Trips 1 through 9; 1984 to 2013 +some pics(finally)

[geekymonkey]

Thanks for more great reporting! Really enjoying this

[Eurotripper]

Here is the rest of Day 8:

Heading out from Utopia, we're a mad milling throng. Tallguy and the sweet little lady Nikki seem to be hitting it off , Gapie is still going at high-speed, and I'm chatting with the very interesting Sonic. He was a cool English Guy, over to the Dam for enough quiet-time to work in! Now that was a new one on me. Perhaps the best conversations I had were with Sonic, and also the very cheerful Tallguy. Westward ho, people! And we're off for Grey Area. Nikki has managed to find her friends by phone and she is off to meet with them after exchanging numbers with Tallguy (good one mate!).

Grey Area is relatively quiet, only two ahead of us at the counter, but the seats are full. I bought the outstanding Kosher Kush and I think Sonic did too. Alright, we're stocked and stoned, where to now Gapie? Anyday! Verdampers all around! A fairly short stagger to Anyday, I think Sonic bought Roh Tang hash, then up that tight spiral iron stairs to the Chamber of Verdampers. Everybody pitched in once more and Gapie set to work loading the pipe with a succession of Kosher Kush, Vanilla Kush, Blue Cheese, and whatever else the guys tossed in . The verdamper was a new experience, working very well, thank you! Our party was handling it okay, but the older fellow beside us wasn't. This was the first real Whitey I'd seen anyone pull in Amsterdam , we grinned when he keeled over, but we got concerned when the guy started doing the Funky Chicken on the bench (epileptic shaking) so we picked him up and dusted him off. He seemed alright and went straight back to the pipe. Ah, Amsterdam!



Tallguy and Sonic must leave us now. Sonic heads to his hotel nearby while Gapie and I walk to Centraal Station with Tallguy and see him off home to England. (Great to have met you, hope you hear from Nikki! ) Now it's just me and Gapie walking east to Voyagers. Debo is again doing Customer Relations and we pat him while the vape heats up for a round of Kosher. Buy the Testing Tuesday weed.



The Tuesday Tester; 10 euros, nice chunky buds, crystals, smells a little citrus, fair buzz that lasts. We called it 7.5 out of 10.

Couchlock tries to sit me down for a week or so, but I'm starving, the last thing I ate was at 6:30 this morning. Wave goodbye to my BT friends and a semi-comatose Gapie, then south down to Warmeostraat and the Burger Bar. When I had asked about this place some days earlier, Gapie had said to try it, turnover was high and so the meat would at least be fresh. I'd read other people's reports that rated it well, so why not? Turned out to be quite good, if a bit pricey. At home we would pay about half that price, but without the selection of different nationalities' meats. Must say, the service was good and fast, just don't order from your table instead of the counter, it makes them grumpy (very)!



Sated and stoned, I wander around the immediate area, ending up in Baba headshop. A quote from an ACD travelogue clicks for me and I go looking for their cheap glass bongs. Yes, they have one for 13 euros, but there's another with two throats and bowls for 15 euros, I'll have that one please! Just a thin glass version, but it only needs to last a week. The tram delivers me back to my hotel where I must perform some miracles of luggage packing due to all the business items I wasn't supposed to buy ! This takes the rest of the evening, helped (or hindered?) by repeated smoke-strolls with the Kosher Kush. Tested the bong out in the fourth floor stairwell about midnight, too cold for an outdoor stroll. Since my notes stop there , I'll assume it worked well.



Day 9:

Wake early and take a stroll with the hash I found outside a few days ago. It's cloudy and cool, but the wind has dropped. The hash is nice, but not too powerful. Under the highway bridge to Lidl and Albert Heijn for munchables and have breakfast. A canal stroll with the Twizzla gets me to the tram and heading uptown. I zone out on the tram , this never happens with hash, partly causing my superior rating for this particular brand. Surfacing just in time, I jump off at Koningsplein and the Flower market, heading for the Waterlooplein flea market. Today there is quite a bit here for me and I leave with all hands full again . A quick stop at Reefer for a tea and Kosher, then back to the hotel to unload. Remembering the stashed-pipe story from Craig Bell's travelogue, I go out onto the roof beside his balcony and puff a Kosher, but the pipe wasn't there anymore. I guess someone else read his story, too!

