“Den Haag” is Dutch and, roughly translated, it means “Rich fucker’s town” in English.

This morning I visited the Boijmans Van Beuningen Art Museum. They have some pretty famous stuff and some pretty weird, perhaps not so famous, works. I liked the tennis ball couches (they LOOKED like couches) and the giant screw outside. Hyronemous Bosch(sp?) had some evil (but cool) shite there and I spotted a lot of famous names. Some of them had good stuff, some of them not so good. I really liked the special feature they had on Robert Crumb. I think he was the guy behind “Fritz the Cat”. Anyway, I want get some of his books for some proper reading..

After a couple of hours I returned to the hostel and prepared to leave (dress, pack, fill bottles, etc). I found my sunnies could not be FOUND! I think someone has taken them because I purposely left them off the other day to get rid of the strange tan lines across my face when I forgot to apply sunscreen.. and they were not seen since. Well, I have the spare lenses for those frames you wanker/s so keep the scratched up things!.

All was saved though when the hostel manager gave me a free pair of Heineken sunnies! Awesome dude! You rock! FREE BEER GOGGLES! Navigation should be perfect now with a beer coaster instead of a map and beer goggles..

Ride today was nice and cruisy. It was quite strang to leave Rotterdam (big city) and in only a few kays be surrounded by green fields stocked with cows, sheep and birds. The fields also had canals and small lakes, dotted with bridges to allow bikes and peds to cross. I think the area was called Middle Delft?

I stopped in Delft to speak to Tam. I was cruising around town looking for a phone place but she beat me to the punch and added another million aussie dollars to her mobile bill.. Anyway, I continued cruising. Nice town with plenty of canals and restaurant boats and the usual shops along their ‘banks’. I didn’t find anything that warranted a full-on stop though so I continued on to Den Haag.

With my BeerNav(tm) setup, I actually found the Den Haag StayOkay hostel quite easily. Perhaps it has more to do with only being a 40k ride and not being too low in blood sugar when I try to read dodgy maps? Many people staring as I sign-in.. it’s only lycra people! Sheesh.. I know I’m totally gorgeous and all but keep your knickers on.. (cough)(splutter)bullshit(cough)(etc)

One guy watched me climb the stairs.. (WHY do they always put sore-legged cyclists on the top floor? To show off our lovely legs of course!) Imagine my surprise when he’s knocking on my door 2min later!

“Someone said there were bird eggs in this room”

“Uh I don’t know what you’re talking about man..”

Yeah, so he leaves and I’m left wondering: “Was that some kind of gay code? Was it druggie code?” I dunno.. but it all becomes clear when, a minute later, I spot the pidgeon egg on the top bunk above my bed! hahaha so he was (potentially) a normal guy, just wondering about the egg.. When I was in the shower another guy occupied the top bunk and the egg vanished..

Ate an overpriced, undersized Tuna Salad Broodje(?) and chips and then washed it down with some sickly sweet “Fernandes Green Punch” and “Timbolas” then kind of cake “thing” most people stop eating when they turn 8 years..

Walk around the corner and BAM! Scantily clad women in shop windows! Now I’m not talking about those kinda pale, stiff ones that people use to show off clothes.. these ones were living breathing women, dressed in only bikinis/underwear, waiting to “do business”. I was shocked, so I only picked the best two and kept it to an hour, flat.

No, I’m lying, I didn’t pay for sex. Sorry to disappoint you all.

Den Haag is pretty nice, if a touch expensive. There’s some nice buildings and canals and well, the usual. If you don’t know what the usual is.. you just have to tour Europe yourself! On the way back, I decide to do the tightarse dinner thing and but some Surnamese microwave dinner stuff. Well, of course THIS StayOkay is nothing like the Rotterdam one and they don’t have a microwave, or a kitchen.. or a FRIDGE! Geez! So I eat it raw. If you don’t hear from the hippy again.. blame it on the uncook satay thing from the supermarket or the “smoothy” thing.. man that was gross.. and the hostel bar is a ripoff and everyone was doing some other shit anyway. I’m totally not in the mood for going out. Instead I’ll be a sadass luser online.. 😛

Where’s that chillum when you need it.. 😉

Wow! Lightning and Thunder! This is the first time I’ve actually seen proper stormage here – it always seems to happen late at night. Hope it rains, coz it’s very humid and at least tonight my bike is under cover.. my chain has frickin’ rusted! I left it out a few times and last night the pannier’s small pockets filled with water and the chain is badly needing a lube.. so I finally used the teflon lube on it this morning before leaving. So much nicer now. Oooh speaking of nice.. cool breeze coming in through the pub door (yeah, net cafe in the pub near hostel, 3euro/90min).

The hostel here is 25euro/night which is expensive because it’s only a 4person dorm room with ensuite. Hey, I didn’t pick it! So, I don’t know how much there is to see and if I should move to another town tomorrow or stay another day? I was thinking about going back to Rotterdam on Saturday for a Techno vs. DrumNBass night.. hey Dan, Redhead is playing (only name I recognised :)) so that’s a good reason to stay close but, hmm, I dunno..

It’s raining proper now.. with some bigass lightning.. cool! Actually it’s still warm but you know what I mean..