Tag Archives: Bus

Quito Ecuador Bus Station

I was surprised by how new and modern the Quito bus station was. Plus, getting there was really simple. I just walked out of the hostel, turned right, walked a half-a-block, turned left, walked two blocks to the bus stop, caught one of the buses that ran every 5-10 minutes for about four blocks, then caught the trolley that ran across town and I was at the main bus station in about 30-40 minutes depending on traffic and ridership. The cost to get on each bus or trolley was 25 cents, bringing the total fare to 50 cents..It was a super bargain. The trolley also took me right through the Old Town. I disembarked for the historic district after about 15-20 minutes of travel coming back from the bus station. I liked the transportation system in Quito. It was simple, fast, efficient and reasonably modern. The city is lucky in that it is situated in a long valley and had 3 main lines that ran parallel through the valley and lots of feeder buses to feed the three main lines.

VIP Bus

This was the VIP bus. I rode it from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. It was better than taking a minibus. I would have to say that it was significantly more comfortable on the mountainous roads along the route. Plus, more vehicles got out of our way. That was also a real plus.

Open For Business

When I got to Luang Prabang I wanted to get my bus ticket back to Vang Vieng as soon as possible so I wouldn’t have to ride a minibus back. I went out from the guesthouse and spied a travel agency where I assumed I could get a bus ticket. When I got to the door, this is what I saw. I think they work on Laos time.

Airport Bus

It’s the shuttle bus between the airport in Kuala Lumpur and Sentral, the central transportation hub. It leaves every half-hour and costs either $2.70 or $3 depending on which company you use. The trip into town takes about an hour, depending on traffic. They run from about 4 AM until about midnight. Get to the airport after the last bus leaves? Not likely, but, if you do, sleeping at the KL airport is easy, but uncomfortable.

Sleeper Bus

It was the Sleeper Bus From Hell. I traded in two perfectly good train tickets so I could ride this beast. It’s a sleeper bus. I did it because I had never ridden a sleeper bus like this before. It has compartments that sleep one or two people. I had a single compartment. I rode this bus from Udaipur to Mumbai. It cost me $19 and I regret riding the darn thing. I have never been in a vehicle that rocked and rolled and seemed to have no suspension whatsoever. At every bump, and there were millions of them, it bounced me up off of the mattress. I don’t think I’ll ever get on a sleeper bus in India again. If I do, it will have to be one of the super deluxe models, because, while it may look nice in the picture, it wasn’t.

Amber Fort – Jaipur

Originally stated around 1600, the fort wasn’t fully completed for over 150 years. It is very large and imposing. It is situated on a ridge overlooking the town of Jaipur and can easily bee seen from the town.. It takes a while to get there. It’s actually around 11 kilometers from Jaipur up twisty mountain roads. They tell me Bus #5 can take people all the way to the fort for 7 rupees, about 15 cents. The city tour that I took takes in Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort and only costs 250 rupees, about $5. The fort is not just a fort, it served as one of the king’s palaces as well. I would say that all of the 3 forts around Jaipur should be seen. Admission is $1.

Tour Bus 1 – Delhi

Yeah, that’s my tour bus and a great tour bus it was. The City of Delhi puts on a an excellent tour at a really great price. The cost was 300 rupees ($7) for and all day tour. What a bargain! Hey, the fun I had with the people on the tour was worth the $7.

Inside the Bus

Usually, I can get a really good position in the bus right behind the driver. I’ve noticed that the Chinese, in general, do not like to ride in the front of anything that moves such as subway trains, cars and buses. I attributed it to their fear of crashing in a vehicle. Dale Earnhardt, the aren’t. Then again, maybe Dale should have taken a clue from the Chinese and been a little more afraid of crashing. Anyway, I wish I could have gotten some better shot so the bus being about 2 inches off of the bumper of someone else. The Chinese have a style of driving to which I couldn’t become accustomed. In my opinion, they’re simply really, really bad drivers. To elaborate, let me tell you that, as someone who drives a Big Rig, I’ve met drivers in America from Russia, Easter Europe, Africa, Mexico, Central America, South America, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Aussies don’t drive in the U.S. because the make too much money back home. But, I’ve never met a Chinese trucker in America. I’d never thought about that before I came to China. I realized that one day when I was in a parking lot watching a bunch of guys with big, shiny, expensive cars try to parallel park. I thought to myself that they could never drive a Big Rig and it was then that I realized I’d never seen a Chinese drive one.

Big Bus – Shanghai

I’ve taken these tours before. They’re a one or two day hop-on-hop-off and I like them a lot. They help me to get oriented in a city. When I went to the internet to see what the price was, the web site said the regular price was $44, but I could get 25% off by booking on the internet. When I went down to the local stop I got a one day ticket for about $15. Apparently, they only advertise their most expensive price on the internet.

Bus Stop

We stopped the bus for abut 30 minutes so that we could use the rest room and take on a little meal. This was a serious bus stop with seating for about 400 people. There were several places to purchase food and drinks. There was a also a bakery to get fresh baked products. They also sold very tasty kebabs and a variety of other products. I could have gotten my phone serviced if it had needed it here.

Rolling Okie

Travel, Adventure, and more…