Speaking of food, we did lots of walking around and came across this little wet market in downtown Hanoi. Cameron found the eels fascinating. Just about every kind of fish and meat, buckets and buckets overflowing with fresh flowers, quivering piles of cooked noodles in baskets, and colorful fruits and vegetables were piled on the sidewalks.

Sometimes vietnamese women carrying these double-burden baskets would walk right up and set them on a shoulder and signal for us to take photos. Afterwards we were obviously expected to show our appreciation for the photo op. by buying some fresh pineapple, oranges or kumquats which we of course were happy to do. Considering the fact that we knew NO Vietnamese (well, maybe one word- thankyou) and had very little experience with a vietnamese menu, we had excellent culinary experiences. On several occasions we happily ate unidentifiable items. Seven years of living overseas was helpful in that area.