Posted: Mon 29th Dec 2008 12:06 pm
Really enjoying the report, give me more!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3147175891/
The pinner I rolled in Part 3...you can see why I was fired from rolling duty...
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Birthday Adventures in Amsterdam (version 1.2)
Page 3 of 8
Posted: Mon 29th Dec 2008 05:04 pm
Posted: Mon 29th Dec 2008 05:15 pm
I've seen worse believe me, but in comparison to the other it is dreadful lol. keep practising!luvtick wrote:http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3147175891/
The pinner I rolled in Part 3...you can see why I was fired from rolling duty...
Posted: Tue 30th Dec 2008 06:21 pm
After writing this, I realized that I went to the Power Zone on Sunday…so consider this section Part 4.1:
I wake up ready to grab the day by the nuts and have some fun. After a leisurely shower and a little dancing music on the iPod, I am ready to go. I get my junk food from Albert Heijn and bring it back to my room. Power Zone. That is first on my agenda. I remember Bong said to take the subway and get off at the station that sounds like Spackle. (He also said they’d be in and out of the Expo, so maybe…) The hotel concierge is very helpful getting me to the correct train. The exact train I need is ready and waiting for me when I get to the subway. How fortunate! As I board, I see some empty seats but just as I am about to walk to the seat, the lady across the aisle stops me. She points to the floor. Someone had puked and I nearly step in it!!!!!!! BLAHHHHHHH……… With luck on my side, the woman sees me and disaster is averted. Dank je wel!
The train has a map on the wall; much like BART does here in SF so I can see how many stops away I need to go. The train arrives quickly and I exit the car. Now I don’t know which way to go. I try to remember what Bong had told me, but I only remember “Spackle.” (dreamy-eyed + stoned = memory loss). I walk to the bottom of the stairs that exit the station. Now a decision has to be made: left or right? I look to the left. It looks like it leads to a meadow or something. Not where I picture I have to go. I look to the right. There are a couple of workmen sweeping up the leaves. I show them the address I had written and they have no clue. I decide the right side is the right side (as opposed to the left side being the wrong side…) [c’mon…it’s 4:35 here now…I just smoked 15 minutes ago…besides, it really does make sense.]
Through the gate and down the path I go, bundled up against the blowing, cold-ass wind. At the end of the sidewalk, I look both directions to make my decision. For some reason, the McDonald’s seems to be the correct way. Upon getting closer to the restaurant, flashes of conversation begin to ring in my ears and manifest in my mind. Now I remember being told to go around the back of a shopping center. The shopping center is behind the McDonald’s. Ha! This has to be the right way! As I walk I see several taxi cabs drive past me packed with people—and they all turn down the street by the shopping center. This has to be the right way. Yeah, I see Cannabis Cup posters plastered all over the fences. Follow that taxi! And that one! And that one…shit..I must be the only person who took the train and walked here…
Around this building…and…there it is. Power Zone. I wander up and get in line with everyone else. The promoters have set up a tent we all can stand in line underneath. Protection from the elements… Like the arrival setup at all awards shows, the walkway is divided into two halves sectioned off with one of those velvety ropes they used to have at movie theaters. The floor has a red carpet. Nice. Judges deserve a red carpet. At least Cannabis Cup judges do…Everyone is standing in line, chatting, laughing and anticipating the coming few days. The excitement level is palpable. I am there early enough that there are only about 50 people there. Although we are all cold, we don’t care. Joints, cones, spliffs, and pipes are freely being passed around. A camera crew comes down the line encouraging us to go a little crazy. Good thing too because we have to WAIT…and WAIT… They were behind, I guess, getting set up. Vendors were still bringing in their actual booths, not to mention boxes and boxes of their products. Looking to the end of the line, I am shocked to see the line stretch out beyond the tent and bend around into the parking lot. Wow. Good thing I got here early… Everyone outside the tent is freezing…but I think they are too excited and too baked to care.
Eventually we are told that they will open the doors for registration and distribute the judges’ passes along with all the gifts they are giving us. We will not, however, be able to go into the Expo until after 2pm. The doors open and we are filed in like cattle going to the milking machine. (I’m from Indiana originally…that seems like a good analogy to me…) I get my pass, t-shirt, map and other stuff and take off out the doors and back to the train. (Ha! More people walking…I tell them they are going the right way.) Once I get back to the hotel, I bust out the digital camera and take some pictures of my pass, etc. I get out the (big booming voice here) OFFICIAL CANNABIS CUP MAP. Routes are plotted out. Plans are made. I realize I do not feel very well. Now I take my nap before waking up with my black tongue…
-End of part 4.1-
Part 5:
Monday, November 24
I get out my film camera and several rolls of film to take with me. I decide to start at the top. First stop is Dampkring. Walking there proves very fruitful for my photography. What a perfectly picturesque city Amsterdam is! I blow through 2 rolls in 45 minutes…inspiration around every corner.
There is a camera crew inside the shop (I think it’s the same one that was at Power Zone yesterday), tinkering and setting up to film. I get up to the bar and ask for their cup entry. They say that the Fruitcake is due to arrive in about 40 minutes. Just down the stairs is the kitchen so I go down and order a cheese toastie and a latte. Once the latte is ready, I climb up to the middle floor. There is one more floor up, but I don’t go there. The only empty seat is in the corner, so I take it. The wall outside the window piques my creative interest and I patiently wait for the group of smokers to vacate my view. My toastie arrives and I devour its cheesy goodness. A yell comes from the downstairs bar area, “Fruitcake is here!” There is a mass exodus of people heading down the stairs from both levels to get their gram. I decide to wait for the crowd to die down. My view-obscuring smokers eventually leave and I run over and shoot some images. Yes! This is a great day. After loading my equipment back in the bag, I go down and buy the Fruitcake. Then out the door and on to the next.
Green Place is the following destination. I stand in line for my cup entry (what was the entry?) with the other people and find a seat. Wow! They give their entry for free and they give a goody bag…cool…I like stuff...this is some cool stuff too: grinder, hat, papers, filters, etc…even the bag is cool. When I sit down I see people have been eating, like real food..not snacky food. The guys next to me say the place is giving free breakfast to judges. I just ate my toastie, but say I’d maybe go tomorrow. We start chatting about sending and/or taking seeds back home. It is the only thing I was asked to bring home. They give me lots of different ideas, like putting them in my panties…or swallowing them…forget that crap…I think I will just mail them. IF I get them, that is. (bock!bock!bock!)
People are doing vapor bags all over the place. Just one more thing I have not done before. The guys next to me do it and then I am asked if I want some. Since I am flying solo and have my camera equipment, I politely decline and just smoke from the bong I got from the bar. I don’t know how I will feel, and with no co-pilot…..well, you know… but, man, I’m curious. Before I leave, I see Steve and Bob, the bowl-filling-bong-borrowers from Betty Boop. They say hello on their way out (I told them we would probably see each other at another shop along the crawl!). I suppose I should go too.
Barney’s now. Holy crap. More free samples. (Utopia Haze, Triple Zero and Royal Jelly) And the budtender sends me next door to get my goody bag! Another goodie bag! (hmmm…I see a trend…lobbying?? whatever…more stuff!) This place is busy, so I get the goods and split. By now, it’s time to eat again. I go back to the hotel to decide what’s for dinner. I look out my window. My view left to right: Subway, Febo, Burger King, McDonald’s. I can find something down there so I put my stuff (!!) away and head to fast food land. After a meal fit for a jester, time is ticking and the sky is getting dark. Upstairs to freshen up (ie make sure my tongue is not black...lol…). I am going to Basjoe. I will find it. If it takes me all night, I will find it…damn it.
Down jacket, scarf, gloves…ready, set, go! Out the door I go…
I know the general direction. I think. Just go. I walk through a neighborhood, I walk past storefronts closed for the night and then come upon the red light district. I know I’m in the right area. I remember Frank walking us through here. However….I’m not sure if there is more than one red light area like this one. Just go. I know there is construction in front of the shop, so I’m looking for fencing and machinery. I’m pretty sure it is going to be on my right. Suddenly I look up and there it is…on my left…I have NO idea how I got here. But I did. Yay me!
With my heart pounding inside my chest and into my throat, I open the door and walk inside, the butterflies in my stomach propelling me forward. I instinctively look at the back table. There he is! Bong is here! Yay! We see each other at once. I flash my pearly whites, point my gloved finger at him and declare, “I found it! I don’t know how, but I found it! And here you are!” I receive an ear-to-ear genuine smile as he jumps out of his seat to say hi. Nice. I sit at the table next to his and he joins me…leaving IG with the acid tripper and the mind-that-can-only-be… DonnyG. (sorry IG…)
Guess what Bong says? He says he missed me last night. What did he say? He said he missed me last night? This is going much better than I had even imagined. My absence WAS noticed…He gets the bong from the other table, loads it and gives it to me. He even lights it…awww…stoner romance at its finest… Conversation flows without hesitation. Laughter follows. Good feelings bubble over. Am I really here?
IG breaks away from the creepy acid trip dude and sits at the other end of her table next to me. As we talk, we think it’s funny that we share the same name… She tells Bong to chill out while she talks to me…wink, wink…and we have some laughs as she tells the gay-bait story from the night before. I wish I had been there.
More people show up throughout the night. Blueberry arrives, as does Christopher Amsterdam, the Tokyo gang, and probably more. I catch a glimpse at Bong’s watch. Grabbing his wrist, I show him his watch and tell him that in 40 minutes, it will be my exact birthday as I was born at 12:34 am. He slowly sits back in the booth and says, “You sure don’t give a guy much time to prepare!” I laugh as he goes on about the could-have-been fireworks display and other outlandish celebratory events. I say as long as everyone has a fresh bowl and/or a fresh joint, we can all light up at once and have our own fireworks.
