Kerry's Blog

Another bus ride

Yesterday was my day off and after a leisurely start to the day the presence of blue sky precipitated my movement out the door after I decided on a bus route. I chose to head west because I’ve never been there before and a supermarket was near the required bus stop and would be useful for after bus shopping.

Map showing the orange line heading off into the west.

I caught a bus from the college readily but had to wait for about 15 minutes for the first of several options to appear at the next bus stop. All of the seats were taken except for some across the back so I didn’t get to take any photos for the first 3o minutes when I got a better seat. The bus headed straight down the main street in a westerly direction and barely changed direction for about 45 minutes whereupon it turned around in a miserable looking village. It stopped for about 5 minute while the driver had a quick snack.

The view taken while the driver was turning around, the road not taken.

The suburban buses never stop for more than a few minutes at the end of their routes, if at all, and I have no idea how long the drivers are expected to drive without a break. After arriving at the collection point in a street the driver of the bus to Qingdao drove for about 10 hours, drove us around Qingdao, drove a couple of hours to Rhizhao, waited about 2 hours and then drove for another half hour to our accommodation before he was finished, more than 24 hours straight. The next day he did it all again from around 7.30am to after midnight. The interurban bus from Dali to Kunming had 2 drivers for a trip of about 12 hours and the non driving driver had a bed to sleep in. There seems to be no national pattern of driver and safety requirements.

While I as waiting for the driver to start, locals who’d been hanging around were having a good time looking at the surprise visitor. It’s no good getting upset because I’m the visiting freak. Reciprocal smiles and waves go a long way towards cultural exchange. One young woman was waiting for another bus and had enough English to strike up a conversation. All of that kept us all occupied for the scant minutes the driver had to himself.

Holes of unknown reason in the hills. There were other more elaborate ones elsewhere too.

We had travelled far enough that we had started getting into low mountains. The whole area looked pretty dry and bleak although the photos don’t necessarily convey that feeling as one side was more bleak than the other. Some of the road appeared to travel beside a dry river bed. Mining was occurring in some parts of it and agriculture in others. There was evidence of various forms of industry, both current and past. A raised roadway was under construction not far from the city and also large excavations for something not readily discernible. There was habitation of sorts along most of the way. Streets were fairly mean with an excess of dirt and dust and a minimum or absence of street furniture until a block or so of the main business area where I boarded the bus.