“Ya’ll come back now, ya hear!” says Amsterdam

When the major tourist attractions of a place are a red light district and Mary Jane coffee shops one might not imaging a classy trip. ‘One’ might be right in my opinion. The first words that come to mind when I think of my recent visit to Amsterdam are meat and market. Holland is a land of windmills, Heineken, and hoards of young, misbehaving tourists.

For the liberal minded traveler a shrug of shoulders may be the response to legal pot, prostitution, and mushrooms. A crowd other than the one I enjoy rolling with tends to be drawn in by this sort of an environment. Weed loving Americans frolic in the streets like kids in a candy shop.

I am sure there is a wholesome and cleaner side of Amsterdam though it was hard to see from where I was staying. In the red light district the pretty canal views were obstructed by crazy eyed individuals and boys window shopping for naked girls. “Oooooohhhh! Tisk, tisk!” says I.

FYI, the going rate for legal shag is 50 Euros. Which is cheaper: a professional or a girl in a bar selling it for momentary attention? I choose the latter. Can the prostitute truly compartmentalize her business from pleasure? If sex is learned to be a business transaction, than I would conclude that a professional could be better equipped to separate her core being from the actual act. A girl partaking in meaningless sex with strangers may be selling herself while the prostitute sells a service.

Then again maybe we are all what we do. The jobs we choose must be a reflection and direct result of the lives we choose to live and the people we choose to be. If this is the case than I would argue that people selling themselves at a discount rate may be found on street corners, bars, courtrooms, accountant firms, doctor’s offices, libraries, Laundromats, and MOST certainly in Amsterdam.