BootsnAll Travel Network



A Major Misnomer

After a pleasant week in Hampi, full of exploration as well as paying work, my long deserved vacation from travelling is at hand. I plan to waste away on a beach somewhere in Gokarna until my spirit for adventure fully recovers.   

At 6pm I step on board an erroneously named ‘sleeper bus’, and I’m ushered to a 5’x3’ cushioned box directly over the rear axle. After cramming into the tight space and settling in, the bus takes off at full throttle over the excessively pot-hold roads and over the tire killing speed bumps without a sign of slowing. Every few minutes I am literally jarred a foot or two into the air and come back down with a thundering crash on the thin cushion. Sitting up only pummels my head on the ceiling, so I lay down in the fetal position and let my stomach violently churn with the jolting movements.

Eventually, I am kicked out of the ‘double’ compartment to make way for a small family of Indians, and sent to a seemingly smaller compartment with a friendly Korean backpacker. He turns out to be a cool guy and we chat for a few hours, fondly recalling delicious South Korean cuisine and Soju, before attempting a rest in the tight space. While the middle of the bus isn’t subjected to as many bumps, the cold draught from the window and frequent slams into the wall are far from comfortable conditions.

Yet, somehow I manage a few hours of shut-eye before a 4am wake up call in Gokarna. What a small sampling of the stress that I will soon be escaping on the beaches of India. This perfect reminder will be sure to soothe my thoughts as I sit with a coconut drink in had, staring at the endless waves rolling in.

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