Hey guys!! Another update of our trip! we're getting good at this!!

We arrived in Hanoi late on Fri 7th and fortunately our hostel picked us up from airport...on time, no complications...we can't believe our luck!

The airport is a good hour away from Hanoi city so we were lucky with the pick up as an aussie couple on their honeymoon caught a taxi and got ripped off paying $40!!

If you think BK is crazy then Hanoi is ten times worse!!!!! We are staying in the old quarter (backpacker land) and the streets are small, some narrow! And there are a million scooters going in every direction!!!!! Scooters yeild only to cars and lorrys....nothing yeilds to pedestrians and we are so proud of ourselves that we corssed the road on many occasions without getting hurt!!!!!!

WE have not seen one police car/man and the are very few traffic lights! there must be 50 scooters to every car and we swear that is no exageration!!!!!

We only had one full day in Hanoi, but it was plenty for what we wanted to do!!!!

We took a stroll around Hoan Kiem lake, which we have decided to twin with Roath lake in Cardiff as similar shape and size!!! It doesnt have a lighthouse in it but it has two temples, all originating around mythical tortoise's! We visited the big templ on the lake which set us back about 15pence each!!!!

Everything in the old quarter is within good walking distance so we were glad we didnt have to catch a scooter and bicyclo! don't worry parents...we don't want to get on the back of a scooter!!!!!!!!

We went to Hai Lo prison (I think thats its name) cost about 30pence each and learnt all about the french colonial times and the USA war, this is where the US POW were kept and they nicked named it the Hanoi Hilton! Loads of artifacts, pictures, John McCains clothes that he wore when captured after his plane was shot down and so on!!! What was scary was the french colonaised era and the conditions vietnamease prisoners suffered before being tortured and executed.....we saw the cells and the group womens cell which were tiny and you just cant imagine what they went through!!!! Darren was really pleased I found the prison fascinating (maybe a bit of Dad's history love has worn off on me!) But it helped us learn a lot about Vietnam history! Definately recommend!!!!

In the evening we went to a water puppet show!!! Really good fun in a litte theatre just off the laske! Cost about 1pound 25 for a 45min traditional vietnamease entertainment of puppets acting out stories in water!!! Didnt understand the talking, but there was more music which was live with a band and singers! very pretty! we enjoyed!!!!!!!

The hostel is brill! Little Hanoi....staff are friendly and the rooms are like hotels and we paid about 6quid each! cant complain!!!!!!! Ensuite, clean, free internet and tea/coffee!!!

Walking around the streets of Hanoi is fascinating, however after a few hours you get tired of having to cross the road and make sure you're alive at the end of it! and you can imagine, these scooters are doing nothing for global warming with all the fumes they produce!!!!!!

On Sunday we headed to Halong Bay.....the most amazing place so far!!!

But you'll have to wait till we've come back from the beach as we need some relaxation time!!!!!!