Halong Bay and Happy Birthdays

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For Carla's birthday we took a 3 day trip to Halong Bay (2000 ish unique islands created from a dragons tail which crashed into the sea thousands of years ago, or so the story goes) it was one of our most anticipated trips of the journey and it was epic.

The first day we sailed through the amazing islands, visited a huge cave, then moored up for the evening and jumped from our 3 storey high boat in to the sea (Jim from the top Carla from lower deck). After an amazing seafood dinner the karaoke commenced. To begin with most people weren't keen on singing, however after several cans of Dutch courage there was no stopping everyone. It was an incredibly fun evening, but also an incredibly drunken one.

The next day, officially Carla's birthday, we moored up alongside a fishing village and eased our hangovers with some kayaking in the shadows of the islands stopping off for a swim at a small beach. Later that day we reached a bigger island and rode some very old bikes with non existent brakes. Unfortunately our small digital camera decided to stop working so we didn't have any photos, however our new friend Ivar took a few of us, we rode through an astonishing valley, a small village and past a beautiful lake.

The final evening we were suddenly separated from the rest of our group as unbeknown to us we were the only ones who had upgraded the trip to have a 4-star hotel, well it was Carla's birthday! It was a fantastic resort with a huge room and balcony, a steak dinner and a private beach. The only problem was that we couldn't stay longer!

We regrouped the following morning to hear tales of another boozy evening where several of the group had tried out snake wine, potent stuff by all accounts, their bleary eyes giving them away! On the final day we had a gentle boat ride back to the harbour and stopped off for lunch at a restaurant with amazing views out into the bay. Sadly we had to make the bus journey back to Hanoi to catch our overnight train south, leaving our new friends in Hanoi.

Breath taking scenery, great activities and fun loving company made this a truly unforgettable trip.

Love Jim and Carla
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Photos

Bike riding
Jim is the one in the back in a blue T-shirt wearing a silly hat.