Time for a brief power-nap and back on the tram for a trip to Barney's on Haarlemmerstraat. Their vape at every table has brought me here, and I proceed to marinate my brain in Voyagers' Tester, Hindu Kush, and more Liberty Haze . An indeterminate time later I gather my wits and head east for Voyagers. My pal Debo is here and I pat him while warming up the vape. Another buy of Blue Cheese, some tea and a chat with my BT friend and his Mrs. I also brought them a bottle of Canadian maple syrup and we're talking about taking a crew of people on board the Pancake Boat on Saturday night. Could be very entertaining!



The counter starts getting busy and I collect my leftovers for a move south into the RLD. Hunters menu is still boring, Hill St. Blues looked about the same. Decided to head west to Utopia instead. The Recon is my choice again today and I pull up a couch knowing what it's going to do to me! A guy from North Dakota has just checked into the hotel-side of Utopia (yes, folks. You can stay upstairs!) and chats with me awhile. He hasn't smoked in a couple of years due to drug-testing in his job back home, is here to sample Paradise now that he's quit, and has accidentally checked into one of the best coffeeshops in the Dam! This was probably funnier to me than him (he hadn't smoked yet), but he got the joke shortly, after some Recon and Blue Cheese. I showed him the ACD website for his phone and he was set to go, saw him several days later (in Utopia) and he was melted into the couch . Feels good to have helped a fellow Pilgrim!



It's around 10 pm and I stagger out of Utopia and to the tram stop that's almost in front of the shop. It's been a full day of good smoke and I'm kind of daydreaming at the stop . Eventually it occurs to me that my tram hasn't come, in fact no trams have come. I look about with a bewildered expression and suddenly notice the workers fixing the tracks. In noisy machines. About 20 meters from me. Oops. Walk down to the next tram stop at Dam Square and head down to the Leidseplein. Jumping off here for a hot tea, I go into the Bulldog's downstairs coffee bar. Haven't been down here since 1990, usually we sit outside under the glass canopy. Seems smaller than I recall. I take a tiny wall table and continue my tour of the Recon. A young guy at the next table turns to me and asks in a Portuguese accent; “Do you know how to roll?”. Smiling, I assure him I do and he produces something from the Bulldog's menu with papers. He was here alone, fresh from Brazil and just starting out to conquer Amsterdam! Rolled him a nice fatty and let him smoke while I showed him my printed ACD map. We chatted for a bit, can't really remember what about, and it was midnight so I said goodbye and headed home to crash. Unfortunately, this is the point when I got the message from Canada that my house and business were flooded . By the time that was sorted, it was bong-in-the-stairwell time, finally getting to sleep around 3 am.

Day 10:

Wake up late and munch some cherry cheesecake for breakfast, my body is screaming for sugar after yesterday. This is a lazy day, nothing official written in my notes to do. I roll a fat spliff mixing the Wash hash (Paradox), the Twizzla (Greenplace), and the Riffman (Dampkring) before sauntering under the bridge to the shopping mall on the west side. I'd spotted a newly-opened store here with some worthwhile things in the window and decided to check them out. Some friendly younger Dutch people ran it and I found quite a few things there to buy . Thinking I'm getting close to my limit of buying, I go back to the room and pack luggage for a while. Before long this gets boring and I get sober. Time to head uptown. A Strawberry Cough gets me to the tram and I'm going to Voyagers. My buddy Debo sits with his head on my shoulder while I bong some Lemon Maroc hash and chat with my BT friends.

