In an attempt to get off the main tourist trail, we decided to make our own way to the coast and stay on Cat Ba island rather than in Halong Bay on a boat. Alex, Bea, James and I had booked the train to Hai Phong where we would then head to the pier to pick up a boat - details were a little sketchy though as we couldn't really find any decent information from our own online searching. Ronny and Breno, after sorting out some bits in Hanoi, were getting a bus/boa...

We were both excited to see Sa Pa by day, reap the visual rewards for the long journey there and bask in the beauty of the Tonkinese Alps. As we opened our bedroom door out to the shared balcony area though, we were disappointed to see that we were in fact in a cloud…and unfortunately as well, the long journey or my first bowl of the famous northern Bun Cha had affected my tummy. So our first day of exploring the town was reduced to a relaxed day and a gentle...