August trip

matty · Post by **matty** » Wed 27th Aug 2008 03:27 pm

Lost 80% of my notes, so this may well be a jumbled up mess of stuff i can remember and highlights only, i'm afraid:

I was over from 12-16 August. It was my first trip since the ban so i was interested to see the effect it'd have on my good time, being a tobacco-infused spliff smoker at all times!

Arriving at Centraal Station, i got off the train and jumped on a tram to my abode. After a quick change and dumping the stuff, i wandered up to Betty Too. This had become a bit of a favourite of mine over the last few visits so i made it my first stop. I bought some Blueberry and some Kushage and asked the budtender lady about smoking with tobacco. I was expecting one of two responses ('upstairs only' or 'go outside') but to my surprise she said 'no problem, just don't leave your fagbox or buts on display, smoke anywhere you want' - a good start to proceedings! The blueberry was nice, but not up to the standard of some of the stuff i've had before, the kushage was excellent, a really nice smoke.

Next up was the obligatory trip to stix to pick up some Temple Balls hash. With 3g purchased i asked the chap about tobacco and he said 'no smoking cigarettes in here but if you want to crumble a bit of tobacco into your joint then go ahead no problem'. It was just like a normal trip pre-ban so far! It goes without saying that the Temple Balls, as always , was excellent!

With the weather being decent i then bizarrely decided to hire a bike?? I wanted a bike that didn't have a big, obvious "I am a tourist" sign on the front but after a bit of looking round ended up settling for Macbikes and one of those horrible red things! I spent the rest of the afternoon cycling round and made one coffeeshop stop - at Greenhouse Namaste late afternoon. I bought some of Arjans Strawberry Haze, another one of my favourites and the budtender had a nice surprise for me. I asked for 2g and he said we've only a little left,he weighed the last few buds and it was 1.8g so he said i'll give you all the bits and dust too - he tipped it on and it came to nearly 4g! I asked him about tobacco and he said 'outside it's legal, inside you need to be subtle when rolling' I smoked outside anyway cause it was sunny. It struck me as funny that they were more concerned about the rolling of joints with tobacco than the smoking of them inside?

My plan was then to cycle to Nes for a meet up, unfortunately i took a few wrong turns and ended up in the Westerpark? Thoroughly confused i just kept on going until eventually i recognised something. Shortly after, i arrived at a coffeeshop, a new one to me, Flower or something like that? I bought some AK47 and asked my usual question (i asked about tobacco in every coffeeshop i went in!) and the reply was 'don't be silly, you can smoke what you want, just not pure tobacco'. Sorry to the guys at the meet-up but i never made it to Nes - i was drained, both from too much cycling and too much bud!

I decide for the remainder of my trip, i'd cycle by day but lock the bike up at 6pmish and walk by night as i'd be too stoned to trust myself on a bike and i'd keep getting lost!

The next few days i visited a whole host of cshops and always asked - here's those that i can remember:

Balou - smoking area. Pures, bongs etc anywhere but tobacco in the smoking area only. Didn't bother me having to go into an area at all. It's like being in a bar having a drink and going through to the restaurant area to eat your food, thats how i see it, anyway!
Arabica Lounge, Rusland and the Old Church - i asked and smoked with tobacco in all 3 without problems - i'm sure one of them had a smoking area but i can't remember which one!

Rookies - they've put up a divide and maybe 70% of the shop is now a smoking area for tobacco-infused spliffs. Manali hash was surprisingly good.

Mellow Yellow - the guy said 'it's the law' when i asked him - they provided tobacco alternative but i rolled with tobacco and then sat outside to smoke it.

Litttle - 'don't be obvious but just get on with it'

Dolphins - upstairs - pures, bongs etc, downstairs - tobacco

Andalucia - upstairs both 1st and 2nd floor were areas for tobacco. Mango Haze - really nice.

Dutch Flowers - 'subtlety is the key' (her words not mine!) - 'don't leave any bits lying around' Vanilla something weed - delicious taste, smooth, not very strong though but a nice smoke.

Paradox - he said 'no problem' but the weather was nice so i went outside and the guy invited me in - he was almost insisting i smoke with tobacco inside! Bio weed is excellent and only 5E per gram! delicious banana milkshakes too

Abraxas - downstairs - pures, bongs etc, upstairs - tobacco

Ricks Cafe - i only go there to sit outside by the canal with a beer and spliff anyway but a couple of guys there told me that Susies Saloon (next door) are allowing tobacco

Bluebird - tobacco smoking area to the left as you go up the stairs - was really dirty though - pile up of glasses, ashtrays full - obviously staff don't enter to clean the area? no Indian Cream so bought Nepal Cream - nowhere near as good.

