DOOG DOES DAM
I can understand this Doog. I found myself wondering wtf is was doing spending a shit load of money, being away from my wife and kids, using up my annual leave from work and getting myself completely and utterly wasted from straight after brealfast for two whole days in Amsterdam.Doog wrote:It just all became like a routine where I was getting up and doing the same stuff at the same time. It was like I was an auto pilot the whole time.
I realised after the trip just how nice it was to be there with the; no worries or hassles, just go with the flo vibe. Very mellowing with no need for negative vibes. No interuptions (phone calls)... absolutely nothing to do except chill and enjoy.... you can do all of this with a mate too, you just end up talking bollocks and laughing shit loads. perfect really.
I can only agree (and I did mention this to you in a PM) with the others with regard to traveling with a friend (or more) next time. I know what it's like to be stoned/high/wasted in public and alone, it does all feel a little freaky and at times the para freaky bits are more frequent and last longer than the good old funny bits.
Either way, you did have some good times and maybe from your perspective more bad times than good ? But, only focus on the positive parts of your trip when you think about it. Use any bad points as a learning curve for your next visit... maybe if you have this phylosaphy (sp), each time you go it will be better and better...
Rez
"I laughed so hard I nearly had a whitey"
Carla 4/21/2009
Carla 4/21/2009
I think the new political waves that are sweeping across Europe will affect the coffeeshops sooner rather than later.
Who would have thought that you can't go to your local pub (or any other pub/restaurant) and enjoy your drink and the company of your mates with a cigarette unless you want to stand outside (and leave your drink inside where you can't see it so anything could be happening to it).
This is happening in Scotland right now and it has been happening in Ireland and other parts of the world for a couple of years now.
I would be amazed if Amsterdam is able to carry on as normal.
The only form of separtion AT THE MOMENT is that a bar cannot also be a coffeeshop, so coffeeshops that sell alcohol are gonna have to built separate bar/coffeeshop areas or just do away with the bar or the coffeeshop altogether.
I think the changes being seen in the United Kingdom and USA will soon become relevant to more and more parts of the world.
Who would have thought that you can't go to your local pub (or any other pub/restaurant) and enjoy your drink and the company of your mates with a cigarette unless you want to stand outside (and leave your drink inside where you can't see it so anything could be happening to it).
This is happening in Scotland right now and it has been happening in Ireland and other parts of the world for a couple of years now.
I would be amazed if Amsterdam is able to carry on as normal.
The only form of separtion AT THE MOMENT is that a bar cannot also be a coffeeshop, so coffeeshops that sell alcohol are gonna have to built separate bar/coffeeshop areas or just do away with the bar or the coffeeshop altogether.
I think the changes being seen in the United Kingdom and USA will soon become relevant to more and more parts of the world.
Doog glad you made it home safe and in one piece. Good to see you didn't try to bring any back because that would have made the whole trip suck!! All in all the trip went well?? When are you planning your next one?? Next year around this time would be great, say 4/20/07!! Thanks for all your updates Doog, there were great. Hope you don't fade away from the board now that your back. Always enjoy your comments. AzLaker 
If you never do, you'll never know.
I second that my friend... Trust me, I know... the first week home it's like you've given up smoking or something... You dont really see much point in going mad on the forum or anything really, for me everything was just crap ! That is until you get over the fact that your visit has been and gone so you start planning the next one.AzLaker wrote:Hope you don't fade away from the board now that your back. Always enjoy your comments. AzLaker
We all know Doog and his maticulous (sp) planning.... give it a week, two max... fade away, I hope not and I don't think so.
Rez
Writing my reports kept a flame burning throughout the sad bit... and yes my day 3 final day is still in the making... about half way done.
"I laughed so hard I nearly had a whitey"
Carla 4/21/2009
Carla 4/21/2009
Great report Doog!!! I'm glad you enjoyed and it makes sense now that you were a little shaken when we met up (Fuckin' junkies). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Buddah's Sister and what I think was only a little bit more than a gram of Crystals. It's too bad we didn't get to hang for a little longer. Oh well, there's always next time around. 
If you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind. - JG
I really enjoyed reading about your trip Doog. I agree with AZLaker - you did right to not try to bring any hash or weed back with you. I know from experience that the paranoia ruins the return voyage, which, like you, doesn't stop me from thinking about trying it (or actually doing it).
What a great trip report. It really was the next best thing to being there. Thanks Man.
What a great trip report. It really was the next best thing to being there. Thanks Man.
One hell of an adventure!! and a great read too Doog. Wish I was around at the time to read the 'live' reports but enjoyed it all the same.
