Next morning I woke up early and after shower I walked around the narrow streets in the old quarters, near the cathedral which were perfectly safe for a lone woman walking alone. I had done the necessary research about if I could walk alone by myself and I had been reassured that it was safe to do so in Hanoi. I did not carry any valuables/ bling and watched the sunrise which was really nice. I could not take the pictures as I left the camera at the hotel. A little later, the staff from Golden Sun Lake came to pick me up on motorbike for breakfast at Goldensun lake on the ninth floor with the view of the Hoan Kiem Lake. The ride on the motorbike was an experience, manoeuvring in the mad, mad traffic. A real thrill!!!


 I would not dream of crossing the road in such a traffic. I could not see any traffic lights or any crossings for the pedestrians and all I could see were many motorbikes with no rules!!
After breakfast, I set off for the Ha Long Bay cruise with the Huong Hai junk. An air-conditioned van came to collect us and it was about three hours to Ha long Bay Harbour.
I had three seats to myself and managed to catch some sleep though I enjoyed seeing the countryside on the ride. We stopped for shops/ coffee at the disabled workshop, I did not buy anything and I just made a donation. I was very excited about seeing Ha long bay !!