Vietnam - Hanoi & Halong Bay

[Big Boy]

As many of you will know, I've just been on a short trip to Vietnam. As promised, here is part 1 of my trip report - the report is quite long, so I will spread it over several days.

Part 1 - Getting There

Our first obstacle was how to get to Don Muang Airport.

• My first choice was to drive, and leave my car in Bangkok. This option was quickly ruled out (actually advised against) because of the protests in Bangkok. I had identified a hotel that would accept my car for the duration, but they advised that because of the troubles, they could not guarantee the car’s safety.

• Plan B was to hire a limo to the airport. This didn’t really appeal because it would mean travelling through the night – probably leaving at 1am. The rice farmers ruled this option out when they built blockades on the main North South Highway. We couldn’t risk being delayed by the blockades and missing our flight.

• Plan C was to fly from Hua Hin Airport, and stay overnight in Bangkok. I hadn’t considered this previously because I believed it would be cost prohibitive. I was pleasantly surprised when the cost came in at 10 Baht cheaper than a limo. Of course, I would have the additional cost of overnight accommodation in Bangkok – something cheap and cheerful because we would be arriving late, and leaving very early. A quick look on Agoda, and I found SK Muangthongthani Apartment for about 750 Baht. It was reported as just 2 miles from the airport, and the photos looked very good.

We got a Tuk Tuk to the airport and arrived at 19:05. The airport was deserted. We walked to the check in desk, and a young girl appeared and checked us in. We were 2 of just 9 passengers on the flight. The seats in the airport were very comfortable.

DSC02349b.JPG (90.1 KiB) Viewed 1272 times

Eventually we were invited to board our Nok Air Mini Saab 340 – the smallest aircraft my wife had travelled on, which made her nervous. Service on board was basic for the 40 minute flight – a sausage roll and a small container of water was consumed. This aircraft was extremely noisy, which did nothing to help my wife’s nerves.

DSC02353b.JPG (92.5 KiB) Viewed 1272 times

We landed at a deserted Don Muang Airport. This was my first time here since Suvanabuhmi became Thailand’s premier airport – oh, how the mighty had fallen.

We quickly collected our luggage and booked a taxi for the ‘short’ trip to our overnight accommodation. 45 minutes later, we were still driving – I’d checked a couple of times to ensure our taxi driver knew where we were going.

Eventually we were in a concrete jungle of the biggest accommodation tower blocks I had ever seen. The driver re-checked my paperwork, and said we were looking for building C9, which I understood as being 49 (how a little grasp of the Thai language can be confusing). These buildings were huge. Eventually, we stopped outside a huge building with C9 on the outside (I felt stupid), but this wasn’t a hotel! The driver said we were on the 15th floor. I just didn’t believe it. I think my wife and the taxi driver were having doubts at this point also.

My wife got out of the car and asked a lady who was stood looking quite scary by the building. This lady directed us elsewhere. Off the driver went going around and around what I can only describe as a ghetto.

Eventually, after I’d got over the shock, I had the idea of phoning the hotel. I put the number into my phone and passed it to my wife – bingo, we had some direction. Go back to the building with C9 on the outside, and the lady would be stood beside a cash machine. We got back to where we had been about 15 minutes earlier. We located the cash machine, and stood beside it was the same scary lady who had sent us on a wild goose chase.

Reluctantly, we paid the taxi, and followed this lady, who didn’t explain her earlier actions. We must have been in the world’s biggest block of flats. We took the ‘slow’ lift to the 15th floor, and were presented with what looked more like a prison. A smelly corridor, with doors on both sides. Each door had a second door which looked like prison bars, locked in several ways and places.

DSC02355b.JPG (87.25 KiB) Viewed 1272 times

DSC02357b.JPG (105.7 KiB) Viewed 1272 times

I was in a state of semi shock. We entered our room for the night, and it was a pleasant transformation – this was the room that I’d booked. It was large, tastefully decorated and well equipped. Before the scary lady left us, I told my wife to ask about a taxi for the morning as we had to leave early. My wife would have to find building C5, and ask the security guard there to get us a taxi.

