Ha Noi is a bustling city rather like New Delhi except most people go to bed early here and restaurants like you to be gone by 10.30pm. Last night we returned to our hotel only to find that the door was locked and a metal security door lowered. Two 'boys' were waiting on daybeds in the lobby for us, their Vespa scooters parked neatly against the wall.

This is our second visit to Ha Noi. We returned yesterday from a two day visit to Ha Long Bay. We spent one night on the boat that took us around some of the 3000 islands that have been formed in the bay from an eroded Karst [limestone] plateau. Extreemly beautiful and other-worldly. The boat was very comfortable with twin ensuite rooms that also had a/c and fans.

Sadly, the guide explained that the boat was made out of solid wood from Laos. Laos is loosing its virgin forests to logging at an alarming rate, often illegally. Anyway, we can't talk, England lost nearly all her oak forests to shipbuilding, house building or agriculture!

And as we know, countries don't learn valuable lessons from their or others' past! Lets face it, Dioxin isn't very good for trees either! Just ask the people who live in Northern Vietnam!