We all put our grams on the table for the ante up. Cup entries from all different shops pile on top of non-cup entries, hash, terminator and fufu. I don’t know what I’m smoking at any given time. Blueberry is rolling her world-famous perfect cones. Bong is, appropriately, loading bong hits. The Tokyo boys are filling their pipes. Everything is being passed around. Smoke eventually replaces oxygen. What do we smoke next? Go fish… Life is good. Happy Birthday to me…sigh…
At 12:34 am, Bong has a hot cocoa with whipped cream ready for me. Better ‘n cake if you ask me…
Bong reminds us that Barney’s is open 24 hours during the cup. He invites everyone to go. I say yes before he finishes asking. Decisions are made as to who is going and who is not.
At 1:00 am, Leo gets on his microphone in the back room and says his personal goodbye message to us all as we all bundle up and prepare to leave. Bong and I walk to Barney’s together. I honestly don’t remember who else was with us…sorry! I just smoked more tonight than I ever have in one sitting...ever… my mind is a whirlwind of smoke, caffeine and googly girliness…
Barney’s is an interesting evening. We sit at the only available table, in front. By the door. Where the cold comes in. I remember being at the table with Bong (of course), Chris AMS, Blueberry (who came on her BIKE!…brave girl…) and a couple of the Tokyo boys. We all smoke, drink coffees and I try my first vapor bag. Nice high. Reminded me of days long ago when we’d get some punch balls and whipped cream cartridges…but lasts longer. And no headache from strangled brain cells…We witness two guys rap-fighting…is that real? They sound idiotic. They are really pissed at each other. They are both dumbasses. The Irish guy gets 86’d. The American idiot keeps talking about how he “beat” that guy. They only rapped to each other…no one even stood up…I don’t get it… Forget those guys…instant assholes…just add alcohol…
After a while people get tired and start dropping like flies. Bong, Chris AMS and I decide to move to the table in back…away from the cold door. Bong rolls a cone for me and takes pics of me smoking my very own birthday joint. Soon I, too, start to get really tired. I look at Bong’s watch and say that I’ll smoke my last one at 4:20, but then I gotta go…I’m supposed to meet my aunt tomorrow/today for a birthday canal cruise and lunch.
The three of us leave together. Bong and I stop to look at a store front display. Chris AMS goes on ahead of us. When we start walking again, we see Chris AMS talking to the cops!! He was literally in front of his hotel when they stop him! We won’t find out what that was all about until later. (They only asked what he was doing…)
As we walk back to the Dam, Bong grabs my hand. Holding hands in Amsterdam…only in the movies…right? We talk the whole way and find out we have many random things in common. Here is my hotel. I think about inviting him up to my room. It is now almost 5 am, maybe after. My aunt is going to be here in less than 7 hours. I have not slept. I have to sleep…and shower…we can’t smoke in the room…what would we do instead? Better not…uh…man…no…I can’t. We are standing outside the hotel and he looks at me and says, “I am going to kiss you now.” I say, “Ok…” and suddenly the fireworks he wanted to give me exploded above us. After I catch my breath and before I go inside, we make plans to meet at Basjoe again tomorrow after my aunt goes back to Deventer. I decide to take my shower (a cold one) before I sleep. Happy birthday to me; I got a Bong for my birthday… did I mention that life is good?
Perfect moments are so impossible to refuse...
I wake up ready to grab the day by the nuts and have some fun. After a leisurely shower and a little dancing music on the iPod, I am ready to go. I get my junk food from Albert Heijn and bring it back to my room. Power Zone. That is first on my agenda. I remember Bong said to take the subway and get off at the station that sounds like Spackle. (He also said they’d be in and out of the Expo, so maybe…) The hotel concierge is very helpful getting me to the correct train. The exact train I need is ready and waiting for me when I get to the subway. How fortunate! As I board, I see some empty seats but just as I am about to walk to the seat, the lady across the aisle stops me. She points to the floor. Someone had puked and I nearly step in it!!!!!!! BLAHHHHHHH……… With luck on my side, the woman sees me and disaster is averted. Dank je wel!
The train has a map on the wall; much like BART does here in SF so I can see how many stops away I need to go. The train arrives quickly and I exit the car. Now I don’t know which way to go. I try to remember what Bong had told me, but I only remember “Spackle.” (dreamy-eyed + stoned = memory loss). I walk to the bottom of the stairs that exit the station. Now a decision has to be made: left or right? I look to the left. It looks like it leads to a meadow or something. Not where I picture I have to go. I look to the right. There are a couple of workmen sweeping up the leaves. I show them the address I had written and they have no clue. I decide the right side is the right side (as opposed to the left side being the wrong side…) [c’mon…it’s 4:35 here now…I just smoked 15 minutes ago…besides, it really does make sense.]
Through the gate and down the path I go, bundled up against the blowing, cold-ass wind. At the end of the sidewalk, I look both directions to make my decision. For some reason, the McDonald’s seems to be the correct way. Upon getting closer to the restaurant, flashes of conversation begin to ring in my ears and manifest in my mind. Now I remember being told to go around the back of a shopping center. The shopping center is behind the McDonald’s. Ha! This has to be the right way! As I walk I see several taxi cabs drive past me packed with people—and they all turn down the street by the shopping center. This has to be the right way. Yeah, I see Cannabis Cup posters plastered all over the fences. Follow that taxi! And that one! And that one…shit..I must be the only person who took the train and walked here…
Around this building…and…there it is. Power Zone. I wander up and get in line with everyone else. The promoters have set up a tent we all can stand in line underneath. Protection from the elements… Like the arrival setup at all awards shows, the walkway is divided into two halves sectioned off with one of those velvety ropes they used to have at movie theaters. The floor has a red carpet. Nice. Judges deserve a red carpet. At least Cannabis Cup judges do…Everyone is standing in line, chatting, laughing and anticipating the coming few days. The excitement level is palpable. I am there early enough that there are only about 50 people there. Although we are all cold, we don’t care. Joints, cones, spliffs, and pipes are freely being passed around. A camera crew comes down the line encouraging us to go a little crazy. Good thing too because we have to WAIT…and WAIT… They were behind, I guess, getting set up. Vendors were still bringing in their actual booths, not to mention boxes and boxes of their products. Looking to the end of the line, I am shocked to see the line stretch out beyond the tent and bend around into the parking lot. Wow. Good thing I got here early… Everyone outside the tent is freezing…but I think they are too excited and too baked to care.
Eventually we are told that they will open the doors for registration and distribute the judges’ passes along with all the gifts they are giving us. We will not, however, be able to go into the Expo until after 2pm. The doors open and we are filed in like cattle going to the milking machine. (I’m from Indiana originally…that seems like a good analogy to me…) I get my pass, t-shirt, map and other stuff and take off out the doors and back to the train. (Ha! More people walking…I tell them they are going the right way.) Once I get back to the hotel, I bust out the digital camera and take some pictures of my pass, etc. I get out the (big booming voice here) OFFICIAL CANNABIS CUP MAP. Routes are plotted out. Plans are made. I realize I do not feel very well. Now I take my nap before waking up with my black tongue…
-End of part 4.1-
Part 5:
Monday, November 24
I get out my film camera and several rolls of film to take with me. I decide to start at the top. First stop is Dampkring. Walking there proves very fruitful for my photography. What a perfectly picturesque city Amsterdam is! I blow through 2 rolls in 45 minutes…inspiration around every corner.
There is a camera crew inside the shop (I think it’s the same one that was at Power Zone yesterday), tinkering and setting up to film. I get up to the bar and ask for their cup entry. They say that the Fruitcake is due to arrive in about 40 minutes. Just down the stairs is the kitchen so I go down and order a cheese toastie and a latte. Once the latte is ready, I climb up to the middle floor. There is one more floor up, but I don’t go there. The only empty seat is in the corner, so I take it. The wall outside the window piques my creative interest and I patiently wait for the group of smokers to vacate my view. My toastie arrives and I devour its cheesy goodness. A yell comes from the downstairs bar area, “Fruitcake is here!” There is a mass exodus of people heading down the stairs from both levels to get their gram. I decide to wait for the crowd to die down. My view-obscuring smokers eventually leave and I run over and shoot some images. Yes! This is a great day. After loading my equipment back in the bag, I go down and buy the Fruitcake. Then out the door and on to the next.
Green Place is the following destination. I stand in line for my cup entry (what was the entry?) with the other people and find a seat. Wow! They give their entry for free and they give a goody bag…cool…I like stuff...this is some cool stuff too: grinder, hat, papers, filters, etc…even the bag is cool. When I sit down I see people have been eating, like real food..not snacky food. The guys next to me say the place is giving free breakfast to judges. I just ate my toastie, but say I’d maybe go tomorrow. We start chatting about sending and/or taking seeds back home. It is the only thing I was asked to bring home. They give me lots of different ideas, like putting them in my panties…or swallowing them…forget that crap…I think I will just mail them. IF I get them, that is. (bock!bock!bock!)
People are doing vapor bags all over the place. Just one more thing I have not done before. The guys next to me do it and then I am asked if I want some. Since I am flying solo and have my camera equipment, I politely decline and just smoke from the bong I got from the bar. I don’t know how I will feel, and with no co-pilot…..well, you know… but, man, I’m curious. Before I leave, I see Steve and Bob, the bowl-filling-bong-borrowers from Betty Boop. They say hello on their way out (I told them we would probably see each other at another shop along the crawl!). I suppose I should go too.
Barney’s now. Holy crap. More free samples. (Utopia Haze, Triple Zero and Royal Jelly) And the budtender sends me next door to get my goody bag! Another goodie bag! (hmmm…I see a trend…lobbying?? whatever…more stuff!) This place is busy, so I get the goods and split. By now, it’s time to eat again. I go back to the hotel to decide what’s for dinner. I look out my window. My view left to right: Subway, Febo, Burger King, McDonald’s. I can find something down there so I put my stuff (!!) away and head to fast food land. After a meal fit for a jester, time is ticking and the sky is getting dark. Upstairs to freshen up (ie make sure my tongue is not black...lol…). I am going to Basjoe. I will find it. If it takes me all night, I will find it…damn it.
