By the Seaside

Day 49: Hanoi (VN) – Halong Bay (VN). “It's a turtle. No, no, wait. That's the bear. Or maybe it's the lion!?”, I suggested to Karen, clearly bemused by the gigantic stalagmite formations in Sung Sot Cave that were supposed to resemble the form of magical animals.

After two and a half days at the mercy of Hanoi's acrid pollution we were in need of some fresh air and with the Gulf of Tonkin a (relatively) short bus ride away, Karen and I decided the best way to clear our nasal passages would be to take a trip to the seaside.

7 weeks had passed since we last saw the sea and that was on the opening day of our voyage whilst crossing the North Seas from Harwich. But gazing out over Halong Bay from the decks of our Vietnamese Sailing Junk, the panorama felt like a million miles away from the Suffolk coast rather than the eleven thousand or so that we had actually travelled to be there. Around 3,000 incredible islands rose from the emerald waters – a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of mother nature. Untouched white sandy beaches awaited discovery by anyone who cared to explore them and a flotilla of small fishing junks completed this idyllic scene.

And here we were aboard this beautiful hand crafted wooden boat - our home for the next two days, sailing across the Unesco rated World Heritage Site: Taking in the scenery, exploring the caves and getting our hair wet. With the sun setting behind the gigantic limestone monoliths, we tucked into a seafood buffet, shared a drink or two with our fellow travellers and listened to the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. Does it get any better than this?

Day 49: Total Mileage to Date: 11,567: Number of Time Zones: 10; Number of Countries Visited: 9; Number of Transport Modes Used: 26, Maximum Temperature Encountered: +22C, Minimum Temperature Encountered: -32C.