SAT 27TH HALONG BAY

CHECKED OUT OF HOTEL BOTH FEELING "HUMAN" AGAIN.BACK ON THE BUS FOR ANOTHER FOUR AND A HALF HOURS UNTIL WE REACHED OUR NEXT DESTINATION-HALONG BAY.THE QUAY AREA WASA BIT MANIC-COACHLOADS OF TOURISTS AND LOCALS ALL MILLING AROUND,GUIDES JOSTLING TO GET THEIR GROUPS IN POSITION FOR THE BOATS.AFTER A SHORT BOAT RIDE PAST DOZENS OF "JUNKS"-WE BOARDED OUR JUNK.LARGE,VERY COMFORTABLE AND ONLY OUR GROUP ON IT-GREAT!SOME OF THE JUNKS WE SAW WERE ABSOLUTELY PACKED WITH PEOPLE.THE FOOD AND SERVICE WERE FIRST CLASS.WE HEADED OUT INTO HALONG BAY-A MAGNIFICENT SIGHT.NEARLY TWO THOUSAND LIMESTONE ISLANDS - EACH TOPPED WITH JUNGLE VEGETATION,RISING SPECTACULARLY FROM THE OCEAN.WE PASSED BY SOME OF THE FLOATING VILLAGES AND FOUND THE ONE FATURED ON TOP GEAR.WE VISITED HANG DAU CAVES-WHICH IS BASICALLY A HOLLOW ISLAND.FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE HERE FOR US-BIG GROUPS OF FRENCH AND JAPANESE PUSHING PAST WITH THEIR MASSIVE CAMERAS-WE GAVE UP TRYING TO LISTEN TO OUR GUIDE-COOL CAVES THOUGH.BACK ON THE BOAT WE WENT KAYAKING.MIMI WENT WITH HANNAH AND I WENT WITH MEL.AT FIRST IT LOOKED MORE LIKE FENCING GOING ON IN MIMIS KAYAK-VERY FUNNY TO WATCH.THERE WERE LOTS OF JELLYFISH IN THE WATER BUT I STILL WENT FOR A QUICK DIP.MIMI AND HANNAH DECIDED TO EXPLORE HALONG BAY-I THINK THEY WERE HEADING FOR AUSTRALIA WITH MIMIS SENSE OF DIRECTION,LUCKILY I FOUND THEM AND THEY FOLLOWED ME BACK TO THE BOAT.WE WENT THROUGH SOME CAVES AND THE SURROUNDINGS WERE VERY SCENIC AND SO QUIET.BACK ON THE JUNK WE HAD A DISCO AFTER DINNER-AMAZINGLY THEY EVEN HAD STROBE LIGHTS AND A DISCO BALL! A GOOD NIGHT.

SUN 28

VERY SAD TO LEAVE OUR JUNK-ALL OF US SAID WE WOULD HAVE GLADLY SPENT ANOTHER DAY OR TWO ONBOARD.MIMIHAS DECIDED THAT SHE DOES CRUISES NOW!!
BACK ON THE BUS IT WAS AND ONWARDS TO OUR NEXT DESTINATION-HANOI.
A WORD OF WARNING TO ANYONE COMING OR THINKING OF COMING TO VIETNAM-BE PREPARED FOR HUNDREDS OF MOPEDS/BIKES COMING AT YOU FROM EVERY ANGLE.EVEN THE PAVEMENTS ARE NOT SAFE! WE SAW MOPEDS CARRYING FILING CABINETS,CRATES OF LIVE CHICKENS AND EVEN A FRIDGE FREEZER!ALL FIGHTING EACH OTHER FOR EVERY INCH OF SPACE AND SOUNDING THEIR HORNS.WE LOVED HALONG BAY BUT HANOI IS CRAZY CRAZY BUSY.THE PEAPLE ARE DIFFERENT FROM LAOS AS WELL.IN LAOS EVERYONE WAS NICE,POLITE,FRIENDLY AND DIDNT SEEM TO RIP YOU OFF.VIETNAM,SO FAR,IS VERY DIFFERENT.THE MEN OGLE AND STARE AT WESTERN WOMEN AND PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY PUSHY AND RUDE.JUST TRYING TO WALK THE STREETS IS A NIGHTMARE.OUR LEADER GAVE US LESSONS IN CROSSING THE ROAD-WHICH I THOUGHT WAS STUPID-HOW WRONG I WAS!THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS IS BASICALLY TO HAVE THE NERVE TO STEP OUT AMONGST THE MAYHEM,KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN AND WALK!AS LONG AS YOU DONT STOP AND KEEP AN EVEN PACE THE BIKES (SHOULD!)GO AROUND YOU.EVEN ON CROSSINGS YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR WITS ABOUT YOU-YOU DONT HAVE TO BE COLOURBLIND TO GO THROUGH A RED LIGHT HERE!ANARCHY ON THE ROADS RULES.THE ONLY WAY THAT I WOULD DRIVE HERE WOULD BE IN A TANK!WE BOTH THINK VIETNAM IS VERY DIRTY AND EVEN WORSE THAN BANGKOK.THE GOOD POINTS??-ITS VERY CHEAP AND THE SUN IS SHINING!THE OWNER OF THE BEER PLACE WAS ABOUT THE NICEST PERSON WE HAVE MET SO FAR.FRESHLY MADE(SAME DAY)BEER-ABOUT 25PENCE A GLASS-NICE ONE!IN THE EVENING WE WENT TO A THEATRE TO SEE A VIETNAMESE TRADITION DATING BACK MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS-WATER PUPPETS.THE SEATS WERE OBVIOUSLY NOT MADE FOR WESTERNERS-AT LEAST NOT THOSE OVER FOUR FEET TALL!MY KNEES WERE CRUNCHED HARD AGAINST THE SEAT IN FRONT.AT LEAST THEY ARE CONSISTENT-I HAVE TO SIT DOWN IN THE BATH TO SHOWER,CANT SEE MY HEAD WHEN STANDING IN FRONT OF ANY MIRRORS AND AS FOR A STRETCHED OUT BATH-FORGET IT!I FEEL LIKE A GIANT HERE.

MON 29

FREE DAY TODAY TO CHILL OUT.GOING TO SEE THE HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM TOMORROW.APPARENTLY THE ONLY REASON KFC IS ALLOWED IN VIETNAM IS BECAUSE COLONEL SANDERS LOOKS LIKE HO CHI MINH!
THEN WE HAVE AN OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO HUE AND THEN ONTO HOI AN ON THURSDAY