Amsterdamned

I already sent this by email...but it was the beginning, so one more time...
Hello,I made it out of the Damned's loveliest waiting room...if I wasn't going to hell before...Nah, AmsterDAM was unreal, like some Oliver Twist movie that I never saw, the roads are none the same, each path is a different stone proud and pulsing, ugly...but they come together to make something beautiful, like the people in Amsterdam. The most accepting place in the world I do not doubt. My trip was one other-wordly experience after another, the days ran into each other and coiled and time oozed along like vevlet lights...in and out of sight. My roomates were fantastic. the most hilarious mid 40's Scottish man, about my height. Couldn't understand a lick after he had a few, but I caught on by the end of the trip, when he carried my guitar with me to Schiphol airport. You need to hear a little about this guy..GRAM: He hacked all night like death, in the morning he went in the toilet of our non-smoking room, puffed a joint, drank a can of Heinikin or whatever was on sale and passed out again. All day, in and out of smoke fogs, space cakes, sleep states and be-ah. Soooooo funny. He said excuse me, went out to the streets, puked all over the door step and sat back down smilin' then imitated the shocked passersby. He told me the average life-span of men in the town he lives in is 42, all his high school buddies are dead. Apparantly he doesn't just do this on vacation. GREAT guy tho. He got caught taking a hit of crack and the cops came over before he could pay the dealer so he pretended tobe a tourist that didn't know better and headed to the train station skipping out on payment for the ample hit he pulled all the way up till the cops were staring him in the face.,.this was years ago when he lived in Amsterdam. I wish you could see and hear him tell these stories. So, I spent idle hours with Gram. Mostly tho I hung with a great Brazilian guy named Luis Felipe Marin Banlaky. Felipe. Amazingly open lively person, always smiling and dancing, we were fast friends...ducking into fancy hotels to sit in the funny round glass bubble table that protruded onto the side walk, ordering only a coffee:> We danced all night, slept till 12, 1, 2. Ate cheese and bread from the store and drank and played guitar in the hotel room and ordered weed (awkwardly at first) (from a menu!) ate a brownie that made me feel like my bed was a hockey rink and I a skate...it was a new years. My other two roomates were anti-social, pissy little french children.I met all sorts of cool Dutch, the americans were for the most part...embarrassing. Sorry to say. One chick was just like Jenny McCarthy...she was hilarious, quintissential blonde bimbo, but cheeky, playing the part. I laughed my ass off at her with her one night. Thought I got herpes from kissing some Polish girl who hade one side of her head shaved, but it turned out she just bit my lip and it bruised. Woosh! Phew! That was frightening! No more nookie for me, just gonna get my lovin from life, land, laughter...no more lesbians:> Been in Dublin for two days. The Irish are the most charming, easy going people, willing to help yopu, reasonable in every way. The city is lovely, but I am itching for the countryside. Tomorrow I head on a 6 day tour through the South and West coasts of Ireland. I return Saturday, Fly to London on Monday Jan 12, then I leave for India on Jan 15. I am staying at the Four Courts hostel in Dublin now, just outside the viking area, adjacent to the Temple Bar district (where I have yet to meet an irishman). I am having a lovely time and learning more than I can possibly process right now. I spoke with a Northern Irish man for 3 hours last night who had backpacked India 3 times for years at a time studying meditation, dealing with his shit...such a wise, humorous man, had way too much insight, but I just tryed to be present in pour conversation. Got some good tips too. (He reminded me of your Dad Finn). Well, I miss and love you all and think about you all the time.Love coming at you from far away,Char