Ha Long Bay (Day Two)

After topping ourselves up at the breakfast buffet we took the tender out once again to the remains of a floating fishing village, where we decamped in fours into coracles and were paddled through the floating houses and out around the rocks – a really pleasant, peaceful trip. Then it was back to the ship for – of course! – brunch (they did keep stressing what a long trip back to Hanoi it was) before heading back to the port in yet another mode of sea transport – a sort of small-bus-sized motorboat. We stopped part way back to Hanoi to watch a traditional water puppet show, which was surprisingly entertaining, and despite being exhausted by the time we finally hit town again, we managed to rally ourselves for a really nice evening out. First we went to a restaurant called Cha Ca Thang Long, which only serves one dish – but a really good one; fried fish that comes in the pan and sits on a burner in the middle of the table for you to wilt in your own dill and spring onions before adding it to noodles with chilli, herbs, peanuts and fish sauce – a lot of fun and really delicious. Then we went to a bar called Nola in the Old Quarter for cocktails (her) and really good Vietnamese iced coffee (me…)