Today was fairly quiet. We walked all the way around Hoan Kiam Lake, the one we tried to walk along yesterday. It was hot but not as hot as Saigon. We walked over a painted red bridge to a temple on an island.

Here is some more information on the sites that we saw today. Hoan Kiem Lake translates to Lake of the Restored Sword. The legend goes that in the early 15th century, a humble fisherman named Le Loi asked the heavens for assistance in fighting the Ming dynasty Chinese who occupied the north. A golden turtle from the lake brought to Le Loi a magic sword that flashed like lightning. After leading an insurrection against the Chinese, Le Loi returned to the lake, and the turtle reclaimed the sword. At the north end of the lake is Sunbeam Bridge, built in 1855.

The bridge takes you to Ngoc Son Temple, which was built in the early 19th century. It has undergone a few renovations, the most recent of which took place in 1994. The temple honors several Vietnamese icons. There is also the preserved body of a huge turtle that was found in the lake in 1968. It weighed 250kg and is believed to be 400- to 500-years-old (some believe that it is the turtle from the legend). On an islet at the south end of the lake is a dilapidated three-tiered tower built in honor of the valiant turtle.

Today was a holiday so there were lots of families and young people on the streets. It was fun to see families out together. Then we stopped at the grocery store for diapers and took a cab back to the hotel. I think we were gone close to three hours and Georgia was just an angel, watching the world from her sling and taking a nap for awhile. We got washed up and then met several of the other World Child families and the four Hanoi staff members for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Yummy! It was a low-key day which we very much needed.

Tomorrow we will try to see another part of the city and go to the Water Puppets show. Then Saturday I think we will try to take in a museum. I have a feeling Sunday will be largely taken up by packing, yet again! Then on to home!