Day 5 Good nice sleep and up for breakfast at 8. I organised my bag last night so this morning was easy. Jam and bread, very welcomed. We headed off on a bus to the boat. To board the boat you had to jump about 4 feet down which was great fun! Off back to Ha Long and bus to Hanoi. It's a travelling day today but has still been fun. Lesley and I met up with Jeremy and Annie the honeymoon couple from London. We sat and chatted and put the world to rights whilst sailing through Ha Long Bay. Its cloudy but warm. A Chinese man heard Lesley talking about her travelling and stood and talked to her about where she went in China and what she'd experienced. What I'm liking about my trip ... read more

Day 3 Late night last night packing my back pack whilst Lesley slept she is so organised! Up at 7am, omelette and bread breakfast. Lesley didn't sleep as lots of noise outside. I heard nothing and slept right through! Bus came to pick us up, 3 hours drive to Ha Long. Tiny bus lots of people. Not enough room for all the bags and people. Lesley ended up sitting on half a chair and backpacks.I slept most of the way. Bit chaotic getting tickets and getting on the boat. It wouldn't have passed Capt Ogden's requirements! Ha Long Bay is beautiful. Little fishing boats, san pans, floating markets, stunning scenery and birds. We had booked one night on the boat and one in Cat Ba, 3 days in total. We were a bit put out as ... read more

Day 1 This is my first time travelling and my first travel blog, so bare with me. Currently writing this from Munich airport which is an unexpected stop but well received as we could stretch our legs and get a caffeine fix. The 4am start from home was an early one. Especially as I couldn't sleep because I was so excited. We had a false start; after 10 miles, Lesley had forgotten her glasses so we had to go back. That's not like her at all!! We boarded in Manchester at 9am and stopped at Munich at 12pm. Flight out of Munich is 1.30pm to Singapore flight time 11 hours. Stop at Singapore for 2 hours then a further 6 hours to Hanoi. Arriving at 12 noon tomorrow. The trip sounds gruelling but I'm enjoying myself ... read more