I used to love flying but not anymore. And it's not because of the flight itself. When they started asking to take off shoes, I was annoyed. When they confiscated my water bottle, I was thirsty. Then they took away my little mosquito repellent and sunscreen containers as I was on my way to Puerto Rico, and it almost made me cry. But now they want me to show my naked body and/or be groped. Well,that's too much for me. As much as I love the experience of the actual flying, and as quick as it may be, I am now forced to abandon it in favor of other forms of transportation.
That's how I ended up on a Greyhound from Raleigh, NC to Tucson, AZ. 51 hours on smelly, uncomfortable buses. I got to Raleigh by air - Tucson International Airport does not have the whole body scanners yet. But Terminal 2 at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport does. I will not talk about that anymore. Others (Cartoon Peril and Clio2) do a good job at this. Instead, I will just tell you about my experience. There's a poll about alternative modes of transportation at the end. Feel free to skip the travelog.
Saturday, Dec. 4, 18:30. I'm at the Greyhound terminal in Raleigh, NC. Vince, a middle aged black guy, approaches and introduces himself. He shows interest and seems disappointed when I show him my wedding ring. That hasn't happened to me in a while. I feel relieved when it turns out he's taking a bus to NYC.
It was snowing just before. Raleigh is covered with a white blanket of snow. the bus should leave in about 10 minutes. Can't wait to get on board!
18:52 - finally on the bus!
Raleigh is not alone under the blanket. All the way to Greensboro, NC, the trees, bushes, and ground are all covered - it's beautiful!
0:00 - A 1-hour long rest stop in Charlotte, NC. After getting water, reading, and brushing my teeth, I get back on the bus. Next stop: Atlanta, GA. On the way here one of the passengers mentioned a Chinese-run bus that offers better service for much lower prices. Need to look it up! Slept all the way to Atlanta.
Sunday 04:15. we arrive at Atlanta, GA. The beauty of the city does not reflect at all on the bus terminal. What a shame! After getting breakfast (biscuits and jelly + tea) I'm surprised to see a depiction of the bus terminal in a kids cartoon on TV. Is it produced by Greyhound? It has lockers and vending machines. Silly. But that's not the only entertainment: there's a man standing by the Women's restroom sign, and tells everybody why the should fear God more than man. And I just noticed that someone here has an elaborate system for charging their laptop and phone using the outlet of a defunct water fountain. This terminal has the dirtiest restrooms! However, the mirror is still capable of reflecting my overly messed-up hair and swollen under-eyes. By the time I'm done washing my face and brushing my teeth, the line is already formed for the bus to Dallas, TX, even though there's still 30 minutes to departure. They started boarding, but closed the gate just as the person ahead of me in queue was about to board. Then we had to wait 15 minutes or so, but it turned out to be very good, because we got a new bus! That means that I was the second person to board it, and I happened upon a seat with lots of leg room! There's enough space to spread out. The driver, Sharon, sounds pretty cheerful, but she won't tolerate profanity.
7:00 Again, I slept through the ride all the way to Birmingham, AL. I think we're in a different time zone now. There's a bit of confusion in the re-boarding process, but somehow I end up at the right place.
12:00 What a mess in Jackson, MS! Our nice bus left us, and we had to board the first bus that left from Atlanta. First, the original passengers on this bus boarded, then us, then the new comers. There's a lot of confusion, juice-spills, and chaos. The bus is full, my comfi seat is gone. At least I'm not planning to sleep till the next transfer in Dallas.
18:30 We're in Shreveport, LA. Also known as "The Other Side of Louisiana". Seems like a casino town with all its flashy signs and decorative lights. We're almost an hour late, and there's no time to get food. There's not much choice anyway - not much other than meat sandwiches and chicken body parts.
As we board, I see someone in the seat where I sat before. So I took another seat. That's fortunate, because this seat is next to William's. He helps me pass the time between Shreveport and Mesquite, TX, with his account on the life he's gonna have as a truck driver, plus some relationship advice.
In Dallas, I boarded my final bus at 23:50! I slept through the ride till we got to a Whataburger somewhere between Big Spring and Odessa, TX. Crazy black birds (grackles? It's too dark to tell,even though it's already 07:00) make a riot.
Monday, 12:00, mountain time, we get to El Paso, TX. The ride went without any unusual incident - I finished my book, ate a banana and a NutriGrain, listened to some music. El Paso looks very industrial when you just get to it from the east, but as you get closer to the center, it doesn't look too bad - lots of cultural-looking architecture. Pretty impressive. I got some salad and a pecan pie slice for lunch. Hopefully these will be the last on-the-road foods I eat...