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All went well until with the ride today, until I missed the turning for Nam Dinh and Adam an his lack of direction some how got it right. Popping the bike around and down another road into town. I called Adam to did out where he was, but will all the madness of on and off rain confusion of which town he was in and what not. We had lost each other and Claudia and I were not keen on staying on the bike in the wet.

So we packed it up and stayed in the town we were in after riding around in the dark and rain looking for a hotel. The next morning the rain was still falling from the heavens, but we jumped back on the bike and whizzed into the next town.

After Ha Long Bay we headed South, that was the only plan. Down 'highway' 10 but more or less a country road. We had a swim after getting off the boat. Unlike all the other people who were on the package tours from Hanoi, were being piled into buses headed for Hanoi. We road right up until the sun left the sky's but we had reached the sea side in Diem Dien.

It was a beautiful stretch of flood planes, not quite the beach I head expected. But a pleasant surprise none the less. We had a beer and some awful dried squid biltong. On one of the stilt kariochi bars over the flood planes. Look out over it with thousands of stilt houses dotting the horizon as far as the eyes could see. What a sight!

Getting to Ha Ling Bay was a little interesting as we had wondered of the main road near Hai Phông. We got ferried across two rivers, one getting caught out by touts. Ferries cost 3000-5000 dong for all of us, bikes and gear. The first one we paid 130 000 each! But you live and learn and defiantly added something new to the riding.

Having misplaced the Vienam guide book, we have been winging everything. Up till Ha Long it's not been an issue. But trying to find a house boat for the bay was tricky. When we arrived they wanted 120-90 US dollars a person for three day two nights. So we called it a day and found a hotel.

Returning to the madness that ensued in Hanoi, first stop was getting some repairs to the bikes. All I got done was a new clutch cable, Adam had some brackets for luggage, rear suspension fix that had broken unknowingly to us and his mirror attached.

Claudia and I headed to a spot where she frequented while in Hanoi for some lemon juice. I was over the moon she had decided to stay on longer with me and come to Ha Long Bay. How I had this beautiful Fench girl liking me was a mistery to me but what ever I was doing was working!

I wanted to sleep on the lake, but never made more plans than that. So road to the mass of water, and found nothing near Yen Bai. Except some shitty hotel with no lake view, so buggered off from there. Landed up in Thac Ba but again there all they had was a dam wall. Why the vietnames don't build anything on the water confuses the shit outa me. 

Saw a road sign on the 'main' road that said lake view resort outa town so headed for that. The sun was going down by now and bugs were out in force. You ride along and your eyes are stinging with them flying into them and then you start wiping miggie boogers from your eyes! Eventually found the turn off 13km up the road in the dark. Note, my bikes headlight does not work only my indicator the one that has not fallen off. So i was riding off the other dudes light (Adam), just gotta try stay close.

Got outa Dien Bien a little late heading for Pa So. The sublime tarmac had all but dissapeared and we were hitting construction work every km. It varied from simple off-roading through mud ruts to having to wait 30min for a bulldozer to clear a path for us to ride on.

Filling up at one of the petrol stations I'd been the lazy sod and just chucked the oil in the fuel tank. This time round how ever we had a beer at one of the road side bai hoi's and the oil sank into the fuel line. So had some fun clearing it all and getting the rest through the system. Not fun stalling due to that in them large mud puddles!

Woke up to the sound of rain as it was to be a wet one. Was in two minds to sit it out or push through it. The latter option was the choice made, puttering along. Only set off after 12 so ended up arriving in the dark in Son La 200km odd ride. Took a look at the guide book but getting orientated with it was not to easy. Whizzed up and down and eventually lost any form of direction. Asking for a place to sleep at every chance we got first a little road side stall. Then a concrete stilted house, and finally what looked like a computer class school thing. Lost of pointing at the book and it's shoddy map. Then some lady called her friend on a phone who could speak some English. We thought we were off to what was a cheep guest house. But ended up at the English speaking ladies house. After a hoo and a hum we gave in and got taken to a hotel in town.

Pland to meet Adam a English bloke living in Auz, at the lake at 8am. Had a beer and got some cash from the atm's. Left the manic city close to half past. The roads were a hive of activity more bikes than you could count. So leaving was really slow going trying to miss the uturns infront of you, cars just squeezing their way past. The riproaring race off the traffic lights, they got a second counter on the traffic lights feels like you in a drag race. People and animals walking across the road. Took quite a long time to escape the manic Hanoi traffic. 

Once outa the city traffic, eased into a decent ride on the bike. Still all quite new but at least not grabing front break when getting squirrly.

Been tottering around Há Nôi now for 8 days. Getting way to pissed at the bars, kinda kewl names like 'half man half noodle' and 'hair of the dog'. That last one's apt for the place!

Wondered round to the water park for some sun and to cool off. I would not say it's worse or not than India just over two month in this heat, it gets to yeh. Was a cerial experiane the place was empty. No que what so ever and after hitting all the rides numerious times. Wandered over to the other side of the park. The give you a sepporate bangle and no no you have to enter through the turn style. Turns out the theme park must have survived a nuclear hallacast. Coz nothing was working. What the hell was the bangle story for then? Never mind that why the hell you let me in there!

The flight out of India was pretty painless. Had 4hrs to hang about in Kuala Lumpur airport road the maglev train far to many times. Was a world away from the grunge in India. Landed at Hanoi and had no issues at customs. Got some cash out of a ATM, a kewl 20 million ;). Was pretty buggered from not getting much sleep on the planes. Had to also navigate my way through what's supposed to be some pretty rough scams. The taxi and motorbike riders are notorious for taking people to the wrong places and ripping them off. So picked a backpackers outa the guide book, said it had a Aussie flavor. That sounded good and rang them up to collect me.