Laos Busses- A Potential Culture shck

It is a little hard to write on the topic of culture shock on a country you've never been. However, upon doing some reading other people's blogs it was interesting to think that some of the ones listed- large beer drinking culture and a very laid back culture don't seem like they would be too radically different or hard to adapt to from an Australian perspective. However, there was one bit of research that stood out to me. It seems that busses in Laos are pretty shocking!

For a thrifty traveller such as myself public transport is often a great option. As a student in Australia I enjoy the luxury of busses that arrive relatively on time and reach their intended destination smoothly. 

However, while using busses in Laos is appealing- my research indicates I would probably encounter a fair bit of cultural confusion when trying them out. 

The blog Living Spree described their experience:

'You see, the bus trips on the best roads go at notoriously super slow speeds and stop every 10 minutes to let someone on or off. You can pay double for a fancy bus, but you’ll still probably be tortured with insanely bad music videos and zero leg room, only to arrive an hour earlier. Then, the bus trips that go through the mountains and over bumpy roads that buses shouldn’t be able to handle…'

If you're keen for something truly authentic and to travel like a local maybe an incredibly long, slow and noisy bus ride is appealing. But for myself I think I may avoid the shock of Laos busses and opt for alternate transport. No matter how decorative and pretty the busses look, it may be smarter to travel in a more tourist friendly method for the sake of my sanity.