Our overnight train arrived back in Hanoi at 5.30 am, so we walked around to Jaspers for breakfast. We walked back to hotel, Mark, Pearl and Taylor took a taxi back, it was already stinking hot by the time we finished breakfast and the streets were so busy... We enjoyed sitting on a park bench around Hoan Kiem Lake watching the locals dancing, this was about 8 in the morning. We enjoyed the day sight seeing around Hanoi and gearing up for our next tour to Halong bay.
The next morning, again we met with others at The Kangaroo Bar for a 4 hour bus trip down to Halong Bay. Once at the bay we were transferred to our junk via the tenders, our home for the next two days & night. There were 13 guest onboard our junk. We were greeted with a lovely refreshing drink before given our rooms and then served up a huge and lovely vietnamese luncheon. Our junk toured through Halong Bay, while we could just chill out on the top deck and lay back on the lounges and enjoy the spectacular scenery. Once we anchored we all hopped onto the tenders and were taken across to Ti Top Island. Mark hiked to the top of Ti Top Island to the lookout and took some amazing photos, we also went swimming at the beach at Ti Top beach, the water would have been about 29 degrees, it certainly wasn't a refreshing swim but nice all the same. 
After Ti Top Island Mark went for a kayak we all went back to the junk for pre dinner drinks and yet another fantastic seafood vietnamese dinner. Only Taylor doesn't like seafood, so she didn't get much to eat but breakfast the next morning she got a great feed.
After breakfast, we again hoped into the tender and went across to a cave, it was so humid in the cave but beautiful. Back on the junk and we met up with another junk, were part of the guest departed, as they were doing the two night tour. We then spent return trip back to Halong relaxing on the top deck enjoying the breeze and scenery. At Halong we had lunch before hoping back on the bus for the four hour trip back to Hanoi. 
Once back at Hanoi we said our farewells to Mark, Pearl and Taylor, as we were flying south early the next morning.
Again another tour not to miss, when visiting Vietnam.

Thanks Mark, Pearl and Taylor for being such great travelling companions and sharing this experience with us both.