Hello Everyone!

We are currently in our little hotel in Hanoi City! Our hotel is down a really skinny alleyway - No cars can fit down it - but rest assured, motorbikes definately can! There are thousands of motorbikes here and it is really difficult to cross the road! At first, we stood on the side of the road for hours, waiting for the traffic to stop. However, after seeing a pair of Vietnamese girls just walk straight across - we decided to follow them. That seems to be the technique - just walk out and they avoid you! A bit scary but the only way to cross!

We arrived here a few days ago and explored the old part of the city. It really is like a time warp - almost medieval - except for the motorbikes. There is a lovely area by the cathedral with lovely restaurants and shops! In the centre of town is a lake called Hoan Kiem Lake which is actually quite large. In the middle of it is tortoise tower and to one side is a temple. The Vietnamese think there are massive tortoises in the lake! We didnt see a massive one, just a little one! We also bought a stamp which a Vietnamese man made for us with our initials on it! It is made of wood and cost less than 2 pounds! Tom also insisting on having his photo taken with a crazy bin lady near the lake! She was eager to collect my coke can, even before we had opened it - so Tom told her to come back later and when she did, she almost ran to grab the can! Tom thought she had the best teeth he had ever seen and wanted to document this with a photo! (see photos!) It obviously made her year!

We have just returned from an overnight cruise on Halong bay which was really good fun! We were on a junk boat and we had a lovely cabin! There are thousands of islands in Halong Bay. On the first day we went to visit 'Surprising Cave'! This was a massive cave in which the guide, Viet, pointed out loads of rocks which looked like different animals etc! Our meals on the boat were quite interesting for me as it was mainly seafood - although there were things I liked too! Tom tried crab and clams and I ate some prawns and some tofu :S.We were on the same table as 3 men who were a lot older than us and at first we thought this was a bad thing! However, they turned out to be a lot of fun and very interesting. 2 were called Hans and Johan who were Austrian. One was a Siesmologist and the other an Economist. They invited us on to deck to drink red wine - which I had to down a glass of to be polite (it was disgusting!) - as you know, I dont like red wine!

The next day we went kayaking to monkey lagoon. Tom is really good at kayaking so ofcourse I let him do most of the paddling - though I was better than in Goa, or so Tom said! His arms are hurting today though because it was quite a long way! Sadly, we didnt see the monkeys - but we heard them - and left them a banana for later :)

Now we are back in Hanoi, and we have been to visit Ho Chi Mihns mausoleum this morning. It was absolutely packed, mostly with Vietnamese. You have to register your camera and leave it behind, and you have to move forward in the line constantly - not stand still! You are definately NOT allowed to take photos of Ho Chi Mihns embalmed body. We arent sure, but think it is a waxwork - that is the rumour! Tom thought the body looked too shiny! We also visited the presidential palace (you cant go in), Ho Chi Mihns stilt house (2 rooms) and his other house! This was packed also and we couldnt really see the attraction!

Tomorrow we are catching the night train to Hue where we will see the ruined Imperial City. From there it is onto Hoi An, Dalat, the beaches at Nha Trang and Mui Ne and then to Saigon (Ho Chi Mihn City) before heading to Angkor Wat.

We hope that everyone is well and that everything is going fine in sunny Jersey!

Lots of Love,

Lucy and Tom xxx

(ps, lucy has found "emoticons"...so expect a lot more smiley faces!!)