Halong Bay

Our second nights sleep in Hanoi in the hotel we aimed for wasn't great as outside our window was a huge water tank which every two seconds made a sound a little like a fork lift truck! This repeated all through the night and coupled with my ridiculous back pain resulted in a fairly grumpy morning. All in all, Hanoi was a bit of a disaster for us. We're sure others have had top experiences here but it's been one thing after another for us and the thought of the beauty and peacefulness of Halong Bay as we got the heck out helped to raise a smile.

We successfully made it to the bus stop after dodging the manic traffic flowing from every direction (sometimes even on the pavement). Two buses and one hydrofoil later got us to the horn-free, gorgeous (if a little drizzly) Cat Ba Island. Within minutes we sorted a place to stay with huge open windows showing the full stretch of the bay.

Our hotel boss was straight on the possible outings we could go on the following day. They seemed steep, almost twice the price the book had suggested and with my back still twitching we decided to take it easy for the time being. We left there and went for a snoop around the streets, which didn't take long as there are only three of them! We settled down to eat at Bamboo Bar cafe where we met a truly brilliant character who owned the restaurant. He was all muscles, long hair and tattoos and one of the kindest people we have met since leaving England. We checked out what prices were good for tours and he let us know our hotel were not ripping us off, then after a splendidly tasty meal (also splendidly cheap!) it was bed time.

As soon as we sat for breakfast the following day we were hassled about tour booking again. My back was feeling better after a rest so we decided that the following day we would head for the seas. We planned to spend today relaxing on one of the island's three beaches but the weather made that seem an unattractive option. Today the internet was our best option and we headed for a blog catch up. A couple of hours after pounding our keyboards we headed back down the street when out of nowhere the weather kicked up a gear. The wind and rain slammed the sea front sending chairs and tables across the street and bending large restaurant umbrellas inside out. We took refuge under the canopy of a small cafe but after seeing more and more things being thrown around and even the metal of the canopy distorting we decided to run through the now ankle deep water back to our hotel. Getting drenched within seconds we did not make it that far, but found a sturdier cafe where we sat with two hot chocolates and watched the chaos unfold before us as we warmed ourselves back up. If there was a day not to be at sea this was it, we were glad to have put Halong Bay off but our plans for the beach were definitely out the window.

Eventually we made it back to the hotel and took comforting hot showers before sitting in front of our huge windows and watching the ships in the harbour get tossed around. On days like this we usually resort to our second favourite thing after sightseeing- eating- and so headed out to dine in not one but two different restaurants! We ordered mains from an expensive and swanky "my-parents-would-like-this" sort of place and then headed to a more budget friendly option for dessert. Fully stuffed the day was over.

As we awoke the following morning we peaked out the windows at the weather anxiously. Today we would finally see the limestone karsts of Halong Bay. Nice and early fifteen of us boarded a wooden motor boat and sat inside, not speaking a word to each other. It felt a little like a doctor's surgery, but it didn't take more than an hour until people started chatting. Being travellers there is always something to talk about (every conversation seems to involve details of where you are going and where you have been!) and yet again we had been lucky, taking the cruise with a really brilliant gang of fellow explorers.

After sailing past a hundred or so jagged rocks scattered with lush vegetation and grottoes we were to visit some caves again. The first was over and done with after some shuffling around for 15 minutes or so,but the second was absolutely humungous and so required no hands and knees or head torch. The high ceiling was illuminated with atmospheric lighting picking out the impressive stalagmites and stalactites and our camera was in constant use.



As we headed back outside the sun was starting to show itself off properly and the emerald water looked rather inviting. This was lucky as the ship's captain headed to a beautiful location to swim. Jumping from the top deck we splashed into the surprisingly warm yet horribly salty water. From here we could swim to a secluded sandy beach with more little caves where Laura and I searched the shoreline for interesting shells and bits of coral that were scattered everywhere like excited little kids again.

Lunch soon followed giving Laura delicious spring rolls and me my first taste of squid, which wasn't at all bad and more rubbery than the slippery slop I thought it might be. We now had our first real chance to sunbathe since leaving England and so relaxed on the deck enjoying the cool breezes the boat took us gently past more stunning scenery.



Our last event of the day couldn't have been much better, as we were given kayaks and an hour to explore where ever we fancied going. Laura and I, slowly becoming kayak masters, swooshed our way to another deserted beach. I don't need to describe anything else- as you can imagine it was perfect.

Making it back on board in time we headed back to Cat Ba after a lot more than we could have hoped for today. The sun had done wonders to our skin, and Laura in particular had quality panda eyes from her tasteful shades. Vietnam was finally getting some plus points and we looked forward to our next destination- Hue!