Got collected from the Yangshuo hostel after 8 p.m. and taken to the bus station on the back of a moped driven by a travel agent lady. The driver/assistant didn’t appear to speak any English. The sleeper bus consisted off 3 rows of beds arranged in double-decker arrangement along the bus, with one large space at the very back sleeping about 5 people next to each other. The beds were very tight and I wonder if a coffin might feel like this. There is a lot more headroom though, at least in the lower bunks. Mine also has a television screen overhead showing some chinese show, I try closing it but since it doesn’t lock in place it slides open a few minutes later.
The mattresses are heated and the blanket very warm. The bed is very narrow, I can hardly get my arms in lying on my back. It is going to be a long night. There is a small shelf near your feet, just big enough for your shoes and a little water, may be. Took off my jacket and stuffed it under my pillow, I had lots of stuff in there to protect, so I had a huge and lumpy pillow to try and rest my head on.
Hard to sleep with street lights flashing past and the TV which is switched off with the lights at midnight. We make couple of stops at bus stations and toll roads. Middle of the night (5 a.m.) sat up, disoriented and tired and pronounce Shenzhen as best as I can to a woman who is sitting up but she just looks at me as if I havent said anything. I decide that the worst thing that can happen is going past my stop, more towards HK which is mu ulimate destination.
I expect to arrive at 08.00, I am tapped on the shoulder at 07.00, hope they know what they are doing, I get off and am told that bus 3 will go to HongKong (HK). It actually goes to the train station. I gather myself, get some pot noodle and bananas and try to decide what to do. Time is too short to do a lot at Shenzhen, so might as well go to HK by train.