Hello ACD! Stumbled across this site when I was working overseas; not going to say specifically, but it was hot, and sandy, and things exploded sometimes.... just sayin'. So, I was planning a vacation this place I was working, and had always wanted to experience Amsterdam, so I decided I was going to make it happen. As soon as I was set on where I was going, I began to research things as much as possible; not surprisingly, with the internet being the veritable cornucopia of information that it is, I was able to find out a good deal about the things I wanted to know about my intended destination. The only problem that presented itself was resolving whether or not the weedpass was in effect. The first trip was in early March of this year, and thru my various researching, as well as chatting with some knowledgeable persons, it was determined that I would not have any problems in thoroughly enjoying Amsterdam to its fullest. But, being the cynic i've usually always been, a slight bit of paranoia (that I would get there having paid for my whole trip and not be able to partake in Amsterdam's delight) persisted until I lit up that first big ol' fattie in where else, Voyagers. More on that later though.
Trip 1, day 1, March 2012
Took the ICE train in to Central Station from Frankfurt; I had been in Germany to visit someone for a couple of days prior to my arrival in Amsterdam. Arrived some time mid-afternoon and wandered out front of the station with the two bags I had. From my previous studies of the ACD map online, and the copy I printed off, I knew where my hotel was and as badly as I wanted to divest myself of my bags and possibly shower, I wanted to smoke even more. My hotel was The Grand Hotel Amrath, and luckily for me, Voyagers was quite handily on the way there. Upon entry into the shop I was greeted with one of the greatest smells on earth. For some reason I recall it being a bit smoky in there, no complaints, and the only reason that sticks with me is because the door was shut at the moment and there was this cat just chillin' on the floor. I thought to myself "that cat must high as shit". After setting my bags down I bought a pre-rolled (white widow maybe?, I don't remember) as I was not (and am still not) very skilled at producing my own joints. About three puffs in it started taking effect. I hadn't smoked in in over four months, and I have never ever in my life had anything better than some mid-grade shit, so soon after it kicked in I realized I was just freakin' blaked (a combination of blazed and baked). I think I got myself a juice, drank that and finished my joint, then left. Now, from some of the travelogues i've read, it seems like Voyagers is quite the place to be, or meet people. Anyhow, I don't know if it was because they were just slow or I was a little travel weary, or that most of the reviews I had read on the place at the time made it seem kinda meh, but I only went back once or twice, and that was just because it was conveniently located to my hotel. However, I will definitely have to try it again next time I can make it back over there; I don't mean my lack of interest previously in the place to say it was bad, it just didn't stick out to me at the time, but i'm certainly open to having my opinion changed about such things. I should note though, that the network I was able to use when I was working overseas had some restrictions on it, and so I was lucky enough to be able to access the map portion of this site, but the forum was blocked, so its information was left unobtainable to me until later. Oh well, now I know.
Being still high of course, I made my way to my hotel room. Absolutely amazing it was. Of course, nice hotel room, nice big price; I think for five nights I paid around a grand U.S., don't recall the exact nightly rate or how much the whole stay was though. I would suggest that hotel to anyone who wants a really nice place that is located close the station, but not for more than a couple of days stay. If you're going to stay longer, stay somewhere cheaper. Anywho, I showered and went back out, just wandering around for the most part, although I did refer to my map for exact coffeeshop locations. I think I may have smoked a couple more joints a couple more shops, but I don't recall the rest of day one at all; that has more to do with my generally crap memory, plus the time since, than it does with how much I smoked, although it was a contributory factor of course.
This far removed from the trip, most of the details are a bit hazy, but i'll do my best to recount how the rest of it went. I am going to group the days together, same thing for the second trip when I get around to that portion of the story, rather than try to tell it on a day by day basis.
Trip 1, days 2 thru 6
Most days started late, with me waking up between 10 and noon. I didn't develop an affinity for any one particular shop until the last couple of days there, so my main m.o. was to go into a coffeeshop, have a smoke and a drink, then move on to the next place for the first few days I was there. I remember having read good reviews on places such as Abraxas, Dampkring, Grey Area, Rokerij, and a few others, but to be honest not many places stick out at me now, but that could be for a number of reasons. Since I am not very good at discerning the differences in good weed, as I had never really had any before, I don't recall that I smoked anything super special that first trip. I did smoke alot of stuff with various odd sounding names, and sometimes I could even differentiate the type of high I was having from other times i'd been high (including that trip), but all I remember of the types of weed is that they were all really really awesome.
I've got a bit more to say about the first trip, especially the best part (truffles are involved), but I think this post is too long as it is. So I will continue it later, I apologize if it's not interesting so far, I will endeavor to do better next time.
Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
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LazarusLong
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Thu 2nd Aug 2012 08:04 pm
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worldcitizen1723
- Posts: 1122
- Joined: Mon 1st Mar 2010 12:10 am
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
keep going : >
always enjoy someone else lovin Amsterdam!
always enjoy someone else lovin Amsterdam!
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LazarusLong
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Thu 2nd Aug 2012 08:04 pm
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Trip 1, Days 2-6 con't
I remember developing a severe case of swamp ass, or waiters crotch as it is known in the food service industry, by day 3. Amsterdam is deceptively large. I had never walked so much of my own volition before in my life. Loved it though, exercise is great, especially when you're smokin'. Ate plenty of good food, fries included. Did not get to taste the wonder that is the fry sauce from McDonald's until my second trip, sad times were had by me upon realization that I missed out until then. This stuff is something we don't get in America, at least not anywhere i've seen.
I do recall now one other thing I did that first night now that I think of it; remembered the story, just not the exact day. I tried the coffeeshop BABA (which I am confusing at the moment with coffeeshop Sheeba, sorry if I get the description wrong for BABA). When I got to the coffeeshop (someone at my hotel had recommended this place to me) I looked around for the counter to buy my bud. The layout was nice and open for a coffeeshop, good seating options. After purchasing a gram of something, and a space cake with a hot chocolate, I used one of their vaporizers. Interesting contraption, it was one that looked like a bong; I did try a volcano vaporizer at another time though. However, I do not particularly care for how it tasted. I much prefer joints really, just seems more relaxed/relaxing. Plus I think joints taste better than using a vaporizer, but maybe i'm just odd like that; I don't know many other people's proclivities for such things, so I can't say specifically.
On day 3 in my wanderings I happened upon one of the smart shops. Don't remember the name or the location, though I want to say it was near Dam Square, but I could be wrong. Not much variety in the smart shops though, no real atmosphere as compared to the coffeeshops that have personalities, so to speak. I had never done psychedelics before, nothing even close. Of course, being the adventuresome soul I am, I had always wanted that experience so I bought a box of the Atlantis truffles. I did not take them until day 4, somewhere around 4pm if memory serves me correctly. The time notation will become important later. Alot of what i've heard and read had the truffles tasting like shit, or being super sour/bitter. To me, only the aftertaste was somewhat bitter, but attention to that fact soon becomes non-existant; the initial chew and swallow was faintly reminiscent of almonds, or walnuts, as far as texture and flavor go. It should be mentioned that I ate the entire box of truffles I had purchased. It was a 15gram box, of which 10grams was a beginner's dose. Before you ask, instructions?, yes, I read them. "15 grams for experienced trippers" is what the box said, "10 grams for beginners". Retrospectively realizing my folly now, I thought to myself at the time, "you know LazarusLong, you're a big guy, you can handle it". And handle it I did, but it was super intense. I noticed it had started to kick in when the text I was reading on my computer screen started to float in place above the glass as if it was projected on to a curtain. Colors started to become more vivid, just richer. The music I was listening to just started to get in sync with my soul, or so it seemed; it was to me the music listening equivalent of the first time you have sex while high. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but everything was becoming more awesome. After something like 30-45 minutes of the enhanced sounds and sights, it felt as though it was starting to go down, but I was still giggly. This was all very new to me, so I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I liked it. At this point though, I felt desirous of a stroll, so I journeyed forth into the night, not knowing what was in store for me later on. You see, apparently when you trip on truffles it comes in waves as your body digests them. I did not know this. My first clue was as I walked thru the hotel lobby on my way out was that the colors in the marble started switching places somewhat rapidly. I was like "whoa, ok, i'm alright". Of course I stood there for what seemed like 10 minutes just staring at the marble. As soon as I was able to distract myself from the marble in the hotel lobby, I wandered out, making my way down to the Nieu Market. Of all the coffeeshops in the area, I ended up in the Jolly Joker. I have read alot of disparaging and mediocre reviews of the place, but those have mostly to do with the behavior of the budtenders; however I will talk more about budtender behavior in general later on. I was pretty impressed with the place as soon as I walked in. It provides a really good view of the square, and that was nice. There was a moderate amount of seats compared to most coffeeshops, but many of them were filled, and I didn't want to take a table by myself so I just sat at the bar. I don't really recall most of the exact details, but I know I smoked several joints and had probably 10 drinks. Part of the reason I sat there all night is that I really didn't want to go anywhere else while my trip was in full effect, but the main reason i stayed was because the redhead working behind the bar was absolutely the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen in my entire life. And believe it or not, I still think the same thing even when I'm not high. She is just simply stunning. You know how I said noting the time earlier would become important? Well, I was there just having a grand old time until they closed around 1am. I was told later on that I appeared to still be tripping somewhat when I walked out. That's around 8 hours of tripping, it was so intense. Colors where even more rich than initially, and the other visuals where more pronounced as well. As mentioned, i've never done more than the truffles, so I don't know how to compare the visuals to anything stronger. The wood grain under the clear lacquer coat on the bar was flowing like a river. I was also apparently a big source of entertainment for the girl working behind the bar, as well as some of the other patrons. At one point, as I was told, I became totally enthralled by some whip cream on a hot chocolate I ordered, then proceeded to ask for just a plate of whip cream after I drank the hot chocolate and I stared at that for ten minutes. It's almost easy to describe how weed feels, but unless you've ever done psychedelics you could never understand it, and if you have done them then there is no need for me to tell you, you already know. It was just amazing.
