ONE FAMOUS DISTRICT

AMSTERDAM’S RED LIGHT DISTRICT

         Before I left home on my first European trip my son-in-law suggested I see the red light district in Amsterdam. After dinner our first night in the city I asked to be left off the bus at the district. My guide was shocked that an old lady would be interested in such a place explaining, “The streets are too narrow for the bus. I will make an announcement and we can let you off near by and point you in the right direction. I can show you how to get back to the hotel.”

        Nine of us hardly souls got off the bus and walked the street and canal bridges covered with red lights. Walking along the narrow street on each side of the canal we viewed scantily clad girls parading around or sitting mannequin-like in large picture windows that were also outlined in red lights. We wandered down one side of the canal and back up the other side. None of us was quite prepared for the most incredible and unbelievable sight.

        We learned the girls are licensed, legal prostitutes. The lack of pimps eliminates violence such girls often put up with. Frequent medical exams make the world’s oldest profession relatively safe for the girls.

       Earlier in the day, while my traveling partner slept off a headache, I had wandered the streets around the hotel and made note of a couple landmarks. I do NOT have a good since of direction. Now, in the dark, eight people were relying on me to get them safely back to the hotel—the hotel name that none of us had taken note of! As soon as I saw the train station I knew how to proceed. However, the ally where I had shopped and eaten lunch looked very different at night when everything was dark and closed up! We all walked into the hotel lobby just as it started to rain.

         On another trip to Amsterdam I wanted Jan to see the district. Again it was arrival day and by dark we were pretty tired, but it was a case of now or never. Our guide walked a group of us to the area. This time I noted the cobblestone walks along the canal were rather uneven in many places. I hadn’t noticed before all the small alleys that run off the main canal.

        It was not totally dark, but many, many prostitutes were lounging in their windows in all degrees of undress. Most were young, white, and nearly all were smoking. We all felt it was a sad way to make a living. From the numbers it looked like competition might be very tough---but then again I’m a female. We even saw an occasional sign stating that a window was for rent. Many of us felt uncomfortable and as if we were intruding. 

A Surprise

COCA TEA

When getting ready to go to Peru for a four day hike into Machu Picchu I read that coca tea was helpful in combating altitude sickness. Walking my neighborhood one day I ran into a neighbor who asked me where I was going next.

“I have a trip to Peru planned, “I told him.

Alarmed he replied, “My sister-in-law went there and got so sick she had to be evacuated to lower ground. What are you going to do if that happens to you?”

Flippantly I said, “I’ll just drink coca tea like the natives do.”  He was too stunned to continue the conversation, and I really didn’t give it much more thought.

You can imagine my surprise when entering the hotel lobby and found a huge thermos full of hot coca tea. We found it listed on every restaurant menu. I did drink a lot of it while in country and never had any problem with altitude sickness---even at the 13,350-foot high pass.

It tasted very much like any herbal tea. I found a commercially packaged box of coca tea bags to bring home to share with friends. After reassuring them that they were not going to get high, sick or anything else, most enjoyed the novelty of drinking something different---maybe forbidden. I did not chew any coca leaves as many natives do, using it as a digestive aid, and I certainly did not try to bring home loose coca leaves. I prefer to respect our custom laws!