We wanted to spend a couple of days away from the city, as we have had quite a busy few weeks, so went with our hostel on a trip to Halong Bay, east of Hanoi.

It started with a coach journey, and to be honest, it nearly ended right there. We unfortunately ended up on the back seats so felt every bump and bounce, plus had the somewhat dubious benefits of an elevated position. We first became aware of this when we saw the driver get up, walk about 4 rows back, and reach above the seats to get money for the toll we were about to go through. No problem you might think, except that the coach was STILL MOVING. There were 5 of us on the back seat and we just looked at each other and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Thankfully the guys on the seat in front of ours had brought along some super strength rice wine (40%) for occasions such as this, and we sat back to 'enjoy' the rest of the journey. This consisted of driving consistantly on the wrong side of the road whether there was oncoming traffic or not, and swerving to avoid a herd of cows who were wandering haphazardly down the centre.

There were about 30 of us on the trip, and we had been given stupid hats to wear in order to identify us from any other group. We realised when we got to Halong City (the most ill deserved name I've ever heard) that they were necessary as several hundred other people were there doing the same thing as us. We made our way down to the dock, scrambled down some crumbled old steps, and staggered on board our hotel for the next 2 days, a restored junk, that I presume used to be used as a merchant ship. We were filled up with petrol by some strange teenage boys who were fascinated by Lisa's tattoo, and moved off, thankfully away from the millions of other boats.

The weather was not that great, but as soon as we moved into the bay area the views surrounding us were stunning. Halong Bay is a UNESCO heritage site, and the photos we have taken (once again) do not do it justice. The water was completely still, we could have been on land, and the silence was almost overwhelming. Limestone rocks jutted out of the water, caused by movement of techtonic plates (or something like that), it was just stunning. We cruised around for a bit, then stopped and were told that we could jump in for a swim! Some of the braver members of the group (Lisa included) jumped off the top, but the rest of us hopped in off the side.

After a quick swim, we got into kayaks and paddled through the rock formations into smaller and smaller coves. Legend has it that the rocks are the scales on the back of a giant dragon who came up from the water in order to create an almost inpenetrable maze to protect the mainland from invaders. As we reached what we thought was the end, our guide disappeared into the rock, and we followed, through a cave-like tunnel with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and the sound of bats! On the other side was another beautiful little cove. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and by this point it was actually pouring with hot rain, we were abit concerned that it might thunder and our oars turn into lightening conductors! It was good rain though, as we were soaking wet from swimming anyway, and the extra heat would have been too much for the kayaking.

After the kayaking and a bit more swimming, we sailed onwards to a small cave, where we were given 4 torches (between 30 of us). Our guide vanished as soon as we entered, and unless you were next to someone with a torch you had to take photos with flash to work out where you were. Not fun. Somehow we managed to get part way inside, and some of the boys decided to try and climb up some larger rocks to get to a bit at the top. If we had more torches I'm sure it would have been better, but as it was, it was just stupid and dangerous. Luckilly no one fell down the grave like pit in the middle, but that was more luck that judgement!

We got back in time for a seafood dinner, where I was laughed at for exclaiming 'surprise' when I was faced with a huge prawn with eyes and feelers. Lisa wasn't too impressed when I squeezed the head and prawn gunk flew out at her, but I though I did a reasonable job! After a vodka based award ceremony celebrating the achievements of various individuals throughout the day (most suicidal bellyflop, sinking an unsinkable kayak etc etc), the fun and frolics began in earnest, culminating in naked diving off the boat. Unfortunately for some, their 'overexuberance' resulted in some painful jellyfish stings, as you couldn't see them coming in the dark! Needless to say, we were spectators rather than participants!!

The next morning we had to get up early for breakfast before sailing slowly back to the harbour. Some of the group had paid for an extra day to do some rock climbing, but the rest of us enjoyed the slow sail back. The weather had cleared up and the views of the rock formations were stunning. In fact the day turned into a scorcher, and all 3 of us got burnt!! Once back on dry land we had ANOTHER seafood lunch (and once again Lisa had some green leafy stuff....) before boarding the coach back to Hanoi, thankfully with a slightly better driver than the first!!

So, we decided to book a tour of Halong bay through our hostel.

