Halong Bay & back to Hanoi

I don't usually enjoy a 6am wake up call but when you wake up peacefully drifting in the most stunning scenery and you rise to do Thai Chi in the refreshing morning air then it doesn't feel so bad! I found it hysterical and struggled not to giggle through the class as 14 tall, awkward tourist tried our best to bend and flex as much as our tiny, elegant Vietnamese teacher.

We finished the class refreshed and ready for breakfast before a quick trip out to a cave on one of the islands. We had lunch at 10.45 which was a weird experience because you don't normally fancy rice and beef at that time but we then had a long journey back to Hanoi.

Our guide gave us a little more insight into his countries beliefs and it turns out we're in the Vietnamese dead season. They believe that when people die they go to a second life and the dead are locked up. I'm not sure how accurate this is as the guides English was quite broken but he explained that once a year for 15 days the gates of heaven are opened and the Vietnamese believe that the dead come to find their families. The living spend the 15 days burning things made out of card for their dead relatives. They burn everything from money and clothes to cars and mobile phones. They also burn extra for the homeless or people who didn't have families.

He explained that they bury their dead twice, in a communal cemetery when the person first dies in a wooden coffin and then three years laterthey dig them up! The second time they take the bones, mix them with nice smelling herds and clean them before putting the bones in a smaller box and re burying it on their land so that its close by and can we looked after daily.

He also explained that in Vietnamese culture they still hope for boys rather than girls. They will keep having children until they get a boy ideally. This is because they divide up their land to pass on to the boys of their family. The girls are considered the responsibility of the family she marries into.

By the time we got home all we had time for was a quick catch up on admin, a bath in a very cool glittery tub at the hotel and dinner. We have just come back from a really special dinner, we had tried to eat there on Sunday night and it had been fully booked. I'm so pleased we booked for tonight because it was beautiful, such a lovely atmosphere with a violin and guitar playing. 

The restaurant is rated as the top place to eat in Vietnam and you can see why. The place was casual but the staff were very attentive and polite and the food was delicious. We went off the recommendation from the waitress and had pork rolls to start, a beef and fish dish for main and fried banana for dessert! It was expensive for Vietnam but a bargain for the quality of what we were eating and what we would normally pay.

We got home to find that one of our 3 flights tomorrow has been cancelled so Edd is in the middle of trying to book us a hotel in Kota Kinabalu whilst we sort a flight for the next morning. I have everything crossed that we will still make it to Sandakan in time for our turtle island trip as I'm desperate to see turtles (one of my top 3 things I'm looking forward to!)

Early start again tomorrow so off to bed!