What's up, Doc? I feel that, despite having mostly recovered from a couple of days of simultaneous temperatures, shivers and sweats, I'm still not quite over my bout of whatever it is I've had/got, but I'm hoping that another good night's rest will prepare me for my energetic days to come, which will be spent mostly sunning myself on a boat, as it sails around and among the islands off Vietnam's Halong Bay. I'm looking forward to it, especially since my semi-return to the old status quo (oxymoron?) signals that my Jamie-esque, hypochondriac(al) concerns with malaria were indeed ill-founded. (Before you protest, Matthews, need I mention anthrax or spontaneous combustion? No, I thought not). Since, as my dear aunt puts it, my near demise, I have journeyed a long way north, and am currently in V's capital, Hanoi. I stopped off in Hue, where I was wholly unimpressed with the upkeep of the citadel (it is, afterall, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but the complete lack of care for the whole area within the walls seemed a little cheeky, having been obliged to pay what, for Vietnam, is a fairly hefty entrance fee), and was ready to write the city off as a complete waste of a couple of days (miserable weather probably contributed to my bleak outlook) when I stumbled across Thu's pun-ridden "Cafe on Thu Wheels": Thu was the proprietoress, and had amazing powers of persuasion (aided by the walls of the cafe, which were decorated with 5 or 6 years' worth of backpackers' exalting graffiti) when it came to drumming up trade for her "Tours on Thu Wheels" - an operation spearheaded by one of her 10 brothers. As far as I could gather, all 10 of the bros act as moto-tour guides, and for the flat sum of 100,000 dong/3 pounds, they whip you out of the city on the back of their Hondas, through paddy fields and flooded lanes, to see the sights Hue can really boast about. It was fantastic fun, and the best way to see the place - I'd recommend it to anybody who can straddle a saddle! After Hue I came up to Hanoi, and spent a couple of days wandering around with a Canadian guy with an Irish accent (his explanation was having lived in Scotland for a year :s), before heading off to do some trekking in Sapa. Sapa was as beautiful as everybody had told me, and some of the landscapes reminded me so much of Peru and Bolivia (yep, there were mountains), twas kind of like the trip coming full circle...which it very soon will be, sniff. Unfortunately, alas, it was also where I fell ill, so after a day and a half's trekking (including a homestay in one of the many villages dotted around the mountains and valleys we hiked through), I collapsed into bed at the hotel we'd started from, and missed out on the next day's short trek to another local village that specialised in various handicrafts. Two days ago now, I clambered aboard the night train back to Hanoi, and enjoyed the 'comfort' of a bamboo mat on the wooden bunk in the tiny, cramped cabin as I tried to get over my fever. The joys of travelling :) . While I know it's not always stopped me in the past, I'm aware that this has got pretty long again...so I'll spare you. I'll try and get some more photos uploaded soon - it's been a while, and I'll let y'all know how Halong Bay treats me. I hope that typhoon's passed by now :S Lots of love, xxxx