Hello!

So we are alive and well in Vietnam. We stayed one night in Bangkok before catching a domestic flight to Hanoi. We stayed for 2 nights in Hanoi. It is a super culture shock, so so busy and you get hassled and nearly die when you cross the road, but it was a charming place! we stayed by the biiiiig lake. they have weird food. well i (Caroline!) don't like it too much and i am craving a cup of proper tea and some nice pizza!! it's hard being vegetarian here!!

We then booked a boat trip around Halong Bay and to Cat Ba Island. it was awesome! we slept one night on the boat and one night in a hotel on cat-ba island. we did a cool trek through the jungle (it waslike being in Lost!!) and stopped briefly at a little house where they live alone and grow crops and raise chickens! i got to hold a baby chick, it was soooooo cute!!!! we also did some kayaking which was way fun but now my arms and legs ache like sooo much!!

After the three day trip we then got a bus to Ninh Binh, which is our current location. We have spent today on motorbikes going around beautiful scenery! and another boat ride down the river. it's very beautiful here. the motorbikes are soooo fun! we climbed up a huuuge mountain, i am so tired!! we are still quite north, so we will be getting a sleeper bus tonight to Hue. it takes 11 hours by bus aghhh!!! sleeper buses are cool though, they are like mini beds, so hopefully it wont be too tiring!! we are sunburnt, ouchy! it is very hot here!! i miss you all back home, but so far dealing with home sickness okay!! i just really want a proper cuppa!!

Okies well gotta go now and find someplace for dinner, we'll try update again soon!!

Lotsa love Caroline (and Tom who is sat beside me but hasn't really had an input lol) xxxxxx