Down jacket, scarf, gloves…ready, set, go! Out the door I go…
I know the general direction. I think. Just go. I walk through a neighborhood, I walk past storefronts closed for the night and then come upon the red light district. I know I’m in the right area. I remember Frank walking us through here. However….I’m not sure if there is more than one red light area like this one. Just go. I know there is construction in front of the shop, so I’m looking for fencing and machinery. I’m pretty sure it is going to be on my right. Suddenly I look up and there it is…on my left…I have NO idea how I got here. But I did. Yay me!
With my heart pounding inside my chest and into my throat, I open the door and walk inside, the butterflies in my stomach propelling me forward. I instinctively look at the back table. There he is! Bong is here! Yay! We see each other at once. I flash my pearly whites, point my gloved finger at him and declare, “I found it! I don’t know how, but I found it! And here you are!” I receive an ear-to-ear genuine smile as he jumps out of his seat to say hi. Nice. I sit at the table next to his and he joins me…leaving IG with the acid tripper and the mind-that-can-only-be… DonnyG. (sorry IG…)
Guess what Bong says? He says he missed me last night. What did he say? He said he missed me last night? This is going much better than I had even imagined. My absence WAS noticed…He gets the bong from the other table, loads it and gives it to me. He even lights it…awww…stoner romance at its finest… Conversation flows without hesitation. Laughter follows. Good feelings bubble over. Am I really here?
IG breaks away from the creepy acid trip dude and sits at the other end of her table next to me. As we talk, we think it’s funny that we share the same name… She tells Bong to chill out while she talks to me…wink, wink…and we have some laughs as she tells the gay-bait story from the night before. I wish I had been there.
More people show up throughout the night. Blueberry arrives, as does Christopher Amsterdam, the Tokyo gang, and probably more. I catch a glimpse at Bong’s watch. Grabbing his wrist, I show him his watch and tell him that in 40 minutes, it will be my exact birthday as I was born at 12:34 am. He slowly sits back in the booth and says, “You sure don’t give a guy much time to prepare!” I laugh as he goes on about the could-have-been fireworks display and other outlandish celebratory events. I say as long as everyone has a fresh bowl and/or a fresh joint, we can all light up at once and have our own fireworks.
We all put our grams on the table for the ante up. Cup entries from all different shops pile on top of non-cup entries, hash, terminator and fufu. I don’t know what I’m smoking at any given time. Blueberry is rolling her world-famous perfect cones. Bong is, appropriately, loading bong hits. The Tokyo boys are filling their pipes. Everything is being passed around. Smoke eventually replaces oxygen. What do we smoke next? Go fish… Life is good. Happy Birthday to me…sigh…
At 12:34 am, Bong has a hot cocoa with whipped cream ready for me. Better ‘n cake if you ask me…
Bong reminds us that Barney’s is open 24 hours during the cup. He invites everyone to go. I say yes before he finishes asking. Decisions are made as to who is going and who is not.
At 1:00 am, Leo gets on his microphone in the back room and says his personal goodbye message to us all as we all bundle up and prepare to leave. Bong and I walk to Barney’s together. I honestly don’t remember who else was with us…sorry! I just smoked more tonight than I ever have in one sitting...ever… my mind is a whirlwind of smoke, caffeine and googly girliness…
Barney’s is an interesting evening. We sit at the only available table, in front. By the door. Where the cold comes in. I remember being at the table with Bong (of course), Chris AMS, Blueberry (who came on her BIKE!…brave girl…) and a couple of the Tokyo boys. We all smoke, drink coffees and I try my first vapor bag. Nice high. Reminded me of days long ago when we’d get some punch balls and whipped cream cartridges…but lasts longer. And no headache from strangled brain cells…We witness two guys rap-fighting…is that real? They sound idiotic. They are really pissed at each other. They are both dumbasses. The Irish guy gets 86’d. The American idiot keeps talking about how he “beat” that guy. They only rapped to each other…no one even stood up…I don’t get it… Forget those guys…instant assholes…just add alcohol…
After a while people get tired and start dropping like flies. Bong, Chris AMS and I decide to move to the table in back…away from the cold door. Bong rolls a cone for me and takes pics of me smoking my very own birthday joint. Soon I, too, start to get really tired. I look at Bong’s watch and say that I’ll smoke my last one at 4:20, but then I gotta go…I’m supposed to meet my aunt tomorrow/today for a birthday canal cruise and lunch.
The three of us leave together. Bong and I stop to look at a store front display. Chris AMS goes on ahead of us. When we start walking again, we see Chris AMS talking to the cops!! He was literally in front of his hotel when they stop him! We won’t find out what that was all about until later. (They only asked what he was doing…)
As we walk back to the Dam, Bong grabs my hand. Holding hands in Amsterdam…only in the movies…right? We talk the whole way and find out we have many random things in common. Here is my hotel. I think about inviting him up to my room. It is now almost 5 am, maybe after. My aunt is going to be here in less than 7 hours. I have not slept. I have to sleep…and shower…we can’t smoke in the room…what would we do instead? Better not…uh…man…no…I can’t. We are standing outside the hotel and he looks at me and says, “I am going to kiss you now.” I say, “Ok…” and suddenly the fireworks he wanted to give me exploded above us. After I catch my breath and before I go inside, we make plans to meet at Basjoe again tomorrow after my aunt goes back to Deventer. I decide to take my shower (a cold one) before I sleep. Happy birthday to me; I got a Bong for my birthday… did I mention that life is good?
Perfect moments are so impossible to refuse...
Posted: Tue 30th Dec 2008 09:30 pm
this bong guy must be a catch,,,,, 
Posted: Wed 31st Dec 2008 01:45 pm
mmmmmmmmmUSBONGLORD wrote:this bong guy must be a catch,,,,,
Posted: Fri 2nd Jan 2009 09:28 am
awwww! you guys are too cute!
Everyone loves a romance.
Best Write Up Ever!
Everyone loves a romance.
Best Write Up Ever!
Posted: Sat 3rd Jan 2009 03:48 pm
Part 6:
Tuesday, November 25
“You say it’s your birthday….it’s my birthday too, yeah…” It would be ironic to be awakened by that song today. I wasn’t, but it would be ironic. It IS my birthday. Shouldn’t I be moping around because I am another year older? OH HELL, NO!!! This is the greatest day of my life thus far, by far. I am in Amsterdam and I am now the magical age that is the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Maybe that explains some of the bizarre stuff happening to me…from the plane fiasco to that kiss last night (this morning). Ahh…that kiss last night…
Morning music is blasting in my ears as I dance around my room deciding what to wear tonight. I take my time getting ready, even though I have only slept 2 - 1/2 hours. Maybe it’s BECAUSE I didn’t sleep much. Maybe it’s because I am looking forward to tonight. Sure a canal ride will be great; lunch in Amsterdam will be great too. It will help tick away the minutes until the sun sets and the lighters light. I check my email after I get ready and see my aunt has something she needs to take care of and she will be on the next train. That gives me an extra hour. I am starving so I decide to have a birthday breakfast of poffertijes with strawberries and whipped cream. Oooohhhhyeahhh……. The pop-up poffertijes stand is across from my hotel where the ice skating rink is. When I get there and order, the waitress tells me they are out of strawberries. Whatever…gimme cherries, please! And don’t forget that whipped cream! These are the best. Sweet, buttery, creamy….yum…but I digress…A little stroll up and down the Damrak and I find myself buying souvenirs for everyone back home. They are all getting the “Amsterdam” ski caps everyone is wearing. I buy 6 hats and a nice little glass pipe I can carry with me. Also pick up a couple of t-shirts for myself…the one in my avatar is one of ‘em . Enough money is spent, gotta have cash for stash, so I head to Café 420 to haze and blaze my new pipe then back to my room.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3154466689/
After arriving back at the hotel to wait for my aunt, I turn on the TV and zone out thinking about everything that happened last night. With a big smile on my face, I nearly fall asleep when I hear my door bust open and someone comes in…CHEEBUS Christ…who the hell is in my room???? The maid. To clean the room. I guess I forgot to put the Do Not Disturb sign on my door. Heart failure. The other half of my bed is COVERED with grams, papers, filters and a pipe…Well…I am NOT smoking in my room, just like they require…F ‘em…. I am up now that my knees are full of jello…Good thing, though. My aunt will be here soon. A little fix of the hair and makeup and I go down to the lobby. Auntie shows up and hugs me in the lobby saying “Happy Birthday!” I thank her and take her up to show her my room. I made sure to put my stash in the safe…she’s a Dutch national, but she does not agree with coffeeshop culture. Too bad. She’d be a fun stoner chick. She sees my room then we head off for our canal cruise. We walk back towards Centraal Station where there are several cruise companies vying for our business. We pick one and wait for the cruise to begin. Around and through canals and into the open sea we ride. We see places I’ve been and places I have not been—they actually have a Purse and Handbag Museum...ok…really? An entire museum?? People go there? Maybe after a nice cone of Black Widow spiked with terminator…
The voyage ends and we pull up next to the pier. Thanks for the cruise, Skipper. Time for lunch. We agree to walk a bit before getting food. Toward the Leidesplein we stroll in search of a birthday lunch. We turn down a side street to see the menu for a Portuguese place…right next door to Dolphins! Mutha F’er...I’d like to go in! I haven’t been here yet. Chill. You will be in Amsterdam until Friday. Dolphins will still be here. The menu doesn’t look like what we want. That Irish pub is right here. Nope. Don’t feel like smelling stale--or fresh-- beer breath. We make a decision to eat at the restaurant next to Bulldog. Tick, tick, tick…is it time to go yet? Frick, frick, frick….not yet… F this:
Hang on…we are time-warping forward… …wewalktothetrainstationandisaygoodbyetoherandiwastetimeunititistimetogotobasjoe….
