The next morning, we start early. We board a 24-seater which takes us four hours out of Hanoi to Halong Bay. It is at Halong Bay that we board an overnight junk and head out into open waters. The junk is a glorified houseboat. We all have bedrooms with ensuites and heaters/air-conditioners. The boat is crewed with staff who cook us our meals and bring us our drinks.
We cruise out to the 'Amazing Caves' which live up to their name - they are too hard to describe and you'll have to wait for the photos.
Back on the boat, we have dinner after a few rounds of Monopoly Deal with the kiwis and then I retire early needing a rest with a cold. The aussie ladies on the trip have ordered up wine, spirits and shots and soon are cranking up the karaoke on the ship with the captain.
The next morning, we are all rested and are fed with eggs, toasts and a variety of spreads. We disembark and then bus another four hours back into Hanoi. After some lunch, we shop for food to take with us on our overnight sleeper train which will take us South to the town of Hue, Vietnam's capital from 1802 to 1945.
