HOW LONG TO HALONG?

DAY 48: Halong Bay

Picked up by coach after breakfast we set off on our lengthy bus ride to Halong Bay for our overnight stay on a traditional junk boat (see photo - not our boat. Same same, but different). It was only three and a half hours but it felt like forever as we bounced and tooted through the villages and towns along the way.

Our friendly guide was called Khoa (pronounced Wha), or Tony to those that struggled to pronounce his name. He played a few ice breaker games on the bus, picking on Kelly and Jen who both lost. He also told us of the happy water we might drink on board the junk boat, otherwise known as rice wine.

We stopped half way at an arts and crafts outlet, where most tours stop. There was some lovely work on offer, especially the embroidered artwork and stone statues, all handmade on-site. You could even walk up and watch the women stitching the artwork, in good working conditions I must add.

We finally arrived at Halong City docks at about 12pm where there were about another 400 people. Luckily only the 11 on our bus were on our boat. Even though there were so many boats in the port, once you were heading out into the bay it soon became a lot quieter.

'Ha long' means 'where the dragon descends into the sea'. Legend has it that the 1,900 islands of the bay were created by a great dragon that lived in the mountains. As it ran towards the coast, its flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses as it plunged into the sea. The areas dug up by its tail were filled with water leaving only pockets of high land visible. I don't believe this story.

Nevertheless, this is one of the most mysterious, calming and all round beautiful places on earth. It has a certain 'Pirates of the Caribbean' feel about it, especially with the hazy fog that creates different tones of grey silhouette karsts in the distance. And it's so calm because of the sheltered nature of the bay.

We checked into our cabin (room 101- classic!) which was superb. Very well decorated in traditional oriental style with a surprisingly stylish and hot shower. Lunch was served as we set sail with an abundance of tasty Vietnamese food; chicken and sweetcorn soup, salad, fresh fish, beef, chicken and rice dishes.

After the filling lunch we visited the floating fishing village of Vung Vieng (like the one on 'Top Gear does Vietnam'). We had the option of taking out a kayak (yes please) or jumping in a bamboo boat rowed by a local. Jen jumped in the boat for the relaxing experience and to take photos of me and Kel in the kayak. What a peaceful experience it was (well, after we figured out our steering issues), rowing in between karsts on the still water.

The floating village is so self-sufficient. Their homes (think wooden sheds/summer houses) are kept buoyant by barrels and floats and have all the amenities we do; shops, a school, Sky TV! They catch and sell massive fish which are kept in nets attached to the floating pontoons.

When we returned to our boat and freshened up, we were welcomed on the upper deck with a glass of Vietnamese red wine and some fresh fruit whilst we anchored up in a bay for the evening. Shortly after we were all invited to take part in a short spring roll cooking class. Jen and Kelly took the lead making some pretty good rolls to be put in the fryer. Then I stepped up and made a spring roll that was more like a wrap. Jen and Kel were then told they had to make all of them up, a bit like slave labour. 'Faster, faster' the chef said, jokingly.

After our numerous courses for dinner during what might have been sunset (too foggy to tell at this point), we enjoyed a lovely evening on the upper deck under clearer skies listening to travel stories from our new French friend, Neil (who I later found out is actually called Leo - I didn't think Neil was very French). He's quite funny and has a lot of stories to tell, and some killer photos of him in his 'We love you Dad' t-shirt. His father currently recovering from a stroke.

After a few Tiger beers in the moonlit bay, we attempted some squid fishing off the boat, but to no avail. So we decided to drink rice wine with the boat's crew instead. This stuff is like turps and it came in a similar bottle. A few sips was enough for Jen, Kel and me, which is a whole two bottles less than the crew, so we then hit the sack before we passed out.