Day 15: Until We Eat Again
Good night and good bye
9:15am
I sleep in until about 7:45am and work out, pack my bags, and get ready while bæ is out and about looking for an ATM. Despite finding one online that accepts Visa, he learns that the map is incorrect and he needs to ask several sources for directions to the nearest ATM. Three ATMs later and it’s a no-go.
Our plan is to spend the minimum amount at Au Lac (300k) and use the Grab app to book a car to the airport. Amid all of this, a miscommunication about money and transportation with my family occurs and I’m a bit frazzled.
At Au Lac, we order our tried-and-true dishes: pho and Vietnamese iced coffee for me, vermicelli bowl and cookies 'n cream shake for him. They are hearty and delectable. It is the perfect last meal.
To meet the minimum credit card requirement, we buy ten vegan spring rolls to go. Plus, our layover is a few hours long and we will undoubtedly be hungry. 313,000 VND
We also pick up some mock meats —salmon, dried squid, pâté, canned roasted chicken (last minute impulse)—from the grocery store out back. 446,000 VND
1:45pm
Hunger sets in and bæ and I share our first batch of spring rolls. It is pretty, pretty good. Shortly after we are served our vegan airport food. The entrée, rice with tofu and baby bok choy, is the most delicious, and the side salad was bland but had tons of red beans, chickpeas, and green peas (fibrous!). The fruit salad and dinner roll with vegan butter were standard but great.
2:30pm
Shortly after landing and reaching our gate for the connecting flight, I can’t find my phone. I have no recollection of where I had placed it.
Instinctually, I grab my passport and boarding pass and book it. I’m just hoping to make it back to the plane. At first I take a wrong turn and go down an unfamiliar path only to finally be able to retrace my steps. I run into an Eva Air representative and he asks if I’m looking for an iPhone. “No! A blue phone!” I respond. He leaves and I immediately regret not telling him that I switched seats with bæ so it should be at 55C — not 55B . Minutes later, he returns with my phone and asks me to unlock it as proof. I’m more than happy to do so. I’ve never been happier to have my phone back.
7pm
Dinner is more or less an iteration of the last meal: pasta salad, fruit salad, veggie salad. Every kinda salad. The coffee and coconut cream jelly is a nice dessert addition, with a flan-like consistency. The movie of choice “The Lion King” — classic! And the rest of the flight is smooth sailing. Excited to be home again.
759,000 VND