Stones - watched some football in here, asked the big guy who prowls around (owner?) and he said no problem just don't smoke actual cigarettes

Rastababy - indoor conservatory for tobacco

Reefer - seperate tobacco area

Overall, it would seem to me that not too much has changed post-ban. The most badly affected will be cigarette smokers, but then they should be used to it from their home country anyway! I did notice that a number of places had expanded/improved their outdoor areas (eg Betty Too, Greenhouse Namaste). Most places had a tub of substitute free to use either on the budtenders counter or on each table - must admit i didn't see many people using it though! Spliff-with-tobacco smokers just need to a little less obvious (no ciggy packets) and a little more clean (no fag buts in the ashtray etc) and they can smoke pretty much anywhere they like. Some places will direct you to their smoking area and others will just let you smoke. I was never challenged but then that would be because i always asked first - the response was nearly always the same - ranging from 'be subtle' to 'don't be so stupid, just smoke your doobie, man!' Maybe some other cshops are enforcing the law more strictly, as MY are, but not the ones i visited.

Top weed - Kushage from Betty Too

Top Hash - Temple Balls from Stix, of course!

bennybacker · Post by **bennybacker** » Wed 27th Aug 2008 04:21 pm

Great report

Glad to see the dutch relaxed way too life and laws is taking effect over the smoking ban

Think I might take a bag of baccy round with me when I go in October that will be even more inconspicuous than rolling joints with ciggy's

I bet though the big guys i.e the Damkring, Barney's, Bulldogs of this world are more strict than the smaller coffeshops you visited. Surely if the law is gonna DO someone for not sticking to the tobacco law they would want to hit one of the big boys and make an example.

Tall Guy · Post by **Tall Guy** » Wed 27th Aug 2008 05:30 pm

Nice research work there Matty, I am so happy about the baccy situation. Trust the Dutch to work around things..."Subtlety is the key"

Maybe it's better this way, adds a bit of naughtyness.

Ba Tat · Post by **Ba Tat** » Wed 27th Aug 2008 07:51 pm

I was over last month. Very odd having to be discrete about adding tobacco whilst open about the drugs. Quite a change from home!

Pala · Post by **Pala** » Wed 27th Aug 2008 09:02 pm

That was awesome.

Thanks for taking the time,
chuck.

AzLaker · Post by **AzLaker** » Wed 27th Aug 2008 11:29 pm

Great report Matty, thanks for the update.

AzLaker

Dave J · Post by **Dave J** » Thu 28th Aug 2008 12:30 am

Excelent update as said. But there is something to think about, I think it was Boner who mentioned it's as much the person getting caught using the tobacco in a non-seperate area who can get fined as much as the coffeeshop itself!.

It's certainly good news of cause. But you can just bet you will get some idiots getting caught leaving there packet or buts on the tables or in the ashtrays when there are spot visits. Basically ruining it for those who are carefull enough or give a dam not to get caught!.

matty · Post by **matty** » Thu 28th Aug 2008 10:06 am

But you can just bet you will get some idiots getting caught leaving there packet or buts on the tables or in the ashtrays when there are spot visits. Basically ruining it for those who are carefull enough or give a dam not to get caught!.

Thats hopefully where a sensible coffeeshop worker will come into play - by politely reminding such idiots to modify their behaviour!

Ghost · Post by **Ghost** » Thu 28th Aug 2008 08:57 pm

Lets hope so Matty, and Boner did mentioned something about the person as well as the c/s being fined?

Something along those lines anyway.

Kermit · Post by **Kermit** » Wed 3rd Sep 2008 10:40 pm

Great report Again m8!!

CHELSEA_SMOKERS_SOCIETY · Thu 4th Sep 2008 06:20 pm

that was a realy great read, cheers...

arjans strawberry haze is onr to try..

just out of interest how much was bike rental from macs? i wanna do it next time (weather permitting).

OneForTheRoad · Post by **OneForTheRoad** » Thu 11th Sep 2008 09:30 pm

Nice report from what I've read on the net, I've heard its a case of be discreet and polite and you should be fine. This report seems to confirm that...

courtjester · Post by **courtjester** » Fri 12th Sep 2008 01:04 pm

Thanks Matty. One question -- Balou is so small, how did they manage to divide off a smoking area? Did they open up the upstairs portion?