Since last time I wrote I have... Found a home for my beloved backpack - quite sad actually, it did such a good job not breaking when I stuffed it impossibly full, when matatu drivers threw it forcefully into the boot and it bounced around when they tied the boot vaguely to the van. Cycled 35k the first day to the home of a lovely couple in Utrecht (pronounced with a nice hoicky, back of the throat sound that I have not yet mastered - sound more like I have f...

NAME THE STEED! I'll send the person who comes up with the best name for my new bike a bar of the nicest chocolate from the Netherlands that I can find (and trust me I've done a fair bit of sampling! Just write you entry of the message board of email me if your too ashamed of your name. And if only like 2 people 'enter' the comp than I'll be officially gutted and will feel like I have no friends so you have no excuse! I have been for 2 test rides now, both abou...

So... I'm all alone once more. Alice left yesterday - very sad to see her go! But had an awesome time cruising around Amsterdam with my sis. Not sure if I would go back to stay at the dungeon like hostel that had writing like "Simon was here loving weed" and "Hookers aint worth 50" on the walls but definately glad Alice was there with me! I now am the very proud owner of a bike. Basically because I don't have the piece of paper with all the t...

Being basically a wizened old traveller I managed to make my way to the airport (lets pretend I didnt have to ask about 5 people to find the right train) to collect my sister. Standing at the arrivals gate and seeing Alice for the first time since November was pretty awesome! Despite being the equivalent of about midnight when she arrived we walked around the city and went to the Freedom Day celebrations. We saw the queen (who looks suprisingly like the queen...

And I though Africa was dangerous! Today, not being the greatest city person, i had about a million near death experiences. Ok, so Amsterdam is like THE city to cycle in but its actually insane the number of cyclists! And what kind of ridiculous idea is it to drive on the right (aka wrong) side of the road?! Not only did I get angry cyclists ringing their bells at me, I also got hooted at by trams and long stretchy buses! I now look like a crazy country g...