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Monday, November 23, 2009

It's a cold morning wind

its mornin here in Leiden... mostly cloudy and the sun has yet to rise.. theres a slight shimmer on the horizon... The wind is fierce and strong, with a bite that tells you winter is coming...
I'm enjoying the early morning alone...smoked a j outside in the cold and now i'm inside puffing on the iolite vape....
Sinterklaas came to town on saturday. Such a gathering of families and kids to see this character with his Zwarte Piet helpers (black pete) It was a massive event.
I decided to start this blog to post some of the past stories and current ramblings of an American Cannabis connoisseur in The Netherlands. I'm closing in on my first year here in this unique country.. with such liberal laws on Cannabis, but it's impossible to buy a bottle of Nyquil!. A flat land where bicycles rule and the roads wind in every direction.


It'll be a busy day of classes and research. But i'll probably make time for a trip to the coffeeshop... perhaps play some chess or cards... Life is good


peace all,
Hippy

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Turkish delight and architectural marvels in Rotterdam

This past thursday was my anniversary with my other half. We've been together 9 years... quite a while for people as young as us... We decided to book a one day trip to Rotterdam to see the city. Actually she found this crazy turkish/middle eastern themed hotel that she really wanted to go to...
it's called the Hotel Bazar and I'd highly recommend it. The rates are a quite good... they start at 75 for a double... ours was a bit more at 115, but still a nice splurge. The rooms are lavishly decorated with crazy intricate rugs and tiles. It was an awesome experience...

www.bazarrotterdam.nl

Check it out.
The restaurant is really good as well. and the portion sizes are gigantic.

We set out the first evening and I ask if we could make a quick stop at a coffeeshop. She isn't a smoker, but is alright with me partaking.

We head on over to the Coffeeshop Sky High http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/SkyHigh.html
and I roll up to the counter... They have A few weed choices, Edelweiss, white widow, bubbelgum, and amnesia. A few hashes as well.

I opted for a 15 euro bag of bubbelgum.. which was about 2.2 grams. The buds are really nice.... very tightly packed......

we settled in and I rolled a joint... smoked it and we peaced out... not the most hospitable coffeeshop... a little dark and smokey (not well ventilated)

The taste is quite nice... definitely has a smooth hit... sweet tinge to the taste... The high is quite strong, but not overwhelming.... and it's a bit of a forgetful weed.... numerous times I had to repeat myself and ask again... hehe...

The next day I ran sober, just to enjo eachothers company.... we wandered around the city finding all kinds of crazy art and architecture. if your into buildings and crazy architecture... I'd definitely recommend going to Rotterdam. Being that it's so new, there are numerous examples of really out there designs... I'll get some pics up too...


I'd recommend the Architecture Institute... It is an incredible modern museum and showcases the crazy buildings in the city...

After a long day of walking around teh city, we head back home.... I decide to go out to the bar to meet my buddy Noah. He's another american living in Leiden... studying just like me... So we chill out and play a few games of chess... He had the remnants of a 5 gram bag of No.1 from The Double AA in Leiden... a nice heavy indica for relatively cheap... he paid 30 for 5 grams... 6 euro a gram.... not bad... we roll up some moster fatties and spark up

(it's a little bar next to the Leidseplein where some days you can smoke in the whole bar... other days theres a little smoking room where you can smoke weed/cigs)

twas a fun night.. excellent weekend,


peace and happy toking!
Hippy




Sunday, October 4, 2009

The harvest is IN!!

So i must admit I've raved on here numerous times about my favorite shop, the Leidseplein but with good reason, their cannabis is primo and i have yet another example.

I've been smoking the Northern lights special for some time, and though it's a good smoke, some batches are a bit too airy and under developed... they're the Indoor grow from what I've found out. They also have Northern Lights Bio (which means grown in soil) and perhaps outdoors... although I don't know for sure... In any case they've been out of the Bio for a few weeks and I hadn't tried much of it... but to my pleasant surprise they have a wonderful new harvest!

the buds are tightly compacted and full of lovely yellow hairs and tons of white crystals... the smell is heavenly... a very piney aroma with an almost fresh hint of lemon...

Hitting it in the vape gives an interesting flavor. at first when it's heating up there is a slight woody musky flavor, but once the moisture is out the piney goodness just seeps in there...