I don't recall my trip back to the hotel, but I awoke the next morning none the worse for wear, albeit saddled with a slight hangover-ish feeling. I will finish up trip 1 tomorrow possibly. As well as throw in my opinions on butenders in general. Again, sorry if my story telling isn't the best, i'm not good at this when even when i'm sober....
I remember developing a severe case of swamp ass, or waiters crotch as it is known in the food service industry, by day 3. Amsterdam is deceptively large. I had never walked so much of my own volition before in my life. Loved it though, exercise is great, especially when you're smokin'. Ate plenty of good food, fries included. Did not get to taste the wonder that is the fry sauce from McDonald's until my second trip, sad times were had by me upon realization that I missed out until then. This stuff is something we don't get in America, at least not anywhere i've seen.
I do recall now one other thing I did that first night now that I think of it; remembered the story, just not the exact day. I tried the coffeeshop BABA (which I am confusing at the moment with coffeeshop Sheeba, sorry if I get the description wrong for BABA). When I got to the coffeeshop (someone at my hotel had recommended this place to me) I looked around for the counter to buy my bud. The layout was nice and open for a coffeeshop, good seating options. After purchasing a gram of something, and a space cake with a hot chocolate, I used one of their vaporizers. Interesting contraption, it was one that looked like a bong; I did try a volcano vaporizer at another time though. However, I do not particularly care for how it tasted. I much prefer joints really, just seems more relaxed/relaxing. Plus I think joints taste better than using a vaporizer, but maybe i'm just odd like that; I don't know many other people's proclivities for such things, so I can't say specifically.
On day 3 in my wanderings I happened upon one of the smart shops. Don't remember the name or the location, though I want to say it was near Dam Square, but I could be wrong. Not much variety in the smart shops though, no real atmosphere as compared to the coffeeshops that have personalities, so to speak. I had never done psychedelics before, nothing even close. Of course, being the adventuresome soul I am, I had always wanted that experience so I bought a box of the Atlantis truffles. I did not take them until day 4, somewhere around 4pm if memory serves me correctly. The time notation will become important later. Alot of what i've heard and read had the truffles tasting like shit, or being super sour/bitter. To me, only the aftertaste was somewhat bitter, but attention to that fact soon becomes non-existant; the initial chew and swallow was faintly reminiscent of almonds, or walnuts, as far as texture and flavor go. It should be mentioned that I ate the entire box of truffles I had purchased. It was a 15gram box, of which 10grams was a beginner's dose. Before you ask, instructions?, yes, I read them. "15 grams for experienced trippers" is what the box said, "10 grams for beginners". Retrospectively realizing my folly now, I thought to myself at the time, "you know LazarusLong, you're a big guy, you can handle it". And handle it I did, but it was super intense. I noticed it had started to kick in when the text I was reading on my computer screen started to float in place above the glass as if it was projected on to a curtain. Colors started to become more vivid, just richer. The music I was listening to just started to get in sync with my soul, or so it seemed; it was to me the music listening equivalent of the first time you have sex while high. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but everything was becoming more awesome. After something like 30-45 minutes of the enhanced sounds and sights, it felt as though it was starting to go down, but I was still giggly. This was all very new to me, so I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I liked it. At this point though, I felt desirous of a stroll, so I journeyed forth into the night, not knowing what was in store for me later on. You see, apparently when you trip on truffles it comes in waves as your body digests them. I did not know this. My first clue was as I walked thru the hotel lobby on my way out was that the colors in the marble started switching places somewhat rapidly. I was like "whoa, ok, i'm alright". Of course I stood there for what seemed like 10 minutes just staring at the marble. As soon as I was able to distract myself from the marble in the hotel lobby, I wandered out, making my way down to the Nieu Market. Of all the coffeeshops in the area, I ended up in the Jolly Joker. I have read alot of disparaging and mediocre reviews of the place, but those have mostly to do with the behavior of the budtenders; however I will talk more about budtender behavior in general later on. I was pretty impressed with the place as soon as I walked in. It provides a really good view of the square, and that was nice. There was a moderate amount of seats compared to most coffeeshops, but many of them were filled, and I didn't want to take a table by myself so I just sat at the bar. I don't really recall most of the exact details, but I know I smoked several joints and had probably 10 drinks. Part of the reason I sat there all night is that I really didn't want to go anywhere else while my trip was in full effect, but the main reason i stayed was because the redhead working behind the bar was absolutely the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen in my entire life. And believe it or not, I still think the same thing even when I'm not high. She is just simply stunning. You know how I said noting the time earlier would become important? Well, I was there just having a grand old time until they closed around 1am. I was told later on that I appeared to still be tripping somewhat when I walked out. That's around 8 hours of tripping, it was so intense. Colors where even more rich than initially, and the other visuals where more pronounced as well. As mentioned, i've never done more than the truffles, so I don't know how to compare the visuals to anything stronger. The wood grain under the clear lacquer coat on the bar was flowing like a river. I was also apparently a big source of entertainment for the girl working behind the bar, as well as some of the other patrons. At one point, as I was told, I became totally enthralled by some whip cream on a hot chocolate I ordered, then proceeded to ask for just a plate of whip cream after I drank the hot chocolate and I stared at that for ten minutes. It's almost easy to describe how weed feels, but unless you've ever done psychedelics you could never understand it, and if you have done them then there is no need for me to tell you, you already know. It was just amazing.
