Ive just finished a 2 day cruise around Ha Long bay and it certainly lives up to its name. The sea is beautifully scattered with karst limestone peaks as far as the eye can see. We managed to see a cave and go kayaking around a fishing village, constantly unable to take in the true beauty of the area. It was unbelievable hard to appreciate such a paradise. I absolutely loved it. We shared the boat with a group of Dutch people. A great bunch of guys. We all got on...

Today we spent the morning getting ourselves acquainted with the area. For several hours we followed a route through the old quarter giving us a real taste of 'local' Hanoi. What was striking were the amount of temples hidden away behind shops or down little alleyways. You cannot go a single street without stumbling across a temple or two. All are very ornate and for many different purposes of worships. People would leave out offerings of food and drink and would...

We made it! Finally! It was a hell of a long journey, far longer than it should've been, but we're here. Let me elaborate... We spent our last day in China in Yangshou relaxing and taking in the beautiful scenery of the peaks around us. We ate a hearty breakfast (from a place recommended by our room mate Zach, from Canada) but got caught out in a torrential down pour so headed bak to the hostel. After spending hours organising our upcoming trip to Vietnam and t...