It's warming up outside and I go for a stroll west until I reach the St. Nicholas Church. In all the times I've been here it's never been open for tourist-gawking, but today it is. I'm no newbie to church art, I actually collect it, but this was absolutely stunning! I do not exaggerate when I say I almost cried. Even writing this I get a shiver. When they told me the place was built in two years I could hardly believe it. Decorating it took forty years, but the building itself is a main part of the attraction. See it if you can!



Walking away, stars in my eyes, I end up on Warmeostraat in front of the Burger Bar again. Okay food it is! Utopia sounds like the next move from here, onroute I spot a bride (white dress and full-length train with two carrying it) and a groom (wicker picnic basket in hand) being ushered onto the tram by the rest of the wedding party. Goofy! Utopia provides a bitter coffee for the needed wake up, then more Recon and some Girl Scout Cookies before heading off to Grey Area.

The Kosher Kush is my goal here and Holy Shit! There are seats! Got to take advantage of this for a half hour, just to say it happened! Onward to Greenhouse for cake and ice cream and Flowerbomb Kush where I met four English guys just starting their crawl. Again dig out the ACD map for a fellow Pilgrim. Moving west to Barney's to buy their Tangerine Dream and then walk back to Utopia where Gapie and Sonic have arrived. We assembled my bong and proceeded to smoke the place out with four kinds of hash (don't expect me remember what kinds after the day I've had). The young lad Paul (an actual tour-guide) chatting with the BT Ingi was known to Gapie and he joined in, too. I'm thinking maybe Ingi was joking when she told us we were smoking too much and fogging the place up? Never heard of anyone being told that before!



The Tangerine Dream; 16 euros, nice large bud, crystals, fruity smell but not much taste when smoked, in the vape it was pure tangerine (not just fruity), uplifting high. I gave it a 7.5 for smoking, but 8 in the vape.

I think you'll all agree that it had been an exceptional day for a lazy one, so my bed was calling and I obliged. Said goodnight to the crew and tottered off to the tram and bed.


*(got to go to work now. The rest of the trip tonight or tomorrow.)

[Tall Guy]

It's really strange reading a trip report that you were part of! Great reporting Eurotripper, I wish I had your memory and way with words.

It was fun meeting all of you guys, if any of you are ever in Northern England, you can sleep on my couch and smoke my stash! I also ran into Embraman and his wife earlier in the trip, who were also top people. Meeting up with fellow ACD members added a lot to my Amsterdam experience, I'd highly recommend it - although you better be able to smoke like Bob Marley if you want to hang with Gapie! Holy jebus, he can smoke some - although in my defence I did smoke 2 massive hooters of nearly-pure Blue Cheese and Exodus Kush at Schipol after I left them

Apologies for being a bit too focused on Nikki, chaps - I was a bit smitten

[gapie]

It was woob eurotripper

[Eurotripper]

Thanks Gapie, the guy from Tennessee was called Woob? I had just written MEMPHIS in my notes to jog my memory!

And a big Hello to Tall Guy! How are you, mate? We enjoyed your company, and don't blame you one bit for seeing Nikki's magnetism. Brunei women are apparently far cuter than I would have credited! Two big fatties before flying?!? Got home with a small glow, did we? So that was what you bought that last round, the Exodus Cheese. Reading the travelogue now, do you see what that curb-stumbling was caused by?

I haven't been to northern England since I was a teenager, but if it happens I'll certainly give you a ring (and we'll look up Mo). Thanks!

[Tall Guy]

Thanks Gapie, the guy from Tennessee was called Woob? I had just written MEMPHIS in my notes to jog my memory!

And a big Hello to Tall Guy! How are you, mate? We enjoyed your company, and don't blame you one bit for seeing Nikki's magnetism. Brunei women are apparently far cuter than I would have credited! Two big fatties before flying?!? Got home with a small glow, did we? So that was what you bought that last round, the Exodus Cheese. Reading the travelogue now, do you see what that curb-stumbling was caused by?

I haven't been to northern England since I was a teenager, but if it happens I'll certainly give you a ring (and we'll look up Mo). Thanks!

