First up - thanks guys, this site REALLY REALLY helped.
i would recommend anyone going to the dam to check this site first - do your research!! it really does pay off!
many thanks.
an amazing trip - as ever - but this time the smoking was given absolute priority over all else, and man did it exceed expectations.
I'll cut to the chase.
The best smoke was the Mexican Haze from the pink floyd dampkring - it was fresh, sticky, potent, everything you would want from uber-knockout gear. i say it was the best for a couple of reasons.
Firstly it was blatantly the strongest, always helps. Literally, time stood still, internal monologue became internal dialogue - i don't know who i was actually talking to but he lives in my head and we are now best friends.
Secondly it was also one of the tastiest, tangiest, fruitiest smokes we sampled. i say we - this includes me, my real mate, and this brand new semi-real friend i discovered living inside my skull.
We tried the Mexican Haze from the dampkring (near leidsetraat) and although it was utterly amazing, it wasn't from that same FRESH batch - it lacked the stickiness, and a little flavour. still awesome weed though.
probably the best thing i have smoked in my life. a very very VERY clear heady high. militant. relentless. endless. simply perfect. if i could smoke one strain for the rest of my life this would be it.
Before i go any further i shall also say that the three friendliest (and best looking ...haha!) bar staff girlies were in Pink Floyd Dampkring, and normal Dampkring.
oh, and if you buy a bottle of water there some of the money goes to third world charities - always good.
But neither place gets the top award for the best coffee shop.....
more on that later.
the Grey Area had decent weed, as usual - but tbh it didn't blow me away. the chocolope was a let down (personally), taste and strength-wise, especially after the mexican from PFD, but my mate's diesel was fantastic. didn't try the LA Con. forgot.
The Greenhouse had some nice Super Silver Haze, and the Amnesia Haze did exactly what it said on the tin - good times were had. good times. it also provided one of the more memorable moments of the trip when some english dude passed out at the table next to us, FACEPLANTED his own drink and then convulse-vomitted everywhere before coming round again.
frustratingly, after the staff kindly provided him with some orange juice he refused to clear up his mess and left. i hate some of the english abroad, i really do. sorry, but there's just no excuse for poor manners.
Homegrown Fantasy was a bit of a disappointment. i'd heard a lot about this place and was expecting something special. instead, the budtender was obviously having an off-day. when i asked to smell something he just pulled out the Cheese and said 'if we're gonna do the smelling this will win'. embarrassed, i just took it.
well, he may have had a point. the smoke was strong, tasty etc, but compared to gear we smoked elsewhere it didn't really compete in quality or durability. nice shop though.
Had a fat one outside Amnesia - didn't go in.
we were warned by some american/canadian chicks not to bother with the Rokerij shops - and tbh i'd had some poor underweight herb from the rokerij 2 some years back so we didn't chance it.
Barney's - ahhh the faithful old barney's. i understand now. nice shop, good weed. G13 and Laughing Buddha were both sampled and enjoyed. lazy smoke, wanted a little more from them if i'm honest, didn't stay too long, but it's somewhere i'd probably go back to.
420 - never found it..... yes we had the map printed out. don't ask.
Mellow Yellow - i'd heard so much about this place that it surely couldn't live up to expectations, right?
correct.
it didn't live up to them.
it surpassed them utterly and entirely.
...bit of a trek to find, but hey, we were heading to the zoo anyways.....
budtender was way cool, very helpful - got to smell everything, had a good chat with him.
the seating area upstairs is fantastic, and i spent twenty-plus minutes on the pinball machine with my very first ball (12th highest score overall - beat that!). there was no-one else in there, so we had the place virtually to ourselves for a few hours on the saturday afternoon. amazing. the Super Silver Haze was excellent, as was the Pot Of Gold. Probably better smoke than in the Greenhouse to be fair, longer lasting. excellent shop. didn't want to leave (although it might have been due to the long walk i faced.....)
and finally, the Bluebird.
it was my favourite shop before the trip, and it still is after the trip.
the Blue Cheese is knockout, but tbh i tried so many different strains i lost track. the real plus for this shop is the seating area - which is where the Dampkring and Greenhouse are let down ever so slightly. the sofas are now closed off with a double glass door - so you can still add that little bit of tobacco to your chronic blunt in peace, comfort and relaxation. good music, good budtender, awesome seating, good view, great shop. if only they sold that mexican haze.....
so there it is - a quick recap of what we smoked where.
my recommendation would certainly be the mexican haze from the PF dampkring (or the other dampkring) - but make sure it's fresh and sticky!! it's simply the strongest thing i've ever smoked, well worth the premium price.
oh, and Hash cakes DO work...... fell asleep on the plane home - had to be woken by the air stewards at heathrow. i LOLed.
funniest thing i saw.......
was gonna be the gorilla peeing on visitors at the zoo, but having a mexican wonderspliff out my window on the last night, i looked down and saw some dude in ladies lingerie doing er.... strange things to himself in his room, opposite. my mate and i tried to get a photo - the flash went off, the dude hid under his bed, we laughed solidly for about 3 hours.
....only in amsterdam...!!
and as for that APOCALYPSE SPLIFF, well instead of cramming everything under the sun into one rizla (as i would have done prior to the trip), you know what, if the world was ending..... if time really was up, if i was about to crash red-eyed and headlong into a pair of transcendental pearly gates, i would be most happiest with a fat fresh tasty sticky mexican haze joint. it really is/was that special.
all the best, people.
take care - and good smokes!
peace.
i'm outta here
