Got up at 7.30, packed and checked out at 8. A guy came to pick us up in a mini bus to Halong Bay.

The bus was full, the trip to Halong Bay was cancelled yesterday as there are tropical rainstorms so everyone is going today instead!

The bus stopped at The Ruby Emperor at about 11, it was a very strange place purely there to get tourists to spend money on expensive things! It had a cafe, food shops, clothes shop, museum and ornament table. It was all in a shack at the side of the main road! Strange.

As we had only booked a bus to Halong Town the tour guide got us to buy a tour. He didn't sell it very well but we agreed, it included caving, kayaking, all meals, accommodation and boat back to Halong town tomorrow for $40 (£25) which is a little expensive but it's ok.

Got back on the bus and got to Halong Town at 12.30. We had missed the 12.15 boat to Halong Bay! Great! No problem though as there was about 70 people waiting for a boat that held 25 people!

There was so many travellers waiting around! Prime time for people watching! Until I remembered my passion for travellers and that they do my head in, seriously just go home! Screaming and shouting at the tour guide about having to wait an hour and a half for the boat! Seriously I'm going to ram your rucksack down your throat.

I am still yet to see a gay guy and a girl travelling together! In all of the four countries we have been to we have never seen this! Maybe we are special? Don't answer that.

Two couples we got talking to mentioned how chilled we are and said you can tell we are experienced travellers compared to everyone else! This made my heart skip a beat, so happy! Obviously I was just like 'yeah man'! haha although it has only been like 3 months but I guess only a very few people do not have time limits like us.

Finally got on the boat at 1.45, we were just settled and on it for around 15 minutes when the guy came up to us and said we need to change boats! We were in the middle of the sea. Are you kidding me?!

So they pulled the boat up to another boat and we had to do a captain jack sparrow and swing from a rope and land on the other boat! (step from one boat to the other holding the tour guides hand).

I was promised that it was safe to leave my rucksack and bag on the other boat as we would not sail away from them. As soon as I went inside the boat the other boat sailed away. Bye bye rucksack and all my possessions!

We changed boats as we had paid for lunch, we got sat at different tables, I was sat with a couple and there son from Malaysia and an elderly couple from Vietnam. The elderly lady from Vietnam lets call her Peggy.

When the food came it was, sticky rice, clam soup, vegetable spring rolls, peanuts, spinach in oil, salad and soy sauce. It was like feeding time at the zoo! Asian families waste no time grabbing everything they want! I tried a bit of everything but Peggy decided this was not good enough, every time I ate one speckle of a grain of rice she would pile my bowl higher with whatever she decided I liked! Bless her! But seriously Peggy, simmer down!

After the meal we docked at the caving sight! The other boat docked here as well with our rucksacks on! The cave was called Thien Cung Cave and is one of the most famous in Halong Bay. It's 20 meters above sea level and is 3000 square meters.

It was beautiful inside, all the walls were lit up with different coloured lights which was a bit weird but interesting! Non of the tour guides in the cave spoke English but I reckon I could have guessed what they were saying anyway. 'there is a rock, it's the same as the last rock and will be the same as everything else you see'.

Tried to get real Tyra about it but Michael's photography skills any up to scratch and with 80 tourists looking at you it was slightly awkward! Didn't really care though!

All I was imagining was the film 'the descent' and trying not to stray from the beaten track to much! I enjoy life to much to die at the moment! Plus Michael owes me £2 and he won't be getting away that easily! ;)

At the exit of the cave was a couple of shops! They set up shops all over the natural beauty of Vietnam! I guess they have to make money though!

The view from the exit was beautiful! You could see all the boats below, all the mountains around and right out to sea!

Got back on our original boat and sailed to Halong Bay which is the main attraction around here!

We got to go kayaking around the bay, I think me and Michael are working better as a team at this kayaking thing! There was two special coves you could go and see there if you paid extra but we didn't want to pay, we went over to them but we didn't know if there was going to be cove mafia on the other side so we didn't risk going into them!

When we got back we got our rucksacks and swapped boats onto a third boat! I really have no idea why when we all do the same things and are catching the same transfers!

We arrived at CatBa island at 5 and waited for our transfer bus to come an collect us. We got to the guest house at 6, checked in then went to have tea downstairs which was exactly the same as what we had for lunch! You can tell its the same tour! Peggy was say at my table so I was fed again! Michael loved it though! She is very mothering!

My hair smells all the time, even just after washing it. It just smells like Asian drain water the whole time! Lovely I know! But it actually smelt like my shampoo this time, maybe it's different water up in the mountains!