Well, a hectic few days, with an overnight trip to Ha Long Bay, followed by a visit to the Perfume Pagoda, two trips that couldn't have been more different.
The Ha Long Bay trip was luxurious, we were upgraded to a posher boat, we had a cabin with en-suite loo and shower, and all the punters were western tourists. We laughed on the minibus, because there was a German couple called Panzer, and an English couple, called the Hunns! We sat at the back imagining a scenario where the tour-guide asks '...and are the Hunns here?' and the German couple reply 'Yez vee arr, but don't call us Huns!'
We shared a table with a British couple, who didn't stop moaning the whole time; the food wasn't right, there wasn't enough of it, the drinks were too dear (wait 'till you get to 'straya, I said), the waiter didn't speak English well enough. They'd come from Thailand, which they loved, and couldn't bear Vietnam, well WE love it, so there!
Even though the weather wasn't too good, the bay was beautiful, we stopped at Titop Island (we renamed it Tiptop Island), Surprise Cave Island, and Monkey Doughnut Island (possibly not it's proper name!). The boat was great, the staff were funny and friendly, and the safety briefings were remarkably thorough. The only thing that let it down was the crap transfer between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, the driver was 2 hours late (both times!) and a knobhead to boot, the minibus was crap and too crowded, and scenery was rubbish. But otherwise it was a top trip!
Today, we went to the Perfume Pagoda, us and 25,000 Vietnamese pilgrims, as it's Vietnamese 'temple visiting' season! We were the only westerners there, and as such, a huge novelty! The trip up the river in the rowing boat was crazy, hundreds of little boats full of Vietnamese (yeah, I know) staring at us, waving, and shouting 'hallooo, xin chao!' We got to the temple compound, and it's actually dirtier, noisier, and more crowded than Hanoi, how can that even be possible?
We queued for the cable-car, again no other westerners in sight, chatted with the hordes, spotted a Vietnamese girl in a Liverpool cap, and eventually shared a ride with a family, a grandmother with no teeth, and a mangy dog! We got up to the pagoda, which is a shrine inside a cave, and joined the massive crowd tramping down a series of frankly treacherous steps, into the grotto. Being tall western types, we could luckily see over the tiny Vietnamese people's heads, and fully appreciate the potential for serious injury and crowd fatalities!
It was interesting seeing the pilgrims making offerings, praying, and rubbing banknotes on the walls to make them lucky for gambling purposes! They LOVE gambling!
The temple complex was the dirtiest place I have ever been, and even after a bath and a shower I still feel a little grimy. But I'm glad we went, and experienced the place during the festival, even though I don't think I'll ever be properly clean ever again!