I don't recall my trip back to the hotel, but I awoke the next morning none the worse for wear, albeit saddled with a slight hangover-ish feeling. I will finish up trip 1 tomorrow possibly. As well as throw in my opinions on butenders in general. Again, sorry if my story telling isn't the best, i'm not good at this when even when i'm sober....
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
enjoyed reading about yr trip, sounds like you had fun with the cream - gotta love psychedelics
Lightly Seared On The Reality Grill
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Don't sell yourself short, Lazarus, your storytelling is most enjoyable. It sounds like your 'side trip' to Jolly Joker, etc. was navigated and completed very well. I don't think I could have been so adventurous in that condition. Hotel Amrath to Nieuwe Markt doesn't seem too far, but, given your condition, I'd say you did well. As for the swamp ass, Gold Bond® makes some wonderful powders and products. 
I never walk far without their assistance... (this is WAAAY too much info, though...)
I never walk far without their assistance... (this is WAAAY too much info, though...)I may be stoned, but don't take me for granite...
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LazarusLong
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Thu 2nd Aug 2012 08:04 pm
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Trip 1 wrap-up
Please excuse the TMI in my last post. I am adventurous, but a very easygoing kind of adventurous I suppose. Being alone was not quite as much fun as I might have had with a friend or two, or a lady friend, but I was content enough to just enjoy myself in Amsterdam rather lazily. Considering the time of the year I wasn't fully able to enjoy the beach, but I did make it out to one after a 45 minute train ride, or something close to that. The train station in Haarlem was neat to pass thru, and next time i'm in town i'd really love to see more of the country.
My use of the trams was limited, so I walked everywhere, but that was fine with me. I did see the casino and made a couple bucks, but was not impressed with Holland Casino; guess i'm just biased towards American casinos. Did sample several more eateries the last couple of days, even one that was relatively far removed from the dam square area.
Now to finish up the truffles story. This actually takes place the next day. I made my way back to the Jolly Joker because, well, I was crushing hardcore on the redhead that had been working the night previously; I needed to make sure I hadn't been dreaming because it's not every day you get to meet someone in person who is actually that beautiful. I made my way there in the evening because i'm pretty sure waking up before noon didn't happen that day. Luckily for me she was working, and of course laughed at me when I walked in; like I said, I was over 6 hours of amusement the night before. I did remember some of it, but it kind of reminded of this time I was drinking soju when I was stationed in Korea, well one instance in particular. You see, soju is quite strong, and you drink and drink and drink it, then wake up the next morning and all your buddies tell you what you did. Being back at the Jolly Joker the night after I did the truffles was also enjoyable because I can laugh at myself, and it was fun to hear about and reminisce on my behavior the night before. At some point during my trip I had, in the nicest manner possible, informed the redheaded budtender how pretty I thought she was. She was flattered but had a boyfriend; I was like whatever, still had a good time and good conversation with her throughout the night. Same relaxed atmosphere the next night when I was back in there. In my whole life i've never felt as comfortable in being where I was as I did when I was in Amsterdam the two times i've been; it's just my favorite place in the world and I want to live there so bad it's killing me.
That's all I've got for exciting activities for the first trip; the remainder of my time I just coffeeshop-hopped and stayed high. Bought some more truffles, but was leery of doing them twice so soon together so I chickened out and just left them in my hotel room for the maid, lol.
