And, breathe...

Today couldn't have been more of a contrast from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi.

In fairness, we did have to endure a four-hour drive from the city, which was amazing and terrifying turn-by-turn. My favourite part, I think, was when we did a u-turn on the motorway because we wanted to take an exit that didn't exist in the direction we were travelling. Or possibly it was the huge lorry driving the wrong way down the motorway - in the fast lane, obviously. Hard to choose.

When we arrived at Halong Bay, we were whisked out to our junk by water taxi. There were only 14 guests on board: two other families of four and a honeymooning couple. Lunch was incredible - way better than we were expecting - and certainly the views we were experiencing didn't hurt.

We cruised for a couple of hours before pulling up next to a small island and taking the tender to the beach. There's a large cave in the centre of the island, so we explored that for a while before kayaking and swimming in the warmest, most-bouyant sea imaginable. Then back on board for cocktails and a gorgeous dinner.

Now we've stopped for the night out on the bay, with about half a dozen other junks around us. Not a sound to be heard. Heavenly.