I wish I'd written down some weed notes, I can't remember much...Exodus was from Grey Area and I think the Blue Cheese was from Utopia...I may be wrong. I mostly bought E10-15 weed, and I was only disappointed with one really (see my 420 Cafe review for details, their Neville's Haze was appalling crap).

and yes, I can certainly see why a bit of kerb stumbling ensued!

It's hardly worth me writing a report for all I can remember, but I'll put some photos up soon.

[Eurotripper]

Day 11: Friday

Wake and bake with a Riffman+Super Lemon Bio mix on the way to the tram . It's about 9 am on a cool and cloudy day, early for Amsterdam's natives, so there's no rush. The Friday book market is on at het Spui and I'm humming along nicely on the smooth lift from my morning spliff. The tents are up, but the books are only now being laid out, so I wander slowly through. My best source here has returned from vacation and I sort through his latest acquisitions. A good buy on another 1600's one for 85 euros soon follows . I simply can't find this stuff at home, or not for under 500+ euros anyway!



Since it's too early for french fries, I head east to the Waterlooplein flea market and buy some church art (crucifixes, rosaries, etc.). Took this opportunity of nearness to a Post Office and mailed the Viking his birthday present (No, not what you're thinking....). As usual, a brief smoke and tea break at Reefer, then northward to Voyagers. Debo greets me and the vape guides me to heaven . I show my BT friends the purchases and we chat business and history for awhile. Later the BT helps guide me to a certain headshop I'm trying to find, and I set off south to the Damstraat. Turning west here there are many headshops along the route to the Dam Square, but I still don't find the exact thing I'm searching for .

Retracing my steps back to the window of the bookshop Kok, I examine the display and spot some things for me. Spent some time here, ending up with three good books, all from the 1700's for 150 euros . Some very special ones in this shop, at far more money than I can afford, but I was allowed to examine them. The proprietors knew I wasn't someone without respect, and therefore showed me some tomes in the many-thousand euro range. Exquisite!



I've done well on the books and decide I can stand some punishment, so I go to Burger King for supper, just north of Dam Square. A comedian once said “Amazing how they can make anything taste like cardboard.”, he wasn't wrong . Now I'm moving west toward Grey Area, the Kosher is calling to me and Gapie should be there shortly. I ask Jon the BT when I arrive, but Gapie hasn't showed yet. A few more grams of the delicious KK and I settle in to wait. One seat only, a stool is available along the thin wall-table (more like a counter) and I grab it. Soon Gapie arrives and parks himself, loudly greets all persons he knows (most of them), and announces to Jon his need to be high. Within minutes he's being handed a large bong, filled to the brim with Evergrey (just arrived, not even on the menu yet!) and we fogged up the shop's interior quite nicely! One of the perks of traveling with Gapie.



Now I'm on a mission today, got to get some of Paradox's Space Cake for the flight home. I mention this to Gapie and he says “Better hurry, they close at 8 pm.” so I take off immediately, leaving him there. I'm almost running to Paradox, I don't wear a watch, am I late? But no, I make it with time to spare, and guess what? The Finger hash is in! The older Dutch BT gives me a song-and-dance about not eating the whole cake-slice, all I was asking was should I buy two? (turns out yes, I should have.) Paradox puts more weed in than many other shops, so have gotten a good reputation for their Space Cake, but it barely touched me. Too saturated from the previous weeks smoking, no doubt. I sit down for a small hash spliff beside the woodstove heater and then back to Grey Area.

The Finger hash; 15 euros, appears gritty and dark, under microscope is partly hair and dirt etc, green when broken up, really good buzz. This was the best hash, tied with two others, and I saved a bit for before the flight.

It's just closing time at Grey Area and I pick up Gapie before moving on to Utopia. We settle in, order coffees and chat with Ingi while Gapie rolls up some of his Silver Bubble . More coffee and it's 9 pm, time to head back to my hotel. I've been carrying my purchases around all day and night. Agree to meet Gapie later at Voyagers, but I never make it . Packing bags, drinking Vodka , packing bags, smoking Kush , packing bags. Wake up about 3 am with the open bottle in front of me, go back to sleep. Sorry Gapie, booze I don't handle so well .

