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On to another organised tour, which goes completely against our principles, but as with the last one, it was great, and good value for money.We paid $99 each for 2 nights and 3 days, which included all of our transport and meals, a night on a junk in Halong Bay in a deluxe room, and a night on Monkey Island at a private beach resort with a deluxe room.We also got all of our entry and hire fees paid for.We could have got this cheaper, but decided to go for the deluxe package, and I'm really pleased we did, as others we spoke to did not get the great facilities that we got.
The bus took us up to Halong Bay where we took a taxi boat to our junk and found that our room was excellent.We had heard some horror stories about rats and cockroaches in rooms, but ours was vermin and bug free, with AC and our own bathroom.We then went to see the Sung Sot caves which were amazing, then did some kayaking around some of the caves and islands (there are nearly 2000 islands in Halong Bay).It was great to get out in a kayak, just the 2 of us, and do some exploring.They gave us some excellent food on the boat, but unfortunately put on karaoke in the evening!We could have had free massages, but it was in the same room as the karaoke, so we decided to give this a miss and sit on the top deck of the boat and relax.Luckily the karaoke finished quite early, so we got a good nights sleep, (we did have our earplugs ready just in case!) as we were so tired from our trekking in Sapa.
The next day we went to Cat Ba National Park and did some trekking up a huge hill.This was great, but so humid that we were dripping!The views from the top were amazing.We then went to Monkey Island to check in for our second night.The island was fantastic, with a beautiful little beach, and kayaks which you could take out.Our room was excellent, and right on the beach.We spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming, and Graham took a kayak out whilst I chatted to some people we had met.
They were still constructing the resort, building more huts and creating a bar with dance floor underneath the restaurant.After our BBQ dinner, one of the guys we had met asked the owner if he could DJ downstairs, as the sound system and lights were all in.The owner let him, so he got his laptop and did an amazing Drum and Bass set.The staff cleared away tools and brought in a solid wood table and some chairs, and I danced all night!They gave us free rice wine and a couple of free beers too.The owner got quite drunk and danced a lot, he looked like smiling Budda and was so happy that the opening night of his bar was a success!
The next morning we had to get up early for a cruise around Halong Bay.We saw the 'fighting cock' islands, but unfortunately there were several boats in front of them, so we couldn't get a good photo of them.After lunch we took the bus back to Hanoi.We stopped at some shops and found that the Vietnamese people on our tour were charged much less than us for food!We knew there was a 2 tier system in Vietnam, but hadn't seen it in practice like this.The Vietnamese therefore bought the products for us, so we got them cheaper too, as we had all become friends by this stage and they thought it was unfair.
We arrived back late and so our tour company sent a taxi to collect us (and sent our clean laundry too) to take us to our next bus, as we had an overnight journey to Vientaine (Loas).Only another 20 hours or so on a bus!
So it is with great sorrow that we said goodbye to Vietnam, but we are looking forward to exploring Loas.We have loved Vietnam.I know we say that about everywhere we go, but I think Vietnam has been the best country so far.It is so diverse in what it has to offer, as there always seemed something different to see in each place.This is definitely a recommended place for a holiday.
Maggie
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