We disembark Au Co

Today we have to disembark from the Au Co Cruise ship and end the lovely cruise around Ha Long Bay, I am so sad to be leaving, I could have so easiely have spent our whole time drifting around this beautiful Bay and all its small mountains, just soaking in the peace and beauty. I am also sad because Winnifred and Dorothy have not returned and will not be going on to Saigon with us and maybe not even continuing at all with us.
We all enjoyed a Tea ceremony on the deck before departing, I really like the ginger tea and plan to continue drinking it when I get home. Its very good for settling upset tummies.


Also it is the final day with our 2 lovely tour Guides Quang and Lilli, we have all got quite close to them as they shared their lives with us on bus trips, APT travel company certainly has employed some very good

people who work hard organizing everything and keeping us safe and happy. We shall all miss them.
We take the long bus ride back to Hanoi to the airport, where we had lunch with the two guides before catching the plane to Saigon, it was equally sad parting for the young guides, they had tears in their eyes as they farewelled us and wished us well. Quang quickly gave me his email address so I shall write to him when I get back home.
We arrive in Saigon and are settled into the  lovely Sheraton Saigon Hotel, very comfortable and luxurious as the Hanoi hotel had been.
We are just in time for a really extravagant dinner buffet, quite the best I have ever seen, We all had our fill and more!
There was a quick Group meeting to meet up with a further 60 who are joining our party of 46, its going to be crowded, we shall now require 4 buses to get around.