Hey guys! Another update from us!

Mind you.....not sure you'll be this lucky in a few weeks! The bug may have worn off!!!! Hope not though!!!! However we're definately making the most of free internet!!!!!

Well we left you waiting in anticipation for information about our Halong Bay experience! What can we say?.....there are no words to describe the scenery and beauty that is the 3000+ islands and islets covering 100,000sq miles of the Gulf of Tolkin.

We booked our 2 day / 1 night tour with our hostel before we left the UK, approx 70quid for the two of us! At time of booking it was cheaper but it looks like the dollar is still going down which isnt helping our wallets as they use US dollars alot....very annoying but hey we can't complain! We're in sunshine and u guys are in a recession!

We left our hostel early morning (3hr trip) arriving in Halong Harbour at midday! We boarded our junk boat (very cool) and headed a mile or two out to sea towards the juttering limescale rocks!!!! The weather was clear/warm and just perfect! Only a few days earlier Northern Vietnam suffered horrific floods/rain so we came just at the right time! We seem to have a nack with timing special occassions to sunshine weather!!!!!!

All food (lunch/dinner/breakfast/lunch) was included in tour price and our 1 night stay in the ensuite cabin also included! Very clean, cosy and perfect!!!!

Our tour guide was called Hum and he spoke pretty good English! The Vietnamease have a funny sense of humour! Cracking jokes every 5 mins but you dont know if they are being serious or really joking!!!!! Anyways once we reached the start of the beautiful scenery, our eyes didnt leave the limestone outcrops! The emerald green sea was calm and we headed the biggest caves in Halong 'Amazing Caves' (thats it's name!!!) We climbed ashore and entered 3 chambers each getting bigger as we progressed and better than we imagined! Beautiful colours and many shapes created by the rocks...a turtle, figure of virgin mary, dragon (our welsh one ofcourse) lion, and many more! the third chamber was huge! possibley the same size of a football pitch...incredible! We feel the photos don't do the cave justice! However we feel seeing Halong Bay itself is worth so much more than the photos we have taken and the camera doesnt take in the sheer vastness and size of the bay! If you ever come to Vietnam (north or south...DO NOT MISS HALONG BAY...its worth every penny and gazing eye!)

After the caves we went Kayaking (Paul....you would have been in your element!) We headed towards Bond Cave where Pierce Brosnan filmed a scene from Tommorow Never Dies! Its a tunnel that only kayaks or swimmers can go under (maybe not for the claustrophobic!)...its only about 20 metres in length and you can see the light the other end! Once you go through it is the most amazing sight! It is an enclosed broad of water submerged by the rocks....it wasnt the most beautiful part of the bay but oh my word it was just so worth it. not a breath of air/noise/motion. The green of the sea and shrubbery on the rocks just looked so appealing! I can understand why they choose this area to do a scene! I want to see the film again now to recap my memory! Hopefully we can upload the video from our camera of our Kayaking expereince!

Gosh there is lots to write!!!! Dont have much time before we head out for tea....so, the evening was perfect, lots of junk boats anchored in the sea surrounded by the rocks! You just can't help but stare at the beauty around you!!! We watched the sun set behind the rocks and we had a hearty dinner! Sarah, veggies would struggle as the main dish of each meal was fresh sea food and non fish eaters had chicken!!!!!!!!!!!!

We met an Aussie couple on their honeymoon (well the guy was from Liverpool but emigrated aged 12 with parents, from Melbourne) a older gentleman from Hereford on business and his company flight enabled him to have a weeks holiday in Vietnam, a Vietnamease couple from HCMC who we hope to catch up with when we're down that way and lots of Malyasians who were on our boat haha!!!!! It was all good!

We fell asleep after dinner (8pm, how sad!) but was so worth it was we watch the sun rise and the skies change colour about 5.45am! The sun rose from behind rocks but the colours of the sky and the silence that is engulfed around the bay made the experience worth it!!!!!

We cruised for a few hours, dropped some travellers off at Cat Ba Island (only inhabitated island) who were on a longer tour and then headed back to harbour! We had another yummy lunch and then caught the mini bus back to Hanoi (yet again, arriving on schedual!!!!)

We wish we could have visited Cat Ba Island, but we are on a time schedual so the 1 night on the boat was definately good enough! We thoroughly enjoyed...1 or 2 little niggles with the tour operator but not going to bore you with that as we would still definately recommend any tour to Halong Bay!

We hope you can appreciate the photos as well feel they don't do the place justice!!!

What an amazing first 5 days in Vietnam! Bring on the south!!!!!

We had 6 hours in Hanoi before we caught the sleep train 500 miles south to DaNang and got a booked taxi to Hoi an....however that will have to wait till another blog as its was a journey we wont forget!!! Haha

Hope you're enjoying our blogs and feel you're a part of our trip as if it wasnt for you guys we wouldnt be here! So for that we are eternally greatful. Photos of Halong Bay will be posted asap...but for now its dinner and few beers for a quid or two

Love always

Hel and Daz xxxxxx

PS (sorry if there are any spelling mistakes....im not in uni anymore so i'm not going to proof read and im rushing to make our bus to town on time!!!) xxxx