Oh Hamsterdam

Damo got back his bag and we left the land of wooden seated toilets that don't flush properly bound for Hamster town. Only to arrive at a ground-staff-free Schipol Airport where our luggage got stuck on some conveyer somwhere.

You can imagine that Damo was intensely impressed. We had to climb into the luggage conveyer and fish our bags out ourselves. Eventually some stoner worked out that the conveyer had stopped and switched it back on. Cab ride was a bit of an adventure (and cost 50EUR) but lets not continue to harp on about bad shit.

Amsterdam has worked its medieval majik on us and we are having a jolly good time indeed. Our houseboat is awesome (you can see it at http://www.houseboathotel.nl/accommodation_amsterdam/houseboat_b040/) and the owner says it's 'ok to make big party'. Sure thing! We have given ourselves some good crotch burn cruising around on rusty old bikes, and have been enjoying a LOT of good wines, cheeses and restaurants.

We have caught up with our old friends Timo and Marita a few times and they've shown us great hospitality and taken us to some awesome restaurants. So far we haven't had a single shit meal in Amsterdam. We've been to a great Mexican place just around the corner from our house where I ate tamales the size of our houseboat - Damo had a very tasty Chimuchunga - and drank enough strawberry and banana margeritas to topple a small rhinocerous.

Damo and I have been amusing Timo and Marita with Australianisms and really bad pronounciations of Dutch words. Yesterday Timo and Marita drove us out of town to Da Hoge Velowa which is a big ass park in the centre of the Netherlands where we saw wild deer and rode around on bicycles (10km - good for extra crotch burn) and generally took in a lot of fresh air and the ubiquitous smell of pig shit. Of course neither of us could say the name of the park so we've just come up with a pronounciation that smacks of big snorty spits on a flocked wallpaper.

Last night we went to T&Ms place for a cracking glass of dry cider then off to an Ethiopian restaurant called Abysinnia for an enormous tasty African meal, which officially goes onto my list of all-time great meals. Basically a massive plate of curries and condiments which you scoop up in fermented pancakes with your hands. Side of multiple banana beers - lekker! And so gezellig!

We are officially halfway through our Amsterdam leg and I frankly look forward to less crotch burn. I doubt any cycling will be done in the Faterland - but you never know.

Righto - off to Vondelpark (Vogong Park) to drink a fancy french wine straight from the bottle. And get more crotch burn.

xxx