post trekking and kayaking

trekking was great fun!

we walked for about 2 hours uphill on the first day, after having lunch in a house on stilts in a village called Mai Chau. we slept in soemone's house that night, it was just like a barn and he had 13 children!

the next day we walked for 6 hours downhill...hard going because it was slippery and it took a lot of concentration- carl fell over a couple of times and said `its just so easy, I can afford to sit down for half the time!` one woman fractured her ankle though and will most likely have to end her trip. 

that night we slept in someone else's house...a treehouse in the shape of a turtle because of a myth that says a turtle saved the viallge from a flood.

we walked for 2 hours the next day past a nursery of children who all sang freres jaques as we went past. one irish girl gave them her tin whistle...yes mummy, carl had a duet partner!

we came back to hanoi for the night before the 3 hr drive to ha long bay, where we stayed on a boat. It was really beautiful...we went kayaking to the caves which we pottered around and saw huuuge jellyfish. I screamed everytime water went in my face...typical me! the water was a bit polluted though which was a shame.

Back in hanoi tonight before the overnight train tomorrow. Its going to get hotter as we go further south just I've got soem new flipflops!!