Day 12: Mrs. Juicebomber back today.


Wake and bake with Riffman+OG Cream mix . Last night's packing and weighing has shown me I have ten pounds more I can stuff in. So off to the Noordermarkt for more antiques. It's cool and cloudy, not too many vendors here today, but I still manage to buy fifteen pounds of 200 year-old Spanish stirrups . Oh well, I can always throw some clothes away.



A quick walk north-east to Barney's for some overpriced tea and smoke my Kosher Kush. Feeling very mellow , I gather up my treasures and stroll over to Voyagers. My Mrs should arrive back from Malta shortly, and we had agreed this would be her first stop. After five days without smoking, that's a no-brainer . My friends (and Debo) are at the counter again and we chat while I vape. She got there early, about 1 pm, and I filled the vape for her return to Amsterdam-normal . Hit her fairly hard and we went outside for air. Deciding to head back to our hotel for food, showers, etc, we waved goodbye and headed for Centraal Station's trams.

Two showers later we go back out, over to the little shop in the nearby mall on Delflandplein. Introduce the Mrs to the owners, buy a few more bits and drop them off in the room. Now it's up to the Leidseplein for Italian food. Afterward as we're tramming further north, we spot Sonic and Gapie through Utopia's windows and dive off at the next stop. In we go and bong some of Gapie's Hawaiian Kush (or Haze maybe?), roll some Kosher and drink strong coffee. We leave the lads there and resume our journey to Voyagers, slightly wobbly. We smoke awhile longer at Voyagers. Before leaving for the night, the BT tells me there is a large monthly flea market across the river, called Ij Hallen, and it's on all weekend. I regretfully claim all my packing is done, my weight limit achieved, so I won't be going. Anyone believe me?

Back to the hotel to sleep, or something .

Day 13:

Wake to a dense fog over the landscape, almost London-like in it's thickness. Considerably warmer, than recently, we stroll the sidewalk with some Finger hash . Back to the room to munch the last of the cherry cheesecake and walk to the tram with a fat Flowerbomb+Grey Crystals mix . I'm enjoying these mixes and it's a great way to use up the leftovers. We tram our way uptown to Voyagers for the T&T with Gapie and BigDaddyK. Another round of vape and smoke, then we decide to go to Ij Hallen. Gapie and BigDaddyK are pointing their way to north Holland and some coffeeshop with too many o's in the name, so we part company here.



This market is interesting and quite large, taking up the inside of two big industrial warehouse buildings and the courtyard between them. You reach it by getting on the far left-hand Ferry behind Centraal Station, it drops you in an industrial park on the north side of the Ij river. Follow the milling crowd and get in line. It was afternoon on the last day, and there was still a line-up to get in. Pretty good for 4.50 euros entry! Lots of stuff here, some new, some old, some junk, all fairly cheap. Generally speaking, the best prices I'd seen all trip. Bought more items I probably couldn't stuff in my suitcase. We left about half an hour before they closed, and there was still a line-up out front!

Treasure-laden and sober we head back to Centraal then on west to Greenhouse for tea, cake and ice cream. Flowerbomb Kush+Super Lemon Bio mix comes next , and fishtank gazing comes after that. Interesting mix; the Super Lemon Bio keeps saying “Let's go DO something!” while the Flowerbomb says “Nope, too blitzed.”. It's about 6 pm or so, and we tram back to the hotel, drop our purchases and duck back out for our last night in the Promised Land .

I'd brought most of the leftovers out with us, noticing a distinct overabundance of Hazes. This will not satisfy the Kushmonster within and we make a bee-line for Grey Area for a last taste of the Kosher. Half-jogging, we make it just at the bell, I think I was the second last customer. Sonic is here just chilling. Buy the needed weed and introduce the Mrs to Jon the BT. Thank him for the service rendered and say goodbye for this trip.



