Before the 8 a.m. bus back down the mountain to the Mediterranean, I stopped at the bakery for fresh bread.

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At least 41 people were killed when a bus veered off a mountain road into a river in eastern Nepal, police say.

BBC: Nepal bus plunges off mountain road 'killing 41'

At least eight people have died and dozens are wounded after a tour bus collided with two other vehicles on a mountain road in southern California.

BBC: California bus crash kills eight and injures dozens

The bus stop signs in tech-heavy locales like Mountain View and Palo Alto advertising scads of engineering jobs.

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The mountain town of Dolceacqua is 7km north and easily reachable by bus (tickets at the train station cost 1.50 euros, one euro cheaper than if you buy them on the bus).

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The bus to Pakistan follows the Karakoram Highway south over the mountain passes.

BBC: Following the Silk Road to the end of China