17 October 2007 - Vietnam

Day 13 - A very exciting morning spent putting in our laundry, using the internet and taking a walk round the Old part of Hanoi. We tried to find something "western" for lunch (rice and noodles takes its toll after a while!) so stopped at a sandwich place. However, the pre-packed sandwich was then microwaved to make it warm and was repulsive! So, we managed to find another place that did "proper" sandwiches. After lunch we met up with the rest of the group and went to see the Water Puppets show. Basically a puppet show where the puppeteers stand in waist deep water behind a screen and tell a story (in Vietnamese so we didn't understand any of it!). Very quaint though. In the afternoon we went to the Ho Chi Minh Palace and Museum (vaguely interesting - lots of references to the nasty French and Yanks!). In the evening we met up with the new people that were joining our group for the second part of the tour and said goodbye to those that were leaving. In the evening Ricky watched the England v Estonia game and celebrated by downing a couple of local lagers (with a Scotsman!).

Day 14 - Ricky awoke early to catch the second half of the England vs France Rugby match - he was very happy with the result (the french travellers in the hotel were a little more subdued!!) After the excitement was over we set off towards Halong Bay. We checked into our lovely "Junk" boat (probably the second best place we've stayed in so far) for a cruise and overnight stay. They plied us with a lot of shellfish for lunch (Ricky was not happy!). We then stopped at some caves and saw some impressive limestone formations (some rather phallic!). Later on Ricky decided to go out on a kayak for an hour or so and then some of the group jumped off the top deck of the boat for a swim (we wussed out - Ricky actually wasn't allowed to do it for fear of injuring his knee - Lynne's look was all that needed to be said!).

Day 15 - After a good nights sleep (separate beds seem to be the way forward!!) we stopped at Titop Hill for a climb to see the view over the bay. It was quite hazy while we were there but still pretty impressive. After another huge seafood lunch (by which time Lynne couldn't eat any more as it didn't agree with her!), we disembarked the boat to head back to Hanoi. The afternoon was spent doing a bit of shopping. Lynne bought a new backpack as her old one was on its last legs. Getting round Hanoi is an extreme sport in itself due to the number of motobikes/scooters on the road. Traffic lights mean nothing - you just have to cross the road, looking straight ahead and hope that the bikes will go round you! Dinner was in a restaurant called "Little Hanoi". Ricky nearly didn't make it as he was in a different cab with some of the other lads - their cabbie got lost (they don't do the knowledge in Hanoi!). Ricky, the two kiwi lads and the Belgian in our group almost ended up in a scuffle as the cabbie still demanded the full fare. After dinner we caught the overnight train to Hue (approx 13 hours). The train wasn't the cleanest (the sheets and pillows etc probably hadn't been washed for months). Luckily we had our sleep sheets and sleeping bags to avoid the grime!

Day 16 - We arrived in Hue about 11am and went straight for Brunch (sandwich followed by banana pancakes!). In the afternoon we met up with our Guide and were taken on a tour of the Citadel via a Cyclo ride (like a rickshaw) - good fun cycling through the flooded streets of Hue! There was more rain in the afternoon and we ended up having to wade to the nearby restaurant. The local kids seemed to love it though!