Writhe and Shine

From Writhe’s journal:

I get into Amsterdam and walk to two places to find a bed. I call from the second to the third and hear that they have a mattress available on the floor. I take it. I waded through the masses of tourists and people walking slowly through all the shop-filled streets, avoiding bicycles and trams and cars and too many street beggars. There are so many different streets to go down and explore and so many shops to see. I dropped my stuff off at the hostel and took a mean shit in one of those funky German toilets. Cleaned my stinking arm pits and took off to explore. I wandered for four hours until I decided to eat at this “cheap” place that serves Dutch food. I’m getting 1/2 a chicken.
Strange, mysterious, fragrant, sweet, hunger-inducing smells come from almost everywhere you turn. I rounded one corner and was immediately confronted by a man walking the other way selling Ecstasy. Nope, not for me, thanks. Canals. Boats. Palaces. Castles. Shops. People. Street performers who pretty much suck but still manage to gather a huge crowd that pays well. Messages on the train announcements and the billboards around the city warn against pickpockets. I clench my fist every so often to punch anyone that touches me.
I wonder what tonight is going to bring.
—
I hung out at the hostel for a little while last evening then went to Dirty Nelly’s Irish Pub for a cider. One of my drawings is now on their wall. I talked to a Dutch girl and her French friend about lots of stuff. I left and went to explore the Red Light District… I really don’t know what to think. Shine would love it. Girls in bikinis standing in windows on the ground floor reminded me of meat in a butcher’s display. Some curtains were closed but red neon lights were always on. Tons of gawking tourists. It seemed like mostly Italian men. Sex shows and pubs… Ugh. I went back to Dirty Nelly’s and took a piss and talked to those two girls again. We left later and went our separate ways. I slept on the mattress on the floor and got quite cold. Open window, no blanket.
I wandered around this morning, bought some good breakfast material. Took a while to find a laundromat. I’m here now, doing laundry.