The hotel we stayed at in Amsterdam was perfectly located, if somewhat expensive. We expected that but were very happy when we found that the hotel was an easy walk to the train station and right in the middle of the hullabaloo which is Amsterdam. The Bellvue Hotel was a comparatively small hotel with modern furnishings and pretty clean appearance. The first night went very well. We met Meagan and she took us to the hostel where she was staying - the infamous Bulldog Hostel. Looked like a very interesting hostel and was just 1/2 block away from the infamous red-light district. Come to think of it, EVERYWHERE in downtown Amsterdam is within a block or two from the red-light district. It is really grotty. The working girls are down alleys that are only wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through. I know this because we walked through one of the alleys and two young guys (late teens/early twenties) were just ahead of us. One was in a wheel chair and the other was his tour guide. Both were LOADED! Anyway, they were laughing and checking out the harlots. The "tour guide" was trying to find a good looking girl for his crippled friend. As he was pushing him through, the front wheels of the wheelchair got caught in a drain grate and the passenger was launched onto the well worn cobblestones. The alley was so narrow that the tour guide couldn't get around the wheelchair to help his friend up. Both were laughing hard. A young fellow saw the commotion and came up the alley from the street and helped lift the guy back into the wheelchair. He then helped lift the front wheels of the wheelchair off the grate and back onto comparatively stable ground. It was interesting to hear the ladies calling out to the tour guide to be careful with his passenger. They were genuinely concerned that his passenger would get hurt. And when he did fall from the wheelchair, there was a lot of "I told you that would happen" "you should be more careful - he could get injured" "is he alright?". With the exception of their repulsive profession, they are really no different from any of us. Selling our time for dollars.
Anything goes in Amsterdam! The police are ever present around town, but there is a very relaxed atmosphere. A "coffee shop" is just another name for a legal marijuana outlet.
In the tour guides, they tell you that you should only buy marijuana from coffee shops rather than street vendors as the coffee shops are regulated. Believe it or not, one of the coffee shops is the former police station!
- Channeling UTM
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