DSC02354b.JPG (112.39 KiB) Viewed 1272 times

The room was good, but I couldn’t help sitting at the window and staring out for about an hour, trying to comprehend how people could live like this. Just huge concrete box after huge concrete box. There would be thousands of people ‘living’ inside each box. OK for a few hours, but for life – no. Having to secure the prison bars in so many places before you lock your front door says it all. An interesting experience, but definitely not for me.

My alarm woke us at 4am. A cup of coffee and a quick shower, and we were ready to go. We left our prison cell at 04:30 and made our way to the ground floor. We were locked in! A bit of searching. And my wife located the security guard. She woke him up, and our release was complete.

We now found ourselves stood in the concrete jungle in the middle of the night, and no taxi. I despatched my wife in search of C5 to order a taxi. Being a foreigner stood with suitcases in a Bangkok ghetto in the middle of the night is less than desirable. There were some undesirables looking at me a bit strange, so I maneuvered myself into the best defensive position I could. At least nobody could sneak up on me from behind now. My imagination was running at 110%.

Then I saw the cavalry come around the corner – my wife in a Bangkok taxi. The journey back to the airport was a lot faster, which makes me wonder how far it really was. Or because of Bangkok road systems, did we travel a long way in the wrong direction, before we could travel in the correct direction. Anyway, that chapter was out of the way now, and we were back at Don Muang Airport.

We were travelling with Air Asia. I’d checked in online, so all we had to do was drop our bags. Well, that was theory. We had to join the cattle market with everybody else. However, Air Asia being Air Asia, we were not in the Vietnam cattle market, but the Air Asia international travellers cattle market. There were hundreds of people in the queue.

We eventually got checked in, and went for breakfast, which rated as a bare OK.

After breakfast, we moved on to the departure lounge. We were almost there, when my wife realised that she no longer had her walking stick. A mad dash back to security, and fortunately, it had been put to one side.

One more thing, I had read a lot about the swish toilets, and was determined to use them. However, I think everybody else had read about them, and the queue was too large. Fortunately, there was another toilet in the departure lounge.

DSC02358b.JPG (103.68 KiB) Viewed 1272 times

We boarded the plane, and I had to eject somebody from my seat. Why do people check in, get allocated a seat, then decide to sit elsewhere? I remember on Easy Jet in the UK you had to pay extra for seat allocation. This service was free, so why didn’t this guy choose a seat that suited him better in the first place?

The flight was uneventful.

On arrival at Hanoi, the first thing that hit us was the very effective air conditioning. We were later to find out that this was due to the Vietnamese weather, not air conditioning.

Being from the UK, I needed a visa. I had arranged to collect my visa on arrival, along with every other person needing a visa. As you go down the steps into the arrivals hall there is a huge sign saying ‘Visa On Arrival’, so everybody formed an orderly queue with their passport, visa form and $45 in their hands. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy. As each and every person got to the front of the queue they were told that this was the collection/payment window. Paperwork/passport had to be deposited at the other end of the building first (in fairness, this was written in the small print on the sign, but we were all like lost sheep following the leader). Down to the other end, paperwork and passport deposited, and move to the back of the original queue again.

After about 15 more minutes, they called my name. I paid my $45 and joined my wife in the baggage hall. A walk through customs, and our taxi was waiting to take us to our hotel.

Vietnam, we have arrived.

Next installment tomorrow will be the Jasmine Garden Hotel and Hoan Kiem Lake

[buksida]

As you go down the steps into the arrivals hall there is a huge sign saying ‘Visa On Arrival’, so everybody formed an orderly queue with their passport, visa form and $45 in their hands. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy. As each and every person got to the front of the queue they were told that this was the collection/payment window. Paperwork/passport had to be deposited at the other end of the building first (in fairness, this was written in the small print on the sign, but we were all like lost sheep following the leader). Down to the other end, paperwork and passport deposited, and move to the back of the original queue again.

Same same - I bet that happens to every single person arriving in Hanoi for the first time!

[Big Boy]

That makes me feel a little better - thanks for the warning

[caller]

Good report so far BB and glad to see you survived your night inside!

But how long was the flight to Hanoi?

[Big Boy]

1 hour 40 minutes.

[caller]

Thank you!

[Big Boy]

Typical no frills airline - we only paid about 4,000 Baht each for a return flight, which I considered excellent value for money. The plane was spotless, but the trolly dollies were there to extract your cash (only accepted Baht or US Dollars) - I invested in a coffee both ways at 60 Baht a cup.

