DAY 27: our second last day of the tour! ... We had a free day to explore Amsterdam and it started with a guided bike tour at 11:30. Of course, our experience is not complete without a but of a mini-disaster occurring... After riding to the "I Amsterdam" sculpture and through Vondel Park (to which I narrowly missed colliding with an oncoming tram I didn't see)...8 of us got separated from the rest of the pack after a tram blocked our view of the tour guide. After waiting for more than 20 minutes, we decided to make our way back to the bike shop, which was very close by. At this point, someone from the bike shop managed to find us and take us back. Finally!

Somehow our bike tour guide managed to shift some blame on us for "losing ourselves". Stupid American stoned B&$@h.

Oh well. We've gotten so used to mini-disasters happening everyday on this tour that this little mishap didn't phase us one bit. It was nearly exepected that it would happen even. :)

Decided to take it easy and go shopping today with Anjuli and Andie. Shops were pretty awesome with good sales on but I found nothing today.

As we were waiting for the tram to go to the farewell dinner located near Central station, a protest (sth to do with squatters and their right of abode) delayed us in getting to the dinner by 30mins. Ugh. So annoying! The Chinese food we got served was disappointing too.

I skipped the canal cruise after dinner but Andie jumped on and apparently Luke gave a pretty touching and got emotional with his speech. Aww...how cute.

We went back out again later to a bar close by to the hostel where everyone was dancing an taking pictures with one another. Some people were noticeably overly happy and Hollie was sprawled over the pavement literally vomiting her guts out. Everyone else had a good laugh and took photo evidence of the crime scene.

My head was spinning after eating a hash brownie before and after dinner. Felt sleepy but not on a high or anything like that..kinda felt slow and lethargic though.

However, Anjuli and James were bloody hilarious when they got back into the room, continually chanting "decontaminate...taminate..." and making the most random comments, which included Anjuli proclaiming she did the biggest poop, in her entire life ever, this morning. It was all good fun.!!

Amsterdam is a very very different, surreal city compared to the others we'd visited. Smelling weed and seeing stoned people everywhere on the streets, prostitutes showcased like they were prized possessions, the quiet mania of trams, bicycles, scooters, cars, horses and pedestrians all sharing the same road and the terrible filth lining the streets... Amsterdam is an interesting city indeed, one worth revisiting again with Will. Definitely intend on going to the Anne Frank museum and The Heineken experience tour next time!