Going For the Green in 2014: The Progress

[DRA]

Arriving, Safe and Sound:

My flights were all good. Even though we left Philadelphia 30 minutes late we still arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport an hour ahead of schedule.

I arranged for a ticket to Switzerland and then put my luggage in a self-serve locker at Centraal Station.

Since I was early and Voyager's was not yet open, I went to Utopia with a first-timer couple I met on the plane. I ordered up the Amnesia Haze and Chuck ordered the Blue Dream. We each rolled a joint and then sampled each other's choice.

I went to Voyagers after parting company with the newbies I met on the plane, very nice folks. At Voyagers, I saw HighlyBlessed and made certain that my hotel reservations were secured for next week.

Looking at the menu, I could not resist the Lemon Bubble I had heard so much about. It's awesome!

I met James, a new budtender to me at Utopia and he's a right chilled out dude and helpful, plus later in the day when I went back to Utopia, I was very pleased that James turned me on to some music I had previously not heard. And it wasn't some tired, old reggae which gets way over-played in the coffeeshops.

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I am geting ready for some well deserved sleep because I have been up way too long, but I have kicked jet-lag's ass!

More updates to come as I am Going for the Green in 2014


.

[DedsOne]

Nice start

[gapie]

[DRA]

hey Stan... maybe I will see you on Monday.

[gapie]

ok

[DRA]

It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in Almere Haven where I spent the night at Els' Place. I slept like a stone after the long traveling day and staying awake for a day and a half in order to beat the jet-lag.

Nice upgrades and improvements have been implemented by Els since last year. Especially upgraded is the bathroom which now features all new tile and a new shower stall.

I am actually staying in a different room this year, one of the smaller rooms on the top floor but there is an electric water kettle, a microwave oven, a Senseo coffee maker and I have use of a refrigerator in the hallway as well as a computer and internet access in the room which I am using right now to update my post. Thanks Els!

I probably will not travel into Amsterdam today, making this a day of rest and recovery. I have planned to walk over to the Chillie Kiki coffeeshop a little later this afternoon and sample their offerings. I hope to be able to sit inside the lounge area there and shoot some video, if allowed.

I have started out my wake-n-bake session with the bit of left-over Lemon Bubble I picked up from Voyagers yesterday. This is some excellent herb and, I am enjoying it very much. I also still have a small bit of the Amnesia Haze which was my first purchase and smoke from Utopia yesterday morning. Thanks Utopia!

I didn't mention previously that I was lucky to see Ingi when I returned to Utopia yesterday afternoon, she was not there to work, only to relax and enjoy the company of others. It was great to see her and she recognized me from previous years and I was flattered. We talked a bit about the possible changes in the policies of coffeeshop regulation which may eventually force the closure of the shop but there is still time and many things could change to save the shop. So all hope is not lost.

I'll be updating this thread as regularly as I can during my trip so be sure to check back soon for more reports as I am Going for the Green in 2014!


.

[DRA]

Recharging the Batteries:

I have enjoyed this quiet day here in Almere Haven. It has been great to get a little rest and recovery as a way to energize myself for the rest of the trip now that I have my sleep schedule sorted out.

Earlier today I walked over to the Chillie Kiki coffeeshop and I purchased their Amnesia. It's a fine smoke, as expected. Let me explain again, that business at coffeeshops in Almere is different than business at coffeeshops in Amsterdam. First, no coffeeshop can open until 4pm on the weekdays and 2pm on weekends, after the kids are out of school. I guess that's a good thing, that way the kids can try to get into a coffeeshop after school rather than trying to do so during school. And trying is all they would do since there is someone at the entrance of the shop to check your ID before entering to assure that you are of legal age, 18 or older. Then you place your order at a window where you are given a pre-weighed bag of what you had requested.

Today at Chillie Kiki, I asked if I could go into the lounge and I was told I could go in and smoke a joint and then I had to be buzzed in. The lounge area is very nice, it's a relatively small space but it feels much bigger, there are only a couple of tables but there's a built-in nook area that is cushioned and comfortable and there is seating at the bar as well.

