happy birthday and have a good"un
happy birthday Simon. Have a great time in the "Dam
Cheers both of you. Trip report (on the poker only!) to follow
I wish I hadn"t promised that, as there was absolutely nothing to report on. I went to the Holland casino one night, but there seemed to be little action in the poker room so I didn"t actually play.
On the whole, I had a very good trip. I stayed in a very nice hotel, the NH Musica, which is in the business district a long way to the south of the more lively parts of town. Everything went smoothly, but if anyone reading this has never been before and is thinking of going my one tip would be never, under any circumstances, set foot in the red light district after dark if by yourself and you are not going to indulge in some of the seedier activities that give Amsterdam its reputation.
I arrived mid afternoon last sunday and after settling in to my hotel, decided to catch a train to Centraal station with the intention of exploring the town by foot. I didn"t take a map with me as I was looking to go wherever the mood took me and thought that if I did become somewhat disorientated, I could rely on the excellent public transport system to get me back to base. I later discovered that I had walked largely in the Jordaan area, but had touched the Dam and Leidseplein areas before heading back in the direction of Centraal. Mistake number one of the trip came when I decided it was time for some food. I bought a takeaway pizza with the intention of finding a seat where I could eat my purchase whilst watching the world go by. Oh dear. Unfortunately, I later discovered the seat I had chosen to sit on was on the southern fringes of the red light district. Before my buttocks had made contact with the surface of the bench, a seedy character had sidled over and asked "You want Cocaine or a bicycle?". Apart from thinking that anyone who availed themselves of both offers at the same time would probably have a very entertaining evening, I wasn"t tempted as (a) I"ve never been interested in that stuff and (b) I am a lazy b*****d who wanted to do as little physical activity as possible. After saying no, the dealer and his acquaintance disappeared.
The following night I decided to pay a fleeting visit to the red light district proper before I headed back for what was to be my only visit to the casino. I"ve got nothing against anybody who wants to spend their holiday in a haze of marijuana smoke or wants to perform acts with eastern european sex-slaves who are stuck in a glass-fronted cell for up to eight hours a day whilst a steady stream of testosterone-giddy tourists walk inches away, but that wasn"t why I was there. However, as it was my first time in Amsterdam I felt I had to at least pay a visit to see what goes on for myself. From Zuid train station I caught the number 51 metro, got off at Nieumarkt and planned on taking a meandering route towards Centraal. Five minutes later and I"d had my first enquiry "You wanna buy cocaine?". I walked off without replying and was asked the same question by two different people in two different locations in the following 15 minutes.
Two nights later and I was on my final wander around town looking to take a few photos before returning home the following day. My plan was to start with a meal in the Leidseplein area before taking a tram to Centraal then walking back to my starting point. I had walked about 5 minutes away from Centraal along Damraak when I heard the words "hey mister, you wanna buy some good stuff?". By now I was getting angry at the number of unwanted offers and my inner ninja wanted to karate chop this guy in the windpipe to send a message out to all the dealers in town that, no I am not to be troubled. However, I remembered a little-known Confucius saying which states that "He who bites his tongue and keeps walking does not return home in a bodybag." A few minutes later I was crossing Dam square and a bedraggled figure said "I"ve just lost my home and have no money for food. Can you help?". Again I said nothing and kept walking, but left thinking what a healthy state Holland"s education system must be in if even the beggars speak a second language.
All things considered, it was a very enjoyable trip. However, I can"t presently think of the circumstances under which I would return to town travelling solo.
