Liane, Leanne and Alice where all waiting in the boarding lounge at Don Muang airport ready to board our 7am flight leaving the beautiful islands of thailand to arrive at the bustling Hanoi!

After trying to work out the currency in the departure lobby if the airport I drew out a 200000 note - IM RICH .... Nah not really that's about £6 that should keep me going till the next ATM cheap as chips over here ha!

Another taxi to Hanoi old town hotel and oh my days are the roads total utter carnage! Although you could call it organised chaos! All pedestrians and vehicles just casually but manically dodging each other, we were close to ending up in the back of another taxi but the driver braked in just enough time and then hollered some abuse at the other driver, the drivers over here need medals - i was grateful for safe our arrival.

The buildings are all tall and narrow and have their residents etc sitting, cooking, eating and socialising on the front of their properties due to the lack of space inside the buildings, we found out later that the way the buildings were structured was down to how people were taxed in accordance to the width of the front/entrance of the property. Just a little bit of vietnamese knowledge for you all ha!

After all the travelling we were all pretty sleepy but we wanted to get out into the streets and get our barrings! A street map was definitely needed for starters as most streets look the same and duplicate the stalls on each street. round where we are the streets all start with hang which means shop/merchants and they are then followed by vietnamese words like rice, sugar etc. On our first experience around Hanoi Liane explained how the rules of the roads are, don't run, the traffic will work round you and its easier for people to know what your doing if you smoothly glide across.......so deep breath and walk, working in and out of cars coaches and a million and one bikes, gaining a sense of achievement at getting across to the other side safely- Mum and Becky know how I like to dash across the roads dodging traffic back home,so I'd like to say I'm a pro already just need to change the dash into a cruise ha!

After getting the trick of the crossings we stopped for some Vietnamese food at a rooftop restaurant which was lovely and done using chopsticks :) We took a walk around the old town lake and took in some more culture and scenery! The sun isn't out but still a humid warm tone to the air. After we walked dinner off and dodged a million more vehicles in a million more streets we got back to the room, freshened up backpacker style (getting lazy now ha). Before leaving the hotel again to make our way to watch the Vietnamese water puppet show that had even recommended to us we booked an overnight boat trip to Halong bay for the following 2 days!

The thought of getting back to the lake for the show itself was an effort in itself but luckily for me I seemed to have already got the knack of things and stormed through the roads injury free ha :)

People here, I have noticed already in my short time here have absolutely no spacial awareness or concept of personal space, if you enter a shop they literally stand next to you as if connected at the hip (no exaggeration) and then follow you step by step round the shop, I found this funny at times and would see if they would literally follow me in circles back and fourth round the shop (have to amuse myself some how haha).

The puppet show was so unique and adorably random with lots of old and new Vietnamese traditions! It kept me smiling the whole way through.

Bedtime wasnt the greatest here the mattress where rife with springs and the pillow was solid as a rock but a beds a bed so slept on top of the duvet and used the travel pillow - comfy again andddd sleep!

Quick breakfast and then a 4 hour taxi drive to Halong Bay. The drive itself was cultural and we met Tony our Vietnamese rep for our journey - what a character "bang tidy" "you know?" He kept us entertained and in giggles for the whole journey. The itinerary whilst on the 'Imperial Junk" boat was walking through the limestone caves, kayaking round the rocks, lots of seafood meals, fresh water pearl farm, preparing Vietnamese spring rolls for lunch and cruising around the islands and under caves on pedal boats! All in all you can definitely see why this place is one of the '7 Wonders of the World'.

Pure perfection and an unforgettable experience.

It was time to see what Hanoi itself had to offer and so we cracked on with the tick list. Before arriving we had decided that we wanted to go to Ho Chi Minh memorial and museum, Hoa Lo Prison and if we had time the lady's prison and the literature museum.

Friday we started off with Ho Chi Minhs museum- can understand why he was and still is such an important part to Vietnam and all his followers. They say "he lived such a simple and lofty private life with his cause, ideology and morality" still living on today in the Vietnamese people. He spoke such great and wise words to keep his communist country booming and was all about self criticism and revolutional morality and of how he wanted to embrace what was to come "not being attracted by wealth and luxury, unshaken by poverty and hardship, undaunted by violence and might" and with the spirit of " industry, thrift , integrity and righteousness of public dedication and disinterestedness".

Think it was great idea getting to do the museum before going to see his embalmed body where he lays to rest in the Mausoleum from his passing away in 1969. It was intense and another surreal moment getting to see this wise man after learning so much about what he stood for and did for his people.

After sight seeing and taking in more of the Vietnamese culture it was only fair that we relaxed and enjoyed a few girly drinks and headed out on a Night out- Vietnamese style :)

It started off with a few pre-drinks at the hotel with the girls then we discovered Howard, an elderly journalist, at our hotel reception. He over heard our plans and suggested places to go, he then offered to be our guide and took us down the manic streets over cross roads, left turns, right turns, bends this way and that way till final we arrived at the Hanoi backpacker hostel the place where the nightlife starts. A vodka down and we left for the next bar - bar 32, where we met more people we then all made our way to "The Lighthouse" which was like a mini WHP with house music, absolutely loved it, raving it up with people from all around the world. Just how I like it :)))

Go hard or go home xx

Becky and myself have now booked another night in Hanoi old town hotel, whilst Lianne has booked into a backpacker hostel - just how she likes it before she has to leave for home tomorrow (the 12th). Leanne and Alice have just left for their long journey home and jeez was it sad to see them go, cooommme baaaccckkkk already!! Don't think any of them will be staying still for long - see you down under guys ha!

Overnight sleeper train booked for tomorrow 7:30 pm to get to our next stop Hao, recommended by our buddy Lianne xxx

Peace out- love to you all xxx