Is everyone ok?
Good.
Let’s proceed.
I need to make a stop at a friend’s house. They moved to Amsterdam with their kids for 1 year…I am having Thanksgiving with them and brought some ingredients from home that they could not get here (partly why my suitcase was so heavy). I find their house fairly easily. I can never find Basjoe easily, but their house? No problem…figures…Their youngest son runs to me screaming “Tomorrow is my birthday! Tomorrow is my birthday!” I scream back at him, “TODAY is MY birthday! TODAY is MY birthday!!” He giggles, he and his brother are scooted off to bed and I am invited to stay…No thanks, I am meeting a friend…see you Thursday…
Basjoe-bound. Here we go again. I am pretty sure I know where I am going now. It is still early, only 8pm. I wonder if he will be there yet…Who knows, it could take me an hour to find the place… Surprisingly, the coffeeshop is exactly where it’s supposed to be. As I walk in front of the window, I see Bong spring out of his seat and rush the door like a football player headed for a touchdown. Get the hell outta the waaaaayyy!!! Before I even get to the door, he’s got it open for me. The sweet smell of the sweet leaf makes me woozy with anticipation for tonight’s debauchery. Everyone is here!
A little smoke and we decide to go do something. Anything I want, he says. Really??? You sure? Cuz I wanna do something totally cheesy and touristy…Amsterdam Dungeon! Yes! Bong, DonnyG and I make our way there. Walking, talking, holding hands, laughing, kissing and hugging on bridges…I couldn’t make this up. (sorry for the pda’s, DonnyG…) When we get to the entrance, this scary big-ish woman yells at me in a gruff voice, “YOU. UP HERE. NOW!” Yikes…ok… I am escorted to a stock, or pillory…or whatever you call it…my head and arms secured with the yoke (all the while on my tip toes…I’m only 5’2”...) and Bong and DonnyG are each given a giant ax. They have to pretend to cut off my head while I scream as loud as I can. Ok….but my smoke-laden voice box may not cooperate….I shriek my best scream and they, of course, snap a photo for purchase later. Cheese! …teeheehee… We are led to a waiting area where we, well, wait. More people scream and snap photos; and when enough arrive, the tour starts. It’s pretty good. Cheesy. But it’s Dutch cheese… Actors dressed in period costume…telling the not-so-glamorous side of Amsterdam’s history. Some things are pretty cool…like the wall of mirrors maze…and the ROLLERCOASTER! Well…it IS a rollercoaster car…and a rollercoaster track…and we do climb a bit…and roll down…and STOP. The whole “ride” is about 45 seconds total. But still…we rode a rollercoaster in Amsterdam! I think Bong and DonnyG had fun. I did. Thanks! If you like kaas, a little history, and lots of weirdness…GO! It was 21 Euros to get in, but I think it was fun.
Now that I have been sufficiently inundated with history, it is time to go to the show at DNA Genetics. We make our way to the club—it is packed! After figuring out we need to buy drink coins instead of paying cash, we get our beverages and head to the stage area. Funny…everyone is walking OUT. Hmmmm….well…looky here…an empty tall-table. In fact, the entire area has free tables. Bong and I cozy up together and share some weed while we drink our drinks. When the comsumables have been consumed, we decide to getouttaDodge since we obviously missed the show. No worries, I just rode a rollercoaster…in Amsterdam…I look at Bong and I am still on the ride of my life…..
Barney’s again…and this time we get the table in back right away. Yay! No cold door! Christopher Amsterdam, and Psycho show up. (Psycho=one of the Tokyo boys…) As we get situated in our respective spots who shows up but Rappin’ Ohio from last night. He makes a beeline for the vaporizer in back by us. As he walks past us with his bag slung over his shoulder, he knocks into our Japanese friend which causes his glasses to fly off and nearly knocking him off his chair. Protective Bong addresses the situation. He politely asks the guy to apologize. Incredibly this spoiled brat only gets defensive…uh oh…is he going to start another rap war? He doesn’t apologize and in between his defensive chatter asks Bong where he is from. When Bong tells him Baltimore, the guy says,”Oh, B-more, huh?” ARGH!!!! The next thing that comes out of this guy’s mouth is, “Can you get guns there? Cuz I can get a gun in 5 minutes back home in Ohio…” WTF????? Why….where'd that come from?...ah, who cares… Bong tells him to go for it cuz he wouldn’t even make it out the door in 5 minutes before getting a beat down. Where’s your gun now? Ohio boy says he’s Irish and Polish, so he likes to argue. Bong says, “That just means you’re a drunk and you’re stupid.” Zang! Then Ohio’s friend gets involved with a battle of words. The two guys are just drunk…there is no way they could do anything as Bong would rip ‘em limb from limb….Anyways, they decide to back down and Bong predicts by the end of the night, the guys will apologize to Psycho… He is right, they do. Bong says looking at me calms him down and averts an actual bar fight. Awww...(whew…)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3147180129/
The evening ends in much the way last night did. I have my escort back to my hotel…I want to ask him up, but we can’t smoke; what will we do? We can’t! I have a monthly obligation keeping me from pursuing other avenues of womanly expression… I knew this before leaving on my trip. I was ok with it. I came here to smoke. Who cares? Hindsight is 20/20… (Besides, it is just ICKY to me…) Everything will be back to normal by Friday. But I leave Friday... Hmmm… Guess this is how it’s supposed to be… No worries. We are as happy as two teenagers discovering the art of making out.
We kiss at the door again and again. We plan to meet tomorrow at 11:30. I go to my room. Alone. Again.
I wonder if I get charged for cold showers?
Tuesday, November 25
“You say it’s your birthday….it’s my birthday too, yeah…” It would be ironic to be awakened by that song today. I wasn’t, but it would be ironic. It IS my birthday. Shouldn’t I be moping around because I am another year older? OH HELL, NO!!! This is the greatest day of my life thus far, by far. I am in Amsterdam and I am now the magical age that is the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Maybe that explains some of the bizarre stuff happening to me…from the plane fiasco to that kiss last night (this morning). Ahh…that kiss last night…
Morning music is blasting in my ears as I dance around my room deciding what to wear tonight. I take my time getting ready, even though I have only slept 2 - 1/2 hours. Maybe it’s BECAUSE I didn’t sleep much. Maybe it’s because I am looking forward to tonight. Sure a canal ride will be great; lunch in Amsterdam will be great too. It will help tick away the minutes until the sun sets and the lighters light. I check my email after I get ready and see my aunt has something she needs to take care of and she will be on the next train. That gives me an extra hour. I am starving so I decide to have a birthday breakfast of poffertijes with strawberries and whipped cream. Oooohhhhyeahhh……. The pop-up poffertijes stand is across from my hotel where the ice skating rink is. When I get there and order, the waitress tells me they are out of strawberries. Whatever…gimme cherries, please! And don’t forget that whipped cream! These are the best. Sweet, buttery, creamy….yum…but I digress…A little stroll up and down the Damrak and I find myself buying souvenirs for everyone back home. They are all getting the “Amsterdam” ski caps everyone is wearing. I buy 6 hats and a nice little glass pipe I can carry with me. Also pick up a couple of t-shirts for myself…the one in my avatar is one of ‘em . Enough money is spent, gotta have cash for stash, so I head to Café 420 to haze and blaze my new pipe then back to my room.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3154466689/
After arriving back at the hotel to wait for my aunt, I turn on the TV and zone out thinking about everything that happened last night. With a big smile on my face, I nearly fall asleep when I hear my door bust open and someone comes in…CHEEBUS Christ…who the hell is in my room???? The maid. To clean the room. I guess I forgot to put the Do Not Disturb sign on my door. Heart failure. The other half of my bed is COVERED with grams, papers, filters and a pipe…Well…I am NOT smoking in my room, just like they require…F ‘em…. I am up now that my knees are full of jello…Good thing, though. My aunt will be here soon. A little fix of the hair and makeup and I go down to the lobby. Auntie shows up and hugs me in the lobby saying “Happy Birthday!” I thank her and take her up to show her my room. I made sure to put my stash in the safe…she’s a Dutch national, but she does not agree with coffeeshop culture. Too bad. She’d be a fun stoner chick. She sees my room then we head off for our canal cruise. We walk back towards Centraal Station where there are several cruise companies vying for our business. We pick one and wait for the cruise to begin. Around and through canals and into the open sea we ride. We see places I’ve been and places I have not been—they actually have a Purse and Handbag Museum...ok…really? An entire museum?? People go there? Maybe after a nice cone of Black Widow spiked with terminator…
The voyage ends and we pull up next to the pier. Thanks for the cruise, Skipper. Time for lunch. We agree to walk a bit before getting food. Toward the Leidesplein we stroll in search of a birthday lunch. We turn down a side street to see the menu for a Portuguese place…right next door to Dolphins! Mutha F’er...I’d like to go in! I haven’t been here yet. Chill. You will be in Amsterdam until Friday. Dolphins will still be here. The menu doesn’t look like what we want. That Irish pub is right here. Nope. Don’t feel like smelling stale--or fresh-- beer breath. We make a decision to eat at the restaurant next to Bulldog. Tick, tick, tick…is it time to go yet? Frick, frick, frick….not yet… F this:
Hang on…we are time-warping forward… …wewalktothetrainstationandisaygoodbyetoherandiwastetimeunititistimetogotobasjoe….
Is everyone ok?
Good.
Let’s proceed.
