Jewels of the north

Just a hop, skip and a jump up the Highway One on an overnight bus and we're in the heart of it - Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Centred around a generously pungent lake, which Hanoins revere with mystical appreciation, Hanoi offers shopping and culinary delights in purpose named streets - each road is named after the commercial venture found there. There are also heaps of fantastic French-style bakeries and patisseries dotted around the central city district, a positive legacy from Vietnam's French colonial past - which means delectable baguettes, croissants and other pastries are on offer. Vietnam is famous for it's mountain grown coffee, a strong earthy brew that the locals can't get enough of. I'm following their lead.

Hanoi is well known for frantic traffic - the public transport is limited to non-existent, and so everyone gets around on motorbikes. Tackling a busy intersection takes some getting used to - the bikes sound like a swarm of angry bees and morph in an organised chaos around cars, buses and pedestrians. The 'green man' appears to guide you across the road, but take his advice at your peril - no one's paying attention to him. It's easier to walk slowly across the road, as motorbikes really do weave around you. Horns rule over traffic lights and you need eyes in the back of your head while you're walking - it's not even safe on the sidewalk.

The monsoon hasn't broken up here yet, and it's almost melting us when the mercury soars to over 40 degrees each day... so we decide to head for the ocean. Out to the north-west of Hanoi is Halong Bay, an amazing group of nearly 1000 limestone karst formations blanketed with jungle thrusting phalically out of the South China Sea. We organise a boat cruise - the perfect way to see the area. As the boat chugs through the calm waters between the pinnacles of limestone, haze in the distance hangs eerily between the rock formations, creating a mysterious air. Included in our trip is kayaking, which turns out badly for some of our group when a kayak sinks... perfect reason why you shouldn't drink and drive. Luckily no one is injured, but the kayak operator is pissed because we can't find the canoe. After some particularly heated words, the kayak proprietor demands an extortionate amount of money, and there are whispers of calling the police. In the end, they agree to pay a lesser amount - still extortionate, but better than the initial amount. Puts an interesting spin on the afternoon though!

Back on the boat, we cruise to a vantage point to enjoy a beautiful sunset across the bay and settle in for a few beverages. In the morning, we head to Cat Ba Island, the largest island in Halong Bay. Due to it's proximity to Hanoi, it's packed to the rafters with predominantly Vietnamese tourists, and population pressure has not treated Cat Ba well. Still, there is some good hiking in the centre of the island with fantastic 360 degree vistas across the entire bay.