Travel Summary of Africa to Amsterdam. Flights. Miles. Time. Kilometers. Climate. Weather. Find it all Here!

Time to call this one a wrap!  Ben and I are just totally beat from the intense  traveling. Here we are at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam awaiting our flights.  Its 5am here, and Ben and I find ourselves watching the cleaning crew and graveyard shift getting ready to leave. We sit here reflecting on this trip, this was a trip of a lifetime!  I am heading directly back to Dallas, Ben to Atlanta then to Birmingham, AL, so saying adios in Amsterdam (shortly), until I see him in Dallas in January.

In 23 days we covered the following ground-

14,058.8  air miles

3 continents (US, Africa, Europe)

Crossed over 3 massive bodies of water

drove 2,394 miles (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana) map of our driving trip

consumed roughly 6 pounds of wild game biltong

walked roughly 40 miles each

drank 41 gallons of water

crossed 6 borders

experienced 8 climate & terrain changes

ate zebra, giraffe, gimmsbuck, warthog, ostrich (and egg), panakoken, and many other treats- (you will just have to go back through all the food finds in the blog from the trip!)

saw some of the best sunrises/sunsets, wild animals, art, & architecture in the world!

That is some intense stats to produce in the better part of 3 weeks!  Stay tuned for more  adventures, we spent the countless driving hours figuring out where next.  And of course how to  become a full time tri-lingual  “Ninja”-

Travel.Cook.Eat.

Thanks for following the Africa to Amsterdam Adventure,

Chef David & Ben

Top 5 Ways to Avoid Jet Lag on International Flights.

Lets not kid ourselves, nobody gets amped up for a long plane ride, but the best way to look at it is how to manage your time and avoid jet lag.

1. Eat healthy & exercise (minimum 5 days before travel)

2. Set your watch to the local time of your destination (for me it was 10 hours ahead)

3. Plan your sleep correctly so when you land you are already three steps ahead of the game.

4. MAKE SURE to be will hydrated.  (avoid alcohol and caffeine while flying)

Few snap shots from the plane ride over-

*bit of advice, always order a different meal that carries some type of dietary restrictions, that way you don’t get they typical airplane food.  Note that due to high altitudes and cabin pressure your taste buds and senses loose between 20-30% !  Ever wonder why you are so thirsty when you land?  (the airlines bump up the seasoning and sodium content of the food for this reason!)

Amsterdam Red Lights. Amsterdam at Night. Simply Amsterdam!

When dusk falls in Amsterdam the city begins to buzz in a whole other light.  The working class gathers at one of Amsterdam’s many squares and enjoys a few cocktails with friends and colleges before returning to their respective homes.  The city’s subculture emerges slowly and surely.  The restaurants fill up, the pubs and street cafes get crowded and the sounds of Dutch club music begin to heighten throughout the city.

Amsterdam has something for everyone- there is no shortage of great finds and if you do enough digging there are many speakeasy’s and private clubs to indulge in.  I took Ben to visit some old haunts from the younger years.  Some were still up and running, sadly  others had been laid to rest.  Here are some great night shots from our time out in Amsterdam.

Best Restaurants for Quick Fresh Food in Amsterdam. Falafels in Amsterdam.

Ben and I were craving some good quick food after walking around all night.  I kept raving to him how I used to eat falafels from this little shop just a few blocks from Restaurant Vermeer.  It seems as time changes so do the storefronts, so we had to seek another local.  We discovered this great place just by Dam Square on the East side.  Ben and I could hardly control ourselves when we came across this food find.

The falafels were packed with just the right amount of herbs and fried up perfection.  They were rolled up in warm flat bread and served with a variety of toppings.  I ate mine with some simple yogurt, cucumber and chili sauce.  It brought back all the memories from the old days in Amsterdam.

Van G. Vincent Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam

So after contemplating what we should do in a 2 1/2 day time frame we had a lot to squeeze in.  Ben wanted to make sure to see some of Amsterdam’s famous art, I was happy to just see the city, so all worked out well.  First stop for us was the Van Gogh Museum in the arts district.  The museum host some of Van Gogh’s most famous pieces.  Unfortunately cameras are prohibited inside the exhibit.

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