[redzonerocker]

I invested in a coffee both ways at 60 Baht a cup.

Flash git!!

[caller]

Typical no frills airline - we only paid about 4,000 Baht each for a return flight, which I considered excellent value for money.

Agree with that, that's amazing!

[Big Boy]

Part 2 - Jasmine Garden Hotel and Hoan Kiem Lake

The Jasmine Garden Hotel

This hotel had been highly recommended to me, so I wasn’t go to ignore such a high recommendation. I booked my room through Agoda, and the price was about 1,000 Baht per night, including breakfast, which I thought very reasonable for a city hotel.

DSC02450b.JPG (150.2 KiB) Viewed 937 times

As the taxi pulled up at about 09:30, the staff came rushing out to welcome us. We were well before the earliest check-in time, and I was expecting either to be left roomless for a few hours or to be asked to pay a supplement. We went into reception, were sat down with a coffee and checked in. When we’d finished our coffee, we were shown to our room – no additional cost. At all times, we’d been shown mega respect by the staff, and they couldn’t have been more helpful.

We were shown to our room, and I must say, I was a little disappointed. As usual, the literature shows the best room, and I was paying for a budget room. However, it had everything that we needed, and was actually plenty big enough.

DSC02361b.JPG (116.17 KiB) Viewed 937 times

The biggest problem was the room temperature. We had a sudden realisation that we weren’t being subjected to very efficient air conditioning. This was Hanoi weather. I’d checked the weather in advance and we were going to have an average temperature of about 12C during our visit. As an ex-UK resident, this sounded quite pleasant. However, I soon realised that I’ve turned Thai native. This was going to be my coldest few days ever.

We closed the hotel room windows, and turned the air conditioning on – fortunately the air conditioning unit had a heater feature. I switched it to 26C (the night time setting we use in Thailand), and it took the chill off the room, but little else.

We rested for a while after our early start, but we eventually got dressed as warm as we could (neither of us have coats because we just don’t need them in Thailand) and set on our adventure. First stop was reception, where we given a map, and the receptionist went through a lot of dos and don’ts in Hanoi. It was a bit of a horror story, but we listed carefully. This list included:

• the fact that we wouldn’t be physically attacked, but having our pockets picked was a very real possibility.

• A lesson on how to cross the road. Don’t worry about traffic, just walk out into the road slowly and straight. The traffic would avoid us. It took a while to build up confidence, but it worked.

• Only change money at a bank, or the hotel. Anywhere else we were likely to be given a good rate, but receive counterfeit money. She stated the hotel would charge a very small commission. I checked the hotel’s rate, which I was happy with, so changed my money there and became an instant millionaire.

DSC02454b.JPG (112.82 KiB) Viewed 937 times

The hotel’s staff continued their level of service throughout our 2 stays with them. Always very helpful, and service with a smile. Their travel agency helped with a couple of trips, which saved a lot of heartache on our part. I’d recommend the Jasmine Garden Hotel without hesitation.

This hotel is ideally located to explore the narrow streets of the Old Quarter of the city, situated just a couple of hundred yards from Hoan Kiem Lake.

Around Hoan Kiem Lake

Being located so close to this lake, it seemed to be the focal point whenever we left the hotel. This is where we aimed for as soon as we left the hotel.

The first place we encountered was a temple on an island, which had to be accessed via a quaint red bridge. Ngoc San Temple (Temple of the Jade Mountain) is built on the Jade Islet and dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosophers and the national hero, Trần Hưng Đạo, the small temple was expanded in 1865.

DSC02403b.JPG (139.63 KiB) Viewed 937 times

DSC02364b.JPG (144.88 KiB) Viewed 937 times

From the shore, the Welcoming Morning Sunlight Bridge (Cầu Thê Húc) leads to the island. Buildings of the temple include the Pen Tower (Thap But), the ink-slab (Dai Nghien), the Moon Contemplation Pavilion (Dac Nguyet) and the Pavilion against Waves (Đình Trấn Ba), all of which have symbolic meaning.

Unfortunately, because we had to pay an admission charge, and we hadn’t yet mastered the money, we did not actually enter this temple.

