Just got back from a 3 day boat trip around Halong bay. Magical place. The sun may have been a bit shy, but the mist and rain just made it all the more interesting. It was like something out of Apocalypse Now. Especially when we were driven out to the middle of nowhere, put onto a dodgy old boat, to be taken out to see some dark damp caves, via a little jungle trek. All we needed were M16's, and a top quality soundtrack to complete the picture. The trip was fant...

I thought Bangkok was hectic, but Hanoi puts it in the dark, and they are definitely winning the horn beeping competition. It is a near constant orchestra of car and scooter toots, morning, noon and night. Also, when it comes to how much stuff, or how many people you can squeeze on 2 wheels, these people are wizards! Saw a family of 5 on one yesterday, a fella carrying a load of mattresses, and another dude carrying what looked like an entire bedroom furniture se...