Hanoi and Cat Ba

Hello,
our exploration tour of Hanoi began with a visit to a prison built by the French, which impressively showed the conditions around 1970 and also made us thoughtful. We continued through the streets of Hanoi to a huge citadel, where we also visited a bunker. This was followed by a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. After a security check, we were able to move freely on the huge grounds and see the numerous soldiers and even a traditional changing of the guard. The further route led us to a large lake and a beautifully designed pagoda. When we had crossed the busy eight-lane road of evening traffic, the several hundred meter long wall decorated with small mosaic stones was very interesting. We spent the early evening in a street lined with pubs, restaurants and hotels and ate traditionally grilled meat skewers with fried sweet potatoes. Throughout the day, we also thought about another destination so as not to spend the next 5 days in Hanoi. Finally, we left our passports for the extension of our visas in a travel agency and booked bus tickets to the island of Cat Ba, 4 hours away. Early in the morning, we took a luxury bus out of the city until we finally reached the island after a ferry ride. An evening walk to the elevated Canon Fort rounded off our first evening. For the next day, we booked a full-day boat tour. This started after a good breakfast in the hotel and a short bus ride to the port. The journey went through hundreds of small islands, the famous Halong Bay, and we even saw a floating fishing village with over 400 houses. From the sundeck, we had a beautiful view, but unfortunately the sun didn't come out that day. After a while, we reached our first berth, from where we went kayaking through several caves into very remote lagoons. Back on board, a delicious meal awaited us. We enjoyed the day very much and upon arrival at the hotel, we decided to jog along the promenade before going out for dinner. Today we slept in and went on a scooter tour of exploration. First, we visited a former hospital built in a cave. After another cave visit, we climbed a very high mountain with an incredible view in the national park. We will stay on the island for the next two nights before continuing to New Zealand on December 25th.
See you later,
Malia