DSC02366b.JPG (146.59 KiB) Viewed 937 times

As we left the temple, we saw the the most unusual people I’ve ever seen playing Vietnamese instruments. They could have been aliens. They had no eyes nor sockets where eyes would fit. All they had was a very extended forehead. I wanted to take a photo, but felt that it would have been rude. I later learned that these guys were probably victims of the aftermath of Agent Orange.

Just to the side of this Ngoc San Temple were some beautiful lakeside gardens, with flowers in full bloom, which seemed a little strange for such cold weather. The bit I haven’t We wandered around the gardens for a while until we reached an extension of the temple located on another small island. Both parts of the temple are tastefully lit up at night (although my camera struggled to capture this.

DSC02372b.JPG (141.89 KiB) Viewed 937 times

DSC02373b.JPG (151.55 KiB) Viewed 937 times

DSC02376b.JPG (142.52 KiB) Viewed 937 times

DSC02391b.JPG (117.17 KiB) Viewed 937 times

We turned around and saw another square with flowers, and a statue, so put our new found road crossing skills to the test. The statue, which was the centrepiece was Ly Thai To. He was Đại Việt Emperor and was the founder of the Lý Dynasty, he reigned from 1009 to 1028 AD. It was he who moved the capital to Hanoi in 1010.

DSC02398b.JPG (127.25 KiB) Viewed 937 times

Lunch time was beckoning – what to do? Where to go? Our map had a few recommendations on where to go. For the first time ever, my dear wife had become a fussy eater for fear of eating dog. In reality, dogs are so rare in Vietnam (I think in the few days we were there, we saw about 2 dozen dogs in total, and we’d travelled a fair few miles), they would be a delicacy, and cost an arm and a leg – certainly not street food that we were avoiding.

We decided on a restaurant called Ha Noi Garden (Vietnamese food with both courtyard and an inside space). We set off using our map, but never actually got there. Despite having learnt how to cross the road, we encountered a road, which would require an advanced training course to get across. We were only there a few days, so looked elsewhere. We were stood outside the City View Restaurant, which I’d heard of, and it gave some excellent views across the lake. I guessed it would be a touch expensive, but what the hell.

DSC02406b.JPG (126.82 KiB) Viewed 937 times

We were escorted to the 5th floor, and we chose a corner outside table. Although brilliant for taking photos/admiring the view, this was springtime in Vietnam. It was about 10C at midday, with a cooling wind. The cooling wind became an Arctic Gale on an exposed corner, 5 floors above street level. We ordered our lunch, and took a few photos. We then decided to promptly move back inside (don’t forget, we only had Thailand clothes with us). The food was actually very good, and although a lot more expensive than street food, it was quite reasonably priced. We thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the views.

DSC02407b.JPG (115.44 KiB) Viewed 937 times

Next decision was what to do about the extremely cold weather. An urgent decision had to be made as we were travelling to Halong bay tomorrow, and it would be even colder with a sea breeze.

• My wife was easy, and we bought her a good quality coat that would provide adequate protection against the elements.

• It was going to be different for a man mountain like me. The Vietnamese are a small race like the Thais, and outsize clothing wouldn’t be easy to find, if we could find any at all. I had plenty of shirts with me, and because of the cold, I wasn’t sweating at all. I decided layers was the answer. I started wearing a vest, a T Shirt and a long sleeved pullover type garment. This did not keep me completely warm, but was a solution against the cold weather, which was better than spending hours looking for an elusive garment that mightn’t exist, and would never be used after a couple of days.

After getting my wife kitted out, we decided to go back to the hotel for a short sleep to make up for our early start.

On the way back, we spotted the Water Puppet Theatre, which wasn’t open yet. We noted the show times, agreed that we would return in the evening.

Tomorrow's installment - The Water Puppets and we set off for Halong Bay

[Big Boy]

Part 3 - The Water Puppets and we set off for Halong Bay

Water Puppet Theatre

Our afternoon siesta lasted a little longer than planned. We returned for a later show than intended. There was quite a queue for tickets, which were 100,000 Dong each (about $10 total). The attraction was very popular.

The Water Puppet Theatre

DSC02423b.JPG (140.06 KiB) Viewed 871 times

We moved inside, and got charged another 20,000 Dong ($1) to be able to use my camera. The seating was inadequate for a 6’5” man mountain, and the chap in the seat in front of me became very acquainted with my knees.

