Crime and Passion

:: what a provocative statue with a hundred dicks ::

:: Copulating figures on rings. These rings, in fact the idea of marriage rings, were originally gifts used in marriage transactions in the past.



:: Red Light District: The pretty fireworks that exploded in the sky in a ball of flames ::


:: The man from Morocco who gave me such a fright::
On our 6th day in Amsterdam, we traipsed down Central Station to the main Red Light District(RLD). After hearing all the hype about the RLD, how ccould we kiasu Singaporeans give it a miss?
I wouldn't suggest a girl go idle about that area because even when we headed down in a group of mixed gender, we still met with some unpleasant surprises. For instance, a looney African (probably high from crack), from Morocco to be exact, demanded that I take a photo of him because he says he is oh-so-famous in Amsterdam for reasons I did not seem to grasp on the spot. But for all I know, he really might be famous - shrugs- If anyone recognises him from some rock band or something, drop me an email would ya? I would love to be enlightened.

I digress. To a very large extent, Amsterdam offers an entirely different worldview. Coming from an island where laws, rules, structures are strictly institutionalized, the Red Light District in Amsterdam itself represents perhaps, a microcosm of a society where liberal values (many deemed as debauchery) and legitimate "pharmaceutical pursuits" become the very norms and mores by which the Dutch live by.
These in-you-face culture advertisements, each attempting to offer the best and sleaziest opportunities as I pass; from brothels to museums to sex shops, the Red Light District leaves nothing to the imagination. And you have no reason not to believe me on this.
Live sex shows, advertisements (includes visual and vocal) and what-have-yous. And yes, I saw the famous "aquariums".

So instead of criminalizing everything, this very upfront city wears its heart on its sleeve-what you see is generally what you get. Enjoy the honesty of it all, as you won’t find it anywhere else.

Other than prostitution, Amsterdam is also famous for its legalized soft drugs. Honestly, the Crack, the Pot, the Weed, the Marijuana... they're over-hyped. The sheer prevalence of the use of soft drugs are a commonplace, so much so that they lost the novelty of it all, to the point of being almost hackneyed.

: The Grasshopper ::

We found our way into a rather high-end "coffeeshop" that entails three stories- steakhouse, pub and coffeeshop, the latter in the basement of course.

:: The couple who demonstrated on how to roll a joint ::
:: Weed from the demonstration ::