Motorcycles!!!!!!! MENUS!!!!

Over the Spring Break we did something we've always talked of doing. Two things, really. One, we took a road trip on motorbikes. And two, Van learned how to race!

Somewhere out there on one of our websites we once posted a picture of Van, around age 3 or 4, intently playing with a toy motorcycle. He was enraptured with the rotating wheels, the steering handles, the turning. To say he remained visibly a motorcycle nut wouldn't be accurate, but deep in his heart it rested, waiting. And here in Chiang Mai it blossomed. So much so that when pop-ups for race training began appearing on Instagram and Facebook, we had to follow up. And then finally, over the Spring break, Van and I took a road trip. Two days to get to the race trainers, a full day of training, then 2 days riding to come back to Chiang Mai. It was incredible!

The last shot shows his trainer in front, and the translator behind. Both had several years of racing experience and championship finishes. They said Van was the first foreigner they took on to train, and they were glad they did because Van caught on very fast. Van learned in a few hours what others would take 4 weeks of sessions to learn! So they had a special event for Van: he would race with the evening racers! The thrill, the excitement, the roar of engines, the knee touching the track at high speeds... it was one of Van's greatest days!

The ride home was not anti-climatic surprisingly. Van felt more comfortable and in control of his riding than he ever had, and it made it that much better. Thankfully he didn't feel the need for speed, partly because he was so tired from 6 hours of riding and racing. But it was great to take 2 days easy back to Chiang Mai.

Well, while Van rides, and dreams of rides, the rest of us have our own enjoyments - food! One thing we do everywhere we go is to check Google Maps to see if there is a Uighur restaurant nearby. Most of the time there isn't. But every now and then, we hit the jackpot! Liberty won when she discovered a place IN OTTAWA!! Wow! We've tried variations over the years. A plain old Chinese restaurant might have some dishes we like. Most don't. Central Asian restaurants for some reason tend to be more Russian, or Uzbek, or even Turkish, and none of that food is what we want. If we are being really precise, a HUI, or Dungan, Chines restaurant will come pretty close. As will "Lanzhou Noodles". But Uyghur laghman, dingding somian, and ganbiansomian are meaty noodle dishes that are out of this world, and outside of China the only place you can find them are at Uyghur restaurants.

Back here in Chiang Mai, I have developed a love for basic beef noodles. But many places add in other varieties of meat, like crispy pork, bbq pork, fish balls, etc. These are almost always soups, but you can buy them "dry". Every place that sells them also has a tray of extra spices to add to it, and yum yum yum, the combos I create sometimes almost make me cry with happiness with their flavor and spice.

Since I am also a SAHD, I like checking out new recipes. Instagram & even TikTok have a surprisingly robust frequency of food and recipes posts!

And when we aren't eating at home, Chiang Mai has TONS of small eateries all over the place. The photo above is a burger place, and after watching Van and his school play a volleyball game, we decided to go try this since it was nearby. It hit the spot, and reminded us of home. The burger was the kind we use at sunday school picnics; not too big, but juicy! And Michelle tried a chicken fried steak which was astoundingly large and came with all kinds of condiments, including a sliced orange. When you see us again and wonder why we are so big... this is why.