Bus travel in South America is a very economic way of getting away and sometimes the only option for reaching a certain city (except you pay a tremendous fee for a private driver). But mostly on night buses you have to follow certain rules if you want survive it.
Let me show you the 101 on the example of the bus ride from Macapa to Oiapoque I had last night.
The advertisement says modern bus with air-conditioning. A toilet is on board. This sounds good. But there are some hidden threats.
The toilet you won’t use except if you do not need to breathe during your business. But the bus stops from time to time and you can use a toilet there. Bring some toilet paper and change.
Modern says a nice bus with comfortable seats but only certain recline. This is OK for sleeping.
But the most dangerous thing is the A/C. All the passengers in the bus paid for A/C. Accordingly the company will always drive the system to the limit. YES, everybody is annoyed and it is freezing cold inside! So if you’re not a polar bear you should bring a jumper and a cover. Remember, outside is still twenty-something degrees. To tune your experience you can bring an eye masque, ear plugs and extra socks to replace your sneakers (yes, you are not travelling with flip-flops).
Last I have to say the bus is not always arriving on time (first departure point is generally punctual). This one was supposed to leave at 7pm coming in 12h later. We arrived 3h early on a locked down bus station giving me some time to write these words.
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