It would have been rude not to have met up with some of the friends I had met in Cambodia and we celebrated my last night in Sa Pa. I left in the morning late and a little hungover. It was a two day ride of just over 500km. That morning, I had planned to travel along the Chinese border and then the following day, drop down onto the coastline of Halong Bay. It hasn't been the most exciting of days, not helped by the unimpressive and decidedly grey-looking Chinese border crossing at Lao Cai. Between two communist states, I was expecting a bit more than a potholed road and a bit of chainlink fencing. No guns, tanks or soldiers as I had imagined.
I made good progress on the first day and reached a town called Chua Hang- a nowhere town that didn't feature on my map. The truck-stop guesthouse was interesting and I received the same attention as I had done in Ngoc Lac, unfortunately my tab wasn't paid for this time. I left early the next morning knowing I had an easier day in front of me and less than 200km to go until I reached my penultimate stop in Vietnam. Besides the small rain shower, it was a good day with a lot of coffee stops packed in.

I arrived in Halong in the heat of the mid-afternoon, having circled the city for a good hour, trying to find the hostel. I met up so George and over a well-needed beer, we planned our tour of Halong Bay. We decided on a two day, one night tour and we were given the option of a civilised tour or a party tour, also known as the 'Castaway Tour'. The lady in the booking office soon realised it was a silly question, asking two mid-20 English guys, with beer already in their hands. We were to meet on the boat at half 12 and were due to set sail by 1, however this is Vietnam so it obviously means setting sail at around 2 or later. The regular delays is just something I've had to get used having experienced four weeks of it. We met the other guys on the boat and for once, George and I were the only Brits. We soon made friends with the Brazilians, Americans, Australians, French, Koreans and Germans all onboard, untied by the all-day free beer.
The Unesco world heritage site is a place like no other, as I'm sure those who have been will know. There are an estimated 1900 limestone Islands jutting out of the sea, making it look like something out of Jurassic Park. The tour included a visit to a cave and we also got to kayak around some of the floating villages dotted around the islands. After everyone had jumped off the top off the boat a few times (liquid-prizes awarded for the most outrageous dives) and once everyone was back on the boat, it was time for dinner- barbecued fish and heaps of rice. As soon as the plates were cleared away, it was game-faces on, ready to tackle the 3 hours free bar. The night descended into an all night, international, multicultural party.
The morning after was a somewhat somber affair, a complete contrast to the night before, with everyone hugging bottles of water at the breakfast table and making desperate trips to the bathroom when needed. The previous night's samba lessons on the top deck, taught by the Brazilians, was a very hazy memory. Despite losing whatever dignity we had left, we did gain some great friends and a lot of memories. We exchanged names and emails, and left knowing we would all have a place to stay, if we were ever in each other's cities or hometowns.

Once sober again and save to drive, I will be back on the bike for my last ride. My holiday romance will come to end and when I reach Hanoi, I will have to sell my bike.