HUP HOLLAND!--Trip Report a.u.b.

[alstublieft]

HUP HOLLAND!

Well, I just got back from a great trip to Amsterdam. I stayed on Overtoom and very near Vondel Park and Leidseplein. It was wonderful to be in Europe during the World Cup and anyone there right now knows that its been a popular destination among World Cup fans and the days their team doesn't play. There were lots of Brasilians, Mexicans, Italians and, of course, English. The Dutch and De Oranje have a massive presence as well. Everyone and everything is decked out in orange. The flat across from my hotel room had orange banners and streamers--it was a great site to behold.

My Dutch colleagues bought me an Orange football jersey after the US team got knocked out and made me swear i'd cheer on Holland during the knock-out round--a promise i'll gladly keep.

Since I was by myself I didn't spend a lot of time in the coffeeshops. A lot of the time i'd buy some and take it back to my hotel to smoke after I finished working. Smoking alone is always a bit awkward to me so many times I would smoke in the coffeeshop and just feel like leaving to get some fresh air rather than sit there alone.

Here are some highlights of the bud I smoked.

Kashmir Lounge--First shop I went to and bought 2 gm of Silver Haze for Euro$12. The shop was dark and dank and I didn't feel very comfortable there. I bought my weed and went back to my room. I had a bit of jetlag and didn't feel like getting out so I smoked some of the Haze. A great smoke and very potent. Great taste and a nice cure made this one of the top smokes I had on this trip.

Coffeeshop Tweedy--Stopped in after a run in Vondel Park. Got some Hawaiian Haze which was not impressive and don't think even got me high.

Grey Area--The usual; Great Mist and some Grey Area Chrystals. Superb smoke and excellent staff. A classic, must-visit coffeeshop and smoke.

Dampkring--Cool shop and nice staff. Got 1gm of NYC Diesel and 1gm of Moonshine hash for Euro$32 (The hash was $22). Nice smoke but I felt the bud had been dekiffed in a shaker and that it was not very potent. Only hit Dampkring once this trip because I was pissed about the poor bud.

Global Chillage--Really became one of my favorites on this trip. The atmosphere is great and the staff is kind and stays out of your way. The music was good and the seating was excellent. The Bud was great, too. I never had tried the Bubblegum strain and what I had at GC was excellent. A superb smoke on par with any other top coffeeshop in Amsterdam. It was probably the best smoke of the trip. The Shiva was great, too.

De Tweede Kamer--Excellent shop with wonderful gear. Had the Oceans 11 and Kali Mist Haze on first stop. Both were Euro$11/gm or so. Both were great smokes and great stones. Next trip I got Rifman Noor Hash 1gm Euro$11 and the top indica on their menu (I can't remember the name). Great smokes and excellent staff/shop. A true classic

I hit many more shops but these were my best experiences. I took lots of pictures so I'll follow up this thread with a few.

Great trip to the city I love!

[mazdog]

thanks for sharing your findings!

sounds like you had a great time...except for the "work"

[alstublieft]

It was a bit of a downer to go to the RLD while I was there. The RLD is just overrun with conmen and theives. The trams were bad, too, when they were crowded. Lot more pickpockets in town now (or so it seems) than there were before. The street dealers are pushier than ever and the beggars were terrible. Luckily I don't ever spend too much time in the RLD but its not a place I feel safe with a backpack, electronic gear (camera, laptop etc...), or lots of money.

I caught two kids trying to get into my backpack on the tram. I also got a lot more warnings about pickpockets on this trip than i've ever had before. I saw an older English couple get robbed right in front of Oud Kerk (across from Old Church coffeeshop) and they even slapped the old woman to the ground and stole her jewelry.

I still had a great trip and didn't let these silly instances to ruin my trip. I just felt a bit sad that the RLD had come to such ends. I will say that the improvements in the area are nice. They've rebuilt and repaved many parts of the canals and canal walls in the RLD vicinity and also repaved streets/sidewalks. Nice upgrades.

[AzLaker]

Thanks for your report. Will check out Global Chillage on our next visit in December. AzLaker

[Doog]

I suppose the increase in tourists will no doubt bring an increase in opportunities for the opportunists among the population.

The street mugging in front of you must have been hard to watch and it really is sad that Amsterdam has turned this way at this time.

I had read before previous trips about the pickpockets and scammers on trams and, as I also travelled alone, I decided not to set foot on one and only to go to places that were within reasonable walking distance of my accommodation.

I stuck to that plan, and also avoided the RLD altogether but these guys like to spread out from time to time.

Good to see that you managed to rise above it all and have a good trip even if the hash/weed wasn't very good.

[Boner]

No offence but only mugs get mugged nowadays, I've travelled all over Amsterdam on the trams and have never come across any pickpockets, yes the kids will try and get in your rucksack in shops like Jammin but a quick 'fuck off' gets rid pretty quickly (i always use a lock on my rucksack nowadays anyway) I wonder if the street mugging you witnessed was just that or one of those elaborate plans that gangs use to get tourists to help the mugged person and while doing so gets themselved mugged.

You say you thought the buds at Dampkring might have been shaken but you didn't mention anything about shaken buds at Tweede Kamer and seeing that they are owned by the same people I'd of thought you'd of gotten shaken buds there. (although growers tell me you'd know if you had shaken buds due to the shaking process literally rips the buds apart and you end up with crumbs)

Doog Greenhouse Centrum is in the heart of what I would class as the RLD.

[Doog]

Doog Greenhouse Centrum is in the heart of what I would class as the RLD.

I always thought the RLD was in the area where you've got the three floor Grasshopper shop and Baba across the street etc etc

What a plonker

[Boner]

Doog Greenhouse Centrum is in the heart of what I would class as the RLD.

