A phone call home

Saturday 16 June

It's great to get back on our bikes after breakfast at the little bush cafe and cycle through the early morning air, back to the little wharf at Cat Ba island, where we will be picked up by our boat.  Our guide arrives on a motorbike to take our luggage for us; we stop a few times on the way back to take photographs of the beautiful scenery - and a little family of goats by the roadside, who aren't at all unnerved by our presence.

Jesse, the American, the Finnish couple Nikko and Sarah, and the four young Australians, are already on the boat.  Jesse, Nikko and Sarah had an adventure yesterday with a flat-tyred motor-bike miles from anywhere in that tremendous thunderstorm; but said they'd really enjoyed themselves.  The young Australians said it had been really noisy on the other side of the island where they stayed the night; we were glad we'd opted for our little bush bungalow.

 

Soon we are all transferred to a larger ferry boat with several other tourists already on it, for the 2 hour journey back to the wharf at Halong Bay.  It's very hot and Reg and I sit in the shade on the deck, taking a last look around at the amazing seascape as we head for the shore.  We're all taken to a nearby restaurant for lunch, then inevitably the worst part of the journey back to Hanoi is in the crowded minibus.  We're all tired and will be glad to just get there.  Some of the other passengers are travelling to further destinations that same evening; we're glad we can return to our hotel room and relax.  

Back at the hotel, we've arranged to phone our daughter Elaine; I text her to tell her we're back, but that   I need a couple of hours sleep before we phone. It's great to hear her voice after several weeks; we put the speakerphone on the mobile so that we can all join in the conversation.  Reg's credit runs out all too quickly and Elaine kindly phones us back on her mobile.  I've said we'll reimburse her!

It's exactly 6 weeks until we return to the UK .  Our trip has been amazing, and there's still more to come - but I already know that, all being well, it will be a joyful homecoming,