Last week Mary and I went to spend a week in Cotonou, Benin. Cotonou-Niamey: 1000 km. Without cars, we opted for the bus is cheaper than flying and it saves us an overnight stopover at an airport. As I'm sure you envy us, I'll try to live closer to our trip.
Get up first at 3 o'clock in the morning to be sure to be on time for the bus. Take a brief breakfast. At 4 hours, you're ready. Wait half an hour. Then another. Go, mégotons do not, wait another hour. That is, missing the driver arrived. (I do not know why, whenever I take a bus, I stand at this time knowing full well that never, ever, does the bus leave on time).
's go! Sit on your chair, facing a wall. Move closer to the wall until your back straight the record button and your knees touch the wall. That's it, you can not make moves back and forth? So you can drive now.
Unfortunately, your record does not rise to the head, I'm afraid to sleep, he fault hang your head forward or backward. I know, both are uncomfortable, it will however have to make a choice at some point. The alternation is in my opinion the best compromise we lean neck forward, you try to doze off, and five minutes later, as it hurts a little, you lean back.
If it's cold outside, open the window without too much to cover, and wait three hours sitting on your chair, tight, and do not overdress. A window to the front of the bus is broken, the wind blows, and you pull away the little you had, and this despite while the cold season, 15 in the morning.
After three hours passed, close the window. Put two sweaters, and turn the heating up. The cold season only for the morning. The day he made his usual 30 °. Alas, the broken window does not bring you more wind because a lot of people are assembled and moved into the aisle, allowing both to block the wind and warm comfortable atmosphere. Note that you're still happy you are sitting on a seat. You are also still happy not to be right next to the broken window. You are left for two hours until the end of the good road. You do not know yet, but you have eaten your bread white. Once these two o'clock, you will have the right to stand up to stretch your legs.
It is 11 hours. Pumped up by the 5-minute break, you're ready to tackle more. Anyway, you do that for up to 18 hours. To attack the wrong road, one with holes, you'll need a sidekick. It is instructed to grow unexpectedly to the right or left, at varying intervals ranging from 5 to 20 seconds. Warning, this sidekick must be clever enough you believe that you will pay, but actually, no, it was just an impression. This sidekick is also sometimes lift you up or you push forward. This is where the sweater you brought will save your knees, tuck it between your knees and the wall, it will mitigate the impact.
The trouble is with the sidekick, you can not read or sleep, and this for a few hours. Continue up to 18 hours, the low end of the day of arrival, stretch your legs every 3 hours, 15 minutes at lunchtime, plus a short walk of 5 minutes to cross the no- man's-land of the border. Sometimes your sidekick you should stop shaking for a quarter of an hour, and then must start over.
At 18 hours, you remember that you started late, and you agree resigned to the fact that your arrival time will be closer to the high end you are given, or 21 hours.
At 21 hours, get up and purchase of rice with sauce, and get the idea that this is not always in Cotonou, but a city name in Parakou you arrive. The information you glean here and there are grim: the new range of arrival time between 3 pm and 5 am. Put water to boil, it will humidify the air: you are in Benin, the temperature will not drop really, but it will be wet. Sigh before you seated back exactly as you've been sitting all day.
The advantage now is that tired, pain in the neck do you wake up at intervals over a bit longer, of about every 10 minutes or even every quarter of an hour. To ease your nerves, you have the right to insult yourself in the driver who took a wrong turn, or the police or customs or I-don't-know-who bear a uniform is wait for the bus, thus delaying the arrival time. Please note, your sidekick does not go to sleep, he continues to shake you.
At five o'clock, you have the right to shed a few tears and realize you have not arrived, but the good news is that your sidekick has finished its work. Stop making assumptions about the arrival time, it is useless, you will arrive when you arrive.
At seven o'clock in the morning, get up, you're in Cotonou, we even come pick you up. You sleep all day, then you try to make you the idea that 5 days later, it will again in the opposite direction.
PS: To be entirely fair, it will change a little back: the file will mount up to your head, allowing you to doze off, and you shall stay in your chair until 21 hours. However, it will pass and you get a disc of Christmas songs including Oh Tanenbaum and the Ave Maria de Luis Mariano (yes, really).
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