Hoi An Day 2, A Slow Day for a Tourist, a Perfect Day for a Foodie

Our second day was a slower day, I think of myself as living in SE Asia for this summer, therefore I have to be understanding of when I need to take it slow and give my body and mind some time to chill and regroup. Today was one of those days. We slept in again, had our breakfast, and of course wanted to try out another coffee shop. We went to the Espresso Station and for the first time ever, I tried an activated charcoal latte. It was actually really good, the flavor that the charcoal provided with the coffee was a good mix, plus I got to reap the health benefits of consuming it. One thing I have prioritized this trip is my health, as I know it is the key to keep me going strong and help me feel better each and every day. It has been so fun trying new foods while here and it was a bit of a shock to me at first just how many vegetables are incorporated in the dishes I had, and all of those plants, many and diverse, have for sure made me feel so good so far in my travels. 

After the coffee shop, we were hungry and sought out a banh mi place to solve our hunger pains. We found a great affordable place, our fourth time eating the famous sandwich while being in Vietnam, and for the great price of $1.50. It was packed with protein, again getting all the nutrients I need to keep me going. We also brought large water bottles with us and chugging that adds to the energized selfs and fuels the nonstop travel. We wanted some dessert and found a vegan cafe just steps from our banh mi place. We shared a chocolate cake with berries and whip cream, it was quite delicious and cleansed the palette perfectly. We wanted to regroup and head out for our next adventure, but first stop at our hotel. As our taxi pulled up to take us back to our hotel, it started to rain. Great timing on our part to not be caught walking around Old Town in the rain, but our next adventure was to go riding in coconut boats, an activity not fit for inclement weather. We just hung out in our hotel room until the rain lightened up. It was too late in the day by that time, but I was antsy from being cooped up in the room so I came up with plan b, rooftop pool. It was still lightly drizzling, but when you are already wet from the pool, the rain is no worry. We got to enjoy the pool alone, blasting our music, chatting, doing flips, swimming laps, and hanging out together in a fun environment. We stayed swimming until we started to get hungry, as we needed to get ready before heading back in town for dinner. 

We decided on some Vietnamese food for dinner as there were still dishes on our list we needed to try. We split one order of Cao Lau and another of Tofu in Tomato sauce. It was good but we definitely needed a dessert to feel fully satisfied. Just a few doors down was a fully vegan place called V Vegan we were thinking about going to but then opted to try the other place out of affordability. But, V Vegan had a stacked dessert menu so we made our return. Also, at the first restaurant, the meals weren’t super large, so at V Vegan, we also ordered some white rose dumplings (photo to the left) to fill up our food stomach, and then Banana Flambe to fill up the dessert stomach (photo below).

I never considered myself a foodie, especially since becoming vegan three years ago because it was so hard for me to find food for myself, and the meals I cooked were more focused on getting in the nutrients I needed than on exploration. I am always open to trying new things, I had to really change my go to meals when I became vegan, venturing into indian curry and the mediterranean cuisine. Here has been so awesome to try these famous local dishes without having to worry about whether all the ingredients are vegan and still knowing that the flavor is encapsulated in the veganized dish. Food was one of my biggest worries before heading out on this trip, but it has actually been one of the easiest experiences, a big help of that being I’m here with Izzy who is always down for vegan food and is craving exactly that herself. I have explored food here beyond what I would have ever imagined, and it’s been an unexpected and awesome adventure to embark upon. All this being said, I had one of the best desserts of my life. After our dumplings, we ordered Banana Flambe for dessert, not exactly sure what it would entail of when I first ordered it, and me having relatively low expectations out of the fact of how can you make a banana really that good. The first bite Izzy and I took of this dessert sent us to another galaxy. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever consumed, it was perfect in every way I could ever think of. It was a carmelized banana sitting in a bed of a light sweet cream sauce, and these cool clear beads on top to add some texture and dimension to the dish. I felt as though I was at a fine dining experience and I need to call up Mr. Michelin to add it to his list of best restaurants. We decided that it would be a crime to not eat this again, so we ordered a second, essentially each of us having our own full one, and that we would come back the next day and make this our last meal in Hoi An. I was a proud foodie at that moment and happy that I had come to this point in my travels to find joy in eating and trying new foods, despite the fact that I am vegan. 

We capped the night off by enjoying the town, walking around the different bars, stopping by some to listen to the live music, bargaining our way through the night markets, gazing at the boats floating down the river, and dodging the many solicitors of workers offering their food and bars to be filled by us tourists. It was packed and full of life, the night completely lit up by all its activity. Once we got our fill, we journeyed back to the hotel.

One more random thing we did was wait in a bar, actually an American-themed restaurant called Burger Craft, because we needed wifi to call a cab. While we waited for one to pick us up, on the TV was VNL, which is the qualifying tournament for olympic volleyball and countries around the world face off for their bid to play in the famous games. We watched Italy face Japan and watching volleyball again was so fun. Crazy enough, Bangkok hosted the tournament and Izzy and I missed it by days. When we were in the airport headed to Vietnam, I noticed former Badger player Dana Rettke, on team USA, was at a temple we were at just a few days earlier. So sad to miss them by just a few days, I know that if I saw them around Bangkok no doubt I would’ve walked up to them, said good luck, and maybe snag a photo. Volleyball gives me so much enjoyment and missing the opportunity by just a few days to watch them play was disappointing, but I know I have my whole life to find opportunities like this, watching a sport I love and cheering on team USA.