The super pollen stood out to me as that is always a favourite in my eyes; and I love the idea of 'the book' being held at the Nes coffeeshop - well done to all involved there.
Sorry to mention the junkie guy but I think most people who been to Amsterdam more than once has been hassled by one of the guys and the first time is definately intimidating (I bumped into the Kurt Cobain look-a-like chigusa was talking about last summer) but now I just laugh at the street sellers techniques and methods of 'advertising' their illegal products...and dare I say it, I would almost miss those "pssst" calls so known with the RLD dealers if I never heard them - all part of the story and a great one it sounded like from you, thanks for the time in writing the report.
The super pollen stood out to me as that is always a favourite in my eyes; and I love the idea of 'the book' being held at the Nes coffeeshop - well done to all involved there.
Sorry to mention the junkie guy but I think most people who been to Amsterdam more than once has been hassled by one of the guys and the first time is definately intimidating (I bumped into the Kurt Cobain look-a-like chigusa was talking about last summer) but now I just laugh at the street sellers techniques and methods of 'advertising' their illegal products...and dare I say it, I would almost miss those "pssst" calls so known with the RLD dealers if I never heard them - all part of the story and a great one it sounded like from you, thanks for the time in writing the report.
~ Is that a grinder in your pocket? ~
Doog, Don't worry yourself over missing the meetup. Tim, my bud from Boston, and I had arrived at De Dampkring about 45 min. early and Tim ended up drinking so many beers there we had to leave after an hour to get a meal before he got sloppy drunk. It wasn't until we were outside that I realised he was already that far gone. We ended up standing around by one of the canals while he tried to get his head clear enough to move on, which took most of another hour. So, you can rest assured you did not experience anything all that unique when you got too hammered to speak with Neuro and his wife. What you describe can be called a first timers experience. I went through a similar kind of thing on my first solo trip. Spending the afternoon in your room regrouping was probably the best thing you could have done at that point.
I would have tried to contact you while we were there except the hotel we were staying at did not provide a free internet connection and everytime I went to a shop with the internet I was too stoned to remember to logon. There was one thing that happened to us the first day that may interest some of the others on this forum. Our first stop on arrival was at Pink Floyd Umma Gumma where we met three guys from Scotland who were on their last day in town. When Tim asked them if they knew of any shops selling the Nepalese Temple Ball with the white opium crystals in it they told us to follow them. We walked over to Spuistraat and checked out Anyday, The Bulldog and finally Chocolata. At all three we were told that the police had been through that very morning and had removed all of the stock on hand to test for illegal hard drugs. It was at Chocolata where the girl behind the counter told us the most about it and she said the cops were specifically looking for the Temple Ball with the opium in it.
As it turns out, the police had been raiding a large number of shops around the country. In fact, when I went out to Zandvoort for the second week of my trip I was told that within the last year five of the seven coffeeshops in town had been closed by the police for a variety of reasons, the biggest being the sale of hard drugs. The only places left open in Zandvoort are La Paz and Yanks. This limited choice led me to go into Haarlem to see the Willy Wortels chain of shops. I must say, if you are in Amsterdam take the time to check out the shops in Haarlem, you will NOT be disappointed.
So Doog, don't let the negative aspects of your first trip weigh too heavy on you. Learn from the experience to make your next trip that much better. Great trip report.
I would have tried to contact you while we were there except the hotel we were staying at did not provide a free internet connection and everytime I went to a shop with the internet I was too stoned to remember to logon. There was one thing that happened to us the first day that may interest some of the others on this forum. Our first stop on arrival was at Pink Floyd Umma Gumma where we met three guys from Scotland who were on their last day in town. When Tim asked them if they knew of any shops selling the Nepalese Temple Ball with the white opium crystals in it they told us to follow them. We walked over to Spuistraat and checked out Anyday, The Bulldog and finally Chocolata. At all three we were told that the police had been through that very morning and had removed all of the stock on hand to test for illegal hard drugs. It was at Chocolata where the girl behind the counter told us the most about it and she said the cops were specifically looking for the Temple Ball with the opium in it.
As it turns out, the police had been raiding a large number of shops around the country. In fact, when I went out to Zandvoort for the second week of my trip I was told that within the last year five of the seven coffeeshops in town had been closed by the police for a variety of reasons, the biggest being the sale of hard drugs. The only places left open in Zandvoort are La Paz and Yanks. This limited choice led me to go into Haarlem to see the Willy Wortels chain of shops. I must say, if you are in Amsterdam take the time to check out the shops in Haarlem, you will NOT be disappointed.
