The busses in this part seem to be run by the Afghans. I suppose after Kashgar is only Pakistan and Afghanistan.
You can only buy tickets on the day. Busses start to leave about 10.30 and leave when they are full. My ticket cost 238y for a bottom bunk. They are all bunks and you cant sit up at all, maybe in the middle cos there is a little more height there. my bus was 14.00 but re-scheduled to 15.20 and we left at 16.10.
You are not allowed to wear shoes on the bus and the driver gives you a bag to put them in under your bunk. The smell hit you when you first get on. Imagine the smell of 42 pairs of smelly feet and shoes. Then add another 42 and close the door. The smell is really something, although you do get used to it.
First stop was at 17.30, just a pit stop at a servo. Second stop was dinner at 20.00 in a dive with dirt floor. The dirt floor is so you can rinse your bowl with tea and throw it away on the floor then fill it with tea. The meal was OK but way overpriced as you would expect. Luckily I met a Pakistani guy who insisted on paying for mine as I am the guest..
We travelled for a few hours down hill through the mountains. They were dry and barron rocks but at least something to look at. We had a few stops in the night, one at a servo for fuel.I looked at my watch and thought it was 5.25. About 4hr later I realised I had put my watch on upside down and it was actually 11.55. During the night we passed a few industrial places, they looked like oil refinery or power station.
The morning and all the next day on the left, my side, was dry, barron, flat land. The right side had the good stuff, some of which I saw I guess some I missed. Breakfast was at Petro Hongda, the usual truck stop type servo again overpriced and again my Pakastani mate insisted on paying for me.
Lunch was at a real dive selling overpriced lollies and biscuits and fruit and eggs. I bought a Red Bull and skipped the food.
After lunch we did 60k/hr for a couple of hours. I dont know why cos the road was one of the best. Dual carriage way, straight and flat. In fact the whole trip was slow. It took 24hr, minus about 1hr for meal stops, to do 1400km. You do the math, that is about 80k/hr.
We arrived at 4pm exactly, 24hr after we left. I told the 3 drivers they were a disgrace. There would be bus drivers all over the world hanging their head in shame at how slow they drive. The Nepali drivers would do it in half the time in a clunker of a bus.