However I could not lie straight. My head would touch the bars at the top of the bed and my feet were too big for the box my feet were in. And barriers on the side of the bed were just as wide as my hips. Cue me lying in the fetal position with my knees and bum over the edges. I could lie like that for about an hour before my leg got numb and I would have to turn over.
Now I managed sleeping like this last time. It also helped that I fall asleep quite easily when travelling. This time though was different. I managed to stay up reading my book and once I decided it was time to sleep I just could not drop off. I tried listening to my 'chill' playlist. No luck. I tried with no ipod, just the man next to me snoring and the bouncing bus as background noise. No luck.
I think the problem was that the bus driver seemed to be having a race. The roads in Vietnam are terrible and I think I experienced zero gravity more times than necessary. Imagine driving down a country lane riddled with potholes at max speed while trying to sleep. Only this wasn't a country lane it was a highway. It's like trying to nap during an earthquake. I think he thought he was driving on a hot wheels track and was doing far too many jumps.
The last time I was aware of looking at the clock it was just past 4am. We had left Hue at 5pm and were due to arrive in Hanoi at 8. When I awoke at about 7, the heavens had opened. We got of the bus and decided that we could walk to the hostel. How wrong we were. Luckily the rain had stopped but it was still wet and muddy. Our bags had got wet while when they were on the floor when we got off the bus. I had flip flops on which got coated in mud. We didn't seem to be getting anywhere and had to keep asking for directions by pointing.
In the end we flagged down a taxi. We asked him how much a taxi would be. He said 70,000. I told him we would go by the meter and asked him to turn it on. When we got to the hostel the meter said 31,000 but he wanted 70,000. I had to argue with this guy who didn't speak any English by pointing. In the end I won (I don't know how) as he got my stuff of the boot and I paid him.
Tune in next time when I will write about our escapades in Hue which include waking up to Sarah throwing up over the balcony and me sleepwalking.
Now I managed sleeping like this last time. It also helped that I fall asleep quite easily when travelling. This time though was different. I managed to stay up reading my book and once I decided it was time to sleep I just could not drop off. I tried listening to my 'chill' playlist. No luck. I tried with no ipod, just the man next to me snoring and the bouncing bus as background noise. No luck.
I think the problem was that the bus driver seemed to be having a race. The roads in Vietnam are terrible and I think I experienced zero gravity more times than necessary. Imagine driving down a country lane riddled with potholes at max speed while trying to sleep. Only this wasn't a country lane it was a highway. It's like trying to nap during an earthquake. I think he thought he was driving on a hot wheels track and was doing far too many jumps.
The last time I was aware of looking at the clock it was just past 4am. We had left Hue at 5pm and were due to arrive in Hanoi at 8. When I awoke at about 7, the heavens had opened. We got of the bus and decided that we could walk to the hostel. How wrong we were. Luckily the rain had stopped but it was still wet and muddy. Our bags had got wet while when they were on the floor when we got off the bus. I had flip flops on which got coated in mud. We didn't seem to be getting anywhere and had to keep asking for directions by pointing.
In the end we flagged down a taxi. We asked him how much a taxi would be. He said 70,000. I told him we would go by the meter and asked him to turn it on. When we got to the hostel the meter said 31,000 but he wanted 70,000. I had to argue with this guy who didn't speak any English by pointing. In the end I won (I don't know how) as he got my stuff of the boot and I paid him.
Tune in next time when I will write about our escapades in Hue which include waking up to Sarah throwing up over the balcony and me sleepwalking.
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