..I just wanted to let you know that we finally gave in in Hoi An and had a pizza! We'd done very well up to that point having eaten only local food but I was craving cheese so we had the best tasting pizzas ever (or so it seemed at the time) at a restaurant called Good Morning Vietnam - how ironic! Aside from this we have only eaten western food one other time and so are now becoming very adept with chopsticks.
So, we arrived in Hanoi at 5am went to our hotel and slept some more - it's amazing how tiring this travelling lark is. We then spent the next couple of days wandering around Hanoi. At one stage when crossing the road (dodging the motorbikes) in full midday sun we felt like we'd entered a furnace and it literally stopped us in our tracks - the honking of horns soon got us moving again - this by the way is a local pass-time for all drivers. It seemed hotter in the north but I think it's just far more humid, so leaving the aircon on in our room while we're out is essential. When you walk back in it feels like a fridge but within a few minutes it seems warm again - I don't know how people sleep without it.....?!
We wanted to go on a boat trip through Halong Bay, famous for it's 2,000 islands - well, rock formations - so we hunted around for a good deal. It's very difficult to know how good a deal you are getting with these things as every tour shop offers you a different price for what essentially looks like the same thing. Anyway we made our choice and I think we did OK.
We ended up on a boat with just 6 other people, 3 Danish, 2 French and another English girl, Michelle. Our Vietnamese tour guide was great, her English was very good and she was ever so enthusiastic - but she did wear trousers that looked like satin pyjama bottoms a lot of the time!
We were to spend the first night sleeping on the boat and I for one was very impressed when we were shown our rooms. To all those who have been on the Turkey boat holidays the rooms were better than those, we even had a fan. This was of course the point at which we realised we had to sleep without aircon for the first time - on a boat in the middle of the sea! We were actually very lucky that we'd had a fairly overcast day so it was a bit cooler, otherwise there could have been a few tired faces the following morning. I'm sure the bottle of local wine (you get used to it) Michelle helped me deck may have aided sleep too!
That evening we had also found out that the trekking part of the itinerary wasn't optional and that it wasn't just 5km. It was infact about 14km, 4 km of which were up and down a mountain. Now you know me, I usually don't mind a bit of exercise but that's in cool conditions in a gym - this was very different. On that note I shall pass over to Mik as he'll be able to give a more detailed account of the trek!
Before I sign off I did just want to mention to the girls reading this that I have now managed without mascara (actually left it at home - accidentally!) for nearly 4 weeks now and haven't missed it. I do still have my trusty Clarins tinted moisturiser and this will remail a staple but aside from that I think I'm doing quite well. Wouldn't really be much point doing the whole make up thang anyway as it'd all have flowed off my face within 5 minutes of being outside in the heat - even in the evenings!! Anyway enough girlie stuff over to Mik for manly climbing stories.....
Cara
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