I always thought the RLD was in the area where you've got the three floor Grasshopper shop and Baba across the street etc etc

What a plonker

No need to be embarrassed mate, if any city is going to confuse anyone then it'll be Amsterdam, take a look at the ACD map here if you look at the 2 canals Oudezijds Voorburgwal & Oudezijds Achterburgwal thats what I'd generally call the RLD.

[alstublieft]

No offence but only mugs get mugged nowadays, I've travelled all over Amsterdam on the trams and have never come across any pickpockets, yes the kids will try and get in your rucksack in shops like Jammin but a quick 'fuck off' gets rid pretty quickly (i always use a lock on my rucksack nowadays anyway) I wonder if the street mugging you witnessed was just that or one of those elaborate plans that gangs use to get tourists to help the mugged person and while doing so gets themselved mugged.

You say you thought the buds at Dampkring might have been shaken but you didn't mention anything about shaken buds at Tweede Kamer and seeing that they are owned by the same people I'd of thought you'd of gotten shaken buds there. (although growers tell me you'd know if you had shaken buds due to the shaking process literally rips the buds apart and you end up with crumbs)

Doog Greenhouse Centrum is in the heart of what I would class as the RLD.

The people who got mugged were not "mugs" as you put it. They were kind and surely good people and I don't think anyone deserves that type of treatment. The streets should be safe enough to not have to worry about that. The people were old and English--hardly the accomplices of the RLD youth scammers/theives/cretins and I helped another guy stop the attack. My point was that for people travelling alone or with valuable (which most tourists are), they can easily become targets. I read 3 editions of The Times while I was there and each one had stories about the increase of crime in the RLD, Dam Square and even Spui.

I don't care enough about the weed situation between Dampkring and Tweede Kamer to debate about it. The buds I got at Dampkring looked shaken and were, in fact, "crumbled". It might have just been the strain and the batch they were on but I was just giving a review of the poor product that I got--Nothing more, nothing less. I got whole, dense buds at Tweede Kamer.

[alstublieft]

I suppose the increase in tourists will no doubt bring an increase in opportunities for the opportunists among the population.

The street mugging in front of you must have been hard to watch and it really is sad that Amsterdam has turned this way at this time.

I had read before previous trips about the pickpockets and scammers on trams and, as I also travelled alone, I decided not to set foot on one and only to go to places that were within reasonable walking distance of my accommodation.

I stuck to that plan, and also avoided the RLD altogether but these guys like to spread out from time to time.

Good to see that you managed to rise above it all and have a good trip even if the hash/weed wasn't very good.

Cheers...

The attack totally sucked but I didn't let it get me too down. I just grew eyes in the back of my head while I was in the RLD and tried not to look stoned.

I know what you mean about spreading out. There were a lot of scammers in the afternoon in Dam Square. The walkways and streets between Warmgesstraat and Oud Kerk and Damstraat were always full of thugs trying to rip people off.

The RLD is so much funner when you're with a few friends.

[Doog]

Yeah, certainly won't be going to Amsterdam on my own again knowing that I will spend the majority of the time on my own.

Dam Square is Club Med for those seeking to take advantage of the unwary visitor.

Roll on 04/20/07. Very very much looking forward to putting faces to names and hopefully spending the majority of the time as part of a group.

[AzLaker]

Doog wrote;

Roll on 04/20/07. Very very much looking forward to putting faces to names and hopefully spending the majority of the time as part of a group.

I don't think you'll have a problem there Doog. I went by myself last year, didn't have any problems finding someone to hang with. You'll be in good shape. Look forward to meeting you next year. AzLaker

[Valo]

Nice report alstublieft even though there were some down points by the sound of it. I have been once by myself with another solo trip coming up next month - although you don't get the experience of sharing the excitment with a friend, I see an advantage in that you have to make an effort to talk to people otherwise you will have a lonely time. I admit to being more of a quiet person for real but talking to random stoners/tourists/locals/workers is all part of the experience for me.

I also like spending a lot of time wandering the streets of the RLD at all late hours on pretty much all my trips, with friends or mainly by myself window shopping and have never felt intimidated; I just try and look confident in my surroundings - the gobby drunken tourists (mostly English) bother me more to be honest!

I would have said that the Greenhouse Centrum is just on the outside of the RLD......but then again, I guess I should look further than red lights!!

[Space Boy]

Nice report alstublieft.

With regards to the NYC Diesel from Dampkring, it's been getting some negative reviews on here as late but I sampled some in April and thought it was top notch. Go figure.

Bit of a shitter that there seems to be an increase in petty crime out there. But I've always considered Dam to be one of the safer places I've ever visited. Safer than, say, central London. The heroin dealers and beggers are a pain but I just ignore them and they get the message.

Never experienced pickpocketing or muggings. Though muggers, being the human excrement they are, go for the easiest of victims and two elderly Brits would certainly fit that bill.

For the record the only violence I've ever seen out there were two pimps/ganster types knocking seven bells out of each other. One using a stool the other his fists. And some local 'hard nuts' randomly picking on a homeless guy only to come very unstuck when a mix of locals and tourisits went to the guys vigorous defence. I'd see far worse walking through my home town center on an average Friday/Saturday night.

[alstublieft]

I said i'd post pictures so here is a fat joint I rolled after breakfast and a shower (and before heading to the Van Gogh museum).

The joint and weed below it are from De Tweede Kamer and are Kali Mist Haze (in the sack) and Ocean's 11. The other sack is Grey Mist Chrystals from Grey Area.

Had some really wonderful joints while I was there.