The time has come and I'm airport bound. My flight is not until late afternoon so no reason to rush. Nevertheless, I arrive at the airport early.
Since I was last here I've retired my little phone with its slide-out keyboard and replaced it with a big modern one with only a touch keyboard. Even though my old phone ran an early version of Android, I always used a tablet to connect to Bristol Airport's free wi-fi. This time I attempt to use my new phone. This proves to be a struggle but at least keeps me occupied while I'm waiting. At one point I even manage to piggyback onto someone's unsecured phone. Eventually the airport wi-fi springs back into life, showing that my phone was working all along.
A bit of chat on the forum, pint of beer, food. Time soon passes.
Phone off.
Short flight to Amsterdam Schiphol.
Switch phone back on. Then ...
Nothing!
More precisely it seems that my new phone hasn't connected itself to a local network in the way that my old one used to. I spend the entire journey into Centraal Station fighting with it. I try every network it can find but get rejected by all of them. This is slightly distressing because I need to contact the apartment owner to let her know I'm on my way.
Now in the city, I find a phone shop on Nieuwendijk and buy a 10 euro SIM card. A paperclip or suchlike is required to get the card out of my phone and the guy does this for me, fits the new card, tapes the old SIM to a larger card so I don't lose it and helps me get the new SIM activated. That works and I call my host. She says it will take her 20 minutes or so to get to the apartment so I head towards Plug Lounge for a cup of tea.
This will be my first visit to the new Lounge. Last time I was here the Plug coffeeshop was still Utopia and the Lounge didn't exist. I'm intrigued to see what it's like.
I turn from Nieuwendijk onto Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and immediately spot a familiar face walking towards me. It's Danny211204! He tells me he's just left a bunch of ACDers in the Plug Lounge. That's handy!
With this extra motivation I stride up the road and stumble into the Lounge with a large rucksack on my back and a small one on my front.
The Plug Lounge
Sat around a table just inside the door are Drugsbunny, Gapie, Matty223 and Smirks. Cool! We exchange greetings while I try to untangle myself from my luggage. I'm hoping the barman watching all of this from the far end of the room won't mind the clutter. The place is fairly empty and he appears to be smiling.
I get my cup of tea and passed various joints that put me firmly in an Amsterdam state of mind. Drugsbunny in particular feeds me something that blows me away. It's an intense start!
I pop next door to the Plug coffeeshop to make a quick first purchase, leaving my luggage in the Lounge.
The Plug Utopia coffeeshop
Looking down the menu I spot Citral, which I recall being rather good in Utopia last year, so I grab some of that. Returning to the Lounge I start searching in my rucksack for my portable vapes. Just then my phone rings. It seems that my apartment is ready.
The crew offer to look after my stash so I leave that on the table and strap both of my rucksacks back on. The apartment is just around the corner, next door to what used to be Doors Palace coffeeshop once upon a time (now Cafe Palace). When I get there the owner is waving out of a window high above.
Joining her involves climbing some proper Dutch stairs. These are possibly even more extreme than where I stayed last year. Not only steep flights of narrow steps, these ones go around bends! It's worth it though, at the top I find a very nice apartment.
My friends at Amsterdam Stay have done me proud again. This spacious apartment with three large windows overlooking Spuistraat is called 'Centre City'. The tray of papers, grinders and so on sitting in the middle of the table demonstrates that it's cannabis friendly.
Place looks satisfactory!
I explain to the apartment owner that I'm already stoned and that sensible conversation might be beyond me. She laughs but then mentions a slight issue that needs to be resolved. While she makes a series of phone calls, I admire the view out of the windows. Eventually she gets it all sorted and I extract the stuff I need from my rucksacks.
Camera around neck, vapes in pocket, pounds replaced with euros, I think I'm ready. Back to the Plug Lounge.
The gang are still here but it's busier now. They'd had to scoop up my paraphernalia and confine themselves to a single table. With my luggage out of the way, there's enough space for us now.
I'm trying out this newish vape, a Flytlab Lift. They sent it to me a while ago and I gave it a quick test but it's been lying around at home for months. Along with the Storm portable I bought a year or two ago, it's been gathering dust beside my Volcano. The Volcano is far too big to bring on a plane, though, so I've got the Storm and the Lift here.
I'm having a go with the Lift first. It's a bit fiddly to use because it only has a single light. The Storm's row of lights is more intuitive. It is much smaller and lighter than the Storm though. I'll soon get the hang of it.
One of its selling points is an unusually large capacity. The chamber doesn't look especially big but Gapie proves that the claim is justified. He fills it to overflowing! The Storm would block up if rammed like that but, fair play, the Lift copes remarkably well.
I'm supposed to be in Batavia later to meet anyone else around so I really need to get to an Albert Heijn to do some shopping and then get it back to the apartment.
Drugsbunny and I stroll up Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. As he's telling me about the back pain he's suffering with, we spot the full moon hanging over the New Church.
De Nieuwe Kerk
Drugsbunny peels off to get some rest and I carry on into the supermarket. It's an oddly laid out place but I eventually find most of the basics: tea, milk, Chocomel, etc. I'm far too stoned to remember what else I need and have slowed to a halt, daydreaming. Then I'm jerked back into the room by a member of staff saying "do you need help with anything?". I smile, assure her all's fine and look about. "It's just that we're closing." she says.
Needless to say, I'm a bit late getting to Batavia.
There's football on the TVs and looking around there's no sign of any ACDers. Not surprising really as I've already seen most of the people in town in the Plug Lounge. I have a quick pint and call it a night. Walking through town there seems to be football on everywhere. Ajax must be playing or something I guess.
4/20 is launched! I'm flying. I've seen several folks who've all obviously arrived safely and seem happy so it's all good. We've got big plans for tomorrow so I'll see you there.
doesn't mean I'll finish it before Christmas though!
