We rode the bus for around 2 hours to get from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. Once we got off the bus, we were positively accosted by a few guys wanting us to stay at their hotel. We already had a booking with a guest house, so we hoped they would leave us alone once they got the news. They kept telling us how great their hotel was and that we should have a look. Seeing as 1) no one from our other hotel was present, 2) we were standing on the side of a highway with nothi...

The bus trip back from Halong Bay was uneventful, with the exception of a lot of sleeping and one impromptu stop near the pineapple plantations for a fun pineapple snack. The locals chop off the skin, carve a design into the pineapple, and whittle the green pineapple top into a handle. Voila…instant pineapple popsicle. Damn tasty and a whole lot healthier than ice cream. We arrived at the hotel, and in the lobby, we ran into the Gubanyis (Peter, Renee, Jacki...

Since Halong Bay isn't well-suited for independent travelers, we decided to take a tour. We booked a Halong Bay cruise aboard a Chinese Junk, and we combined it with kayaking the bay with our guide, Phong. The ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay takes 4 hours, and it turns out we had the bus to ourselves. This worked out well, because Bev was feeling a little off due to something she ate in Laos (we suspect a salad). Anyway, she was able to stretch out and nap. Shortly...

Short Version We flew to Hanoi on a small plane from Laos. The flight was uneventful, and we were thankful to not to have to take the mountain road out of Laos the same way we had arrived. Hanoi is a city with a lot of character and charm—the mix of French architecture and culture with modern and traditional Vietnamese life makes it an easy and interesting place to visit. It is "easy" unless, of course, you want to cross a street. The 2 million motorbikes in t...