Back in Hanoi we decided to leave the hostel and get our own space again. We managed to check-in to a nice hotel around the corner so we were still able to meet up with our new found friends in the hostel. We decided to actually see a bit of Hanoi seeing as we were there before but left pretty sharpish for Ha Long. We set off on foot towards the lake which is the epicentre of Hanoi and beautifully lit at night time. It consists of a giant turtle (bit like loch...

After our previous FAIL and taxi rip-off in Saigon we blanked the touts and set off marching for 'Hanoi Backpackers' with our new 'bus' friends. We checked into the first dorm room of our travels and managed to save a few bucks by getting a double bed (we would've got a private room but they wanted $40 a night!!!) . . .$9 it was! After a quick shower we jumped straight on a city walking tour which the rest of the hostel must've come on too! The group was far...