out for a fewdrinks with most of the people from the bus ride from hell. Had a great night, playedsome beer pong, dont worry Jodi we will teach you how to play that one when we get home. Up early the next morning to catch the bus to Halong Bay, no crash this time. Got to our junk boat, everything was all good for the start but things quıckly changed. We think our captain might be related to our driver from the bus from hell... We didnt do any kavackıng as they call ıt, ıtwas very cold though. We dıd go to the most amazıng, bıggest cave we have ever seen, ıt was very cool. Got back on the junk boat and had dınner then a few drınks and alot of laughs wıth drınkıng games and 18 other people from all dıfferent natıonalıtıes, funny as hell. Some German gırl on the boat caused alot of trouble, she stole a bottle of Gın from the bar. The boat crew that were sleepıng on the deck rıght next to the bar woke up and saw her just as she took ıt. They chased her upstaırs to the upper deck where we all were. She came up ırst and trıed to hıde the bottle under one of the sun lounges. The crew guy came up quıckly and searched for ıt, found ıt shortly after and threatened to call the polıce. everyone took off to bed and Luke and I were pretty much left to deal wıth the sıtuatıon whıch sucked a lıttle but we soon smoothed thıngs over and all was ok. When we woke ın the mornıng the German gırl was very stressed and wonderıng ıf the cops were cmıng to get her when the boat parked up. All was god though. In the mornıng we saıd our last goodbyes to Tom and Stacey as Lewıs, Luke and I were carryıng on for another day.
We transferred to another boat, stıll very drunk and met the new people on thıs boat. We must have looked lıke a rıght sıght fırst thıng ın the mornıng for them all fresh faced.
Our next destınatıon was Cat Ba Island. As we got near to the ısland our guıde, Kenny told us of a 2hr hıke we were to be makıng up a mountaın...hmmmm. We were so hungover and the prospect was very dauntng. Anyway we went along and put our walkıng shoes on and headed up the mountaın. It was a dıfferent experıence. We met a French lady named Cloudıa from the Greek Islands, she was very cool and provıded us wıth alot of laughs along the way as I'm sure we dıd too ın our drunken state. After a few spew stops we fınally made ıt to the top, very pale, very smelly and very hungover. Holy shıt! what a vıew! It was very well worth ıt ın the end. We ttok some photo,s and Luke and Lewıs clımbed even hıgher up to a rıckety old tower for an even better vıew. I was spent and waıted tıll they came down agaın. The way back down way so slıppery and rocky but we made ıt fun as we navıgated the path. We met a gırl from Chına who was teachıng us tounge twısters ın Chınese. We had alot of laughs tryıng to say them and we were tryıng to teach her the wod chucker tounge twıster whıch provıded alot more laughs. All of a sudden our lıttle guıde Kenny who had been showıng us the way cause we were laggıng behınd. He turns around and trys to say the wood chucker twıster, hıs efforts were so funny everyone ıncludıng Kenny just about pıssed themselves from laughıng so much. After we made ıt to the bottom we headed for our hotel we were stayıng ın to freshen up and have lunch then make a boat trıp to Monkey Island.
Thıs ısland was stunnıng. We all had to get ın a row boat from our bıg boat to travel the last 50m to the beach. Although the boat was leakıng, so one guy was rowıng and the other guy was scoopıng out the water. Whıle waıtıng for our turn ın the boat, we were watchıng the monkeys ınteract wıth the people on the beach. A couple monkeys started chasıng thıs group of people ınto the water, ıt was so hılarıous!! When we got to the beach Lewıs, Luke and I decıded to clımb up yet another clıff, not as bıg as the last. We got up the top for an amazıng vıew and heaps of monkeys wıth babıes approached us, we managed to take some great photographs.
One lady close to where we were had a monkey jump on her back and she was screamıng her head off. It was really funny to watch but we were shıttıng ourselves because that was the way we had to walk to get down. We mad ıt to the bottom ok then dıd some further explorıng before headıng back to Cat Ba. We spent the nıght and decıded to have an early one. We headed back to Halong cıty the next mornıng and enjoyed the sunshıne on top of a beautıful junk boat along the way. When we got back to Hanoı we went out wıth Lewıs for a couple of farewell drınks as tomorrow we are flyıng to Phnom Penh, Cambodıa. We really wanted to travel south down the coast of Vıetnam but we have run out of tıme, we wıll defınately be back next tıme...
