From here to eternity on a bus

This tours includes several long distance bus trips,  but only one overnight bus.  I have done overnight buses before.  They are not great,  but always manageable. This one was scheduled to be 14 hours. This Tucuman place we are heading to,  better be worth being bent into the shape of a bus seat for more than half a day.  Deep breath,  there is something to be taken from this challenge. 
The pimped out bus from Santiago wasn't so bad,  so this should be fine.....
The seats were not as wide or plump,  and there was a definite air of 'we gave up'  a long time ago. 
As we get settled in and the bus pulls out of town,  the hostess comes on the speaker system to run down the rules.  Fredy translated the basics; don't walk around the bus while it is in motion,  please use your seatbelt,  and only go #1 in the toilet.  What? How does that work? I'm not sure about you,  but I can't necessarily shut off my bowels like a flick of a switch.  Certainly not for 14 freaking hours. 
We have been told that they offer a small chicken meal onboard,  but most of us opted to grab a Subway sub,  just in case.  The hostess put on a movie and began preparing for dinner service.  We all got a plastic tray and cup.  Then she disappeared  downstairs. What she came back with,  was an atrocity to mankind.  The sticker called it chicken roll. Minced chicken squished around bits of coloured chunks, presumably they were vegetables at some point.  The other offerings on the platter were all forms of white square bread-like things.  The tray was looking more appetizing than the food itself.  I could only bring myself to try the dessert looking item that appeared to have some form of dolce de letche on it. Mistake,  and now those bathroom rules were seeming even more impossible. 
I scarfed down my sub and a sleep pilling and prayed this night would slide by quickly.  I was lucky to sleep the majority of the way.
In the morning,  around 7:30 the bus started to make some very strained noises.  Perhaps,  someone hadn't obeyed the rules.  We chugged along for a bit,  but it was obvious that we were slowing down.  Finally we pulled over on the side of the highway and the driver and hostess disappeared.  They wouldn't let us off the bus to stretch our legs or make a break for it,  not a good sign. The drama was thankfully short lived.  We were back on the road within 20 minutes,  but we were not operating at top speed. 
To take our minds off the death trap ride we were on,  the hostess announced were were going to play a game... Bingo.  I swear,  I'm not kidding. 
She handed out cards,  which most people didn't take.  And away she went,  pulling tiny balls out of a plastic bag,  calling numbers.  At first she was quite enthusiastic,  she rolled her r's and emphasize the numbers.  But she soon realized that those playing were only humouring her and she picked up the pace.  Pretty soon she was firing off numbers like a machine gun; and no one was calling Bingo.  For the love of all things decent,  someone put her out of her misery.  Finally Bingo was called and a prize bottle of wine was awarded. 
Eventually,  15 hours after we left Mendoza,  we pulled into Tucuman bus station.  I have never been so grateful to get off a bus before. 
I don't think I will be standing fully upright until Tony,  my massage therapist, gets his hands on me when I get back home. 
God help me tomorrow when I have to do another one of the treks on the side of a mountain.