Halong Bay, Vietnam

One word to describe Halong Bay: stunning. And also strangely eerie! Sadly P has been feeling rather unwell so I attempted this one on my own. It was part of a 3 day tour package, which are very popular with travellers here (although it's easy to get ripped off). It included a trip around the bay on one of their 'junk' boats, kayaking, sleeping on the boat, trekking in a national park and staying on Cat Ba Island, which is the only populated island in Halong Bay.

I set off on Sunday and immediately realised this was going to be an experience - 5 minutes in they realised they'd put me on the wrong bus! Dear..god. Thankfully they noticed the mistake and put me on the right one, and then it was full steam ahead (literally!). The boat that we toured the islands on was fantastic - all wooden and quaint inside with a big deck on which to sit and admire the beautiful scenery. The first thought I had on seeing the many little islands dotted around the bay, shrouded in mist, was of being on the set for Pirates of the Caribbean! The place had such an atmosphere, very spooky.

The next day was 'organised' so that I'd do trekking in the morning and explore Cat Ba Island in the afternoon. The trekking was such a joke! Thankfully I had hiking shoes because they took us scrambling up rocky cliff faces for 3 hours (not in the initial trek description...funny that). I coped ok but some people (idiots) in my group were wearing flip flops....I couldn't believe it either. The views were very good, but I did fear for my life at several points. Cat Ba Island...well the less said about that the better. Let's just say that I'm glad I had Harry Potter for amusement!

I spent the night in the hotel and returned by boat to Hanoi (and to P!) this afternoon. It was a very fun trip and I met some fantastic other travellers along the way, but I shall perhaps think twice before doing another trek in Asia. The guides always have a screw loose, I'm sure....