I will finish up Trip 2 in one post hopefully either later today or tomorrow, but before I go I would like to add my opinion on coffeeshop budtenders in general. Generally speaking I do not tolerate people being rude to me, so if I had felt that way in any of the shops I would simply have walked out and gone somewhere else; capitalism being what it is, there's always someone else selling the same thing, and chances are they're going to want customers so they'll be nicer. Everybody's chief complaint is about how curt they are in asking for ID's, or in telling you that you can't smoke cigs in the shop, or that you have to buy something from that shop just to be in there. It is readily apparent to me the reasons why there is nothing wrong with their behavior. All the haters seem to only think about how they're being inconvenienced by these seemingly inane rules, but they do not appear to take into account the point of view of the coffeeshops. First, the laws dictate so many things about the coffeeshop's operations it's ridiculous. Smoking cigs inside was banned in case some people do not know. The request for ID should be expected by anyone walking into a shop; it baffles me why people do not have passport in hand as they approach the bar. And yes, you even have to show it if you're not smoking, just to be in the bar. Another thing that should not be complained about; if the police did a random check or something like that, then the coffeeshop you're in would get fucked if someone in there was underage, or several people were smoking cigs. I mean, it's so simple, why can't people follow the easy rules? As to the thing about buying stuff from the shop to stay in there, that's just good business sense on their part, and if you thought about it for two seconds you'd realize this. Just think, if you owned a restaurant you don't want people bringing in food from somewhere else because not only are they not buying anything, they're taking up space that could be occupied by paying customers who might stay for awhile and spend more money than they did in their initial purchase. Same vein with the coffeeshops. In conclusion, if you don't like the budtenders attitude, go to another shop, there's several of them and one is bound to have the type of customer service you desire. But if you always take their behavior personally then you're just going to end up all butt hurt and writing ignorant and moronic posts complaining about how bad the service is.
That's it for now, peace out.
Please excuse the TMI in my last post. I am adventurous, but a very easygoing kind of adventurous I suppose. Being alone was not quite as much fun as I might have had with a friend or two, or a lady friend, but I was content enough to just enjoy myself in Amsterdam rather lazily. Considering the time of the year I wasn't fully able to enjoy the beach, but I did make it out to one after a 45 minute train ride, or something close to that. The train station in Haarlem was neat to pass thru, and next time i'm in town i'd really love to see more of the country.
My use of the trams was limited, so I walked everywhere, but that was fine with me. I did see the casino and made a couple bucks, but was not impressed with Holland Casino; guess i'm just biased towards American casinos. Did sample several more eateries the last couple of days, even one that was relatively far removed from the dam square area.
Now to finish up the truffles story. This actually takes place the next day. I made my way back to the Jolly Joker because, well, I was crushing hardcore on the redhead that had been working the night previously; I needed to make sure I hadn't been dreaming because it's not every day you get to meet someone in person who is actually that beautiful. I made my way there in the evening because i'm pretty sure waking up before noon didn't happen that day. Luckily for me she was working, and of course laughed at me when I walked in; like I said, I was over 6 hours of amusement the night before. I did remember some of it, but it kind of reminded of this time I was drinking soju when I was stationed in Korea, well one instance in particular. You see, soju is quite strong, and you drink and drink and drink it, then wake up the next morning and all your buddies tell you what you did. Being back at the Jolly Joker the night after I did the truffles was also enjoyable because I can laugh at myself, and it was fun to hear about and reminisce on my behavior the night before. At some point during my trip I had, in the nicest manner possible, informed the redheaded budtender how pretty I thought she was. She was flattered but had a boyfriend; I was like whatever, still had a good time and good conversation with her throughout the night. Same relaxed atmosphere the next night when I was back in there. In my whole life i've never felt as comfortable in being where I was as I did when I was in Amsterdam the two times i've been; it's just my favorite place in the world and I want to live there so bad it's killing me.
That's all I've got for exciting activities for the first trip; the remainder of my time I just coffeeshop-hopped and stayed high. Bought some more truffles, but was leery of doing them twice so soon together so I chickened out and just left them in my hotel room for the maid, lol.
I will finish up Trip 2 in one post hopefully either later today or tomorrow, but before I go I would like to add my opinion on coffeeshop budtenders in general. Generally speaking I do not tolerate people being rude to me, so if I had felt that way in any of the shops I would simply have walked out and gone somewhere else; capitalism being what it is, there's always someone else selling the same thing, and chances are they're going to want customers so they'll be nicer. Everybody's chief complaint is about how curt they are in asking for ID's, or in telling you that you can't smoke cigs in the shop, or that you have to buy something from that shop just to be in there. It is readily apparent to me the reasons why there is nothing wrong with their behavior. All the haters seem to only think about how they're being inconvenienced by these seemingly inane rules, but they do not appear to take into account the point of view of the coffeeshops. First, the laws dictate so many things about the coffeeshop's operations it's ridiculous. Smoking cigs inside was banned in case some people do not know. The request for ID should be expected by anyone walking into a shop; it baffles me why people do not have passport in hand as they approach the bar. And yes, you even have to show it if you're not smoking, just to be in the bar. Another thing that should not be complained about; if the police did a random check or something like that, then the coffeeshop you're in would get fucked if someone in there was underage, or several people were smoking cigs. I mean, it's so simple, why can't people follow the easy rules? As to the thing about buying stuff from the shop to stay in there, that's just good business sense on their part, and if you thought about it for two seconds you'd realize this. Just think, if you owned a restaurant you don't want people bringing in food from somewhere else because not only are they not buying anything, they're taking up space that could be occupied by paying customers who might stay for awhile and spend more money than they did in their initial purchase. Same vein with the coffeeshops. In conclusion, if you don't like the budtenders attitude, go to another shop, there's several of them and one is bound to have the type of customer service you desire. But if you always take their behavior personally then you're just going to end up all butt hurt and writing ignorant and moronic posts complaining about how bad the service is.
