Day 143. Halong Bay, Vietnam. A load of Junk.

We were keen to see the dramatic sweep of Halong Bay so signed up for a mini tour that included a night on a Junk and a night on one of the area's bigger islands. An absolute snip at twenty five quid with all meals and transport thrown in.

The bay, which sits 3 hours east of Hanoi reminded us a lot of El Nido in the Philippines, the large craggy karsts sitting out in the ocean seeming very familiar.

They're not as big as their Philippino cousins, but there are more of them, stretching all the way up to Chinese waters and beyond. So despite the tourist hordes, we couldn't fail to be impressed.

Tourism has gone bananas in this part of Vietnam over the past few years and I suspect in the height of summer it must be borderline unbearable. At one point we were herded from our boat into this enormous cave that ordinarily would have been a bit of a jaw dropper. But they've illuminated the inside with garish green and orange lights, laid a crazy paving pathway and even built a sodding fountain at the farthest end. All a bit rubbish really, especially when it's three deep at every stalagmite.

Wend had an altercation with a little bald Canadian when the keys to the cabins were dished out. Something to do with an upside down 6 being confused with a 9. I was tempted to chin him but decided it would be bad for passenger morale.