Amsterdam

My final day in the states started out with a mad-dash to the Salt lake Airport. It continued with a last minute scramble around Spokane to obtain a video camera for the Documentary we intend to produce of our time in Kenya. Next were the last minute shopping runs (biodegradable soap, camera case, first aid supplies, etc.). Finally came the most important part of the day, going out with friends to a local bar to catch one final night of live music in Spokane.
After much deliberation and personal introspection, I decided it best to not go to sleep; instead I stayed out with friends until the wee hours, only to return just as Pat was waking up to prepare for the airport run. By some miracle, we made it to the airport and checked our bags a hair ahead of the deadline for international travel. Another 30 seconds later, and we wouldn’t have been allowed to board. A brief nap/flight later, we found ourselves in Portland. Pat’s Aunt, living just across the river, was nice enough to pick us up and give us a hearty breakfast that we so desperately needed. After yet another frantic sprint through the airport, we managed to make our next flight barely in time (our other team-mate Isaac wasn’t so lucky, we had to part ways with him and hope to meet up later in Amsterdam, which we did!) The endless selection of free movies on the plane, coupled with an internal clock telling me not to sleep, led to a restless nine hour flight across half the globe.
Pat and I landed in Amsterdam at around 7:30 AM local time. No reason to sleep yet! After a tiring 2 and half hours of passing through checkpoints and re-checking our luggage, we were finally ready to explore downtown. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect. A Saturday spent wandering Amsterdam was filled with all sorts of surprises. The people here are very friendly and most speak at least a little English. We made some new friends, stumbled on a museum or two, tracked down recommended sites and stores from old friends, we discovered a local fresh market filled with fruits and vegetables, and we even spent some time in an antique shop (their specialty was LP’s, mostly American music). To answer the questions most would ask: no, we did not go to the red light district, but yes, we did manage some harmless mischief. I’d have to say that my favorite part of the city, though, was the fact that bikes easily out number cars. You can’t walk 100 meters without both almost getting hit by a biker and almost tripping over a stack of parked bikes.
Despite the fact that Amsterdam quickly became my favorite city (with newly formed reveries of actually living there one day), the time had to be cut short with our approaching departure for Nairobi. After a few essential duty free purchases (a bottle of cognac for the Bishop of Kenya and a travel alarm clock) we find ourselves waiting patiently at the gate to make the next continental leap. If the movie selection is the same maybe I can squeeze in a few winks, but landing in Nairobi at 6:35 AM leaves us very little hope that we can be well rested for our arrival. Sleep can wait, though; we’ve got too much stuff to see!