It was quite a setup, and the show had its own traditional Vietnamese orchestra and 3 very good classical singers. They played from start to finish.

The singers and orchestra

DSC02425b.JPG (130.67 KiB) Viewed 871 times

The puppet show was very colourful, with a few excellent effects. We thoroughly enjoyed the show. Unfortunately my camera did not do the show justice.

The show

DSC02442b.JPG (102.63 KiB) Viewed 871 times

The puppeteers take a bow

DSC02446b.JPG (87.14 KiB) Viewed 871 times

After the show, we went for a meal, and retired early to bed because we had an early start the next day as we were travelling to Halong Bay for a cruise around the 1,969 islands (nobody actually knows how many islands there actually are, but the government set it at 1,969, which is the year their great leader Ho Chi Minh died).

We took the scenic route back to the hotel, browsing the many shops. It seemed each street sold one commodity e.g. one street sold shoes, another street sold handbags, another street sold pots and pans etc. This seemed strange, but it was later explained that under French rule, the Old Quarter was the market place, and the French allocated which product each street would sell. That still stands today.

Getting to Halong Bay

We had to get up at 6, and re-pack ready for our 2 day excursion to Halong Bay. Breakfast was at 7. An adequate attempt at an English breakfast, but Desperate Dan would have been well disappointed – fortunately, I can’t eat very much these days.

We checked out of our room, stored our big bags in hotel’s secure room, and sat waiting to be picked up by our tour bus. We were the last pick up, so we had a bit of a wait.

The tour guide entered the hotel, introduced himself to us, and led us to the bus. There were 10 others in our group for this cruise, and we were told that 4 others (Russians) would meet us at Halong Bay. Our group of 12 included English, American, Australian, Vietnamese, Thai and Canadians. Age groups ranged from mid 20s to mid 60s.

When we got on the bus, only the back seats were left. These seats were about 3 feet higher than the rest, and because we were a long way behind the rear axle, every bump was magnified by an intensity of about 5. I was quite pleased when another couple ‘stole’ our seats on the return journey.

The bus

DSC02458b.JPG (107.03 KiB) Viewed 871 times

Vietnamese roads are not the best, and obviously built in sections. For some reason, they don’t seem concerned with the way they join one section to another, and there are regular steps in the road – especially prevalent when joining bridges to the road. 3 times on the journey to Halong Bay, I hit my head on the roof of the bus.

Half way to Halong Bay the bus stopped for a break at Rip Off City. This was meant to be a toilet break, but for 30 minutes? The driver and tour guide ate their free meal while we were expected to browse the ‘tourist priced’ tat that was for sale.

Eventually we arrived at the port. Our boat was too large to enter the harbour, so we had to wait for a tender to transport us. The waiting room had huge sofas and would have been very comfortable if somebody had thought to close the door to keep the cold out.

The port buildings

DSC02466b.JPG (123.19 KiB) Viewed 871 times

Boats in the harbour

DSC02459b.JPG (97.45 KiB) Viewed 871 times

Tenders waiting to ferry passengers to their Junks.

DSC02461b.JPG (133.08 KiB) Viewed 871 times

After about 10 minutes we were invited to board our tender. The bow of the tender came right up to the steps of the harbour, so it was simple to step aboard. Once on-board, we all had to put a life jacket on. It took about 5 minutes to get to our boat (Junk), the V Spirit.

Our home for the next 2 days

DSC02474b.JPG (94.05 KiB) Viewed 871 times

Tomorrow's installment The Junk and Cruising the Islands plus a Visit to Hang Sung Sot (The Amazing Cave)

[Big Boy]

Part 4 - The Junk (V'Spirit) and Cruising the Islands plus a Visit to Hang Sung Sot (The Amazing Cave)

I had specifically chosen February for this trip based on advice from a friend. He said don’t come in June/July because it will be misty. Visit Halong Bay during the Thai dry season for clear skies and beautiful blue sea he advised. W R O N G !!!

Getting on board the V Spirit was as easy as boarding the tender. We were shown directly to the dining room/bar, where we were issued with our room keys. We had to settle into our rooms, and be back in the dining room in 15 minutes for lunch.

