Livin' the 'Dam' good life...

So begins another chapter of my life.... another adventure consisting of world domination and freckle plantation. Last Monday evening I set flight, crossing the pond once again to spread a bit more of my color in Europe.

I said goodbye to my El Salvadorian friends at Cirellas, each giving me an extra-tight squeeze in an effort to keep me in Melville. I sipped one last Cabernet with Sandy Ryan, my bartending partner in crime and gave the regulars their anticipated hugs goodbye, their vodka breath flowing a bit too close to my mouth. Instead of packing, I found myself watching Howard Stern's "Private Parts" and "Taking Woodstock." I rolled & stuffed the dapperest of clothing into ziplock baggies, purging them of any air.  Lola was obese, to say the least. Together we trekked off and made our way back to London.

My crazy partner-in-crime, Serena Ray Ford, met me in the morning, the UK overcast shining down on me. Let me take a moment to tell you about this wonderful creature called Serena. We met each other in November of 2008 in Wake Up Hostel in Sydney, Australia. We bonded in the bathroom, chatting as we dried our hair. From that moment on we were inseparable. She taught me that a person is not technically 'drunk' until they are "faced down on the floor," and naturally she said this in her adorable little English accent. With her I learned the rules of going hard or going home. I spent two nights in her abode, waking hungover to a scalding-hot bubble bath and full english breakfast.

And then I took of to the Dam... the glorious place where people just don't- not to be tacky but- give a dam(n). To each his own. Everyone is free to do what they want to do so long as they're not hurting anyone.  Judgment is hard to come by.  If you so choose, you sit in a coffee shop, glance at the menus, order & enjoy. Then you hop on your old-school bicycle and ride on through the traffic of the 600,000+ bikes of the Dam. There are rules to the road:

Know where to ride.
Know where you're going
Keep it moving or get the hell out of the way. Heed to the bicycle bells.
Lock that shit.  Bicycles are constantly stolen or thrown in canals. 
Pay attention: there are dozens of people & trams. You will crush or be crushed. 

I currently work in a hostel. Cocomama. I live in the attic with my latest partner-in-crime, Heloisa from Brazil. We were made for each other.  She's already trying to convince me to stay longer and buy a canalboat with her. I do just about everything, clean bathrooms, make beds, check people in, show people around, and create an amazing experience in Amsterdam for the backpackers and travelers of the world coming through.  

Not a bad life, eh? 

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