That's it for now, peace out.
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worldcitizen1723
- Posts: 1122
- Joined: Mon 1st Mar 2010 12:10 am
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Wise words...
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Awesome report thanks man! I enjoyed hearing about the truffles, they sounded like good fun.
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LazarusLong
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Thu 2nd Aug 2012 08:04 pm
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Thanks for the responses guys. The final installment covering trip 2 will be up later.
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bigjames420
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Thu 23rd Jun 2011 12:38 pm
- Location: The Commonwealth of Virginia, USA, Get me out of here!
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Nice report, enjoyable read and very well written. I wouldn't expect anything less from the famous Lazarus Long though. 
Cool handle, I'm a pretty big Heinlein fan myself.
Cool handle, I'm a pretty big Heinlein fan myself.Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Great trip report,I tried the truffels at the smart shop on Damrak just off Dam square last April that my friend who has the shop just across the way from kadinsky bar told me to try, they were just like moist walnuts and a beer put them own pretty good. Started at noon and the day I'll never forget wow. Thanks again for the fine details brings back my short term memory.
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LazarusLong
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Thu 2nd Aug 2012 08:04 pm
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Trip 2, June 2012
This time around I had flown straight into Amsterdam instead my previous mode of entry via the train from Frankfurt. This time I took a cab straight to my hotel room because I didn't actually have a room for the night. Allow me to explain that. I arrived two days prior than was originally intended and though, "oh, i'll just get a room at my hotel that i've already go a reservation at". And I did, and it was wickedly expensive for those two extra days. My originally planned stay had only cost me a little less than seven hundred U.S., so not too bad. I had wanted to not only get myself a room for the night, but also get rid of my bags so I could just walk around unencumbered, especially because I had a good deal more luggage this time around.
So I obtained a room, dropped my things and took a much needed shower. Headed out for the evening and went straight for my favorite shop, the Jolly Joker. Of all the shops I had been to I felt that this one was the most comfortable to me. A good amount of seating to be honest, but I just sit at the bar. Best spot for the nice view out of the windows, which is really awesome, and good for the people watching by the way. Admittedly, their weed variety is not the largest, but they do carry some really good ones. I smoked alot of the prerolled joints because as i've mentioned previously i'm not very good at rolling myself. However, I did manage to accomplish being able to roll a smokable joint this time around in Amsterdam. The amnesia prerolled ones were my favorite, and the preolled they label skunk has got white widow in it, and that's pretty nice as well. Getting it by the gram the two really good ones they have are Bio Cheese and Bio Amnesia. I think I smoked more of the amnesia; I did try the cheese a few times, but I was by now able to tell the difference in tastes in various strains of weed and the cheese types were just not my thing. They weren't bad, and the high was good, but I guess I just preferred the flavors of some of the other stuff. I was there just after noon that first day on my second trip, so several hours were spent in Jolly Joker just smoking and relaxing. Later on, I walked around for a bit and smoked at a couple more shops, getting something to eat in there somewhere along the way.
I think, if it's possible, I walked more in my first first days of trip 2 than I did all of trip one. I had the worst blister on the inside edge of one of my ankles, thank goodness for weed or it would have been hard to move around with that. At one point I even walked all the way to this gym that off the ACD and other map I had; walked there and walked back, but still had a good workout while I was at the gym. Now, for some reason it had never really occurred to me to rent a bike. But I did eventually get one this second trip, but only for the last two and a half days. Holy awesome fun times batman. Ok, that was a bit dramatic, but getting a bike while in Amsterdam is an absolute must. I feel that a bike is the only way to get around Amsterdam. To me the tram was a little confusing, and Amsterdam is too big to only get around in by walking. I sincerely wish that I had gotten a bike earlier; not just this trip but the first one as well. Lesson learned though.
Even though I spent much of my time at Jolly Joker, I got around to plenty of shops, especially with the bike. This time I made it over to Haarlemmer Straat for a walk around there. Had some Tangerine Dream at Barney's, probably the best weed i've ever had in my life; it just had a really good taste and the most amazing high. The inside of Barney's made it a good experience as well, pretty nice interior. This is the place where I first used the volcano vaporizer. It was more enjoyable than the other vaporizer i'd used, but I still wasn't overly impressed with it.
