Hold on to your stilettos!

For all of those who love me, I feel oddly compelled to apologize for my actions today. Zipping through our sub sois on the back of a motorbike taxi was thrilling!

Ever since our arrival in Bangkok, I have watched our neighborhood burst with life. And, a huge, colorful part of that life includes the motorbike taxis. In our neighborhood, this means about 15 guys wearing orange cotton vests rapidly riding, sans helmets, through the side streets, picking up passengers and then delivering their passengers to main roads. The incentive for the passenger? Cheap fare, fast and readily available service.

So, since it was too early for our driver and I had already spent numerous weeks declining the request for a motorbike pick-up, I figured it was time to take part in the motorbike taxi experience... just once.

Local women sit side saddle, with their 3-inch stilettos daintily crossed, holding on with one hand as they fly down the middle of the street. Truly an impressive feat and one that I appreciate even more so after today. I opted for the "jump on the bike, hold on for dear life (in my 3-inch stilettos, naturally....) and wrap my arms way to tightly for his comfort around the driver" position. This barely served me well enough as we careened down the streets at what I gathered was farang-pace (aka slow, for the scared foreign gal). 

Frankly, though, the combination of fear for my life, running over already squished frogs in the roadway and sweating from the grip I had on the driver was enough for me from the local motorbike scene.

As thrilling as it was, for the sake of my family, it will be a long, long while before I hop on the back of a bike again.

Cooking in Thailand, entry no. 16:

Philippine Ribs

A new friend cooked these for us and my kids lives have never been the same since! They devour these and then ask for more.

Ingredients:

2 racks of spare ribs, cut into seperate pieces

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup terriyaki sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Juice of 4 limes

1 bird's eye chili, diced

Method:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and marinate overnight. To bake, place ribs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Cook for approximately 30 minutes at 375 degrees (or until meat is tender and almost falls off the bone). Serve with rice, fresh pineapple and a lot of napkins!