Another early start this morning for Thai Chi on the upper deck, what a great way to see the sun rise, even if it was very cold. The weather here is mild, I have spent the majority so far freezing in my hoody, Georgie on the other hand barely clothed loving the increased temperature to the uk. We haven't seen the sun through the clouds yet, but it doesn't seem to change the beauty of this place. It adds an almost mystical element with clouds hiding then revealing more mountains.
After Thai Chi we headed out to a beach where we could climb to the top of the mountain for a 360 degree panoramic view of the bay. Breathtaking. It makes you feel a little insignificant with the huge magnitude of this place. After our descent and George had recovered from the humidity messing with her breathing she went for a swim. There was no way I was getting in the water it was freezing being in a bikini alone I had goosebumps.
Suddenly we spotted some macaques coming down to take food from tourists. I got in to take some photos but stayed well back knowing from experience with these little guys that they may be cute but they have bloody large teeth and are expert muggers, soon discovered by some tourists getting two close. Mwwwwhahahaha evil laugh.
We headed back to the boat for breakfast complete with egg station and every other food one would require, while the boat set sail for the mainland. As we pulled into the harbor the heavens opened, we were given ponchos but we still got wet, it was raining so hard you couldn't see any of the water mountains we were leaving behind.
Viet met us at the harbour for our journey home. He let us stop at a pearl farm not something that particularly interested me but George wanted to take a look. It was very interesting how they do it but the thought of an oyster dying for a pearl isn't particularly something I would like to wear round my neck however beautiful they are. Next stop was the rest place from yesterday and we bought a few keep sakes which was nice. All the products are made by disabled people or veterans of war.
We arrived back in Hanoi and Viet took us out for coffee. It was nestled in the back of a shop, through a covered courtyard steeped in history and then up two flights of stairs, providing an excellent aerial view of the lake. He ordered us egg coffee which sounded horrendous but is now my new favourite drink. It's crossed between a sweet soufflé and a latte. Delicious! I am so glad he took us there as we would never have found it otherwise.
A short walk back to the hotel provided us with an insight into Hanoi in rush hour! OMG, no1 rule of the roads here, there are none. 2nd rule applies to pedestrians, don't look just walk, something very unknown to us westerners! But surprisingly keeping you head down with a steady pace means you don't die so I will stick to it. After a quick repack of the backpack for our evening excursion we ventured out to find the water puppet theatre.
We bought some tickets before heading to a bar to grab a drink and a sandwiche to tie us over till dinner. The theatre was tiny enough for a couple of hundred people. The show lasted about an hour and depicted the daily lives of Vietnamese water rice farmers. The music was magical and I spent most of the time watching a lady and gentleman play native string instruments. It reminded me of Vicky who was at Ketapang placing the Sepe and Violin on our porch.
Beer was calling by the time the show had finished so we headed back to the green pepper the bar at the crossroads where you sit on a stool in the road. After a few pints we were asked to move seats as the road was getting busier and bumped into two backpackers, we got chatting about our travelling adventures which was great. They then invited us to their hostel for more drinks before we were summoned on a pub crawl. As you can guess dinner never happened. There was even a pole in one bar where I got to have a practice, it even earned me a few free drinks. George and I stumbled home around 1.30am.
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