I need to make a stop at a friend’s house. They moved to Amsterdam with their kids for 1 year…I am having Thanksgiving with them and brought some ingredients from home that they could not get here (partly why my suitcase was so heavy). I find their house fairly easily. I can never find Basjoe easily, but their house? No problem…figures…Their youngest son runs to me screaming “Tomorrow is my birthday! Tomorrow is my birthday!” I scream back at him, “TODAY is MY birthday! TODAY is MY birthday!!” He giggles, he and his brother are scooted off to bed and I am invited to stay…No thanks, I am meeting a friend…see you Thursday…
Basjoe-bound. Here we go again. I am pretty sure I know where I am going now. It is still early, only 8pm. I wonder if he will be there yet…Who knows, it could take me an hour to find the place… Surprisingly, the coffeeshop is exactly where it’s supposed to be.
As I walk in front of the window, I see Bong spring out of his seat and rush the door like a football player headed for a touchdown. Get the hell outta the waaaaayyy!!! Before I even get to the door, he’s got it open for me. The sweet smell of the sweet leaf makes me woozy with anticipation for tonight’s debauchery. Everyone is here!A little smoke and we decide to go do something. Anything I want, he says. Really??? You sure? Cuz I wanna do something totally cheesy and touristy…Amsterdam Dungeon! Yes! Bong, DonnyG and I make our way there. Walking, talking, holding hands, laughing, kissing and hugging on bridges…I couldn’t make this up. (sorry for the pda’s, DonnyG…) When we get to the entrance, this scary big-ish woman yells at me in a gruff voice, “YOU. UP HERE. NOW!” Yikes…ok… I am escorted to a stock, or pillory…or whatever you call it…my head and arms secured with the yoke (all the while on my tip toes…I’m only 5’2”...) and Bong and DonnyG are each given a giant ax. They have to pretend to cut off my head while I scream as loud as I can. Ok….but my smoke-laden voice box may not cooperate….I shriek my best scream and they, of course, snap a photo for purchase later. Cheese! …teeheehee… We are led to a waiting area where we, well, wait. More people scream and snap photos; and when enough arrive, the tour starts. It’s pretty good. Cheesy. But it’s Dutch cheese… Actors dressed in period costume…telling the not-so-glamorous side of Amsterdam’s history. Some things are pretty cool…like the wall of mirrors maze…and the ROLLERCOASTER! Well…it IS a rollercoaster car…and a rollercoaster track…and we do climb a bit…and roll down…and STOP. The whole “ride” is about 45 seconds total. But still…we rode a rollercoaster in Amsterdam! I think Bong and DonnyG had fun. I did. Thanks! If you like kaas, a little history, and lots of weirdness…GO! It was 21 Euros to get in, but I think it was fun.
Now that I have been sufficiently inundated with history, it is time to go to the show at DNA Genetics. We make our way to the club—it is packed! After figuring out we need to buy drink coins instead of paying cash, we get our beverages and head to the stage area. Funny…everyone is walking OUT. Hmmmm….well…looky here…an empty tall-table. In fact, the entire area has free tables. Bong and I cozy up together and share some weed while we drink our drinks. When the comsumables have been consumed, we decide to getouttaDodge since we obviously missed the show. No worries, I just rode a rollercoaster…in Amsterdam…I look at Bong and I am still on the ride of my life…..
Barney’s again…and this time we get the table in back right away. Yay! No cold door! Christopher Amsterdam, and Psycho show up. (Psycho=one of the Tokyo boys…) As we get situated in our respective spots who shows up but Rappin’ Ohio from last night. He makes a beeline for the vaporizer in back by us. As he walks past us with his bag slung over his shoulder, he knocks into our Japanese friend which causes his glasses to fly off and nearly knocking him off his chair. Protective Bong addresses the situation. He politely asks the guy to apologize. Incredibly this spoiled brat only gets defensive…uh oh…is he going to start another rap war? He doesn’t apologize and in between his defensive chatter asks Bong where he is from. When Bong tells him Baltimore, the guy says,”Oh, B-more, huh?” ARGH!!!! The next thing that comes out of this guy’s mouth is, “Can you get guns there? Cuz I can get a gun in 5 minutes back home in Ohio…” WTF????? Why….where'd that come from?...ah, who cares… Bong tells him to go for it cuz he wouldn’t even make it out the door in 5 minutes before getting a beat down. Where’s your gun now? Ohio boy says he’s Irish and Polish, so he likes to argue. Bong says, “That just means you’re a drunk and you’re stupid.” Zang! Then Ohio’s friend gets involved with a battle of words. The two guys are just drunk…there is no way they could do anything as Bong would rip ‘em limb from limb….Anyways, they decide to back down and Bong predicts by the end of the night, the guys will apologize to Psycho… He is right, they do. Bong says looking at me calms him down and averts an actual bar fight. Awww...(whew…)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3147180129/
The evening ends in much the way last night did. I have my escort back to my hotel…I want to ask him up, but we can’t smoke; what will we do? We can’t! I have a monthly obligation keeping me from pursuing other avenues of womanly expression…
I knew this before leaving on my trip. I was ok with it. I came here to smoke. Who cares? Hindsight is 20/20… (Besides, it is just ICKY to me…) Everything will be back to normal by Friday. But I leave Friday... Hmmm… Guess this is how it’s supposed to be… No worries. We are as happy as two teenagers discovering the art of making out. We kiss at the door again and again. We plan to meet tomorrow at 11:30. I go to my room. Alone. Again.
I wonder if I get charged for cold showers?
Posted: Tue 13th Jan 2009 07:54 pm
Part 7:
The next couple of days are spent roaming the city, falling in love. I cannot believe I am with someone with the exact same agenda as my own: coffeeshops first and whatever happens after that is gravy. (Plus I think he likes me too…) Many more coffeeshops are given our patronage. Even more smoke patronizes our lungs. I finally get to go to Dolphins…and get a killer tank top… Today we have lunch and a smoke at this little shop owned by two older, gray-haired women. La Turtalia. We order ham and cheese toasties and freshly squeezed oj. Delish. Sadly, I hear it is going to be one of the close-down casualties. Go while you still can!
I have to start thinking about checking out of my hotel. I will have to be sure everything is ready to go for a NOON checkout tomorrow. My flight is not until 9pm tomorrow, so I can leave my luggage at the hotel lock-room until it is time to catch the train. Since my flight is intra-Europe, the weight restrictions are even stricter. I know my bag is close to 50 lbs WITHOUT souvenirs. My daughter wants wooden shoes…do you know how heavy those things are?!? I decide to mail everything. Since I am mailing stuff, I will get some seeds to send home. I ask Bong for his professional opinion. He helps me make my choices. My friend wants one sativa strain and one indica strain. His buddy has a medical card and can grow legally. This buddy says if I get seeds, he’ll grow a plant of each for me. My criteria are simple: best high and biggest yield! We decide on Strawberry Cough Sativa and Maple Leaf Indica (if I remember correctly…). The seeds go into the box amongst all the ski caps, wooden shoes, chocolates and schwag from the Expo. We go to the post office, build the box and send it off. The postal worker asks how fast I want it to get there. I jokingly say it doesn’t matter; he can put it on a slow boat. He says, “Ok…the slow boat will take 6 weeks….” I quickly say I am joking and send it standard service. Whew…that would have sucked. I had visions of nice weather (no use for ski caps), moldy chocolate, sprouted seeds and my daughter’s feet outgrowing the wooden shoes…
Later on we take the subway http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3154421256/ to the Power Zone to cast our votes. While we are there we see Christopher Amsterdam and our Tokyo boys being filmed by G4…and our own DonnyG too…oh crap…’nuff said…Soon it is time to go back to the hotel and get ready for Thanksgiving with my relocated friends. It was very good. Good ‘ole fashioned Thanksgiving dinner--without the usual family drama on the side. Nice. These people, however, do not smoke. Dessert comes and goes and after thanking my hosts profusely, I do too. I have work to do. I still have to close down Basjoe. And see Bong.
The last night of fun. Tomorrow I leave. That sorta changes the vibe…I know you know what I mean…This dream life is quickly drifting away like smoke off of a hash pipe…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3124052648/
Still…excitement is lurking everywhere. You never know what will happen. I even find Basjoe without getting turned around. Walk right to it in fact. Bong sees me and once again opens the door for me… We sit cozily together, sharing cuddles and kisses, speculoos and terminator. Plans for our return next year are being discussed. Could I do this again next year? Oh, hell yes. HELL yes. We both feel sad. I am glad that he has not been an impetuous horndog like many other men would have been. He lets me know in no uncertain terms how much he likes me. Sigh…
Jokes are made about lying on the tarmac and not allowing the plane to leave. Eh….let’s just smoke and have fun. When Leo serenades us with his goodbyes, I know it’s the last time I’ll hear his end-of-the-evening-now-get-out poetry. I will be back tomorrow before heading to Centraal Station and Schiphol, but I will leave long before closing time.
Friday arrives and I do a once-over in my room to make sure I do not forget anything. I haven’t. I check out of the hotel and have the concierge put my bags in the lock-room. Bong picks me up and we spend our last day together. Coffeeshop crawling. Kissing. Smoking. Hugging. All the time realizing that this is something more than a coincidental meeting.
One more smoke at Basjoe before leaving. When we arrive there, who is there but Freewheelin’ Frank…back for his weekend in Amsterdam! We all party until it’s time to go. Both Leo and James tell me goodbye and both give me a hug. Aww, man…sob sob…
We go back to the hotel for my luggage and walk up the Damrak to Centraal Station. When we get on the train, I tell Bong about my return flight. I am returning to Amsterdam on Monday night at 8pm. I was planning on just staying in the airport until my Tuesday 8 am morning flight. Bong will have none of that….He says 12 hours is plenty of time to get into Amsterdam, smoke and get back to Schiphol…Sounds like a plan to me! I don’t know if we will get smoke in Copenhagen. Last time I was there my friends got some stuff from Christania…but I hear it has changed…besides...one more chance to see Bong again? Done.