We had seen every tourist agency advertising tours of Halong bay but decided to go through our hostel as we got to speak to others that had been and had heard that it was good value for money. We decided on a 2 day 1 night trip, rather than the 3 day as we didnt think we were strong enough for rock climbing. We got up nice and early and met down in the foyer of the hostel at 7.45am. As our names were called out we each got given a brightly coloured sombrero to wear, that way we wouldnt lose anybody in a crowd. We boarded our coach and started a rather bumpy (we were at the back so felt EVERY hole in the road) journey. We were slightly worried about making it in one piece after our driver managed to hit a moped in front of him (the moped driver didnt even look behind him, he just drove off so Im sure hes fine) and was further worried when, just before a toll booth, the driver left his seat to get his wallet to pay the toll but the coach kept moving!! Where are seatbelts when you need them?!? Sarah managed to avoid all the worry as she fell asleep quite quickly and managed to contort herself into a rather strange position on the seat, it didnt look comfortable but she didnt wake, even when we hit some rather large bumps in the road and were all thrown about.

Some of the others decided the only way to handle the journey was to make a start on the alcohol so vodka and rice wine were cracked open and consumed.

We arrived at the dock around 11am, and immediately saw why we needed the hats. There were people EVERYWHERE. It seemed about half the western population in Hanoi had decided to take a trip to Halong bay. We boarded our junk, a nice little boat that used to transport wares abroad to be sold. We had to wait while the boat fueled up, the 'tanker' was actually a raft/boat thing that pulled up along side, a large hose was thrown up and fuel was pumped out of big blue barrels that were sitting on the deck, very high tech(!) The guys pumping the fuel were very interested in my tattoos, pointing at my arm and making comments I couldnt really understand. The overall impression I got was they approved which is a better reaction than the old chinese women trying to scrub it off my arm!!

We left the dock about 20 minutes later, cruising out slowly and spent several hours gliding through the water, passing huge limestone rocks jutting out of the sea towards the National park. The rocks were formed by tectonic plates shifting, where they came together they pushed the soft limestone sea bed up out of the water, where erosion has slowly formed them into shapes and sizes. The myth that many Vietnamese believe is that a dragon, sensing that the open expanse of water leading to Vietnamese land was vunerable to attack, swooped down, scattering his teeth and bones into the water, and the rocks formed in their place, thus forming a maze of coves that was impossible to navigate without a map. I like the myth version better.

We arrived around 2pm, anchoring near a cluster of coves. Everyone immediately got changed into swimming gear and started diving in. Lots (including me!) braved jumping off the top of the boat, while others stood on look out for jellyfish. A sting from the jellyfish is painful but not life threatening, still prevention is better than cure! Half the group then went kayaking, Rachel and I managed to haul ourselves into the same one and off we went. It started to rain quite heavily as we set off, we were a bit concerned about holding a metal oar if it started thunder and lightening but the rain stopped within a few minutes so we carried on. We kayaked through two tunnels, the roofs so low we had to duck at some points, listening to bats chittering. We paddled into the cove, which was actually pretty dirty, the locals not having a garbage collection service just throws their rubbish into the water and it ends up getting trapped in the cove, with no way to get out again. We also saw a couple of jellyfish, a small brown one and a larger white one, silently gliding beneath the surface.

After everyone had kayaked and spent some time swimming we left the cove to head for a cave. We pulled up along side the rock and all jumped out, eager to explore. The only problem being there was about 30 people and only 4 torches, all going to climb through a pitch black cave! There were a few scrapes and some bumping into the person in front, some were taking pictures just so the flash would highlight the section in front of them for a few seconds. We soon came to a dead end so turned round and made a rather cautious exit back to the boat. We then cruised to our docking place for the night, a cove that had many other junks already anchored, which we found out later is where all the boats have to dock, as none are allowed to stay inside the national park overnight. Dinner was a host of different dishes, seafood for the carnivores, noodles and veg for the vegetarians. After dinner people settled down to chat or play games, a nicely chilled atmosphere. Of course there was plenty of drinking and it wasnt long before someone suggested the fun game of jumping form the top of the boat again, only this time naked. Not surpisingly the guys were more than eager to lead the way, but there were plenty of the girls up for it too. Rachel and I didnt fancy it so nominated ourselves as offical photo taker (keeping it clean of course) and towel holders. There was only a few at first, but within half an hour most of the people had gone in, some clothed, some in their birthday suits. A storm had been building most of the night and soon after the first peole went in it started pouring with rin, this of course didnt deter anyone as they were getting wet anyways but Rachel and I got soaked through, by the end we were as wet as those that had jumped in! We retired to bed around midnight, leaving a group to dance the night away. We found out in the morning that some had stayed up most of the night and had still been jumping in at 5am, but that ended when one of the girls got stung. She swam into a jellyfish and its tenticles wrapped themselves round her side, stinging her several times.