The heavy high is clear thinking, with a body effect, but not fully debilitating... I don't get too much couch lock with this... it's a great smoke to ride on down the road to the park... or sit in and relax

gotta say my new favorite strain... I'll be buying a lot
here's some pics!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Life's been far too busy lately to give a really long and intricate update...
Right now I'm sitting in the library trying to wrap my brain around the influence of Post Modernism on Archaeological theory..........

yeah... it's a pain in the ass to say the least. I've been using my iolite vape pretty much exclusively for the past week or so... Gotta say it's a life saver.... I use MUUUUCH less weed and still get incredibly high.... Here I could easily go through an eighth in a day rolling joints... now it takes nearly a week for the same amount of weed.... now that's the wonders of technology eh? getting us higher for less!


I'm hopefully planning another trip into amsterdam one of these weekends... I need to clear my mind of all this extraneous academic jargon and have a simple, peaceful day....

I've been practicing my guitar work and associated harmonica ramblings... I hope to find a good street and Busk for a bit.... just for the hell of it... something to do eh? so if you see a funny looking guy with a guitar, harmonica and a seriously glazed look in his eyes.... playing "Piano man" on the guitar.....that could be me!


anyone elseo have experience with busking in the Dam? perhaps if i make a little cash it can fund my cannabis


peace all
hippy

Monday, August 31, 2009

it's been a week since my loved one has made it over from the States and oh what a week it's been!


The day I heard that she had been accepted to the same University i was, I started counting down until she came to live with me again. I spent half a month getting the apartment ready for her arrival
(mind you I had moved into my new apartment before heading off to england the night before my flight... I literally finished moving everything at midnight on monday... and left tuesday at 7AM.... so suffice it to say the place looked pretty bad)

I bought IKEA chairs and tables, pictures, kitchen gear, and all those things necessary for an apartment..

Finally she got here last week.... and of course while the place was a vast improvement over before... it wasn't what she called "woman clean" I guess spending half a year living as a bachelor took it's toll... no worries though I was over the moon to have her here with me...

She's not really a smoker... has it on rare occations... but she's quite alright with my partaking ...

We decided to head on into Amsterdam on Sunday for the Uitmarkt. Apparently the start of the Amsterdam cultural season. Throughout the city there were booths everywhere advertising the hundreds of plays and theatrical art projects in the upcomming year. We came in by train and arrived at 2 walking out to a sunny, albeit windy day. The city was packed to the brim and we speedily avoided the crowds of tourists and the RLD....

zipping down the Zeedijk we walk through China town just chatting away. As we approach the Nieuwmarkt we see massive structures up in the square. We approach and start to hear a distinctly dutch tune. On stage was a band in traditional clothing, playing their instruments and jamming away! It's great to see these kinds of cultural festivals in Amsterdam. As much as I enjoy the smoking culture, and the normal touristy bits, it's good to see how the locals celebrate their own culture. It's only after living here for half a year that I've come tp appreciate these things... We zip down to the east following a neverending line of stands. Each with a different theatre company/ performance arts group advertising their productions... it was great!

The only real problem was that everything was in Dutch... Sadly our language skills are seriously lacking... but oh well... we'll pick it up eventually

After walking around the waterlooplein area I posed a request for a coffeeshop stop. The Mrs. was fine with it and we popped into Old Amsterdam...

Walked up to the bar to see Marco smiling back. I asked if he had any White cheese in at the moment seeing as it's my absolute favorite smoke so far....

But alas it wasn't to be... He said he was out and wouldn't have any more for about 3 weeks.... perhaps i'll plan an impromptu bike ride up one weekend to stock up of course

He did have a new product called New Cheese. Having never tried the UK strain of cheese, my experience is limited to what I can get in the Dam. I've had the Big buddha cheese and HGF's cheese (which is my favorite by the way)... so i thought what the hey? give it a go...

The buds were quite tightly packed and there weren't many crystals... I smelled and there was that distinct cheese flavor there.. It was a bit more sour smelling than HGF... and not as strong... I bought a gram and skinned up a spliff. It definitely had the heavy body high of a cheese, It was a nice smooth smoke as well... I didn't cough it down... and I was quite content for the rest of the afternoon...

After a bit more wandering through a book market (again most were in Dutch... but a few stands had English books and that was cool) We found a ferry giving rides to different events... again for free! So we boarded the last ferry of the day and bombed around the canals... all the while listening to Accordian music on the boat.... It was a great day sucking in dutchie culture!

On the way back to the station I stopped by at HGF to pick up a little bit more bud... Grabbed myself a gram of the Silver pearl, and headed back on the train and back home.

