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Reports

During my travels, I received free accommodation for a night in exchange for writing a daily travel diary. This diary documented how I reached my next destination, the hosts who welcomed me, the food I was offered, and other experiences along the way. Below, you will find the archives of these extensive reports. Please note that English is not my native language, and most entries were written quickly, often around midnight. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, 8 May 2001
--> Den Bosch (NL) day 2

Sleeping out very long, walking through the city...
Living life the relaxed way: hakuna matata!

I had admitted to my hostess Tamara that I could use a very good night’s sleep. So, when she left for work at the internet provider, she let me sleep in.

I woke up around noon, feeling incredibly relieved. Today, I didn’t need to pack my backpack again, rush to say goodbye, or worry about getting to the next place.

Tamara had left a note and some money for me to get through the day in town. After a refreshing shower, she suggested I grab some breakfast at the train station before heading into town.

After breakfast and a free coffee (I still had several free coffee coupons from the train conductor on my first day), I strolled through the old center of 's Hertogenbosch and found the public library, where I used the internet for an hour.

On the streets, I had some conversations with the helpdesk of my provider. It was taking far too long to get the right database for all my reports, photographs, and invitations. By tonight, everything should finally be working properly.

Full respects to my scripter, Tom, who must be going crazy with my emails and phone calls, especially with his school exams coming up...

's Hertogenbosch isn’t just a clean and old city; what struck me most was that around 2 p.m., EVERY terrace was full of elderly people! It was quite a sight to see so many grey hairs everywhere, enjoying coffee and chatting all afternoon.

Becoming old in the Netherlands doesn’t seem so bad at all!

Around 4:30 p.m., I returned to Tamara’s room, and she came back from work shortly after. After she freshened up, we headed back into town for dinner at St. Janneke’s Snackbar. The lady working there was so excited to see me—‘the guy from TV!’—that we got free ice cream!

We enjoyed a ‘little super’, a super-sized portion of French fries covered with mayonnaise, curry, and onions, with a ‘frikadel’ (a minced-meat roll) hidden underneath. Foreigners might say ‘Aaahhh!!!’ about this, but it’s typical Dutch fast food.

After this simple yet satisfying dinner, we returned to Tamara’s room and watched some favorite TV shows: Ally McBeal, Sex In The City, and a few quirky English comedies. At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the couch, dreaming about the days ahead and crossing the Belgium border...

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