As promised previously, I will begin with the Junk trip around Ha Long Bay.

Ha Long Bay is peppered with hundreds of little rocky islands and we had just over 4 hours on the trip to sail through and explore the bay. After having a seafood lunch on the Junk, we made our way to one island which has a rather large limestone cave. We walked around the cave with the guide giving us a run down on how the locals used the caves and he pointed out a few stalagtites that looked like a dragon or turtle of dolphin etc. That was pretty cool but unfortunately that cave has been "modified" by the Vietnamese to appeal to the tourists and is really a little disappointing. A bit further on there is another limestone cave that was far less touched and way better. Given the heat though, only 2 of us went wondering around that cave.

We all stopped and had an ice-cream (or the lactose-free equivalent) after that then headed back to the Main land. Once again we had an early start the next morning so an early night was in order.

Hanoi was our detination the next day. Vietnamese Capital and a bit smaller than Ho Chi Minh City. However, the city is 1000 years old and not really designed for cars or motorbikes. The roads are very narrow and don't really accommodate pedistrians very well. I have to be honest and say that Hanoi is my least favourite place so far. Bearing this in mind, we saw a few sights in Hanoi, the Old city, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (though it was closed when we went) and the Presidential Palace that Ho Chi Minh lived in. We also went to the Water Puppet theatre which was quite fun. The music that accompanied the puppets was really cool!

After 2 days in Hanoi, we left most of the group and 4 of us headed to the Vietnamese/Laos border. Easiest border crossing yet! Even considering my terribble car sickness.

Laos is VERY different to Vietnam. The people are so friendly and seem to be much happier. The landscape is quite mountainous and really beautiful. Our first stop was a small village town, Lac Sao. It was really just a stopover before heading to Vientienne, the Laos Capital.

In Vientienne, we explored the various temples and took ourselves on a walking tour of the city. Again, it was seriously hot and by the time we got to the Victory gates, we were exhausted and very sweaty. Here, we all agreed to get a tuk tuk back to the hotel. We got back in time for a cold shower and then headed out to dinner.

Next morning we were back in the bus and on our way to Vang Vieng. Known for the tubing, we decided to go caving first and then go tubing the next day. We hired a couple of Motorbikes and set off to the cave. It had rained the night before and so the "road" was a little dodgy but a lot of fun! ventually getting to the cave, we headed up the very steep steps and exlpored the cave. It was awesome! Absolutely huge and stunning. Unfortunately, I was not wearing the best shoes for the job and about half way through I gave up and took them off. At first, it was great! So much easier but then... I fell over. So the shoes went back on and I continued to struggle to walk/climb around the cave.

We finally made it out of the cave and hit the water for a refreshing swim. The river was pretty cold due to the nights rain but oh so welcome!Heading homeward on the motorbike we hit a slippery bit. Managing to stay upright(ish) we ended up a very dirty mess once back at the hotel. There were a lot of "oh my buddha" comments flowing our way.

Tomorrow, we are starting a 2 day boat trip and end up in Luang Prabang. Then we have just a few ays left on this tour and I will be heading to Europe. Can't believe how quickly it is going!