It was going to be a very long road trip to Ha Long Bay so we decided to avoid the rich food for brekkie incase Sue has another bathroom emergency and finally went to the hotel restaurant. Pretty standard western fare but they did have chicken Phò so Steve opted for that.

We were out of the hotel by 8.30am with an overnight bag and left our main luggage at the hotel. Another local guide joined us on the bus and explained a lot of the history of Vietnam dating right back to about the 8th century through to modern times. Curiously we didn't know that the Vietnamese were favourable to the French in the early days as they we're actually very supportive of assisting with the development of Vietnam. That was before the various agreements turned sour and things went to hell.

We stopped at a very large centre that supports many local people with various disabilities by providing opportunities to produce artistic works for sale. 60% of all sales go directly back to the artist, some of who are deaf and mute, have debilitating conditions from polio or even some victims of Agent Orange from the Vietnam/American war. We purchased a fairly expensive piece and had our photo taken with the artist. She was a very short lady and we exchanged thank you's in sign language to her.

We arrived in Ha Long Bay and discovered the name of our boat was Ruby Cruise. Our dog's name is Ruby so we thought that was quite funny. The boat is a beautiful dark timber panelled vessel and had a real charm about it. The dining room level could seat the whole party and we enjoyed a nice lunch of various seafood dishes, pork, rice and salad. Upstairs was a viewing deck and we got some nice photos as we headed out into the bay.

The first stop was Ti Top island. The crowds were like Hanoi and filled with tourists. The walk to the top was very steep and so Sue decided to sit this one out with another of the guests. The view was amazing and you could see many of the limestone islands. There thousands of islands in the bay, some of which are named after various shapes/animals they resemble. Many are not named because they don't resemble anything.

Next stop we piled into a long boat and were taken through a cave arch into a sheltered lagoon, with massive sheer cliffs all around. It was extremely peaceful as we were the only ones inside at the time. We were fortunate enough to see the wild monkeys in the trees high above us in the trees. Apparently they do come down to feed sometimes but mainly stay away from humans.

We were expecting the worst with regards to the water quality in the bay but it was extremely clean. Other people told us it used to be very bad. Apparently the government had taken strong steps to clean up the waters and it really showed.

Back to the boat for a shower, drinks and dinner. We're getting to know the people in our group now. They're a great bunch of people and we're getting along really well. Sue wasn't feeling well because of the lack of water and coffee for the long bus trip so she went to bed a little early. Steve stayed up and even joined in with karaoke. It wasn't pretty.

Jonathan and Jaqueline are from the UK and their luggage was lost in transit during their flight over. It wasn't going to be recovered for them until they got back from the bay. They also had their card taken by a cash machine and to top it off, a hot water pipe burst in their bathroom on the boat. The poor buggrs really seemed to be having a run of bad luck but they managed to sort it out in the end, and their spirits were high despite the setbacks.

The next day we set out to visit the cave system. It was a moderate climb and Sue managed to negotiate the climb with assistance. The caves are very impressive with plenty of limestone formations. It is quite dry inside and very different to the caves we've been through in the Blue Mountains.

We travelled back to Hanoi and after a short break in the hotel lobby, started out on our foodie tour. The first stop was for banh xeo, the pancake dish we had a few nights before. Everyone really enjoyed that and most agreed it was one of their favorites. Next was phò ga (chicken noodle soup), banh mi, sticky rice ice cream, rice beer and finally egg coffee. Unfortunately Sue had an emergency bathroom issue so we returned to the hotel a little early.

The next stop was the train. This was the next thing that worried us a little because our last experience on a Vietnam train wasn't great. This time though we were in a sleeper cabin which was much more comfortable. We played Tetris with the luggage (and ourselves) to fit into the cabin and settled in to enjoy our supplies of beer, wine and whiskey. Several others popped in to "the party room" and we spent the next few hours enjoying one of the best experiences of our lives.