Top 5 things that annoy me on a long distance bus trip in China...

5. You have to be extra careful with your belongings, wallet and mobile phone even when they are right beside you/on your body. Sleeping with one eye open helps..also make sure you peer out the window when the bus stops to make sure no one takes your luggage when they open the luggage hold below...

4. They tell you not to take off your shoes or spit on the bus.

3. You have to dodge masses of people as well as incoming and outgoing buses at the bus station.

2. You have no clue what people are saying, but you know they're (attempting to..) speaking putonghua.

1. The bus drops you off at a final destination that wasn't stated on the bus station signs and is blocks away from where you thought you'd be.

I'm now in Guangzhou after a harrowing trip from downtown HK. All of the above things happened to me on my trip over here (it took 4 hrs instead of the usual 2!) and although it is Spring festival here (meaning things in China are a bit crazy). I will definitely take the train from Shenzhen next time.