When we get to Schiphol, we smoke a couple of cones Bong brought along. We go inside. We look at the monitor for my flight, Sterling Airlines to Copenhagen at 21:05. It is not there. I have been duped before….and I am stoned…maybe it is in another terminal. So we ask the woman at the information desk. She looks at my printed e-ticket, gets a funny look on her face, and sends me up the ramp to talk to a ticketing agent. On the way up the ramp, Bong sees another information desk and asks at this desk about my flight. This lady takes a bit more time looking up my information. After about 5 minutes, she also gets a funny look on her face and she too sends us to the agent at the ticket counter. I give the man at the SAS counter my e-ticket. He looks at it, clears his throat, and very carefully and deliberately tells me that Sterling Airlines went out of business…one month ago. Apparently I bought my ticket 3 days before they went out of business…The man says they are not giving refunds either.
Wait…is this REAL? How can an airline GO OUT OF BUSINESS?????? Why did I not confirm my flight???? I used to work in the airline industry. I know better. Yet, I did not do it. Why?
This was all supposed to happen, wasn’t it?
At that moment, my mantra was going through my head over and over: “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.”
Bong said he took a step back when the man told me that. He thought I may just become an exploding ball of fury. I only smile. A genuine smile too. I calmly call my friend to tell him not to meet me at the airport…As I am on the phone, Bong asks the agent how much to buy a ticket right now. Mr. Agent says he cannot offer me any deals and the price will be 500 Euro---EACH WAY. Sorry. Not for 2 days.
If I am going to be stranded anywhere in the world…………..AMSTERDAM, BABY!!!
I know I don’t have a hotel anymore. No worries. When I look over at Bong, and all I see is smile, smile, smile…I KNOW where I’ll be staying. YAY!!!!!!!!
At this point we are both reeling. I will ask again: Is this REAL? We are so happy, he splurges on a cab ride back to his hotel so we can drop off my luggage and head back to Basjoe!!! The whole way back, I keep saying, “I can’t believe I’m here….I just can’t believe it…” Once or twice I shake my finger at Bong and tell him, “If I didn’t know any better……..”
Sterling Airlines rocks.
Bags are dropped off at the hotel. Kisses and hugs, joy, total excitement and incredible luck (fate?) are on our side. We are not supposed to end this. Quite literally, it is just the beginning. After 7 days, it is just the beginning.
We walk back into Basjoe and everyone does a double take. No one can believe my luck—it REALLY was luck! REALLY!!! I was never so happy to have my travel plans so completely altered! Everyone comes to Basjoe this night. Even SoulRider shows up with a group of people! The party that ensues is the best ever. The vibe in the place is sheer joy. Smoke is coming from every mouth. Smiles and laughter mix with the reggae beat pulsing out of the speakers. Coughing is prevalent. Milk is being steamed for lattes, juice is squeezed from fresh oranges…cocoas are slathered in whipped cream and speculoos are being shared.
Blueberry rolls cone after cone…the most perfect, bustin-at-the-seams-drenched-in-terminator cones. Freewheelin’ Frank has more gunpowder and joints to share. The Tokyo boys have the hash going round and round. My head is spinning. My heart is fluttering. There is uncontrollable laughter at times. It is an incredible time. Black Widow is the smoke of choice. After every cone, bong or pipe containing it passes someone’s lips, silliness ensues. The word “Epic” is being thrown around to describe the party tonight. When I hear Leo’s serenade to us all, a smile crosses my lips and I know I will now have not one, not two, but THREE more nights!!
We walk back to the hotel. Once in the room, the sleeping arrangements are obvious. Donny G has his own twin bed and Bong has his own twin bed. I put on my jammies (tank top and jammy pants) and cuddle next to Bong. I cannot believe my fate. Here I am. We are in bed together. Things are back to normal for me now…and DonnyG is here. Damn. No worries. There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be. I have 3 more nights. I am afraid if I go to sleep, I will wake up and this will have all been a dream. We fall asleep in each other’s arms…
I wake up the next morning to kisses on my neck and whispers in my ear. I really AM still here!!!
The next couple of days are spent roaming the city, falling in love. I cannot believe I am with someone with the exact same agenda as my own: coffeeshops first and whatever happens after that is gravy. (Plus I think he likes me too…)
Many more coffeeshops are given our patronage. Even more smoke patronizes our lungs. I finally get to go to Dolphins…and get a killer tank top… Today we have lunch and a smoke at this little shop owned by two older, gray-haired women. La Turtalia. We order ham and cheese toasties and freshly squeezed oj. Delish. Sadly, I hear it is going to be one of the close-down casualties. Go while you still can!I have to start thinking about checking out of my hotel. I will have to be sure everything is ready to go for a NOON checkout tomorrow. My flight is not until 9pm tomorrow, so I can leave my luggage at the hotel lock-room until it is time to catch the train. Since my flight is intra-Europe, the weight restrictions are even stricter. I know my bag is close to 50 lbs WITHOUT souvenirs. My daughter wants wooden shoes…do you know how heavy those things are?!? I decide to mail everything. Since I am mailing stuff, I will get some seeds to send home. I ask Bong for his professional opinion. He helps me make my choices. My friend wants one sativa strain and one indica strain. His buddy has a medical card and can grow legally. This buddy says if I get seeds, he’ll grow a plant of each for me. My criteria are simple: best high and biggest yield! We decide on Strawberry Cough Sativa and Maple Leaf Indica (if I remember correctly…). The seeds go into the box amongst all the ski caps, wooden shoes, chocolates and schwag from the Expo. We go to the post office, build the box and send it off. The postal worker asks how fast I want it to get there. I jokingly say it doesn’t matter; he can put it on a slow boat. He says, “Ok…the slow boat will take 6 weeks….” I quickly say I am joking and send it standard service. Whew…that would have sucked. I had visions of nice weather (no use for ski caps), moldy chocolate, sprouted seeds and my daughter’s feet outgrowing the wooden shoes…
Later on we take the subway http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3154421256/ to the Power Zone to cast our votes. While we are there we see Christopher Amsterdam and our Tokyo boys being filmed by G4…and our own DonnyG too…oh crap…’nuff said…Soon it is time to go back to the hotel and get ready for Thanksgiving with my relocated friends. It was very good. Good ‘ole fashioned Thanksgiving dinner--without the usual family drama on the side. Nice. These people, however, do not smoke. Dessert comes and goes and after thanking my hosts profusely, I do too. I have work to do. I still have to close down Basjoe. And see Bong.
The last night of fun. Tomorrow I leave. That sorta changes the vibe…I know you know what I mean…This dream life is quickly drifting away like smoke off of a hash pipe…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams/3124052648/
Still…excitement is lurking everywhere. You never know what will happen. I even find Basjoe without getting turned around. Walk right to it in fact. Bong sees me and once again opens the door for me… We sit cozily together, sharing cuddles and kisses, speculoos and terminator. Plans for our return next year are being discussed. Could I do this again next year? Oh, hell yes. HELL yes. We both feel sad. I am glad that he has not been an impetuous horndog like many other men would have been. He lets me know in no uncertain terms how much he likes me. Sigh…
Jokes are made about lying on the tarmac and not allowing the plane to leave. Eh….let’s just smoke and have fun. When Leo serenades us with his goodbyes, I know it’s the last time I’ll hear his end-of-the-evening-now-get-out poetry. I will be back tomorrow before heading to Centraal Station and Schiphol, but I will leave long before closing time.
Friday arrives and I do a once-over in my room to make sure I do not forget anything. I haven’t. I check out of the hotel and have the concierge put my bags in the lock-room. Bong picks me up and we spend our last day together. Coffeeshop crawling. Kissing. Smoking. Hugging. All the time realizing that this is something more than a coincidental meeting.
One more smoke at Basjoe before leaving. When we arrive there, who is there but Freewheelin’ Frank…back for his weekend in Amsterdam! We all party until it’s time to go. Both Leo and James tell me goodbye and both give me a hug. Aww, man…sob sob…
We go back to the hotel for my luggage and walk up the Damrak to Centraal Station. When we get on the train, I tell Bong about my return flight. I am returning to Amsterdam on Monday night at 8pm. I was planning on just staying in the airport until my Tuesday 8 am morning flight. Bong will have none of that….He says 12 hours is plenty of time to get into Amsterdam, smoke and get back to Schiphol…Sounds like a plan to me! I don’t know if we will get smoke in Copenhagen. Last time I was there my friends got some stuff from Christania…but I hear it has changed…besides...one more chance to see Bong again? Done.
When we get to Schiphol, we smoke a couple of cones Bong brought along. We go inside. We look at the monitor for my flight, Sterling Airlines to Copenhagen at 21:05. It is not there. I have been duped before….and I am stoned…maybe it is in another terminal. So we ask the woman at the information desk. She looks at my printed e-ticket, gets a funny look on her face, and sends me up the ramp to talk to a ticketing agent. On the way up the ramp, Bong sees another information desk and asks at this desk about my flight. This lady takes a bit more time looking up my information. After about 5 minutes, she also gets a funny look on her face and she too sends us to the agent at the ticket counter. I give the man at the SAS counter my e-ticket. He looks at it, clears his throat, and very carefully and deliberately tells me that Sterling Airlines went out of business…one month ago. Apparently I bought my ticket 3 days before they went out of business…The man says they are not giving refunds either.
Wait…is this REAL? How can an airline GO OUT OF BUSINESS?????? Why did I not confirm my flight???? I used to work in the airline industry. I know better. Yet, I did not do it. Why?
This was all supposed to happen, wasn’t it?
At that moment, my mantra was going through my head over and over: “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.”
