My guts are about to explode

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Arrived in Hanoi and was immediately signed up by the hostel management on tours to Halong Bay and Sapa. No mucking about - just sign here, and pay up.

It's pretty easy to walk around Hanoi. Otherwise just hop on the back of a Honda motorbike. Visited Uncle Ho (looked very life-like, as if he was sleeping) and all the streets in the Old Quarter, and watched a water puppet show. Other than that I have been pigging out on whatever takes my fancy in the various street kitchens. Everything costs less than A$1.

Took a 3-day and 2-night trip to Halong Bay, with 1 night sleeping aboard a boat (look-a-like Chinese junk) and 1 night in a hotel on Cat Ba Island. Halong Bay was pretty nice; just like Guilin China on water. Cat Ba was so-so, but the National Park walk and kayaking to nearby islands was great fun. In hindsight it probably would have been better just to do the 2-day cruise.

Got back from Halong Bay, and then it was straight onto the overnight train to Lao Cai for my 3-day trip to visit the ethnic minority villages near Sapa.

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Photos

Making banh cuon
Rice flour rolls filled with minced pork and mushrooms

Snack time
Finished product - yummy banh cuon

Pork noodles for me
Located on Bat Dan Street. Totally delicious.

Eel soup
Located at 87 Hang Dieu street. Looks really random, but ooh the flavour was fantastic. Kind of like shark fin soup.

Humble abode
Crowds lining up to visit Uncle Ho's house on stilts

The Ho-Mobile
Check out this funky rustbucket, which was donated to Uncle Ho by the French Government.

Propaganda statue
Communism is alive and kicking

Water puppets
This is a national institution. Very kitschy.

Halong Bay
View from the prow of the boat

Hang Sung Sot
Also known as "Surprise Cave". The ceiling in this huge cavernous cave was amazing.

You buy from me?
Hawker woman selling everything that anyone stuck on a boat could ever want. She was very handy when I felt like a beer whilst kayaking.