Apparently while I was tripping my first time in Amsterdam I had proposed to the redhead in the Jolly Joker, a fact I did not recall but she recounted quite humorously; or rather she was laughing a bit while telling the story. I think maybe it was my second to last night in Amsterdam, and I had bought about 10g of Atlantis truffles to take. I decided to go easy this time and only got the 10g. It was still an enjoyable trip, and only lasted about about six hours this time, for which I was a little grateful. However, I don't think i'll be doing truffles or any psychedelics again by myself. I mean, it's one thing to be chilling in a coffeeship while you're tripping balls, but i'd rather spend it with someone of the opposite sex next time I do it. But this time I still had a bit of fun. I actually debated whether or not to do them as I was sitting there in Jolly Joker at the bar, and the redheaded barmaid was basically all like "come on, do it, I need a good laugh", so I acquiesced of course, haha. One comment I received from the redhead was along the lines of "I'm amazed at how much weed you can smoke", that's something I don't know how to take, compliment or denigration? I think i'll take it as a compliment. See, even though all the weed was really good in Amsterdam, I still developed a bit of a tolerance in my stay. Of course I was still getting high all the time, not like the weed wasn't working any more, but i'd almost reach one point of being high and not be able to go any further. I only came close to having a whitey once, maybe twice. I think I must having been smoking at least half a dozen prerolled joints per day, and something like 4-6 grams of that I was rolling my own. Speaking of rolling, and tying it in to my truffle trip on this second visit to Amsterdam, if anyone ever asks me what the hardest thing i've ever done is i'm probably going to say "roll a joint while I was tripping balls". Just think about that, try to be coordinated enough to roll a joint while you're sober, now factor in while you're tripping and it was wicked hard. Ah man, I gotta get back this year, maybe for the cannabis cup.
This time around I also managed to pick up some Dutch, for which I was quite pleased with myself. Apparently was doing pretty good with the accent as well. Not to sound like i'm propping myself up too much, but I do pretty good with learning language, and that is the major reason i'd love to move to the Netherlands and just learn the language and culture. As a matter of fact I want to live there more than anything else at the moment, and looking for work there is all i've been doing for a couple of weeks now.
Anyhow, that's all I can really remember, some of the exact details are gone to me. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I really appreciate the replies and compliments on the travelogue. Will certainly be posting if I make a third trip. Thanks for reading.
Top coffeeshop over all in my opinion, Jolly Joker.
Best place to get really good weed and have a nice environment to enjoy it in, Barney's on Haarlemmer Straat.
Honorable mention for weed and setting, Dampkring (the original one)
Least favorite? eh, I didn't have one that i hated, but several that I just wasn't really impressed by, the one which tops that list is Grey Area. Went there my first time around actually, and not only was the place little more than glorified broom closet, plus it seemed kinda grimy, not very clean ya know. The weed was pretty good, though I don't recall the name, I just know it was good. However, for how much off the Dam Square it is, and all the other places you can find better weed and a better atmostphere, i'd only go there as a buy and fly if you're staying over in that area.
This time around I had flown straight into Amsterdam instead my previous mode of entry via the train from Frankfurt. This time I took a cab straight to my hotel room because I didn't actually have a room for the night. Allow me to explain that. I arrived two days prior than was originally intended and though, "oh, i'll just get a room at my hotel that i've already go a reservation at". And I did, and it was wickedly expensive for those two extra days. My originally planned stay had only cost me a little less than seven hundred U.S., so not too bad. I had wanted to not only get myself a room for the night, but also get rid of my bags so I could just walk around unencumbered, especially because I had a good deal more luggage this time around.
So I obtained a room, dropped my things and took a much needed shower. Headed out for the evening and went straight for my favorite shop, the Jolly Joker. Of all the shops I had been to I felt that this one was the most comfortable to me. A good amount of seating to be honest, but I just sit at the bar. Best spot for the nice view out of the windows, which is really awesome, and good for the people watching by the way. Admittedly, their weed variety is not the largest, but they do carry some really good ones. I smoked alot of the prerolled joints because as i've mentioned previously i'm not very good at rolling myself. However, I did manage to accomplish being able to roll a smokable joint this time around in Amsterdam. The amnesia prerolled ones were my favorite, and the preolled they label skunk has got white widow in it, and that's pretty nice as well. Getting it by the gram the two really good ones they have are Bio Cheese and Bio Amnesia. I think I smoked more of the amnesia; I did try the cheese a few times, but I was by now able to tell the difference in tastes in various strains of weed and the cheese types were just not my thing. They weren't bad, and the high was good, but I guess I just preferred the flavors of some of the other stuff. I was there just after noon that first day on my second trip, so several hours were spent in Jolly Joker just smoking and relaxing. Later on, I walked around for a bit and smoked at a couple more shops, getting something to eat in there somewhere along the way.