Overall a very nice day trip up to the Dam..... Now and again these small days remind me why I moved to this country....


peace,
hippy

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Rollin down the Highway


Being back in Holland is a bit of a culture shock, mostly the shock of having human made technology surrounding me... no tents and fields... indoor plumbing... television.... wireless internet... those kinds of things...


I've been smoking quite a bit since comming back, Mostly back to my usual spliffs, but i've been slowly introducing my vaporizer into my smoking repertoire... It's a different experience, a different high and I really do like it... It's a definite saver of weed. The amount I've vaped is barely over a gram and I've used the thing tons of times... I swear I can get high after 1 session which amounts to about 1/2 to 2/3 of a normal Bowl... about a third of what I put into a spliff...

I still enjoy the ritual and satisfaction one gets by rolling a really nice, well done spliff... The craftsmanship and talent is lost when loading up a vape... which is why I haven't given them up.... (also there is that niccotine fix i get from the tobacco since I've quit ciggies)

I've found a wonderful smoke from a local shop called Goa.

(not to be confused with theGoa in Amsterdam)

The weed is Called "Q" and is €8.50 per gram. has a lovely fruity/skunky smell, quite strong, but not overwhelming.
Looking at it the weed is dense, with large buds covered with white crystals and hairs. It's sticky, but breaks apart easily... not too wet...

It's an excellent all around body high with a bit of cerebral sensations... nothing visual or extreme, but a good overall sensation. It actually made me want to study, and i brought out my research and did some notes!...

I'll get some pictures up later but this is a real gem. I'd recommend it to all those interested in a good strong but uplifting high....

Random bike rides throughout the town and country remind me how much I love my bike and how well holland works for it. ah well... off to another fun time reading and enjoying life...

peace to all!

hippy

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Back in Civilization
It's been over a month since I've been on the boards... but i've been on a unique adventure exploring the human past and the human psyche....

what happens when you comfine a dozen or so human beings to a farmers field in southwestern Oxfordshire to brave the english summer with tents and a rickety kitchen just to dig up some old roman and iron age structures?
their only outlets from this cycle is the trips to the pub and occational visits to Tesco....

you end up with far too much drinking and debauchery with many frayed nerves and brain cells... you end up half crazy by the end of it.

and that was my past month! wee! I can't remember... well much of anything past 9pm...


although I do remember a fateful night filled with cider, beer, gin, and copious amounts of wine..... i have a hazy memory of screaming obscenities at someone's inordinately large tent....

this night started out as a group meal I had cooked for the campsite... homemade spaghetti and meatballs from scratch...
I had spent the day doing my normal archaeological duties... a bit of digging here, a bit of soil flotation there.... some photos and my day was up.... As I'm driving the tractor back to the campsite, with the other diggers bouncing precariously on the back trailer, I could feel the cool breeze and see the changing clouds forming overhead. They would swirl by at amazing speeds... we bumbled along through the rolling fields of wheat... and what should appear over the horizon.....but a nuclear power plant...

good ol' england eh?

we slowly pull into the campsite and I immediately banish everyone from the kitchen save my soux chef... and we begin the mad rush of cooking for 16 people.... I heated up the sauce I had made from the night before and starting mixing up the ground beef... we ended up with 62 meatballs... more than enough for everyone

After two hours and quite a bit of wine and spirits imbibed... we brought forth the masterpiece of fresh pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs with garlic bread and tons of red and white wine.... It was an instant success! the table was silent... which is always a good sing for the chef... everyone's too busy eating to speak!

well we kept eating and drinking... i swear I polished off another bottle of wine... after some semi-embarassing dance moves, someone cleverly pointed out the the pub closed in 20 mintues...

not wanting to end the night... we headed over to the pub.... where i proceeded to play a VERY drunken game of pool with my supervisor... and nearly kill one of the locals sitting at the bar....


all in all was a good night....

then waking up the next morning having to mattock back half a meter of rocky subsoil... ahh what a wonderful life us archaeologists live...


but that was pretty much the whole 4 weeks... lots of craziness filled with a bit of archaeology... here and there...

but now i'm forever thankful to be back in the real world with indoor plumbing, modern conveniences like 4 walls and a roof.... and flush toilets are my best friends!



peace,
hippy

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Hookah on the Beach

Beach hookahs
So I know I haven't been around for a while, but I've been back in the US and I have to say...Life there is just soooo hectic... Every day there was this errand to run, and these people to visit... and this to go see.. my god...

no green in sight either... i decided to give myself a break... seeing as how I smoke far too much... give myself some tolerance back... and it's worked to an extent... it's taking far less to get me high...

