November 8, On The Night Bus To Las Vegas

Two buses are leaving Los Angeles for Las Vegas and beyond that night. It's mostly black people, some kids, tired looking girls leaning on their boyfriends that will later say good bye to them. People start to line up early, and so do I thinking that maybe it was a mistake to try to get to Las Vegas by Greyhound bus on a Sunday night! As soon as I'm in my seat I feel better although the supper I just ate at the station makes my stomach hurt. I hope I won't have to excuse myself all night to the lad sitting beside me!

Although the people riding the Greyhound look very much unlike the ones I met on the train, they are polite, the driver is wearing his uniform even though he will take his bus on a trip through the desert, at night. There are more young people on the bus than on he train. The ones I met on the train did not have sleepers, had brought their food and spent most of he time in the sightseeing car.

The Greyhound bus in America is the people mover of the poor, and when you take it you can't worry too much about getting lice or having people throwing up on your lap. It would be almost possible to sleep if it weren't for the stomach ache I got from the mushed potatoes, fried fish and corn.

Unable to sleep I sit back and look at the stars over the desert. There are a few important stops for more people to get on and then comes what seams the most important stop of the night, a McDonald in the middle of the desert. The driver has to knock a few times for the girl to open the door so we can go in and use the bathrooms and get our food. She was probably waiting for us, but fell asleep in the meantime. After that people come back on the bus with fries and cokes. That stop seamed to have been the highlight of the trip for the many young people on that bus, although one of the two girls sitting in front of me doesn't bother getting her fries and coke. When asked if she is not hungry, she replies that she is not hungry for McDonald food. That makes me smile, maybe she knits when travelling during the day?

When the bus starts again I see that the McDonald stop was at Barstow Station, two and half hours away from Las Vegas. Twice before reaching Las Vegas I thought I spotted it through my sleepy eyes. Twice these crazy buildings appeared out of nowhere lighting up the sky with such violence that made my stomach hurt even more. As it turns out they were just little pre-Las Vegas casinos in the middle of the desert. Then, when I finally see the city, I'm disappointed. From far it looks just like any other city, stretching out into the desert as far as the eye can see. Soon after the bus pulls into a very plain looking bus station and one can tell that we are arriving at Las Vegas because of the hotels and casinos. It's almost morning so all is quiet in Vegas. I was glad I got to see the two pre-Vegas shockingly killing the night and the stars because that is what I was expecting of Las Vegas: a big shock in the middle of nature.