Lily & Wendy in Vietnam

Great Junk trip through the islands of Halong Bay-eating, swimming, visiting limestone caves, kayaking, along with travellers from all agees from all over the world. Cyclone arriving as we departed this afternoon and next boats cancelled!
Back in Hanoi for last night of trip.

Day excursion to Pefume Pagoda.
Rowed up the Suoi Yen river by a local woman for 2hrs, then rice lunch in open air at the village to give stamina for the trip up Mountain to Pagoda. This is one of Vietnams most spectacular sights.
The Perfume Pagoda is actually a complex of 30 Buddist shrines but the one in the limestone cavern in the mountainside is the most fascinating and is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Each year across their 3 months of festival, 1 million people come here on pilgrimage praying for absolution, good health and a boy child!
Then we were rowed back down the river again by the same poor woman in 35*and the road trip back to Hanoi was as usual terrifying, as it always is on the road in this country! Today saw 2 crashes ,motorbikes under trucks (1 prob dead!) as well as our bus getting a flat tyre on the motorway (if you could call it that! as there are no rules).

Vietnam Airlines airbus very impressive. Never travelling Tiger Air ever again.
Hanoi 38* and high humidity fantastic.
Strange Chinese architecture with French influence and likewise Chinese food with French influence. Fresh Spring rolls for dinner bound in a french crepe!!!
The weirdest hotel room with Japanese wooden bath tub with holes in bottom-flooded bathroom floor instantly before Lily even climbed in!!! Best thing is own 30"flatscreen TV/computer with free internet, almost filling our tiny compact room. Fascinating how whole family cook, eat & socialise on pavement in the cool of the evening.
Up at dawn for day excursion by bus, boat, gondola and trekking to Perfume Pagodas for a bit of history & culture.

Is anyone else reading this apart from Wendy & Owen?
At long last Lily has 'given the cord up' so you can now see photos yippee!

Hired a taxi man guide for the day(no English at all!). Set off for the Crazy House-extreme Gaudi-esque/hobbitville style. Wendy has finally cooled down and Lily in thermals and puffy jacket-actually the sun was out for a few hrs today and quite hot. Headed for Lat Village to see traditional ethnic minority lifestyle.... what we got was a 4 wheel drive expedition up a mountain instead, to see very kitsch statues. Good 360 view of entire region though! Off to market then Massage-bliss.