Sonic comes along with us over to Utopia and we find that Gapie is here. I'm sure we must have smoked a little more here, but my notes don't say so. Say goodbye to the BT Ingi with thanks for her friendliness and help. Gapie and Sonic are going their own way, so we say adieu to them also. The Mrs and I move eastward and find ourselves on the Damrak in front of the Sex Museum. It's a Sunday night and this is one of the few things open, so we laugh and stroll in. Actually, it was pretty interesting, quite gauche in places and very rude in others, but overall well worth the entry fee. Many great quality sculptures, sexy art and drawings, and historic references abound. Afterward we need tea and THC, so over to Voyagers where we have a final smoke of Kosher and chat with Highlyblessed before heading back to the hotel.



Now comes the fun part. I have far more stuff than will fit in my bags, and I have too much dope left . We smoke a bit more together and the Mrs crashes about midnight. I stay up until 3 am packing, smoking Kush, throwing away clothes and anything non-essential, weighing it all and packing some more. Miraculously, it all eventually fit into a bag, purse or pocket and we made it home without any extra baggage charges . Did you know that you can go over the weight limit by .9 of a kilo with no fees, but not by one full kilo? Also they don't weigh anything in your pockets or purse, x-ray it yes, but not weigh it. My winter coat, worn through Customs, had thirty pounds of keys in it .

Day 14:

Wake at 6 am. Not enough sleep, but we need showers and I have four fat hash mixes that need to vanish before flying. The damned day is sunny, warm and is expected to be 10 degrees higher than we've seen the whole trip . Murphy's Law. We get ready, eat, check out by 10 am and stand in the blazing sunshine for one precious hour , each smoking a Finger+Zooltjes+Roh Tang mix . The cab arrives, and with great civility, the cabbie waits while I finish my larger spliff before taking us to Schipol. That netted him a good tip because I really appreciated not having to rush . Check our large bags in and stroll outside into the sunshine to finish our last two spliffs. The Iamsterdam sign is out front, funny I missed that on the way here. I wonder if it's a duplicate or maybe they're working on the Museumplein. Wander around until the spliffs are done , eat the pointless Space Cake and check into the lounge to wait. A quick, uneventful flight home with no Customs check at the end. They were too busy looking for someone. Even when the sniffer-dog dove at my coat (likely reeking after two weeks), they ignored him and let me pass . That's when you go “Damn, I could have....”.


That was my ninth trip to the Promised Land, hoping that there will be another. We'll have to see what the politicians do on Jan. 1, 2014. Thank you all for reading and riding Shotgun on my adventures!

[gapie]

U meant Jessica
Ingi is coming back in April

[Willjay]

Thank You,

[geoffk]

An excellent tome of trip reports. The Friday book market at Spui is one of my favorite things-to-do in Amsterdam. They have a lot of books in English and some really cool prints too. We picked up some matted pictures taken from obscure children's books.

I've been wanting to hit that flea market across the IJ too, combined with visits to 't Ooievaartje and the Northern Lights Cafe, it could make a great day trip.

[Quazer]

Finally made it through the whole thread. What an amazing trip report. Thanks for taking the time to write it down! I'm starting to feel guilty for not writing any trip reports myself... but I prefer to write live reports/recommendations, so I guess I'll stick to that. I don't want to feel like Pete Townshend trying to compete with a Jimi Hendrix solo.

[skeeta]

wow, have really really enjoyed reading your reports. You talk about the old books that your really interested in at the beginning, and i dont care about books, but the more you kept reflecting back to the markets and updating on your book purchases i started thinking to myself, Ooooo, 150e for 3 books, from the 1700's, bargin (what do i know about books? Yet i now feel like i should be working on the antiques roadshow lol)

Great read, very jealous, glad you had a great time and im very grateful you shared

[Eurotripper]

Thank you everyone for the comments, and for taking time to wander through an old stoner's memories! Only that last one had notes to go by. Glad to have also passed on my love of old books!

That market over the Ij takes place on the first weekend of every month (I think), good deals! And that WAS the coffeeshop from my thread, with too many o's and a's.