Amsterdam

There are a number of images that come to mind when one talks about Holland in general, and Amsterdam in particular. Some involve milkmaids, clogs, windmills and cheese; for some it’s the art of Rembrandt and Van Gogh or the beauty of the architecture and canals; and others think about the more hedonistic pursuits of being able to get a ‘high’ without fear of prosecution or the infamous Red Light District.

The 2 days I spent in this low-lying land was more than sufficient for me to catch a glimpse of all these aspects, except for the milkmaids of course.




The trip over was relatively uneventful, although fior some reason we found the cheese sandwich served on KLM to be one of the tastiest we've ever eaten. We arrived rather late at night, but having decided that no time shall be put to waste, we went for a walk to take in the sights.




We did a LOT of walking over the next couple of days, which is (in my humble opinion) the best way to really explore and catch a whiff of the atmosphere in which people live in. And I found myself enjoying the experience with a certain light-headedness, which might have something to do with the marijuana that was floating around. But jokes aside, the city is just nice for a short visit to take your mind off things, and the friendly folks and great food help make the trip worthwhile.

We basically did all the touristy things - getting on a canal cruise, walking the 'scenic route', checking out the Rijksmuseum (although we weren't as impressed with Rembrandt's famous Night Watch as compared to some of the still-life paintings that were on display), watched Van Gogh's artistic progression in the musuem dedicated to his works (most famous being The Sunflower; my favourite piece wasn't there though), marvelled at the tulips, savouring the local produce in a coffeeshop over a game of chess, wondered how tiring it must be for the girls to stand on display all day long at the Red Light District and got the usual little bits of souvenirs.




On our first night, a cute fluffy black cat walked up to us and followed us for quite a bit, and over the next few days, we always came across a friendly black or grey cat. Which led us to the conclusion that either Amsterdam's full of 'em or we were hallucinating. Naturally, one had to take a photograph of Mr Kitty to make a proper conclusion.




The city itself is clean and relatively safe. Don't think there was a point in which we felt threatened, even the drug dealers seemed to be willing to give directions. As I got the usual Hard Rock Cafe souvenir for Sweetie, I was surprised to find a Wagamama restaurant nearby. We didn't patronise it though, heading elsewhere to tuck into one of the loveliest pancakes ever, and even trying out an Argentinian and Indonesian restaurant. There are probably a number of reasons on why we felt the food was darn good, since even the milkshake I had (twice) was remarkably delicious!

This makes it the second time that I've been on holiday with 2 of my closest friends (the other being Sweetie), and it's great when your companion is of a similar mindset and each person knows what the other would like to do, along with the usual respecting each other's boundaries etc. I probably freaked Radzi a little with my more tedious aspects of being neat and organised, but then again, he knew that about me anyways.

I started Coelho's The Alchemist while waiting to board the plane back, and had finished it by the time we landed. I won't comment much on it, except that it's worth a read and was probably a complement to the feelings and thoughts that I've had during the trip.




The trip was probably the best thing to do prior to starting my job, 'cause it gave me time to relax and it helped me think and lend perspective to things. I came to realise that I'm blessed in many ways, and that one of the blessings that I have is the fact that at the moment, as far as I'm aware of, things are going well for me and there's only one thing missing in my life. And even then, knowing what is missing and knowing what you have to do in order to make your life complete is a blessing on its own, 'cause then you'll have a goal that you'll work your ass off to achieve. Despite bouts of despair, I do take comfort in the fact that I know where I'd like to be in 5 years, and I know what I have to do in order to make my dreams a reality. After all, how many of us wander around aimlessly, wondering how on earth they'd be able to make themselves whole?

Daymn, I must be high.




Or maybe it's the effect of sleeping at 7am this morning after a night of RPG-ing with Radzi, CT and Yus. Either way, I'm off to catch the Fantastic Four.