Thanks to Emirates Airlines, our journey took us to Schipol International yet again for a lost baggage retrieval. Upon arrival, it was yet again not to be as miscommunication paved the way for another night of frustration. The result was the six of us, outside Schipol at 01:00, disgruntled and facing the fact that we still needed to drive another 1h30 back to our accommodation. We then googled a 24h grocer as our supplies were finished only to be pointed in one direction - Amsterdam.

The road trip came with great excitement, coupled with irritation due to fatigue and frustration. Twenty minutes later we arrived at our destination, finding that it was ridiculously small (grocer would be a strong word to use), ridiculously expensive (hello convenience), and pissing with rain. We managed to scrounge up supplies but the morale was running low. Divided opinions meant that tempers flared regarding whether we would go home or try and make the most out of the fact that we were in Amsterdam. An agreement was reached and after an extremely nerve-wrecking parking experience close to the canals (well done Pieter) we decided to head to De Wallen (see what I did there) to try and find somewhere to buy a beer. The fact that it was 01:30 on a Thursday morning meant that the streets were quiet and most bars were closed. We eventually found a club, had a few beers and experienced another smoking the room the size of a lump of lung cancer. Needless to say, not the way I wanted to remember Amsterdam.

On the way home, we had to stop for toilet paper, only to find that it was not a common commodity at most petrol stations. It seems our name for it - "poef lappen" was not as big as a hit as we thought it would be and I had no cash to get some from the garage bathrooms. The night concluded as we all decided that we would go back to Amsterdam the following day and experience it properly. It was decided that we would all rise at 09:00 to make the most of the day. Sleep could not come soon enough.

We punctually woke up at 12:00, dazed and confused (woo, rock band references) and somewhat ready for action. It was then that we heard that the lost baggage would arrive between 14:00 and 16:00. Surprisingly, they actually delivered (thank you, I do try). With EVERYONE showered and clean we were ready to go be annoying tourists. The Banana Bus was inbound.

Spirits were high as the kilometres of highway flew past at around 10km/h. Yes, traffic was as real here as it was back home. And we were driving in the middle of rush hour. The trip which was supposed to take 1h took around 2h instead. First world problems I tell you. As we finally reached Amsterdam the first world problems continued. They should rename Amsterdam the parking nightmare capital (I haven't been many places so granted, that may be a bit excessive). The fact that we had 7m x 3m van also didn't help. We could not clear the height limits to get into parking garages and all of the parkings we found resulted in our van blocking half of the road when parked. Eventually Pieter wormed it in next to a houseboat giving it's second name (dubbed by Pikkie) "skip" more substance.

After a quick trip to a "krul" (urinals on the street) we were on our way. The first stop was a shop where one could buy all sorts of edibles, and joints. A muffin, joint, and a beer later, we were having a smoke watching a swan and ducks cruise on the canal running through the Red Light District. It was followed by an adventure that landed us at a casino (where we managed to lose the only 5c we played), a bar where no tobacco was allowed (but weed and herbal mixes were), a deli that sold food perfect for when the munchies kick in (where I nearly pulled half a pizza off the counter by accident) and to some of us, erotic museums and sex shops. The elderly in us started to take over as we decided to call it a night around midnight (oh, how sweet the days of youth were).

Stoned out of our minds, bellies full and pelvises uncomfortable we headed home satisfied with the true Amsterdam experience - De Wallen style (pun intended and yes I love brackets and no I won't stop).

Thanks for reading.