Bong said he took a step back when the man told me that. He thought I may just become an exploding ball of fury. I only smile. A genuine smile too. I calmly call my friend to tell him not to meet me at the airport…As I am on the phone, Bong asks the agent how much to buy a ticket right now. Mr. Agent says he cannot offer me any deals and the price will be 500 Euro---EACH WAY. Sorry. Not for 2 days.
If I am going to be stranded anywhere in the world…………..AMSTERDAM, BABY!!!
I know I don’t have a hotel anymore. No worries. When I look over at Bong, and all I see is smile, smile, smile…I KNOW where I’ll be staying. YAY!!!!!!!!
At this point we are both reeling. I will ask again: Is this REAL? We are so happy, he splurges on a cab ride back to his hotel so we can drop off my luggage and head back to Basjoe!!! The whole way back, I keep saying, “I can’t believe I’m here….I just can’t believe it…” Once or twice I shake my finger at Bong and tell him, “If I didn’t know any better……..”
Sterling Airlines rocks.
Bags are dropped off at the hotel. Kisses and hugs, joy, total excitement and incredible luck (fate?) are on our side. We are not supposed to end this. Quite literally, it is just the beginning. After 7 days, it is just the beginning.
We walk back into Basjoe and everyone does a double take. No one can believe my luck—it REALLY was luck! REALLY!!! I was never so happy to have my travel plans so completely altered! Everyone comes to Basjoe this night. Even SoulRider shows up with a group of people! The party that ensues is the best ever. The vibe in the place is sheer joy. Smoke is coming from every mouth. Smiles and laughter mix with the reggae beat pulsing out of the speakers. Coughing is prevalent. Milk is being steamed for lattes, juice is squeezed from fresh oranges…cocoas are slathered in whipped cream and speculoos are being shared.
Blueberry rolls cone after cone…the most perfect, bustin-at-the-seams-drenched-in-terminator cones. Freewheelin’ Frank has more gunpowder and joints to share. The Tokyo boys have the hash going round and round. My head is spinning. My heart is fluttering. There is uncontrollable laughter at times. It is an incredible time. Black Widow is the smoke of choice. After every cone, bong or pipe containing it passes someone’s lips, silliness ensues. The word “Epic” is being thrown around to describe the party tonight. When I hear Leo’s serenade to us all, a smile crosses my lips and I know I will now have not one, not two, but THREE more nights!!
We walk back to the hotel. Once in the room, the sleeping arrangements are obvious. Donny G has his own twin bed and Bong has his own twin bed. I put on my jammies (tank top and jammy pants) and cuddle next to Bong. I cannot believe my fate. Here I am. We are in bed together. Things are back to normal for me now…and DonnyG is here. Damn. No worries. There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be. I have 3 more nights. I am afraid if I go to sleep, I will wake up and this will have all been a dream. We fall asleep in each other’s arms…
I wake up the next morning to kisses on my neck and whispers in my ear. I really AM still here!!!
Posted: Wed 21st Jan 2009 07:50 pm
Part 8:
Let’s get this straight: Sterling Airlines DID go out of business, right? Right.
Three more days in Amsterdam. Three more days with Bong…
***Disclaimer***
Here is a taste of what some have been waiting for…If you can’t handle this…skip it and start at the next ***
The following is rated R
You have been warned…
Did I mention I am an early riser? I think I did. If not, well, I am an early riser. In my life I have not met many other early risers such as myself. Being awakened by neck kisses and whispers is a new sensation. There IS no better way to be awakened...at least not many more… Soon the tender kisses become more feverish as we break into a mad case of the Romans and the Russians….lol…remember that?? “Roamin’ hands and rushin’ fingers”… All the while we have to be quiet. DonnyG is only about 3 feet away. Keep the blankets on too…I almost don’t even care. Almost. DonnyG is waking up. Just like two sneaky teenagers we pretend to be asleep. DonnyG gets up and goes to the bathroom for a shower. Back to business. It is really the first time we have seen each other without the layers and layers of warm clothing we have been wearing for the past week. Both of us are above average—way above average, in fact—in places where it is desirable to be above average…nudgenudgewinkwink… I could go on and on, but…
…There are coffeeshops to visit, and weed, hash and terminator to be smoked…
C’mon…that’s all you get…the rest is for me to know and you to fantasize about...
***Start here if you can’t handle it…
We all get ready to begin the day. All the NASA gear is stowed in bags, bodies are bundled and all the smokeables are accounted for. Breakfast is eaten at a bagel store…a nice one too. (Too bad I don’t remember the name of it…) I order a toasted bagel with cream cheese. When the bagel is given to me, I am grossed out by the baseball-sized blob of cream cheese globbed on top (eww….WAY too much….seriously enough for at least 3 bagels). DonnyG impresses the entire place by ordering and eating TWO bagel sandwiches. Workin’ up quite an appetite, I suppose…We make plans to go to Haarlem for the day. Yay! I am excited! I have never been there! After changing my US-dollars-once-saved-for-Danish-Krone into Euros, we were ready to have some fun. Once we get on the train, Bong realizes that Zandvoort is just up the line. DonnyG wants to see the North Sea…so do I! So it is.
The train pulls up to the station…end of the line. Tom-Tom has already been pre-programmed with nearly every coffeeshop imaginable. Bong leads the way to our first stop: Coffeeshop La Paz. As we walk through the brick streets I notice that there are not that many people around. It is nearly deserted. I think there’d be more activity on a Saturday… Suddenly we hear bells, church bells, I imagine. It is not like the church bells where I live. These bells are not just ringing, they are actually playing…an entire song…for what seems like 5 full minutes, at least! It is surreal. Zandvoort has theme music. Cool. This place is awesome!
We arrive at Coffeeshop La Paz. The décor inside reminds me of a swanky little night club…like something Ricky Ricardo would own… The red and green lights are low inside and there are no windows, so it seems like night. I think the carpet is also red…or maybe I just made that up…The walls have painted scenery depicting a seaside village in Mexico (?) and there are big plants everywhere…or else they were just painted on the walls and I was too stoned to realize the difference…There is the bar area on one side of an open wall and a lounge area on the other side. In the middle of the lounge area is a pool table. There are overstuffed couches and chairs (again I am remembering the color red..) surrounding their own coffee tables, like several mini living rooms. Some of the couch areas are adorned with tiki umbrellas. This really gives the feel of being outside on a beach. (La Paz!) Everything is nice too…not like thrift-store furniture. A flat panel TV is playing Japanese soft porn…(at least that’s what it looks like to me…). Drinks are purchased and smoking begins as the usual conversation melts the mind and we explode in peals of laughter. Terminated. As the Japanese soft-porn star continues along with her plight and a couple of cute local girls play pool, we finish our drinks, gather our smoke and then head out for Coffee Shop Yanks.
Wow! This place is huge! Three levels, including the bathrooms downstairs. Through the windows of the red (!) brick building I can see is teepees. Teepees!!! (Their logo IS a Native American warrior…) The inside is like a museum filled with Native American décor. (So is my bedroom, so I love this!) Those teepees spied from outside? There are tables and chairs nestled inside them! Cool… We look at the menu and Bong gets some hasj for us. (Luv that spelling…) Smoking is on the top floor so we get drinks and climb the stairs. Once upstairs, the Native American theme continues. There are also two pool tables here. Lots of tables too; this place could hold TONS of people. We choose our spot and commence the smoke out. Some people arrive and play pool. Eventually both pool tables are being used. The table closest to us is being used by two guys straight from the Village People. The leather-clad, chaps-wearin’ biker from the Village People, to be specific. One of them is checking out our own DonnyG. I choose not to tell DonnyG and just enjoy the show. My bad. (I can see why islandgurl was so amused earlier…) Anyways…the view from up here is fabulous. I love the rooftops. I have read that this place is great during warm weather as you can sit outside on the patio at umbrella-covered tables. It is also really close to the beach, which, conveniently, is our next destination.
Now I know where all the people are. It is not crowded by any stretch of the imagination, but it is busy. We walk straight to the water. There is a huge lookout area with a view of the entire beach. DonnyG wants to go to the water. Bong and I stand on the stairs and let him walk down. Off he goes…when he reaches the water, he bends down, puts his hands in the water and wets his face. Then, in true DonnyG fashion, he decides to dry his hands with sand. It doesn’t work too well. He comes back with his hands covered in sand, wondering what just happened. Lol… Terminated.
Then, as if the universe didn’t want us to forget our romance, we are privy to a gorgeous sunset. Sunsets and Bong. I swear I’m not making this stuff up! OMG. Zandvoort is so beautiful, a quaint little European seaside village. The photographer in me is having a field day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams ... 019587503/
Since we haven’t been to Haarlem yet, we head to the train station for our next stop. We get situated on the train and the ride begins. The conductor comes in to get our tickets. Remember how I said we were originally going to Haarlem? Our tickets were for Haarlem. We are in Zandvoort. When he looks at them, he gets so pissed at us. He starts questioning DonnyG, who has no idea what’s happening. The conductor tells us he is going to charge us 105 Euros….35 for each of us. He is almost yelling and the little vein some people have on their forehead is pulsating like a scene from the movie Scanners. I am squirming in my seat from nerves, DonnyG doesn’t know what to do, and Bong is just sitting casually in his seat watching it all unfold. He tells the conductor we missed our stop and, besides, we don’t have that kind of money. The vein-popping conductor takes our tickets, tears them up in front of us and throws them in the garbage can between our seats. He tells us we’d better get off in Haarlem, or else….then he leaves. (I realize we were wrong…but it was still kinda funny…in a nerve-wracking kind of way.) When the train stops in Haarlem, we exit the car and beeline for Willie Wortels Sativa.
