The Bus Ride

Travelling around in a country with a land area of 33 thousand is no mean feat, even with the help of a bus.

    Well, that was exactly what I, and some other friends, did a few days ago, during a camp in Malaysia. Throughout the camp's short span of 3 days, we travelled all around Malaysia in a coach bus. The average journey time for each trip was about 1 hour and 45 minutes, which seemed like an eternity for me. You see, in my home town Singapore, the longest time I ever spent in a vehicle was 40 minutes. Each sightseeing location, and restaurant was very far from each other, and as such we spent a lot of time on the bus. Some people even commented that the bus was our 'second home', or that we spent more time in the bus that at the sightseeing locations.

    I had predicted that carsickness would be a major problem, and I came armed with sweets which claimed to be effective against carsickness. These sweets proved themselves to be very effective; eating them made me much more comfortable. Sucking those sweets also seemed to lower my boredom, although eating too much of them would result in the lost of appetite.

    Apart from this remedy, there was another thing that helped me feel less bored: the tour guide. He was rather stout, and seemed to be perpetually dressed in checked shirts. Most importantly of all, he had a good sense of humor. He would tell us all sorts of jokes to entertain us. He was also very knowledge, being able to educate us on all sorts of topics, from politics to how farmers deal with pests. One thing that I greatly admire about him is his endurance. I thought, as he talked throughout the bus rides, "He must have very good endurance to keep talking for so long. He must also be very interested in the subject to keep repeating it every time new batches of students arrive."

    Many other people entertained themselves by listening to song on their MP3s, or by playing cards. Sometimes, they screened action-packed movies, much to the joy of many passengers.

    The bus was an essential tool in transporting us around, and it was, in a way our second home.