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The time has come for our almighty trip to end!

What a way to begin married life.

The trip has been everything and more that we could have ever dreamed of.

Memories of our 6 month tour will stay with us forever.

So grateful to have managed to see all the places we have seen and do all the amazing things we have done.

We wish it could last forever but how lucky we are to have a family awaiting our return!

After an overnight flight and a stop at Heathrow we make it to Manchester.

The sun is shining and we can't help but smile through teary eyes!

Well you may have come to the end of your adventure but don't forget the memories will stay with you forever and whats more you can add even more adventures in the future - so you maybe back to the usual day to day working routine but I am sure you will be just as happy and making plenty of plans for your future.
love Mum & Dad xx

Hong Kong

Final destination - Hong Kong!!

What better way than a 'hop on hop' off bus to get your bearings!

We got to see lots of amazing skyscrapers including this Lippo centre which we thought was fab!

Some older buildings like the old Bank of China.

And just generally some very very tall buildings lol!

Mark was amazed by the bamboo scaffolding!

We passed this little Antiques market in Soho.

Man Mo Temple, you can smell the incense before you even see it.

This is one of the oldest & most famous temples in Hong Kong.

We passed these residential high rises where the only way to dry your washing is out the window!  They must have extra strong pegs lol!

One of  Hong Kongs main tourist destinations is 'The Peak Tram'.

First opened in 1888 the tram  takes you to the peak which is the highest point on the Island.

This anvil-shaped peak tower is full of restaurant's & shops and has a great viewing platform on the top.

We are sure you will agree the view of Hong Kong is stunning.

We went to Bubba Gump Shrimps Co for some food and came back out to see Hong Kong by night!

The next night we caught the Star ferry, another famous Hong Kong attraction to see the 'Symphony of lights' show which is nightly at 8pm

44 of Hong Kongs skyscrapers light up with lasers & lights for this illuminating show.

Both Hong Kong Island & Kowloon skyscrapers take part!

Being in the middle on the boat is the best view!

We were told this costs nearly  million dollars a night!

Hong Kong at its best- what a way to finish our 6 month adventure!

Hanoi Revisited

Back to the chaos in Hanoi city.

We stayed at a different hotel when we returned and in the morning the alley turned into a food market!

It sold fruit, veg, meat - you name it!

Not stopping them playing a quick game of cards though!

This is the alley to the hotel.

This is St Josephs Cathedral - took us ages to find but was worth a peek!

The Opera house in the French Quarter, you can see the French influence in the buildings.

The Hoa Lo Prison was our next stop. It was  later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton"!  It was a prison used by the French colonists  in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

This was the main sewer  from 'death row' yard.  Some Vietnamese prisoners escaped through this way- its a good job they are tiny!

French Guillotine - nice :-(

Example of the prisoner shackled to the bed even in the cell.

Floating Village Ha Long Bay

After Cat Ba we board the boat again to return to Ha Long City.

See the guard dog having his breakfast outside- can't see that they get much exercise.

We stopped via the floating village, its hard to believe people still live like this! 

This lady was collecting clams.

This is the village school.

The kids just rowing home from school :-)

Another example of a floating home!

They even have floating shops that call door to door selling their goods lol!

Cat Ba Island.

The following morning we left the boat for a night on Cat Ba Island, Ha Long Bay.

We did a little bicycle tour of the nearby village & Hospital cave.

The view from Hospital cave.

Hospital Cave oozes historical significance, as it served as a secret, bomb-proof hospital during the American War

This was a fully operational hospital carved into the mountain.

There was treatment rooms and even a swimming pool! It also provided an area of training for the troops!

This entrance is so well hidden you would never know it was there!

Cat Ba was quite built up but round the corner we found this beautiful beach.

Even better was the stunning walk back from the beach with more views of Ha Long Bay!

Incredible :-)

Ha Long Bay.

Fantasea was our 'junk' boat for the Ha Long boat trip.

13 of us were aboard overnight!

There was plenty of space for everyone to chill out and admire the view and get to know one another ;-)

The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. 

The scenery was amazing as we had expected.

First stop was 'Surprise cave' .What's the surprise? The French arrived and said, "Mon dieu! Why, it is a cave!" Discovered in 1901, this very large grotto was used by Viet Cong as a hideout during the war with the United States. A short, steep climb up paved steps leads you to three chambers, the last being the largest.

The cave was magnificent inside with lots of shapes and textures.

When we got back to the boat the table was set ready for our evening meal.

First though, time to freshen up ;-)

Mark jumped from the roof of the boat & enjoyed it so much he kept going back for more!

We watched the sunset over this stunning bay.

After a seafood supper, time for karaoke, yikes !