This place is different than other places I’ve been to. There is a turnstyle to get inside the seating area. (Actually, I think there was one at Yanks, too…??) It seems like there are lots of young kids here. I’m sure they are all 18…or whatever the youngest legal age is…they sure LOOK young…the place has a strange vibe…not quite as laid-back and relaxing as the other places. Maybe it is the buzzkill given to me by that conductor. We don’t stay long. Hunger is beginning to set in and there is this pizza place in Amsterdam screaming our names…
Our long day is coming to a close as many of the other ones have, at Basjoe. After a smoke, or two, or three, or…who am I kidding?...I now want something sweeeeeet. DonnyG wants to stay at Basjoe, so Bong and I go to the pastry shop and pick up our deadly weapon of choice: I get a cream puff, he gets a cinnamon roll and I get DonnyG a chocolate-dipped waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. (Much better to eat vicariously through him…). After we eat and our insulin is through the roof, the walk to the hotel is a welcome activity. The cold? Not so much… But I know it will soon be warm. Indeed.
Let’s get this straight: Sterling Airlines DID go out of business, right? Right.
Three more days in Amsterdam. Three more days with Bong…
***Disclaimer***
Here is a taste of what some have been waiting for…If you can’t handle this…skip it and start at the next ***
The following is rated R
You have been warned…
Did I mention I am an early riser? I think I did. If not, well, I am an early riser. In my life I have not met many other early risers such as myself. Being awakened by neck kisses and whispers is a new sensation. There IS no better way to be awakened...at least not many more… Soon the tender kisses become more feverish as we break into a mad case of the Romans and the Russians….lol…remember that?? “Roamin’ hands and rushin’ fingers”… All the while we have to be quiet. DonnyG is only about 3 feet away. Keep the blankets on too…I almost don’t even care. Almost. DonnyG is waking up. Just like two sneaky teenagers we pretend to be asleep. DonnyG gets up and goes to the bathroom for a shower. Back to business. It is really the first time we have seen each other without the layers and layers of warm clothing we have been wearing for the past week. Both of us are above average—way above average, in fact—in places where it is desirable to be above average…nudgenudgewinkwink… I could go on and on, but…
…There are coffeeshops to visit, and weed, hash and terminator to be smoked…
C’mon…that’s all you get…the rest is for me to know and you to fantasize about...
***Start here if you can’t handle it…
We all get ready to begin the day. All the NASA gear is stowed in bags, bodies are bundled and all the smokeables are accounted for. Breakfast is eaten at a bagel store…a nice one too. (Too bad I don’t remember the name of it…) I order a toasted bagel with cream cheese. When the bagel is given to me, I am grossed out by the baseball-sized blob of cream cheese globbed on top (eww….WAY too much….seriously enough for at least 3 bagels). DonnyG impresses the entire place by ordering and eating TWO bagel sandwiches. Workin’ up quite an appetite, I suppose…We make plans to go to Haarlem for the day. Yay! I am excited! I have never been there! After changing my US-dollars-once-saved-for-Danish-Krone into Euros, we were ready to have some fun. Once we get on the train, Bong realizes that Zandvoort is just up the line. DonnyG wants to see the North Sea…so do I! So it is.
The train pulls up to the station…end of the line. Tom-Tom has already been pre-programmed with nearly every coffeeshop imaginable. Bong leads the way to our first stop: Coffeeshop La Paz. As we walk through the brick streets I notice that there are not that many people around. It is nearly deserted. I think there’d be more activity on a Saturday… Suddenly we hear bells, church bells, I imagine. It is not like the church bells where I live. These bells are not just ringing, they are actually playing…an entire song…for what seems like 5 full minutes, at least! It is surreal. Zandvoort has theme music. Cool.
This place is awesome! We arrive at Coffeeshop La Paz. The décor inside reminds me of a swanky little night club…like something Ricky Ricardo would own… The red and green lights are low inside and there are no windows, so it seems like night. I think the carpet is also red…or maybe I just made that up…The walls have painted scenery depicting a seaside village in Mexico (?) and there are big plants everywhere…or else they were just painted on the walls and I was too stoned to realize the difference…There is the bar area on one side of an open wall and a lounge area on the other side. In the middle of the lounge area is a pool table. There are overstuffed couches and chairs (again I am remembering the color red..) surrounding their own coffee tables, like several mini living rooms. Some of the couch areas are adorned with tiki umbrellas. This really gives the feel of being outside on a beach. (La Paz!) Everything is nice too…not like thrift-store furniture. A flat panel TV is playing Japanese soft porn…(at least that’s what it looks like to me…). Drinks are purchased and smoking begins as the usual conversation melts the mind and we explode in peals of laughter. Terminated. As the Japanese soft-porn star continues along with her plight and a couple of cute local girls play pool, we finish our drinks, gather our smoke and then head out for Coffee Shop Yanks.
Wow! This place is huge! Three levels, including the bathrooms downstairs. Through the windows of the red (!) brick building I can see is teepees. Teepees!!! (Their logo IS a Native American warrior…) The inside is like a museum filled with Native American décor. (So is my bedroom, so I love this!) Those teepees spied from outside? There are tables and chairs nestled inside them! Cool… We look at the menu and Bong gets some hasj for us. (Luv that spelling…) Smoking is on the top floor so we get drinks and climb the stairs. Once upstairs, the Native American theme continues. There are also two pool tables here. Lots of tables too; this place could hold TONS of people. We choose our spot and commence the smoke out. Some people arrive and play pool. Eventually both pool tables are being used. The table closest to us is being used by two guys straight from the Village People. The leather-clad, chaps-wearin’ biker from the Village People, to be specific. One of them is checking out our own DonnyG. I choose not to tell DonnyG and just enjoy the show. My bad. (I can see why islandgurl was so amused earlier…) Anyways…the view from up here is fabulous. I love the rooftops. I have read that this place is great during warm weather as you can sit outside on the patio at umbrella-covered tables. It is also really close to the beach, which, conveniently, is our next destination.
Now I know where all the people are. It is not crowded by any stretch of the imagination, but it is busy. We walk straight to the water. There is a huge lookout area with a view of the entire beach. DonnyG wants to go to the water. Bong and I stand on the stairs and let him walk down. Off he goes…when he reaches the water, he bends down, puts his hands in the water and wets his face. Then, in true DonnyG fashion, he decides to dry his hands with sand. It doesn’t work too well. He comes back with his hands covered in sand, wondering what just happened. Lol… Terminated.
Then, as if the universe didn’t want us to forget our romance, we are privy to a gorgeous sunset. Sunsets and Bong. I swear I’m not making this stuff up! OMG. Zandvoort is so beautiful, a quaint little European seaside village. The photographer in me is having a field day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvtickams ... 019587503/
Since we haven’t been to Haarlem yet, we head to the train station for our next stop. We get situated on the train and the ride begins. The conductor comes in to get our tickets. Remember how I said we were originally going to Haarlem? Our tickets were for Haarlem. We are in Zandvoort. When he looks at them, he gets so pissed at us. He starts questioning DonnyG, who has no idea what’s happening. The conductor tells us he is going to charge us 105 Euros….35 for each of us. He is almost yelling and the little vein some people have on their forehead is pulsating like a scene from the movie Scanners. I am squirming in my seat from nerves, DonnyG doesn’t know what to do, and Bong is just sitting casually in his seat watching it all unfold. He tells the conductor we missed our stop and, besides, we don’t have that kind of money. The vein-popping conductor takes our tickets, tears them up in front of us and throws them in the garbage can between our seats. He tells us we’d better get off in Haarlem, or else….then he leaves. (I realize we were wrong…but it was still kinda funny…in a nerve-wracking kind of way.) When the train stops in Haarlem, we exit the car and beeline for Willie Wortels Sativa.
This place is different than other places I’ve been to. There is a turnstyle to get inside the seating area. (Actually, I think there was one at Yanks, too…??) It seems like there are lots of young kids here. I’m sure they are all 18…or whatever the youngest legal age is…they sure LOOK young…the place has a strange vibe…not quite as laid-back and relaxing as the other places. Maybe it is the buzzkill given to me by that conductor. We don’t stay long. Hunger is beginning to set in and there is this pizza place in Amsterdam screaming our names…
Our long day is coming to a close as many of the other ones have, at Basjoe. After a smoke, or two, or three, or…who am I kidding?...I now want something sweeeeeet. DonnyG wants to stay at Basjoe, so Bong and I go to the pastry shop and pick up our deadly weapon of choice: I get a cream puff, he gets a cinnamon roll and I get DonnyG a chocolate-dipped waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. (Much better to eat vicariously through him…). After we eat and our insulin is through the roof, the walk to the hotel is a welcome activity. The cold? Not so much… But I know it will soon be warm. Indeed.
Posted: Wed 21st Jan 2009 09:37 pm
Is DonnyG only finding out about this through the trip report now? hahaha.
Keep it up, you still got some more days to go
Keep it up, you still got some more days to go
Posted: Thu 22nd Jan 2009 02:09 am
um...yeah...lol..hit that one perfect
Posted: Mon 26th Jan 2009 04:41 pm
DonnyG knew....he did "caught-us interrupt-us" twice...lol...SoulRider wrote:Is DonnyG only finding out about this through the trip report now? hahaha.
Keep it up, you still got some more days to go
Posted: Fri 1st May 2009 10:07 am
Nice to see STOMANCE is alive and kickin 
Posted: Fri 1st May 2009 11:41 am
Just re-reading that, i have a comment to make....luvtick wrote:Part 7:
The next couple of days are spent roaming the city, falling in love. I cannot believe I am with someone with the exact same agenda as my own: coffeeshops first and whatever happens after that is gravy. (Plus I think he likes me too…)
You cannot believe that you have found a man that wants to spend all his time primarily in a coffeeshop?
I know hundreds of them. What I don't know, is any single females who feel the same way. I am sure that Bong was really the one who struck lucky with finding someone with the same agenda