Hanoi and Ha Long

Saigon is mad, Hanoi is suicidal. Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught. In Saigon crossing the road is dangerous, but at least there is the safety of the footpath on the other side. Hanoi has no such sanctuary. Every square centimeter of footpath is covered with parked motorbikes, food sellers, beer sellers, and everything else under the sun. Walking around is extremely stressful and would drive you to drink if you lived here. I wonder what the visiting Presidents and Prime Ministers for the APEC with think on arrival. Saying that, it is a very cool place. The Old Quarter pulses with energy. Everyone is constantly on the move from 5am to 12pm. A half-day walking tour of the Old Quarter can take in all the main sights. The most impressive is Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Unfortunately for us, Uncle Ho goes to Moscow for the winter for a bit of touch up work, but the building and grounds are still quite something. However, the best thing about Hanoi is its local beer stands, only signaled by the lit 'Bia Hoi' sign and the old man keeping his finger over the plug in the keg. The beer is brewed each morning and served at night and goes for a whopping 6p/per glass, in other words are round of beers for 8 people costs you $1. The first glass smells and taste a bit of rice, but after that it slides down effortlessly.
A short drive away from Hanoi is Ha Long Bay. We signed up for a 3day/2night tour of the bay and had an amazing time. Ha Long Bay was formed by water carving through the limestone creating thousands of sheer cliff islands. The sailing trip through the bay was beautiful with the constrast between the white and grey cliffs against the turquoise blue waters. We spent 1 night aboard a 'junk' boat and another at a lovely secluded beach resort. The company on the tour was top class and we are even keeping the group together for our next trip North towards China.