The next morning we got up early for breakfast, then spent a while swimming and sunbathing before a boat arrived to collect the people that were doing 3 days instead of 2 and took them off to do rock climbing. The rest of us settled down onto sun loungers to enjoy the peaceful journey back to the dock. We arrived at midday, had lunch in a restaurant opposite the dock then got onto a coach for the journey back. I decided to try and sleep so I wouldnt have to endure the sight of the coach swerving across lanes of traffic to avoid cows on the road !

No more...just here for mapping.  Check out Hanoi 2 for final picture.

ANDREI - We'd heard mixed reports of trips to Halong Bay!  So we booked our 2 day, 1 night trip with trepidation!  We'd read that the activities offered (kayaking, swimming in the sea, visit to a beach, visit to the Hang Sung Sot caves) were all too brief and people felt they had not received value for money.

5 classes of boat were on offer, since it's our honeymoon we opted for the 3rd level ("Superior class") and paid $69 each.  We had a fine 3 hour journey by mini bus East and slightly North to Halong Bay City, including a break at a souvenir warehouse (a common tactic amongst big city tour operators!).  There's still no sign of the Sun since we reached Vietnam - it's been solidly overcast!  No sign of it on this tour, despite the trip to the coast!

Once we reached the port, we handed our passports over to Teun, our English-speaking guide, from APT Travel (a comapny panned in reviews we've seen!).  In the drizzle, we waited amongst the low season herds of tourists as photocopies were made, boats were assigned and for Teun to hold on to our passports.  We got on the boat at 12:30pm and it was indeed a good vessel.  A sundeck on top, a restaurant/bar area below that plus 2 cabins, then 6 more cabins and the kitchen below that.

The 7 of us tucked into a nice lunch - Kyle (US-Vietnamese) & Tiffany (Vietnamese), Gustav (French-Vietnamese), and Justin & Jules (Australia) - then we set off into the bay, with many islands plainly visible from the shore.  We sailed out of the coastal drizzle within 20 minutes and took in the wonderful sights around us.  The sea was dead calm, and the islands in the distance were shrouded in an evocative mist of drizzle.

The tower karst islands are what's left of limestone mountains that existed before the last Ice Age.  The big thaw led to the area flooding leaving the mountaintops poking out of the sea.  The mythical stories, however, are a bit more poetic.  One states that the bay was created when a Dragon careered into the ocean, cutting the fantastic bay as it thrashed its way into the depths.  Another states that the islands are Dragons sent by the gods to impede the progress of invading fleets.  Take your pick!

We sailed on to the sizeable Caba Island, where we were to pick up a French party of 10 and drop off Gustav since he was on an alternative trip (we picked him up the next day and he said there was absolutely nothing to do!).  We waited for 2 hours before the French arrived - they were on the 2nd day of a 3 day trip.  Instead of staying a night on the island (which I think is more expensive) they asked to stay on the boat.  They were not happy when the boat sailed on to the kayaking area (which they had done the day before)!

We got 40 minutes kayaking around a few islands.  I didn't think this was enough and was a little annoyed that we had wasted so much time waiting for the French.  On the positive side, we did get plenty of time to relax on the boat, but it was far more interesting getting close to the islands under our own steam.

We did a spot of swimming in one of the deeper areas between islands, avoiding the odd jellyfish.  The sea was nice and warm, but, again, we didn't have much time before it got dark!

Justin and Jules shared a bottle of gin with Kerry and I, so we had a good evening swapping travelling stories.  These 2 have REALLY had some great experiences in SE Asia!  They've been invited in to local weddings in Thailand and Cambodia randomly, taken Easyrider trips off the beaten track in South Vietnam, and been treated to a free boozy dinner by some Vietnamese businessman (the latter two saw them trying lots of REAL local food like dog, dog offal, cooked duck egg foetuses in the egg, etc).  Our trip pales into insignificance!  Unfortunately, we don't really have time to get off the tourist trail, especially since it's our honeymoon and we have some must-see things still to see.  Our list of places to return to has increased!

