Freshly fed, I was ready to start another overnight long-haul bus journey. After a great first JJ Express experience, there was no doubts in my mind when I booked to travel with them again. Unlike my first journey with JJ Express (read about it here), there were only three westerners among the travellers. To travel from Mandalay to Nyaung Shwe with JJ Express cost 11500 Kyat ($11.50US) at time of travel. Eight hours in total, I opted for the 10pm bus arriving in Nyaung Shwe at 6am.
I boarded the bus and was excited momentarily at the sight of an on-board bathroom, but my excitement was short-lived as the door branded a large “Out of Order” sign. Moving down the bus, I noticed it was much older than the first I had travelled on with JJ Express and the seats were missing foot rests. This resulted in my feet dangling off the leg rest, making it less comfortable than my first journey, but still not horrendously uncomfortable.
The road was smooth and the 75% recline on the wide leather seats allowed for easy curling up into a ball to get some shut eye. Two hours into the journey we stopped at a Feel Express for the bathroom and a late dinner for those who had not previously eaten. If there were other stops during the night, I missed them as the rest was spent in a travel slumber.
The hostess and overall service was less formal but still included a complimentary drink and snack service. There was one hostess for the journey and she helped out during the journey by waking me up for my stop. For the second time travelling with JJ Express the bus was on time, unlike most buses I’ve caught throughout SE Asia.
To reduce the hassle of taxis hustling you at 6am in the morning when you are half asleep, there was a shuttle service from the bus stop to the hotel. This service was complimentary for all passengers who disembark in Nyaung Shwe.
All opinions are subjective to the writers personal travel experience. The writer travelled at her own expense.
Reblogged this on LIFE in SE ASIA a daily magazine.