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Published: September 19th 2011
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Before we arrived into Vietnam we had to travel back to Bangkok to catch a flight with Air Asia to Hanoi. We originally planned to get a room in Bangkok but later decided it was a waste of money and that we should carry our big rucksacks around the Grand Palace....not the best idea we have had. It was very hot in Bangkok and the tour around the palace was a long one. The Palace itself is very impressive, although we were told by a number of Tuk Tuk drivers outside that it was closed and that our clothes weren't appropriate. The reason they do this is that they want to take you around the local tailors, travel agents and every other business to make money from the journey and probably commission from the companies. We were scammed in this way the first trip to Bangkok where we were told that the Grand Palace was shut until 2.30pm and we should see some mediocre temples to burn the time away.
After the tour around the palace we went straight to the airport around 2pm, thinking it might be a good idea to wait around the airport until our flight.... the next
morning at 6am! We would probably say after 2 hours at the airport we realised we should have booked a room and asked for a taxi early doors. The good thing about this was that the Bangkok citizens realised we had a 16 hour wait for our flight so they sent students from the local schools to interview us about tourism in Thailand EVERY HOUR! One of which was a lovely girl, with an abnormally large adam's apple and a deep voice.
We arrived in Vietnam around 9am, having had very little sleep and to experience the craziest and least organised methods of driving we've ever seen. For example,to cross a road in Hanoi you literally just step out into the darting scooters and pray they see you (no injuries as of yet). If you didn't step out you would be there for days looking for an opening.
That night we went for a walk around the Hoan Kiem Lake, which is beautiful and the complete opposite of the traffic that goes around it. We sat and had a meal around the lake and Natalie had her first of many beers. The total currently stands at 6 pints.
8am the
next morning we got up and got on the coach to Ha Long Bay. The coach journey was a constant 3 hour drive of what felt like speed bumps! Of which, the driver did not go slow. Luckily, we only had the one crash, where a Merc got a little too close behind us and our bus had to slam on for the car in front. There was a heated debate of who's fault it was. The Merc driver eventually handed money over and that was that.
We arrived in Ha Long Bay around Midday and boarded our luxury 5 star cruise. There must have been a mix up somewhere because we certainly didn't pay over the odds. The rooms were the nicest we've had yet on our trip, scenic views, memory foam mattress, air con and a walk in shower.
The sun was shining in Ha Long so in true British style, the bikini came out, top came off, beer in hand, flaunting every white bit we were allowed to show. However, with pale skin being attractive in Asia, the rest of our group were in the shade and covered up.
After our huge banquet for dinner, we headed
to the 'surprise cave' where our tour guide Kevin showed the group of rocks that looked like chickens, turtles, Buddha and of course one that had to look like a penis! After the cave tour, we moved to a kayaking point and floated our way around the fishing villages and the limestone karsts. The fishing villages are literally floating villages made up of wooden shacks where families and dogs call home. Neither of us could believe how different their way of life is and yet they probably have the most breathtaking surroundings and least stressful lives of us all.
We went for a swim after kayaking, where we jumped off our boat and then got ready for Dinner. We had a miniature cooking class, which involved the group making spring rolls and Chris ate a spoonful of soy sauce, after Kevin, the tour guide, told him it was black soup. The meal was endless, first soup came out then one dish after another came rolling out of the kitchen, squid, chips, rice, tofu and chicken until everyone was full.
The evening started with a relaxing fishing session, in which no one managed to catch any squid but then the party
began! The deck turned into a floating nightclub, the boat staff were raving away to some hardcore dance tunes remixed by the cleaner. It didn't take us long before we started to show them a few moves of our own.
During the night there was a little storm but once again around Midday the sun was out and we were sunbathing!
We had a different room when we returned to our hotel, one that has a toilet which likes to flush and spit bog water back out every now and then. During the night, Natalie thought that there was a ghost in the bathroom, who had died during a poo many years ago! So the ghost returns every night to finish it off! Bless!
Today we are getting ready for a trip down south to a quiet town called Ninh Bihn. We will keep you updated.
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