Due to the upset French, and our subsequent converstaions in French with them, Teun saw fit to show us a little paper trick (which I can't be bothered to describe) as we chatted that night.  The gist of it was that he hoped we would not lose any generosity towards him (in terms of a tip to him) beause of the perceived problems of the French!  To be honest, we weren't that dissatisfied, but that little episode disuaded me from tipping him!  I thought it was a bit cheeky!  I also noticed a tip box on the boat for the crew!  They spent most of the dead time watching TV and chatting away.  There seemed to be far too many of them for the low season, and there service was not over and above what I expected.  So no tips at all for these guys!

The next day, we went to the well developed Hang Sung Sot caves - good paths and effective lighting.  Got some nice photos.  Teun also had a few interesting points to share with us.  After that, we headed back to port, were driven to a hotel 30 minutes away for lunch, then back to Hanoi by 4:30pm.  The French guys tried to refuse to pay their bar bill in protest but were threatened with the non-return of their passports!

Personally, I kept finding myself comparing this trip with our Galapagos Islands tour.  That had been fantastic.  A knowledgeable and organised guide, a hardworking crew, and fantastic sights.  This Halong Bay tour seemed to be a bit messier.  They should not have mixed a 2-day tour group with a 3-day tour group (thus diluting both tours).  Kyle had been on this tour 5 years ago and said the organisation of the place and the development of the port area had not changed since then.  Where is all their money going?  I can't imagine what it would be like in high season!

Overall, it was a pleasant, relaxing trip, even with out the sunshine!  However, 2 days would be the maximum you should take on this tour, unless you go with a reliable tour operator or are part of a bigger tour group who will probably block book boats to themselves. Perhaps even a 1 day tour would be enough, if you don't want to just chill out on the boat?

OK Ladies and Gents If you're going to go to Halong Bay, there's only one way you should do it. Book your tour thru one of the agencies recommended in LP etc. and then go straight there. Do not go straight to Halong Bay expecting to get a better deal. Why? I shall tell you. You will get ripped off...just like my friend and I did. Do not deal with this agency... Ha Long Tourist Boats Group - Mr. Binh Thanh or Discovery Travel on 26 Hang Mam Street in Hanoi. We went back to the "home" agency in Ha Noi and they were very unhelpful. We were ripped off the exact amount of what the tour was worth. Seeing as we didn't know how much a 2 nite/3 day tour was supposed to cost, 80 bucks seemed alright to us when we met up with a guy selling tours in HB. Too bad the actual price is in the range of 45 bucks. When we complained, we were told by the owner of the company that we had delt with his friend, also nicknamed "the hunter", who preys upon tourists. I never got a satisfactory answer as to why he'd want to do business with a criminal. Go figure. Anyways, we were jerked around a lot and although seeing halong bay was amazing, the whole payment thing reallky bugged us. So if you see Mr. Binh Than or Discovery Travel, please give them my least fond regards and give your business to someone else. P.S. the junks they use have plutonium grown rats on board and we saw them running all over the pots and pans in the kitchen. yum yum.

I'm going make this simple: If you book a tour to Halong Bay then take care, choose wisely and go reputable. If you don't then you could end up with the kind of comedic experience I forked out 55 dollars for.

   

This is the reason why i came to Vietnam. Yup, going to Halong Bay. I've already booked my Halong Bay tour packet only $69.50 in my hostel (http://hanoibackpackershostel.com/travel/rocklongrockhard) one day before. Gathered around in the lobby, the group has 15 person (including me) plus 1 guide. On 08:30 am, we were move to the bus and left the hostel. It takes about 3 hours to Halong City. At 11:00 we were just stopped by, having a break in the art craft shop and restaurant. I bought 26000 Dong for 1 large bottle of mineral water, they marked up the price (usually 15.000 Dong in Hanoi minimart).
We arrive at the port on 11:40 pm. There's so many ship, the port look busy and and crowded. Finally, we were sailing to Halong Bay and get our lunch on the oriental ship. They serve us with any kind of seafood and some of vegetables. Its already ate but later the ship crew bring the rice to our table. We pick it up...we try harder it to eat the rice in a plate with chopstick (there is no spoon in our table even they didn't give us a bowl). For the dessert, we get some bread and water melon (this is the breakfast time actually :D). So this is the worst part...they gave us the choice of drinks. We take it what we want. My choice is a can of Mirinda. I drink it. Suddenly, they ask to us to pay the drink. What? Any food is free but we must pay what we drank. Damn...it's so tricky isnt it? Yes now you have to put some additional cost in your Halong Bay trip budget about 100.000-300.000 Dong for the drinks (if you bring some vodka or any alcohol drink, you will get an extra charge too).