I think, if it's possible, I walked more in my first first days of trip 2 than I did all of trip one. I had the worst blister on the inside edge of one of my ankles, thank goodness for weed or it would have been hard to move around with that. At one point I even walked all the way to this gym that off the ACD and other map I had; walked there and walked back, but still had a good workout while I was at the gym. Now, for some reason it had never really occurred to me to rent a bike. But I did eventually get one this second trip, but only for the last two and a half days. Holy awesome fun times batman. Ok, that was a bit dramatic, but getting a bike while in Amsterdam is an absolute must. I feel that a bike is the only way to get around Amsterdam. To me the tram was a little confusing, and Amsterdam is too big to only get around in by walking. I sincerely wish that I had gotten a bike earlier; not just this trip but the first one as well. Lesson learned though.
Even though I spent much of my time at Jolly Joker, I got around to plenty of shops, especially with the bike. This time I made it over to Haarlemmer Straat for a walk around there. Had some Tangerine Dream at Barney's, probably the best weed i've ever had in my life; it just had a really good taste and the most amazing high. The inside of Barney's made it a good experience as well, pretty nice interior. This is the place where I first used the volcano vaporizer. It was more enjoyable than the other vaporizer i'd used, but I still wasn't overly impressed with it.
Apparently while I was tripping my first time in Amsterdam I had proposed to the redhead in the Jolly Joker, a fact I did not recall but she recounted quite humorously; or rather she was laughing a bit while telling the story. I think maybe it was my second to last night in Amsterdam, and I had bought about 10g of Atlantis truffles to take. I decided to go easy this time and only got the 10g. It was still an enjoyable trip, and only lasted about about six hours this time, for which I was a little grateful. However, I don't think i'll be doing truffles or any psychedelics again by myself. I mean, it's one thing to be chilling in a coffeeship while you're tripping balls, but i'd rather spend it with someone of the opposite sex next time I do it. But this time I still had a bit of fun. I actually debated whether or not to do them as I was sitting there in Jolly Joker at the bar, and the redheaded barmaid was basically all like "come on, do it, I need a good laugh", so I acquiesced of course, haha. One comment I received from the redhead was along the lines of "I'm amazed at how much weed you can smoke", that's something I don't know how to take, compliment or denigration? I think i'll take it as a compliment. See, even though all the weed was really good in Amsterdam, I still developed a bit of a tolerance in my stay. Of course I was still getting high all the time, not like the weed wasn't working any more, but i'd almost reach one point of being high and not be able to go any further. I only came close to having a whitey once, maybe twice. I think I must having been smoking at least half a dozen prerolled joints per day, and something like 4-6 grams of that I was rolling my own. Speaking of rolling, and tying it in to my truffle trip on this second visit to Amsterdam, if anyone ever asks me what the hardest thing i've ever done is i'm probably going to say "roll a joint while I was tripping balls". Just think about that, try to be coordinated enough to roll a joint while you're sober, now factor in while you're tripping and it was wicked hard. Ah man, I gotta get back this year, maybe for the cannabis cup.
This time around I also managed to pick up some Dutch, for which I was quite pleased with myself. Apparently was doing pretty good with the accent as well. Not to sound like i'm propping myself up too much, but I do pretty good with learning language, and that is the major reason i'd love to move to the Netherlands and just learn the language and culture. As a matter of fact I want to live there more than anything else at the moment, and looking for work there is all i've been doing for a couple of weeks now.
Anyhow, that's all I can really remember, some of the exact details are gone to me. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I really appreciate the replies and compliments on the travelogue. Will certainly be posting if I make a third trip. Thanks for reading.
Top coffeeshop over all in my opinion, Jolly Joker.
Best place to get really good weed and have a nice environment to enjoy it in, Barney's on Haarlemmer Straat.
Honorable mention for weed and setting, Dampkring (the original one)
Least favorite? eh, I didn't have one that i hated, but several that I just wasn't really impressed by, the one which tops that list is Grey Area. Went there my first time around actually, and not only was the place little more than glorified broom closet, plus it seemed kinda grimy, not very clean ya know. The weed was pretty good, though I don't recall the name, I just know it was good. However, for how much off the Dam Square it is, and all the other places you can find better weed and a better atmostphere, i'd only go there as a buy and fly if you're staying over in that area.
Re: Trip review from March 2012 and June 2012
Great reporting. Your passion for Amsterdam and the Netherlands comes through. Your overwhelming urge to move there after the first visit exactly matches my feelings after my first time. 
If you have the freedom and time to do it and can find work, I say go for it!
If you have the freedom and time to do it and can find work, I say go for it!