My travels back to the Netherlands were scarred with crazy weather and bad delays... followed by unexpected surprises...
I was delayed overnight in NYC having to fly then to Chicago, to fly to Amsterdam.... and since I was on a crappy airline like United, they only flew out once a day.... figures there had to be horrendous thunderstorms so I couldnt even get to Chicago...

but it wasn't all bad... I was able to chill at my cousins house for the night.... when her boyfriend came home at like 4 AM... (he's a musician who just did a show in Charleston SC and drove back)... he offered a nice bowl of some excellent NYC weed.... which is always enjoyable after a long day...

The biggest surprise had to be when I arrived back home to find a new package! my portable vaporiser... the iolite... was at the post office!!
I hopped on the bike and rode down over there.... grabbed it and went searching for the open coffeeshop...

picked up some amnesia and hurried on home.... after some annoying starts and a few bugs... it started to work...

and my oh my how high did i fly!!! i smoked maybe half a bowls worth, a third of a joint's worth.... and my god was my head soaring... as was my body.... which is interesting from the Amnesia haze...

now there's one slight problem.... I messed up filling the butane and I broke the can of butane lighter fluid.... and since I'm in the netherlands.... where nothing needed is open on the weekends.... I'm still without lighter fluid...... back to the joints i guess... at least for a few days...



now... on to the beach...

It was the 4th of July... one of the biggest holidays in America. Fireworks, picnics, parades, the whole works... and I was sitting in my room wondering what to do... the weather was lovely... a hot sun but cool breeze gently wafting through the air.... occationally giving you a refreshing blow.... i'd been sitting thinking... and smoking.... and sitting.... when my roommate knocks on my door!

my hilarious dutch roommate is 18 years old and just going into higher education... in some ways he's very mature... works, has internships, goes to school... and others he's still just a kid... when he talks about his "high school" like romances it makes me chuckle a bit...he's really a good kid though...

him and his buddy were going to the beach... a half hour bus ride from Leiden... after a bit of cajoling... (i was enjoying my seat thinking about going somewhere...) we hopped on the bus....took the quick ride into town... my roommates friend... lets call him marty... went to a private english speaking school in Denmark... and was quite curious about american culture... Definitely an intellectual... as the bus rolled on down the road we discussed politics, healthcare, the new american president... everything I love to talk about with Non Americans... The more I hear how others perceive my culture, helps me better understand their culture... plus it's nice to right a few wrongs from watching too much MTV and news...


We roll up to the beach and disembark... out near Noordwijk... (check out the hostel there flying pig... really nice)
P.S.- to the brazillian and polish guys... sorry I missed ya! But i bet you had a blast in the cultural craziness if you went to leiden.... the city is a carnival...


aaaaaanyways....
As we hit the beach you get this strong cool, fresh breeze, with only a hint of salt... the sand streched for what seemed like miles and miles... and it was really packed.... hundreds of red and yellow wind blockers and umbrellas...

we set up camp near the water and marty proceeds to pull out his hookah pipe... perfect for beach weather of course!... and I pull out my bag of Northern lights and Amnesia Haze...

what a lovely combination.... so he packs it up... but realizes that he forgot the freakin hose!! hahaha... no matter we sucked out the metal hole and got plenty baked.... plus the brews they brought were like 11.6% Alcohol! crazy dutchies!


As we sit I began to notice the many people walking by... and yes... i'll admit it... I looked at the hot girls in bikinis.... but to be honest who wouldn't? It's a beautiful sight on a beautiful beach and I'm appreciating all that is good in the world....

so in my stoned haze i drifted off to sleep.... with the warm sun on my back, the cool breeze, the sound of the waves lightly washing up on the shore... kids laughing and playing... splashing... people enjoying life....




until I woke up 2 hours later..... as red as a lobster!!!! god damn pasty white heritage!!!

gah!

we meandered on back to the bus at around 7 and went back to Leiden... stopped at the train station to get some pasta from Juliana's... a nice chain with really good healthy meals... cooked fast... they just boil fresh pasta, pick basil and reheat sauce and mix it all together... so lovely..


so I'm back until tuesday morning.... when I fly out to England for a month long camping session digging in the dirt



things learned today:
bring more sunscreen!

smoke a hookah on the beach!!!



peace,
hippy

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Slowly weaning off the Baccy

Since moving here I daresay I've started smoking a lot more. It was fine at first, however slowly I started to see the detrimental effects of mainly smoking spliffs. When I first came I smoked cigarettes as well. Since then I've stopped smoking cigs alone, but the fact that most spliffs use a fair amount of tobacco, I was still smoking far too much...

