From the mountains to the polder

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We had a lovely time in Sapa and as in Halong Bay met some really cool people. But as we left for the night train it began to rain - the first real rain we've had since leaving the uk two months before- and, although we didn't know it then, a taster of what was to come. Luckily we were fortified having discovered a two-for-one cocktail bar and sampled the local H'mong apple wine (free, courtesy of the lovely owner who brewed it himself). The two hour bus journey to the station through the mountains, mist and rain was quite surreal - a few of the locals seemed to get quite motion sick and were clutching sick bags and hanging out the windows. We shared our sleeper cabin with two Vietnamese business men who clearly felt they should sleep on the bottom bunks However we'd specifically booked these and weren't budging. And nor were they - sitting on our bunks for the first half hour of the journey. But we didn't flinch - not even when they invited their friends and it was three in the bunk. Eventually after lots of laughing and back-slapping they gave up and retired to the top bunk.
A good connection the next morning in Hanoi saw us in Nihn Bihn about 4 hours later. The main attraction here is the surrounding countryside which is like Halong Bay on land -very beautiful with lots of limestone outcrops.
The town was much quieter and less touristy - there was not hassle and when people said hello it wasn't followed up with a sales pitch.
We hired bikes and spent a day cycling around, often with an entourage of school children - getting very lost in the villages much to the amusement of many of the locals, who seeing us heading down a track would direct us the other way - only to see us pop out of another alley a few minutes later.We cycled out to the main attraction the Tam Coc caves but decided not to take the two hour boat journey into them.We had noticed a strange heaviness in the air and decided to call it a day. A short while later sitting in the hotel roof terrace watching the most almighty thunderstorm and torrential rain we knew we had made the right decision.
Shopping for tofu on the local market we noticed a pile of grimacing heads! The local dog meat stands were quite a sight and we weren't quite prepared for the sight of decapitated dog heads and the large rigid corpses being flung around. Blurgh
Another night journey - this time by bus (we saved $10 taking the local sitting not sleeper bus!) and we were in Hue which has an amazing citadel. However as yet we haven't seen it as it has rained for the last 24 hours and has flooded the streets and made it hard to get around....except to the pub.

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