to be added

Went to Ha Long Bay, and went kayaking on its green, murky waters. The limestone cliffs/islands were impressive though. Also got to meet 3 lovely Filipina girls. Just so u know peepz. And for those who 'complain' about my entries not having any content, why so serious, hmmm?!? :P :D

The obligatory two-day Halong Bay junk tour.  Our junk, thankfully, was free of rodents, but small roaches were plentiful.  Gorgeous scenery, particularly at the floating fishing villages, beautiful weather, and a refreshing swim off the side of the boat.  We stopped for the peek at the Thien Cung Grotto and in the late afternoon, the tour operator set us up with a one hour kayak ride. The water in the bay unfortunately, is not very clean.  Oil slicks, human waste, dead rats and plently of floating trash.  Jellyfish too.  Apart from that, the bay is a must-see and we had a great time.

Had a situation when we found ourselves locked out of our cabin.  Seems our key might have made its way to the bottom of the bay when I accidently left it in my pocket while jumping off the 30-foot roof of the junk.  The captain had a spare but it only worked on the outside keyhole, not on the inside.  It wouldn't have mattered except that our door could only be locked from the inside with the key and in fact had to be locked from the inside in order to even stay closed at all.  That meant having to unbolt the window, lock the door from the outside, run around to the opposite side and crawl back in through the window. 

  Deb & I both slept through breakfast but I was sufficiently full from the feast the night before. The morning was spent relaxing on the top deck of the boat and enjoying the views. We were due to dock back in at 12pm but not before a final feast for lunch. Completely stuffed I slept the 4 hours back to Hanoi. Once here I was on a mission to get on the internet and find out the result from Lakers v Celtics Game 4. This was harder than it sounds as every kid in Hanoi seems to spend their Saturdays playing on internet games. I eventually was successful only to disappointingly find out the Celtics won in a classic!

  The bus left at 8am and took 4 hours including the always unnecessary 30 minute stop at a souvenier shop where nobody bought anything. On arrival at the dock the heavens opened and we had to wait around an hour before we could board. When the clouds did clear however we were left with a beautiful day. The boat we were going to be staying on was very nice indeed and from first judgment well worth the extra money. The lunch that followed this did nothing to change my mind, some great seafood.

  After lunch it was time to visit the caves which I had heard were not that great. Arriving with this knowledge allowed my to be pleasantly surprised.  Quite spectacular despite being touristy as hell, but you can expect nothing less from such a place. Next up was kayaking that turned out to be great fun. Deb had never done it before and I had not for years but we were soon in rhythm and cruising along. We had a little scare when narrowly avoiding being crushed by a huge boat  that was intent on docking regardless of the fact we were in his way! We spent the next 2 hours meandering in and out of beautiful coves around the bay. One of the girls on the trip with us had brought a waterproof camera so hopefully I will have photos to add soon. Back at the boat we spent an hour or so before dinner jumping from the top deck into the sea resulting in some sore backs & funny videos!

  The evening meal matched the quality of lunch as we were brought dish after dish. I even got to try clams for the first time, which were ok but I doubt I’d ever order them. Our group was a fairly young one and dominated by a big group of Irish so it was no surprise that the rest of the evening involved plenty of beer and even some karaoke.

