Bus Scam from Hell
A funny thing happened to me on the way to V V. I went to the local bus station to catch a public bus to V V, I suggest doing this, $2. The bus didn’t leave for another hour and already looked pretty crowded. It looked like the sort of bus that would have chickens on it. In the heat of the middle of the day, I decided to listen to a Tuk Tuk driver and let him take me to the VIP bus ticket place back in town near where i started. I bought a ticket for a VIP A/C bus, $6 and started to see the scam unfold in front of my eyes. They bus didn’t leave at 1:30 as promised, but picked me up from the ticket seller in a pickup truck around 1:40 and proceeded to drive all around town picking up other suckers. We actually stopped in front of my guesthouse at one point. We finally get to a different bus station after 2 and am told that we are waiting for other suckers until about 2:45. When we get on this shitty bus it has no A/C and the guy says that there’s something wrong with it. No shit Sherlock! It’s a 100 degrees in here. About 2 hours into our trip a loud sound of a tire delaminating fills the bus and we pull over to the side of the road. 
We have no spare so we have to wait for a bus from VV to come and get us. Not only do we wait, but when the bus does get there we have 2 wait some more until they fix the old bus. 
Guess what, the new bus also has some problems with the A/C too. Go figure! Finally, 8 hours after I leave on a 3 hour tour, I arrive in a strange little town after dark. I need a beer Lao, Now!
It’s strange. This is the second time I’ve paid extra for a bus to make sure it’s a nice one and this is the second time it’s broken down on me. (See Hoi An to Nha Trang post in Vietnam.)
Tags: Buses, Lao, Laos, Vang Vien, Vientiane
Kane
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