Day 2 in Hanoi

I started the day with a wonderful breakfast including tropical fruit, pastries, and pho. Then I headed back to Hoan Kiem Lake.  As I walked around the lake, I met numerous students who wanted to practise their English with me often while a friend videotaped. I am featured in at 3 videos!

I then headed north to the old quarter, which was jam-packed with all kinds of stores and motorbikes. It's really treacherous crossing the roads here. After about an hour of wandering I stopped at a touristy cafe back on the Lake. Expensive but the coffee was superb, rich and chocolaty with a touch of condensed milk. Yum!

I decided to walk a few kilometers to see the Ho Chi Minh Museum and One Pillar Pagoda. I stopped en route at a cafe frequented mostly by Hanoians where I had a very inexpensive Bahn mi (sandwich).

I checked out One Pillar Pagoda and the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum.  I found it amusing that Ho Chi MINH was referred to as Uncle Ho. The museum we visually very interesting. I ended my day of sightseeing by visiting the Temple of Literature, which was the site of a temple and Vietnam s oldest university. 

Tomorrow I am headed to Halong Bay for a three day cruise.  I will not likely have WiFi on the boat so I'll post again when I get back to Hanoi.

 Beautiful spread for breakfast

 Tortoise Pagoda on Hoan Kiem Lake

 Some teenage girls from north of Hanoi who had come into town to practise their English

 A photo of me with two of the girls

 A taste of the Old Quarter.  Lot of motorbikes

 An interesting lantern shop

 Two brothers who also practise their English with me

 Enjoying a wonderful cup of coffee at a cafe by the lake

 Here it is ..... Yum yum

 Having lunch in a more authentic cafe

 Bahn mi ga

 Selfie in front of Ho Chi Minh Mauseleum

 Me in front of One Pillar Pagoda 

Me with Uncle Ho