Well I finally managed to get Dean to write an entry on this blog and I thought he'd got quite in to it but I just tried to get him to write the Sapa blog and he informed me that he 'can't be arsed'. Hopefully he'll get his ass in gear and write again soon. Until then though your'e stuck with me again.

Our trip to Halong bay was definitely a highlight and we both had a really great time. The bay is basically filled with giant rock formations which rise from the sea and are incredibly beautiful. We had to take a three hour bus to Halong city and then we boarded a boat with the rest of our group which would be our home for the next 24 hours. We opted for the mid range boat as going VIP wasn't quite in our budget but we also didn't want to be dining with rats. The roof of the boat had sunloungers on it but unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side and so they remained untouched for the trip. It took ages for the captain to complete the necessary paperwork and so it was about an hour before we even got moving but once we did we could see that the views were going to be stunning. Lunch was HUGE and we sat there after eating like fat buddhas unable to move.

Halong Bay is beautiful and we could see this even though it was really quite misty- our pictures don't do it justice! After cruising around for a few hours we arrived at some caves, along with about 80 million other tourists! That's the biggest downside there as there are far too many boats and at times the place just looks really overcrowded. The caves were ace and the last one was massive. This cave was also named the 'surprising cave'. We walked down the steps to find a gigantic penis shaped rock protruding from one of the rocks... surprise!! There was an australian lady in her sixties who really got in to taking a picture of herself so it looked like she was more than enjoying the surprise- funny but very disturbing :s

Kayaking around the rocks was next on the cards and was without a doubt the best way to experience the true beauty of Halong Bay. It felt like we were in a fairytale paddling around the misty sea in amongst the towering rocks. The whole thing was so peaceful and it made a huge difference as there were no noisy engines to be heard from nearby boats. During the eveing we were again fed a ridiculously sized meal and we were all stuffed for the second time. There were a couple of English girls and two aussies and so we ended up playing cards for ages. Playing 'spoons' with chop sticks made the game more Vietnamese! :P Beofre we headed to bed, we asked one of the waitresses to show us how they fold the napkins so she ended up showing us her entire repertoire; everywhere we eat now, Dean has to turn the napkin in to a little boat!!

Our little cabin was very cosy and clean and the sea was like a millpond and so we slept pretty well. The only thing to worry about was the mice we could he scurrying about in the cavity between the cabin walls. We made sure that any holes were covered and then mice left us alone anyway. We heard some horror stories from people on another boat wh0o had huge rats running about and in the morning one lady was mid way through washing her hair when the water ran out! Thankfully we had a pretty smooth trip. Next morning we said goodbye to the rest of the group as the Australian lady was the only other person staying on for an extra day. We were taken to Cat Ba Island which was again gorgeous. That morning we did a trek up to a watch tower- we could only have wished that we had been warned about how steep and slippy it would be. The way back down was the same as the way up and we were climbing up vertical rocks and slipping on the freshly wet mud frequently- we were only wearing walking sandals. At the top was an old rusty watch tower which I knew I could not climb as getting on the Irn bru at Blackpool is a challenge enough. Dean attempted it but only got half the way up and decided that that was enoguh for him although he did say the views were great he was more concerned about the sheer drop below if the tower gave way!! The afternoon involved us going to the hotel and then finding a pratically empty beach with white sand and clear blue sea to laze around on. We were meant to go to Monkey Island but the guide book informed us that many tourists had been bitten and besides, we saw enough monkeys in India to last us a lifetime! A trip to a local bar was in order that night and I have even started drinking beer, even though I hate the stuff, in hope that I will force myself to like it as it's just as cheap as buying a coke and a third of the cost of a short. We tried some local rice wine as well which was well, grim... one of those where you need a few in you before you can appreciate it!

Em xxx