After the culture shock of Hanoi and hours of playing chicken with scooters, Bobbi and I decided to hit the road once more and visit a few of the places that Vietnam is known for. First on the list – Halong Bay.

Our 3 day 2 night 'party' cruise included a night on the boat cruising around Halong Bay, a tour to a cave, kayaking, cliff jumping and swimming and then a night on Freedom Island passing through Cat Ba Island along the way. The fifteen person tour started off with a four hour bus journey to the port. This journey was made infinitely more enjoyable by our Vietnamese tour guide ‘Snake’ who was definitely paid to ensure we were all going to 'drink and party' once we made it to the boat.

Halong Bay is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam.Thousands of giant limestone islands fill the bay and we were lucky enough that the clouds cleared and the sun came out in the afternoon. Despite the many tourist boats you can still catch sight of the locals going about their daily chores and I stood watching a couple of locals doing some traditional fishing from a small boat.

We visited a cave set amongst Halong Bay which was huge. A few steps to gain access but then the walk through the cave is stunning with coloured lights adding to the experience. After visiting the cave we stopped to do an hours kayaking in the bay and afterwards we got the opportunity to jump from the top deck of the boat to swim. The water was cold so after a couple of jumps we made a dash for the shower!

The food on the boat was better then expected and they even did different dishes for sea food and non sea food which was great news for me.

We spent the afternoon cruising on the boat until the sun set and we stopped for the night. We were not warned that it would be cold so I was not prepared.. I only had shorts with me so if you visit make sure you have clothes for all weathers!

The second day the group split into two, the ones only staying one night transferred back to the port to return to Hanoi. Those of us staying the second night stopped off for cliff jumping on the way to Freedom Island. Only four of the guys got involved in the jumping as it was cold and the route to the top of the cliff was very challenging.

We arrived on Freedom Island and I went mattress paddling with Emily and Charlie who we met on the boat. We had a great laugh and were out for a couple of hours. The rest of the afternoon was spent curled up trying to warm ourselves up! Bobbi, Emily, Charlie and I played cards and before we knew it we all had some Vietnamese guys looking nice over our shoulders telling us what cards to lay and making it obvious to all the others playing what cards we each had! In the end we got them to join in.. And they beat us.. I out it down to beginners luck!

The trip was well worth it, breathtaking views, great company and good food! Mum I think you will be shocked at some of the things I have eaten!! All we needed was the sun to make it even better.