Halong Bay - Vietnam We left the very cold and rainy Hanoi and travelled 4hrs to the beautiful Halong Bay. We boarded an old Junk boat with 14 other travellers. Luckily everyone was our age and we new they would be good fun. We were told that although it was cold we were very lucky as a few days vefore the huge limestone casts were covered in mist! The limestone rocks were impressive. Huge rocks just coming up out of the sea. The turquoise water was eerie still. We could only imagine what this place would be like in the sunshine. Magical. The Junk boat itself was huge. We had seperate cabins with ensuite bathrooms. Actually better than most guesthouses we had been staying in! And it was the hottest water we had since entering SE Asia. The first night was spent on the boat playing cards and you've guessed it... drinking! That night was weird, we heard scratching noises below our bed... rats??? Cockroaches??? Hmmm we drifted off to sleep, literally. The next morning we woke to the most amazing scenery out of our cabin window. WOW. We cruised around Halong Bay for a few hours before stopping to see a Pagoda at the top of one of the limestone rocks. It was tough climbing up there but once there it was amazing. A 360 degree view of the bay! We then went to Cat Ba island where we trekked up a hill to an old scaffold style look out across the island. It was not safe. The guide ushered us up the rusty steps, some missing, whilst he watched from the bottom! That night was spent in a pretty dodgy hotel. From here we went Kayaking amongst the limestone casts. It was gorgeous. The next morning was spent cruising through the bay on our Junk before heading back to mainland Halong city to catch our bus back to the capital. We loved Halong Bay. It really is one of the natural wonders of the world for a reason.