Vietnam Post Number Sau

Got up early and had to check out of the hotel since the Halong Bay trip was an overnight tour.  The bus ride was a few hours, and the space on the seats was absolutely ridiculous.  I couldn't expand my hand between my seat and the back of the seat in front of me.  Of course the bathroom break was at a stop where people were making plaster lions, Buddhas, etc.  There is no way anyone could have purchased anything and gotten it on the bus, so Pringles were the most popular item as usual.  Eventually reached the bay and saw dozens of junks waiting for tour buses.  We got on one and we were given a bland lunch.  Some Brit girls and Aussie boys invited me to eat with them since I was alone.  They were nice.  There was a stop at one of the bigger islands (there are 400ish in the bay) to look at a cave that had a bunch of tacky colored lights in it.  Got back on the boat, went by a floating village (pretty interesting, little homes just floating around, the water is extremely calm in the area).  Ended up at Cat Ba island, the largest of the bunch, and then it was a 40 minute bus ride to the hotels.  I was at a different hotel then the others so it was kind of a bummer since I didn't know anyone.  Wasn't feeling well, so I skipped dinner and watched the Mod Squad.  Not good.  Went to a bar a floor above my room and it was horrible.  Super loud music, nobody there, nothing to do.  Went for a walk outside and that wasn't much better.  Lots of crappy stalls selling junk lit up by fluorescent lights - no beach to speak of, it was pretty dissapointing.  Went to bed shortly thereafter.