Our tour for the day started a little late than scheduled because the second coach bus couldn't start. Reason? One of the participants in Group 2 tried to force open the emergency door of the bus the night before. Because of that, the bus is somewhat disabled.

I am in Group 1, so we were brought to to Cheese and Clogs to see how cheese and wooden clogs are made. We also got to sample all sorts of cheese and buy them if we wish.

Outside we saw all sorts of animals like huge rabbits, chicken, swans, sheep and a horse. Again, the sight reminds me of a typical New Zealand view.

Once our bus returned with Group 2, we boarded the bus to head to Volendam, a little village outside Amsterdam. Before that, we stopped by a windmill for 15 minutes to take photos.

Volendam is a quaint little town with loads of houses, shops and it faces the sea. We went to see how diamonds are made and how the quality is gauged (color, clarity, cut, etc).

Tip: if you are looking to buy souvenirs like fridge magnets and stuff, buy them here. It's sold for €2.50 each, sometimes even €1.50. In Amsterdam it is €2.99 and above.

For lunch, we bought some fried seafood by the pier (€5) with any sauce of our choice like ketchup, tartar and even extra spicy chilli sauce! I also tried the freshly squeezed orange juice for €1.50.

Then, we finally went to Amsterdam at around 4pm. We were given 3 hours to roam the city before the bus picks us up at 7pm (you can also make your way back yourself to the campsite using public bus).

My friend and I decided to check out the Tulip Museum and the Anne Frank house, also the famous I.Am.sterdam logo at Museum Plein.

Armed with a map, we walked down the streets and alleys. There were many people and many shops as it was a Sunday.

The buildings look traditional, not unlike in Volendam and most of the locals use bicycles as their mode of transportation - they even have their own bicycle lanes! If you walk on the lane, they most definitely won't hesitate to knock you down... Or so we were told. ;)

We found the Anne Frank Huis (house/museum) but the queue to get inside was very long, so we just took photos outside. There are many small rivers in Amsterdam flowing through the city.

We decided to check out the Red Light District but somehow we just couldn't find it. Apparently we were just next to it but guess by God's will (or unwill), we didn't see the street lined with sex workers, homosexuals and marijuana smokers - in a city where all those are legal. For me personally, no loss there.

We also tried the local transport, the tram, similar to the one in Christchurch NZ. The difference is, the locals use it like a bus whereas in Christchurch it is a tourist hop on hop off facility.

We stopped at the huge I.Am.sterdam logo at the square to take photos and it started to rain!

Getting Halal food is easy in Amsterdam because there are lots of eateries selling kebabs and shawarma. Indonesian food is easily available too, since the Dutch used to rule Indonesia.

It also helps that the Dutch speak English well, so we do not have problems communicating. One thing though, you have to pay to enter the toilet facilities, even when I used the one INSIDE McDonald's! (had to pay 50 cents).

At 7pm, we boarded the bus home and headed back to our campsite. Sunset is not until 10.20pm, it was raining, so while waiting for dinner to be ready, we slept and only ate at around 10pm.

Dinner was a simple nasi putih panas, KFC (Kelana Fried Chicken, yo!), Chinese lettuce and kicap manis. Perfect for a cold night.

It is our second and final night in Holland!