Camel Milk

Mr. Adventure had to go down to the clinic for the health examination required for obtaining his student visa. This basically involves every kind of medical testing known to man, including ex-rays, ultrasound, and blood work. At one point he texted me asking, "An ultrasound? Really? Can't they just take my word that I'm not pregnant?" And then, "I hope it's a girl!" 

Anyway, while he was there, he ran into a guy from Uzbekistan. They struck up a conversation in Russian, and Mr. Adventure's new friend was shocked to learn that we do not milk our horses in Texas. "Well, do you at least milk your camels?" he wanted to know. When he found out that Mr. Adventure had never even tasted camel milk he insisted on taking him out to get some so he could try it!

They drove about 30 minutes out of town to a camel dairy(I didn't even know that was a thing!), sat down at a table right next to the camels, ordered a big pitcher of camel milk, and drank glass after glass while they chatted.

Mr. Adventure brought back a bottle of milk so I could try it. It's not bad. Similar to goat's milk but sweeter. But personally, I think I'll leave the camel milk for the baby camels.

Chicken Soup

What could be more comforting than a bowl of chicken soup? It warms your insides, makes you feel better, and is easy enough to make for yourself when you're sick. Right now we are stuck in a hotel for a few weeks while we wait for our visas to be processed. So, easy is on the menu. I have a crock-pot, electric teapot, and a blender. Here's what I came up with for tonight:
(I didn't measure anything, but I'm sure your guess will be as good as mine)

Chicken Soup

Ingredients: 

Chicken - Today I threw in one chicken breast
Vegetables - For simplicity I just used carrots
Garlic - Fresh cloves, roughly chopped
Salt - Sprinkle, sprinkle...
Pepper - A few turns of the grinder
Water - Pour it in till it's an inch or two above the other stuff.
   Throw all that in the pot and let it cook for a while. I did a couple hours on high, and a few hours on low. Once it's cooked, take out the chicken and shred it into bite size pieces, then throw it back in the pot.
Parsley - dried, sprinkle some on top and stir it in
Rice or Noodles -  I found some rice noodles at the store, so I'll just stir those in with the parsley and wait till they are soft. Tada! Dinner is served.

Can it get much simpler than that?

Variations:
- If you have a big family (or a fridge) you can use a whole chicken, or any amount or part of anatomy you prefer. Just be sure to remove all the bones!
- Any vegetables will work. I think carrots and celery are pretty classic. Chopped kale would be good too, just add it at the end so it doesn't get bitter.
- Garlic, if you don't have fresh, use dried, or powdered or whatever form you can get your hands on.
- Salt and pepper, add some then taste it. Or put the shakers on the table for everyone to add to their own liking.
- Parsley is really the key flavor ingredient. It needs to be added at the end or the flavor will disappear during the long cooking time. Fresh or dried will work.
- You can use cooked or uncooked rice or noodles. Just stir them into the soup at the end and wait till it's cooked or heated up. If you have a rice cooker, scoop some rice into the soup bowl and pour the soup over it.
- Chicken soup can also be made in a pot on the stove. Boil for 30-45 min. Longer for a whole chicken.

First Impressions

I love this place!

The weather is nice. When we arrived it was hot. They say the last few weeks have been record breaking hot for here, but it's not as hot as Texas. Then it rained a couple days and now it's actually really cool, feels like fall.  Don't ask me what the exact temperature is, it's all metric so I have no idea. 

There's hardly any bugs! Love this about our area. I don't know if it's because of the desert climate, or the extreme cold winters but there really are very few bugs.

I love riding the city buses. I get on and think, Wow, it would have taken me FOREVER to walk this far. Because pretty much you walk everywhere. You can also get taxis here but... We had to take two taxis from the airport to our friend's house where we are staying because all our six suitcases would not fit in just one. The taxi I was in with Little Bear had a minor collision. Nobody was hurt thankfully, but I was a little shook up. I'm told crashes are rare around here, and I remind myself that my driver didn't want to die any more than I did. But I'm still a little nervous in taxis.

The food smells soooo good. And it tastes good too (most of it). Unfortunately so many of the dishes involve noodles or bread which I have to avoid. But I'm sure as we continue to explore we will find more options. I did find almond milk at the Carrefour grocery store so that's exciting. At least I think it's almond milk but I can't really tell because...

I am illiterate. This might be ok except that I am a label reading freak. I like to know what's in my food. Now I can only look at the pictures on the label and guess what it is. We all know how reliable that is.

Saw this at the refrigerated section at the grocery store. Not really sure...

We Made It!

We are finally in China! After 48 hours of traveling it is wonderful to have solid ground under us again. Most of the trip went really smoothly with Little Bear sleeping most of the 13 hour flight. Once we got to Taiwan we were able to get a room in the airport hotel and get some sleep, a shower, and a couple hot meals. Unfortunately something in one of those hot meals did not settle well with Little Bear so we spent the last 12 hours trying to console his misery and clean up messes. Poor little guy, he is such a trooper. But we made it. And so did ALL our bags! We are so thankful to be here.

(This post is a little late now, but getting internet is a little bit of a hassle here.)

Goodbye Is Not Forever, It Just Feels Like It

Today we finally leave for China. Woohoo! I'm so excited! We are finally going! This is what I have dreamed of doing since I was a little girl. This is the life Mr. Adventure and I have planned on since we met. This is what we have spent these last two years telling so many people that we are going to do. This is my dream. And I am living it.

Oh but I hate saying goodbye. I'm so sad to be leaving you. You are my family and friends. We may have cried together, or held back the tears. But they were there. I may not have said much because I stink at goodbyes. But what I really want you to know is that I love you. Our lives have been made richer by the time we have spent together, and I will treasure the memories that we have made.

Thankfully these are not the days of William Carey or Adoniram Judson whose mothers dabbed tears from their eyes with lacy white hankies as their son or daughter sailed away on a rickety wooden ship knowing they would never see them again on this earth. That's dedication my friend. Wow. I am so thankful for modern technology! We can stay in touch so easily through Skype, Facebook, emails, FaceTime, phone calls, and many other apps or social networks. It's not the same as actually being together, but it sure helps.