luminiferously yours

I now have a new entry for worst trips in Asia.

1. Flying from Luang Prabang to Bangkok (or was it Vientiene?) in 2000 while food poisoned, delirious and blacking out. Due to eating a possibly uncooked fermented meat product bought on the street. Cant remember too much of the train journey from Bangkok to KL either

2. Taking a local bus in India to Khajuraho. It didnt last too long – only 2 or so hours but they crammed so many people in there and the bus ceiling was so low that I could barely breath. Plus one of the guys next to me fell asleep on my shoulder. Needless to say, we were overcharged.

3. Sitting 20 hours in the backseat of a minibus from Leh to Manali going over high altitude passes. I had to tie myself into the seat to stop my head from hitting the roof as we bounced over massive potholes.

and finally, just today:

4. Paying for a front seat in a taxi that was supposed to be just me but turned out to be me + 2 others (1 of whom was about nine). The Toyota Camry ended up containing ten people – only 3 of whom were children. Fortunately the trip only last 2.5 hours. The road from Poipet to Siem Riep was actually quite good – better than India anyway. Mind, I have this to say about India, their cars and jeeps are designed to cram people into. A Toyota Camry is not. We could have sat another 2 adults in the same space if the seats were designed Indian style.