This day, we had to set off early as the journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay takes close to 4 hours thus meaning you have to be prepared to spend 8 hours on the road. It is time not well spent right? On a holiday.. But there isn't much of choice. We booked this tour in advance with a local tour company for one day's tour and set off in the morning reaching our destination at noon time, with a stop along the way. Hordes of tourists were already at the pier and many junks waiting in anticipation as well. It was not much of a hassle when we got onto the junk and set off for a good sightseeing around the magnificent limestones. Well, you get what you paid for.. It is obvious, the more expensive your package is, the more comfortable and delicious your lunch would be. Anyway, we stopped by a small kelong for lunch and we hopped out to buy some live crabs of all types and fresh tropical fruits. The weather was windy and nice. If you can afford the time, it would be good to book a 3 day tour of the place. The junk set sail again and we proceeded to visit the caves i.e. Dau Go Cave. The views were quite interesting with even a strange glow in them. Anyway soon it was time to sail back. And another 4 hours on the road, we were back to Hanoi again. Went to the surroundings of Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) to take a few pictures of the night view.

Very early in the morning, we arrived in a dark and damp Hanoi. Not the best weather for our Halong Bay day! Roommate #2's mother was waiting for us at the hotel when we got there. She was joining us for the rest of the trip through Laos. In the hotel we took out clothes and toiletries for a night. We were going to be staying on Cat Ba Island and leaving our luggage at the hotel in Hanoi. I packed my stuff into a small packable backpack I had brought but not used up to that point. I was considering leaving it behind earlier in the trip, but I'm glad I didn't. It had been years since I last used a small everyday backpack and I forgot how useful they are.

I was one of the last to leave the hotel to find breakfast. I went out with Cat and the girl from Germany and nothing was open. The Sofitel Hotel around the corner was was one place that was. It was a weird environment to be in when you've been traveling cheaply. But I splurged on breakfast there and enjoyed unlimited amounts of coffee and an overwhelming selection of food. They even had little glasses of creme brulee... for breakfast. Why? Why not?!

We got back to the hotel and everyone else had ended up returning to the hotel and waiting for them to open up for breakfast because they couldn't find anything. On the bus to Halong, we discussed the plans for the next day. Our tour was new and the next few days hadn't been planned very well. We had basically left Hanoi as soon as we arrived. We were supposed to leave Cat Ba Island in the afternoon that day which meant there would be barely any time in Hanoi. I preferred to spend more time in Hanoi rather than Cat Ba, because I figured islands are everywhere, but Hanois are not. My roommate and her mom were also interesting in getting back to Hanoi so we decided to look into trips back once we got to Cat Ba.

The drive to Halong takes a few hours from Hanoi and most tours will do a shopping/rest stop at the same place. There are a lot of bathrooms there, but also a lot of stuff to buy. We finally made it to Halong and it was really crowded with large tour groups. We eventually went down the steps to our boat which had no railing on either side. I was sooo happy I didn't have me large backpack.

After we were all on the boat, we headed out and were soon given lunch. There was a great assortment of food, most of it seafood. Prawns, fish, fried calamari, spring rolls, rice, salad, and the best of all were the crab cakes baked inside a crab shell. I'm not a crab fan, but these were great.

We headed to Suprise Cave next. I guess it's called this because around each corner there is a bigger more suprising space. It was pretty cool and lighting adds to it. When you leave the cave, there are little stands where you can buy pearls that supposedly come from the bay. They have different colors and many styles of pearl jewelry so there was a lot of interesting stuff.

We left the jumble of boats at the cave and went back into the bay. It was still cloudy and misty, but it was so nice and serene. On the top of our boat, they had lounge chairs and it was the perfect place to sail by the islands. After awhile, the rocks and islands begin to acquire their own personalities and start to resemble other things. It reminded me of watching the clouds float by when I was little and imagining shapes and faces in them.

As we got closer to Cat Ba, we saw the floating villages. People live on the water and make their living off of the sea's bounty. Amazing. It seems that some of the kids from the villages go to school on Cat Ba Island and were returning back to their villages for the evening on little boats. They all waved as we sailed by.

We approached Cat Ba and were met by a guy who drove us in two van trips to our hotel. It wasn't far, but he drove like a maniac on the hilly winding roads. At the hotel, for the first time I had my own room. Since my roommate's mother had arrived, they would be sharing and I had my own room for the rest of the trip. Very exciting. I went up to my room and had a shower. The Devils Wears Prada was on so I decided to watch it until we met up for dinner, and then all of a sudden the power went out. It came back on after several minutes. I wasn't looking forward to a night on an island with no electricity!

