After returning last night from the Halong/Bai Tu Long Bay trip, I stopped in at the Hanoi Serenity Hotel, rearranged my luggage, changed my clothes, and grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant called The Blue Butterfly. I had the special for the evening, Beef La Lot or Grilled Beef wrapped in betel leaves (thic bo nuong La Lot) which was tasty. This was a small restaurant, and I chatted in French with a Vietnamese travel agent who seems to have been running her b...

Didn't sleep too well with the various boat noises, so I wasn't up quite as early to see the sunset. We had breakfast and were then offered the option to go swimming which everyone declined. The boat started back to Halong City and about two hours after breakfast we had lunch before disembarking. Then back into the van for the drive back to Hanoi. No detours this time, but as predicted, another stop at a handicraft center for the disabled. Once back in Hanoi aro...

From sunrise to sunset, it was a glorious day. Early morning activity started with the adjacent floating fisherman's home before breakfast. The morning was spent kayaking while the big Dragon Pearl cruised to our new location, visiting a few caves, abd having some respite on the beach (my kayak was the only one that unbeached itself and took off on its own). In the brush behind the beach, there was a small shrine next to three graves from fisherman who had died. ...

About an hour after making our way out of Hanoi, fortunately against rush hour traffic, the van pulled over to the side of the highway with vans from other Halong Bay cruise companies. The drivers conversed, alternating with cell phone conversations. After ten minutes of this, our driver (who spoke no English) returned and we started up, soon turning onto a dirt road and traveling through a rice paddy. For about 45 minutes we drove through small villages on roads...

I ordered an omelette but got a banana pancake with honey for breakfast which was quite good. Then I got the omelette and the hotel cook knocked over my coffee - it made a mess but I was unscathed. As most museums are closed Monday, today was the day to explore the Old Quarter and to search out rain gear which I left at home with last minute rearrangements. I had prepared a nice walking guide which didn't serve much purpose since I started in the middle and ended...