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| Watching the sunset over Halong Bay from our boat |
We decided to reward ourselves for all the overnight buses and very 'budget' accomodation by doing a 3 day trip to Halong bay. Pleased to have survived the crazy motorists in Hanoi, we set off to the coast and went aboard our boat. A wonderful lunch of fresh seafood (more giant prawns yay) awaited us, then some kayaking around one of the islands. Halong bay just takes your breath away. It's beautiful, enormous and nothing like anywhere we've been before. After sleeping the night on the boat we arrived at Cat Ba island which is the largest inhabited island in Halong Bay. A pretty serious trek took us to the top of a mountain, with wonderful views of the island.
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| Enjoying the view from the bungalow |
Next stop was monkey island where we we did, indeed, see monkeys on the beach. We were lucky enough to get one of the bungalows which overlooked the beach and made the most of that view. A rather early start was much improved by a quick dip in the sea. Just wished we'd had longer there to enjoy the peace and spectacular scenery.
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| Monkey island beach |
As we travelled down the coast to Hue the weather took a turn for the worst. This is rainy season we kept reminding ourselves but after 4 days of torrential rain we were getting a bit fed up! Made the best of it though, armed with raincoats and umbrella. Lots of temples, tombs and other historic sights to keep us busy. Somewhere in all this Steve has managed to hurt his leg, so I'm getting a bit of a rest from all the walking while he is less mobile!
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| Making the best of the rain |
We manged to coincide our next stop in Hoi An with the Autumn festival where local children dress up as dragons and march around the streets, banging big drums. This photo shows the main road running through the town, absolutely heaving with people enjoying the festivities despite the appalling weather. Managed to fit in a trip to a tailor while we were there and got some clothes made. Steve now has a very nice dinner jacket and a dress for me, and even with shipping back home, not a fraction of the English price.
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| Crazy main high street in Hanoi |
The worst sleeper train so far took us from Hoi An to Nha Trang on a 13 hour journey - bumpy, smelly and no toilet so had to use the pretty vile loos on route. Not the nicest journey at the best of times but made worse by Steve's sore leg - no wonder people take Valium! Made it to Nha Trang, a seaside resort with very cheap accommodation and nice food so we're happy. Weather much better today so we've had a lazy day on the beach, telling ourselves it's to give Steve's leg a rest. Delighted to find a traditional Italian restaurant and get some western food for one of the first times all month. Much as we love the rice and noodles it's a nice change. Happy times.
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