Our cabin

DSC02477b.JPG (112.58 KiB) Viewed 785 times

The Sun Deck

DSC02485b.JPG (124.85 KiB) Viewed 785 times

View over the bow

DSC02487b.JPG (115.49 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Lunch (and every other meal on board) was amazing. I don’t know how many courses each meal consisted of, but the food just kept coming. With my reduced stomach, I was just taking a nibble of every other course, so the others at my table had a lot of extras. What I tasted was first class. Drinks were at extra cost. Because of my low capacity, I don’t normally bother with beer. However, this was a special occasion, and I did force a couple of Bia Ha Noi’s down my neck – very nice too.

Bia Ha Noi

DSC02607b.JPG (115.63 KiB) Viewed 785 times

As we ate, we were cruising past many islands, in procession with other junks. It was beautiful, and I likened it to a flooded Sam Roi Yod, but much bigger. The further we got into the bay, the more deviations the different junks started taking going to visit different attractions.

Cruising amongst the 1969 islands

DSC02490b.JPG (95.03 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Cruising amongst the 1969 islands

DSC02495b.JPG (107.97 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Cruising amongst the 1969 islands

DSC02515b.JPG (103.05 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Cruising amongst the 1969 islands

DSC02597b.JPG (80.82 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Cruising amongst the 1969 islands

DSC02600b.JPG (126.41 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Our first attraction was Hang Sung Sot (The Amazing Cave).

Hang Sung Sot (The Amazing Cave)

We had to take the tender ashore for this attraction. Unfortunately, there would be a lot of climbing, which excluded my wife. Once we’d left the tender. It was a one way track through the cave, so if my wife had attempted it and failed, she would have been trapped forever – well, not forever, but it would have been difficult to turn back.

On the tender heading towards the cave

DSC02529b.JPG (128.08 KiB) Viewed 785 times

On the way we passed a floating fishing village

DSC02534b.JPG (122.42 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Our tour guide was a little worried about me also due to my size – he obviously didn’t know some of the massive climbs I’d succeeded with in recent months. This climb was actually for pussy cats, and he had to ask me to slow down to wait for the others.

We could see the entrance to the cave high above us

DSC02535b.JPG (123.24 KiB) Viewed 785 times

It was about a 200 step climb to the cave entrance, but there were so many stops waiting for those in front to catch their breath, this was a doddle. However, my wife did the right thing staying on board V Spirit. The steps were very safe compared to Thai caves, with decent handrails all of the way.

The steps up to the cave

DSC02543b.JPG (155.57 KiB) Viewed 785 times

The cave itself was pretty amazing, but no better than some caves I had recently visited in Thailand. However, I played the game and took a lot of photos. Probably the best part of this visit was the view, both at the entrance and exit of the cave. I took the mandatory ‘view’ photos, which are the same as many others who have visited Halong Bay. However, mine were taken under thick cloud, and light mist.

View on the way up

DSC02544b.JPG (130.72 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Inside the cave

DSC02570b.JPG (113.62 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Inside the cave

DSC02573b.JPG (128.65 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Inside the cave

DSC02584b.JPG (120.38 KiB) Viewed 785 times

The view after the cave

DSC02586b.JPG (100.18 KiB) Viewed 785 times

Eventually, we were all back at the rendezvous point, and we were taken back to V Spirit.

When we got back, we were told we had 15 minutes before our next activity – kayaking. We were told that we would get wet, and to dress appropriately. Never having kayaked in my life, and thinking it was too cold to get wet, I decided to stay on V Spirit.

Imagine my disappointment when the others got back, and they had all declined to kayak. They were loaded into a large rowing boat and taken into another cave, although the group did make me feel a bit better when they said it was a very plain cave.

We then moored up for the night. After a delightful dinner I tried squid fishing for about 5 minutes before going to bed for the night.

Next morning it was an early start, with Tai Chi before breakfast, and then a visit to Dao Soi Sim Beach at 08:30.


Tomorrow's installment: Dao Soi Sim Beach & Cookery Demonstration.

[lomuamart]

Certainly looks like you had a great trip. Just as matter of interest, do you make notes as you're traveling or does all the above come from memory?

[Big Boy]

All from memory (and browsing the 500+ photos ). It was just such a shame that we'd chosen such cold, misty weather.

IMHO Halong Bay should be on everybody's bucket list - even through the mists it was beautiful.

[lomuamart]

Must stop drinking so much Chang and maybe I'll retain some of those grey cells that are left.