I started getting short of breath and coughing quite a bit. It always seemed to be less when I smoked pure joints or used my pipe.... but I kept going... simply because hell I like getting high eh?

So finally I'm done with the tobacco for good. Since quitting my coughing has cut down and my chest isn't nearly as tight as it was....

How does this relate to my story? well these 2 Canadians I met started me on the path to non-tobacco usage.... and I let the story begin...


One last stoney tail before friends, family and normal life outside the netherlands.

A few weeks ago I had run into the BC canadian couple biking around the Netherlands. We had a wonderful afternoon of chillin in Leiden and I sent them on their way!...

Honestly I thought that I wouldn't see them again.. but lo and behold I get an email last week from Ryan (the guy) that they were heading back into Leiden to check out the saturday Market and we should hang out..... well who am I to turn down a fun saturday with fellow stoners? We met up outside the Leidseplein at 2... Ryan was very impressed with the Northern Lights hydro from the Leidseplein... he kept telling me that it was by far one of the best weeds he's smoked the entire trip.... (they've been here since April and are still in Holland...)

We stop outside behind my university for a pipe or 2 (I had my Northern lights, he had somthing i can't remember but was quite nice), then proceed to wander in and out of all the back streets and alleys through leiden meandering towards the saturday Market, all the while enjoying the PERFECT weather we were having.... warm, sunny, amazing.....

We wander through the market and pick up a few things here and there... most notably 2 small baskets of Strawberries which tasted AMAZING....mmm we wandered slowly watching the locals do their weekly shopping. The sites and sounds, the smells just scream genuine culture.
As you walk slowly the smells change depending on the booths.... Fresh baked bread first permeates your senses as you near the food section, slowly you get the hint of fresh fruit. This past month has been Cherries, strawberries and pineapple. that sweet and tart combination excites the senses....As you move through, you see all the colors of fresh fruit and vegetables slowly turn to olives and nuts... You can hear the middle eastern guys yelling how "mooi Lekker" their goods are.
Turning the corner and crossing the bridge a wave of fish smell hits you like a ton a bricks.... and this is the most crowded place in the whole market.... numerous fish stalls selling everything imaginable... here you see the families gobble down raw smoked herring with onions or the deep fried fishy delights they seem to love here....

pure dutch culture...
This is the way the Netherlands should be seen, not from a hazy coffeeshop on the Warmoestraat watching tourists and shady dealers stumble by.... but from the local market in a bustling dutch town...

but I digress... we decide that since I'm leaving the country quite soon, I might as well get rid of the excess food I have....we pick up a few items (chicken, peas, eggs etc.) and head over to my pad and I cook up some lovely stir fry chicken and fried rice. There we sat, laughed, ate, smoked a few more pipes, and watched some south park....


Ryan was talking quite a bit about the vaporisers because he was keen on using his new favorites strain... the Northern Lights Hydro from here.... we got into a discussion about it and I decided to head on into the dam with them on sunday to test it out....

I met them both at the 420 cafe around 11AM to start our day excursion. Unfortunately they wouldn't let us vape our own weed so we bought some blueberry... (lovely strain by the way... great taste for a fair price)...


He cranked the vape up to about 210ÂșC, a bit hotter than normal, but he disliked only vapeing the THC and forgetting about the cannabinoids....

I must say after the first bag I was more high than I've been in years..... YEARS! and thats after living in the netherlands the past 5 months.....
we finish off that batch (with another full bag) and then stealthily sneak in a mix of blueberry and the Northern lights for another go.....

my god.... my entire body was in a haze... slowly moving around... my visual perception a little tweaked as well....
The first time in years when I physically said "naw i'm good, don't need another hit"

so we finish and decide to look for a place I knew of that had vapes out for us to use on our own. (at 420 they have the vape at the weed counter and you couldn't mess with the settings)

we wander down in and out through the streets looking for this mystery shop I tried to remember from a long time ago...in my infinite wisdom forgot my CS map....First a quick stop at the HGF to pick up some lovely cheese I had been telling them about.... They both LOVED the smell... which honestly got me hooked as well
we make it down to Tweede Kamer and in my mind it's around the corner from there....
after about an hour of wandering we get quite hungry and decide to head to the Greenhouse lounge where they serve food..... we wander back up and run into an art exhibit.... nice local pieces for a fun gander....