So Doog, don't let the negative aspects of your first trip weigh too heavy on you. Learn from the experience to make your next trip that much better. Great trip report.
A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.
Yeah thanks. Didn't want to have a similar situation to what happened with Neuro and his wife. It was, a matter of fact, my third trip but I suppose it must have looked like I was a first timer or certainly not any serious sort of smoker anyway.bb420 wrote:So Doog, don't let the negative aspects of your first trip weigh too heavy on you. Learn from the experience to make your next trip that much better. Great trip report.
Damn those bars Valo, glad you enjoyed reading my reports. Not up to the same standard as yours that I have read, especially in terms of places visited and buds/hash smoked. I just didn't realise beforehand how much my lack of any smoke since November 2005 would affect me when I touched down in the Dam.
If I was going anywhere abroad again then Amsterdam would always be the first choice as I can do anything there that I can do in the more popular resorts in Spain and along the Med (with the added bonus of smoking).
I guess it was doing all the other things (apart from smoking) that would have contributed mostly to my downfall. After a few Cokes you really get sick of the sugar taste and you wanna be a man and drink a man's drink (Heineken, Gulpeneer, Amstel etc.)
I dug my own grave but I'm glad that I was able to dig myself out before the earth came down over me.
Doog - glad you had a nice trip. Suppose you'll be back at some point...
Re the voice after you passed customs - it has spoken to me too, but then I told it "rather bring nothing back than mess up a clean criminal record and maybe even spend time in jail"...
Re the junkie hassle. I tried it on my 2nd in A'dam in December and simply decided to get up early and get mashed og go home early... problem solved plus not so crowded places in the morning/early afternoon...
Re the voice after you passed customs - it has spoken to me too, but then I told it "rather bring nothing back than mess up a clean criminal record and maybe even spend time in jail"...
Re the junkie hassle. I tried it on my 2nd in A'dam in December and simply decided to get up early and get mashed og go home early... problem solved plus not so crowded places in the morning/early afternoon...
Man this topic sure has went further than I first thought it would.
Any holidays abroad in the future will be spent in Amsterdam as I can do anything there that can be done in any other tourist trap (plus a few things that can't), but I would probably consider going later in the year and would definitely consider staying in a place that is within walking distance of the museums. (the Rookies/Uptown Hotel was top of my list for the recent trip but was sold out by the time I got the money together).
I did quite a fair bit of walking during my trip (had to work off those huge hotel breakfasts and then would go for a walk to recover from one of my cones) but didn't really go anywhere or see anything. No doubt that the herb and hash did play a major part in restricting my movements and I did suffer from a lack of smoking before my trip.
Will definitely try to talk some mates into coming with me next time. They're not regular tokers either but they don't turn their noses up at it if it's available and they're always talking about going to Amsterdam at some point. (mainly for the RLD)
Any holidays abroad in the future will be spent in Amsterdam as I can do anything there that can be done in any other tourist trap (plus a few things that can't), but I would probably consider going later in the year and would definitely consider staying in a place that is within walking distance of the museums. (the Rookies/Uptown Hotel was top of my list for the recent trip but was sold out by the time I got the money together).
I did quite a fair bit of walking during my trip (had to work off those huge hotel breakfasts and then would go for a walk to recover from one of my cones) but didn't really go anywhere or see anything. No doubt that the herb and hash did play a major part in restricting my movements and I did suffer from a lack of smoking before my trip.
Will definitely try to talk some mates into coming with me next time. They're not regular tokers either but they don't turn their noses up at it if it's available and they're always talking about going to Amsterdam at some point. (mainly for the RLD)
Funny you should say that Laker, but last night I ran a little check on hotel rooms that would be available at that time next year and I have to say that I didn't get too many.AzLaker wrote:Doog, why don't you just make plans for next years 420 bash. You could come bring someone or hang out with some ACD members. You'll have a great time I promise you. AzLaker
That was on http://www.easytobook.com
The http://www.bookings.nl page only went as far as March next year so I guess I'll have to keep checking back there so that I can book myself a room as soon as they become available on the site.
4/20 would be the best possible time that I could go if i was to be going solo once again and it will remain in my thoughts until I am sure that it will not be possible for one reason or another.
Due to my comp being knackered i missed a whole lot on the forum so first of all. Great report doog and sorry to hear about the junkie incident. Everytime i went in or out of my hotel i was approached by 1 of these idiots. I tend to ignore them now. Sounds like you had a good time regardless.
Peace.
Peace.
pass the skins