We left for dinner and saw that inexplicably, there were tons of Christmas lights everywhere. We went down the street to a restaurant called Green Mango. They had a few Mexican food dishes on the menu and I was craving something other than noodles or "Western food". I had low expectations when I ordered shrimp enchiladas. It tasted so good until I slowly realized it tasted nothing like enchiladas. The problem with Mexican food in many places is that the salsa or any other tomato based sauce usually ends up tasting like marinara sauce.

My old roommate and her mother were leaving around 7am the next morning and they showed me were to get tickets if I wanted to join them. I didn't want to leave quite so early so I got a bus ticket for around 8am. I thought it would be an interesting adventure to make it back to Hanoi by myself!

After conquering Mount Fancypants we have just enough time to sqeeuze in a well needed shower and a shitty massage before we head down to Lao Cai for the train to Ha Noi. While waiting for the train Anthony and I meet up again with fellow Rooftopper Leigh, who we met in Kunming. Ozzie Kath joins us as well, and in the train we have an enjoyable trashtalking session. Needless to say, Anthony wins it, again. No surprises there.

The night on the train is good, until it's five o'clock and time for the compartment speaker to announce that we're almost in Ha Noi. Not the nicest way to return from La La land! Our party of four manages to shake off all "Motobai? Motobai??"s and we walk to a waking up Old Quarter. Leigh, Anthony and me end up staying in the Camellia 3, where we can use some beds for some additional sleeping before our room is ready. How nice!

The three of us set out to explore Ha Noi and walk to the Ngoc Son temple in the Hoan Kiem lake, where the Lonely Planet walking tour starts. It costs 50.000 Dong (2E) to enter the temple, but the Lonely Planet isn't clear on whether the tour starts inside or outside the temple. Dilemma. We're thinking of calling Mr. Planet for help, but after a close examination of the map we settle for outside. Satisfied with our strict following of the Mr. Planet's masterwork, we can start the tour.

We don't make it too far though: Le Pub distracts us from out mission to finally for once follow the whole walking route, and instead of getting to know Ha Noi better we familiarize ourselves with Bia Ha Noi and La Rue beer. The rest of the day we spend working on our haggling skills, which greatly improve.

The next day we're picked up from out hotel to do a tour of Halong Bay, Viet Nam's pride. In the minivan to Halong City we crack (and recycle) all our new Halong jokes. Guide: "Halong Bay is a four hour drive away" -"Halong?!" and "Halong are we waiting here?" are amongst our favorites. Once on the Halong Bay pier we find ourselves amongst thousands of other tourists from all corners over the world, buzzing around. Buses come and go, boats tie on to unload their human cargo, and take on supplies and a new round of passengers to see the karsts. It's a machine. We're given a generous hour to see the three boots on the pier that all sell the same stuff and to hit the bathroom. When we finally board our boat it takes another full hour before we actually leave dock and set out to cruise Halong Bay.

And now some totally free advice from Ape: cough up some dough in Halong Bay, you stinky penny pincher. Our tour is shite, our guide doesn't speak english other than "Now you eat!/Now you sleep!", the crew is indifferent to any of our needs, we're waiting for hours at a time without anyone telling us what for and we're not allowed to do anything but sit down. Are we in a position to complain? No. We took the rockbottom cheapie, figuring the scenery would be the same with every price. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that, as the condition you're in determines how you view your surroundings.

Especially the seemingless pointless waiting gets on the groups nerves. We all vow never to take the cheapest tour again, Leigh has visions of blowing up Halong Bay Rambo style, and on the first night our tour guide bursts out in tears, which softens everones temper again. Highly tactical! It must be #1 in the book of Womens Tactical Maneuvers. Now that would make an interesting read. After two (half) days we get back in Halong City. We're supposed to eat lunch, but our guide disappears for a full hour, leaving us with an empty table, wondering where she went. Not that it surprised anyone..

Always look at the bright side of Halong Bay, but they do make it difficult for you. The place is struggling under all the tourists, but the Vietnamese are still only seeing the short term dollars. I hope they'll realize in time that a lot needs to be done if they want to keep Halong Bay alive. My personal experience was shitty in Halong Bay, and I wouldn't ever do a boat tour again. The only way I would do it is by private (speed)boat, but I'm not sure if that's even possible.