Here are some shots from our time on Cat Ba Island, Vietnam and in Ha Long Bay...

The first is the view from our 6th floor hotel room (yeah, smart one in 95 degree heat and 150% humidity with 50 lbs on our backs!!!).

The next is the ginormous spider we found off the beaten path on our hike in the national park on Cat Ba.

Finally, a shot of Ha Long Bay on our climbing/kayaking/swimming day.

Good times, lots of heat, and really fun people!

That concluded the first week - we just arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand this morning after a 24-hr trip that sequentially went: bus -> boat -> bus -> bus (from Cat Ba to Hanoi) -> taxi -> plane (from Hanoi to Bangkok) -> bus -> taxi -> overnight bus -> taxi to our new "home" for a day or two in Chiang Mai. Whew! Better internet here - will try to keep better updates and send more pics!