There were people in the lounge when I entered, they were all local folks as far as I could tell and they were all speaking Dutch. I took a seat at a table under the frosted front window and also ordered a Coca-Cola since I was thirsty from the walk. I sat and smoked my joint and drank my cola and then when the female bud tender was not busy I asked her if I could shoot some video inside the shop and I was told to ask the Turkish gentleman who was sitting in the nook. He asked me if I was going to post it on YouTube and I said yes and he said it was Ok, he even posed for the camera and then we sat and had a long conversation about many things but I learned that the Chillie Kiki coffeeshop is planning to remodel and expand a bit. Also, I was shown the results of some kind of online poll that ranked Chillie Kiki in the Top 10 coffeeshops in Netherlands. Why this shop has been overlooked by ACD is confusing to me, why is there no ACD page for this great little shop?

Also today, I remembered something that I observed while walking around Amsterdam yesterday. First, as I walked by Funny People, I noticed that the word "coffeeshop" is no longer on any of their signage and their green and white coffeeshop window sticker was not on display. Instead, the place is being billed as Funny People Snacks and Drinks and as a "Smoker Friendly" lounge. Now, I am no fan of Funny People but I also hate to see any coffeeshop go away, and apparently this one has.

I also noticed long lines at 2 different coffeeshops, the first one, as no surprise, was the Grey Area and the second one was Dampkring on Haarlemmerstraat, which I thought was odd, but it also looked like they had been besieged by a bus load of asian tourists.

I am planning to go into Amsterdam tomorrow. I want to get down to de Pijp area tomorrow and check out a few other coffeeshops and attractions. It is too bad there is no T-n-T planned for tomorrow because I would enjoy meeting any cool ACD folks who might be in towm. Anyway, I will be at Voyagers at some point tomorrow, probably in the afternoon.

More to come as I Am Going for the Green in 2014!


.

[banshee beat]

Thanks for the report so far DRA! If/when you do get to de pijp tomorrow, could you please find out what time Club Media opens- that is, if you're passing by or going in... Much appreciated!

[DRA]

Thanks for the report so far DRA! If/when you do get to de pijp tomorrow, could you please find out what time Club Media opens- that is, if you're passing by or going in... Much appreciated!

Sure! If I get by Club Media, I will make note of opening times and hours. Thanks for reading my entries. I appreciate the support!

Going for the Green in 2014!


.

[Rufus]

Nice report so far I think I need a wee holiday to Amsterdam....avoiding sushi this time

Enjoy the rest!

[steven]

Nice report, looking forward to reading the rest and joining up with friends next week

[DRA]

I am happy to report that I was wrong when I stated earlier that there was no ACD page for the Chillie Kiki coffeeshop.

I was pointed to the page that was created last year after my initial review in last year's travelogue. Thanks Lemming! Thanks EasilySuede!

Check out the page for Chillie Kiki coffeeshop right here: https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/chilliekiki.html

I'm flattered for being credited with the "discovery".

More to come as I am Going for the Green in 2014!


.

[danny211204]

nice reporting as allways m8 , I get into town Wednesday morning iam staying at voyagers so if your around come and have a smoke.

[DRA]

de Pijp:

It was a much cooler and more overcast day today than yesterday. The wind was especially chilly as I started out from Almere Haven this morning.

After arriving at Centraal Station, I took a tram down to Albert Cuypmarkt and took a look at the various offerings on display. As I was walking back after having reached the end of the market, it started to rain. Luckily for me, I was just around the corner from Club Media, so it was the perfect place to get in out of the wet and cold.

As I entered the shop, I noted that the opening time was 09:00 or 9 AM. I ordered up a gram of good old White Widow (for later) at €9.50 and then went into the lounge area which seemed much more comfortable and lounge-like than it did on my visit last year. There were several people in the smoking area and I noticed a gentleman was enjoying the use of the Volcano vaporizor

There is a service counter also in the lounge area which features barstool seating and that's where I ordered a Coca-Cola and some M&M's Peanut... sad substitute for the stroopwafel I wanted to get before the rain came.

The shop was busy with several additional customers as I sat there and observed. Some were buy and fly purchaeses and some people came into the lounge. The lighting was subdued so it was easy on the eyes. The music was mellow and at a reasonable volume but I could not recognize any artist.

I also dropped by Voyagers and picked up a little more of the Lemon Bubble because I enjoyed it so much from my Saturday purchase. I sat there and finished off that Amnesia while just enjoying the general vibe of the shop. Perhaps I became a little too self-absoorbed as I sat there and enjoyed my high... maybe I'm just paranoid.

I'm back in Almere Haven for the night. I must get all my gear together and ready for the trip to Switzerland tomorrow morning.

More reports and updates are coming soon so check back again because I am Going for the Green in 2014!


.

[Von Goat Weed]

Nice report dra