A day exploring the Old Quarter

After walking around Lake Hoan Kiem, Eli and I explored the Old Quarter, a maze of narrow streets filled with shops, galleries and restaurants.  Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorbikers throng these small passageways.  The clothing is all so tempting, especially the beautifully made silks, but the temperature was so hot you can't fathom trying on a thing. 

Rather than eat in traditional restaurants, the Vietnamese crowd together on small plastic stools that look like brightly colored kiddie furniture.  They eat food often cooked outside on the street, particularly a soup called pho - a broth filled with a variety of meats, rice noodles, sprouts, Thai chilis, and herbs.  Pho is the most common Vietnamese breakfast.

After her month in China, Eli was more familiar with the unusual fruits like dragonfruit and mangosteens sold from the street stalls.  Mangos are everywhere.  There are mango drinks, mango restaurants, mango dishes.

In the evening, we went to see the Water Puppet Show and ate at Green Tangerine.