China's Comfortable (But Risky) Sleeper Buses

Wake up to a spectacular view in a Chinese bus that has beds instead of seats - but one look over the driver's shoulder at the road ahead may give you nightmares...

If you associate bus travel with uncomfortable seats and sleepless nights, think again. Chinese sleeper buses have beds. Though you’re not getting on board until you go through an x ray machine and take off your shoes. There’s even a special cubbyhole to put them in.

And that’s not the only rule. You have to listen to a safety briefing, seat belts are mandatory, and the driver doesn’t leave until everyone’s belted in.
On the other hand, if you’re having trouble sleeping, there’s an endless kung fu movies on the television screen. And you’ll drift off knowing that you’re going to you wake up to the most amazing view.

The whole thing feels a little like a cross between an airplane and a submarine.

There are a few things you should know about sleeper trains before you buy a ticket.
• It’s crucial to get the right birth.
• Avoid the holidays at all costs, and the start and end of the school term.
• Stay away from the back of the bus or you’ll get sardined in with half a dozen other passengers.
• Smoking is absolutely forbidden - a rule that’s generally ignored.
• There are no bathrooms on the bus but it pulls in at a rest stop every few hours.

The longer trips stop for meals as well. The food stalls are incredibly efficient. They can feed forty people in less than fifteen minutes.

Though occasionally, there’s no need to hurry. Breakdowns are very common, and they can take days to fix. It’s a chance to get to know your fellow passengers and make some new friends.

And now for the bad news…

Driving in China is downright dangerous and buses are no exception.
• China’s rural roads are narrow and difficult to negotiate.
• Landslides are common.
• So are potholes, especially in the rainy season.
• Construction can add days to even the shortest trip.

But better roads are not necessarily safer roads. There’s only one real rule to driving in China. Pass whenever possible, no matter what the risk. They have over 200,000 road fatalities each year - that’s 8 times as many per capita as in the USA.

It’s okay to pass slower cars into oncoming traffic as long as you honk first. You can also pass on blind turns, and even inside tunnels.

15 million more vehicles hit Chinese streets each year most of them with newly licensed drivers behind the wheel.

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Category: Travel

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