We couldn't leave Vietnam without visiting Ha long Bay so that was our next step after arriving in Hanoi.
Ha long bay is in the north east of Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, about a four hour drive from Hanoi. Made more recognisable to tourists after featuring on 'Top Gear's' Vietnam special the bay is made up of thousands of little islands or limestone karsts.
We booked our trip with Handspan on a recommendation from some friends. A bit more expensive than the other tours, we were excited to get aboard our boat the Treasure Junk and was not disappointed.
The luxury boat caters to every need with beautiful cabins, sun deck, bar and restaurant. It is a very comfortable way to charter the area, enjoying the scenery and sipping on a glass of wine.
We started our tour off with a six course seafood lunch. Not bad. Next was relaxing on the sundeck in the blistering heat as we made our way through the bay.
After a few hours of relaxation it was time to do some hard graft, so into the water we went for a couple of hours kayaking and swimming. Given that the last time Mike and I went kayaking we nearly got a divorce this trip went a little more smoothly. Despite forgetting how much kayaking hurts the arms after a while it is the best way to get close to the rock formations, caves and deserted beaches around the bay.
We spent two hours in the water and got to know Jason and Anna from Oz a little better as we kept crashing into their kayak!
As we headed back to the boat we were lucky enough to watch the sun start go down from the kayaks.
After our kayak adventure we boarded the boat for evening drinks and another spectacular dinner.
The rest of the night was spent squid fishing (or trying to) and watching the dramatic lightning storm overhead which continued to grow as the night went on.
The next morning we got up early for a session of T'ai Chi before breakfast. It was the first time I had seen or tried the exercise which is really a good stretching session and as we cruised along the bay I really enjoyed the workout before settling down to our morning's programme.
Most of the islands are uninhabited but over 1600 people do live in the area on four floating fishing villages. Living in floating houses these people work the bay, fishing at night and have even established a local school and oyster pearl farm as part of their community - it is incredible to see.
We visited one of the villages on our last day in the bay. Given the storm the night before we were amazed at how these people survive in the harsh culture of the waters. They all seemed happy enough though.
Unfortunately that was the end of our trip. Weather warnings regarding an impending typhoon meant we couldn't stay out for our second night as planned - boo - and we had no choice but to head back to Hanoi a bit early.
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