After food I get some internet and realize that the shop I wanted to check out was Amnesia, and we had passed near it numerous times.... ahh I love being a stoner sometimes hahaha....

so we head on out over there to use their wonderful set of 3 vapes. I can't remember how many bags we filled but in total.... the amount of weed that was used was about the same amount I put in a big joint.....(for the 3 of us mind you)

I have to say Amnesia has an amazing atmosphere and really nice staff as well. There was no need to buy any more weed so we didn't purchase anything...

I think the best combination was taking the blueberry from 420 and the cheese from HGF.... and poof! you have yourself some niiiice blue cheese.... I really have to commend the vaporizer for flavor. I could really taste the sublte nuances from each different bag.... not to mention how ridiculously fucked up I got....


After our sesh, we again slowly meandered through the city, stopping here and there for me to get some new clothes and what not....

We finished out the night on the Warmoestraat at the Greenhouse effect with a bag or 2 more to vape.... all in all a lovely vapo-trip to the dam...


since then I've had 1 bowl.... and a brownie and i've been sorted...


now back to America where I hear news like this
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-kirk-marijuanajun15,0,4381974.story



can't wait to get back eh?

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Friday
I was planning on spending a quiet evening at home watching TV and relaxing this friday. It had been a long week in the lab and I was looking forward to some down time. I popped in a PS3 game that's my roommates' and started to play. About an hour into it I hear a ring on the doorbell. Now the only other people who have used the doorbell have been the police to complain about the noise... ( our ass of a neighbor called the cops on my roommate for playing music and cleaning his apartment on a Saturday morning at 11)

So I look down and it's my buddy J chillin with a pipe and a chess board! We hop on the bikes and wander through town to the little park to play some chess in the Sun... a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Once we finish the clouds start to roll in and we start to feel little pricks of rain subtly hitting us... I decide lets head on over to the bar next to my fav. coffeeshop (The Leidseplein... i know i talk about it often.... but it really is awesome...)

So we grab a beer and smoke a jay talkin about cultural differences between the US and Europe. (He's a Belgian from Antwerpen with some interesting viewpoints... I enjoy the intelligent conversation!)

We head back to the coffeeshop next door and I grab another pre-rolled haze joint. (it has a bit too much baccy in it for me, but I enjoy supporting the shop. they deserve it) I run into my American buddy Noah who's studying here as well. We chat, we smoke, and we long to play another chess game in a shop with far too many people in it and not enough table space. I suggest a free squat/bar down the road that has a really lovely smoking room filled with plants called De Linkse Kerk (The Leftist Church). A bit of a socialist haven. We head on over and to finish our game.

I'm speaking with the bartender and he tells me the jam group from Bar en Boos (I've been to a number of music and drum jams with these guys) are playing an acoustic Jam session. So Noah and J head off home, and I head into the dark hall behind the bar... There's soft red and yellow light dimly lit. there's a smokey haze in there as well, slightly bluring one's vision and perceptions.... A circle of people were sitting playing guitars, bass, drums (bongos, Djembe, etc.) and a few microphones with percussion gadgets... Going in with my harmonica we had a great jam session into the night...

a good way to start the weekend!

hippy

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Random unpredicted delights:

It was a long day in the lab... I've been pouring over these soil samples trying to make my eyes constantly adjust and sharpen. Plus someone new was in the lab today and she took my microscope!! grrr....

(For those who don't use microscopes, especially stereo-microscopes I'll explain... You know those 3D images you see from olden times? the two photos separated giving your eyes two slightly different flat images and making your brain think it's 3-D.... Thats how the microscopes work that I use. They're all different and the one I was using was the best in the room
. because she took mine I had to use a different one... with less light and wierder images...)

So imagine that for 5 hours a day.... It definitely does a number on your head. Almost like a sativa high but more uncomfortable....


I was done by 3:40... my brain just couldn't take the constant staring... it hurt my eyes.... plus again it's super nice outside. And I was stuck in a lab facing the blue sky and clouds... like its mocking me....

But I admit it wasn't all bad... I figured out a few seed ID... found a bunch of shit... I do it for a reason ya know

So it's 3:40 and I'm outside on the bike. I was in a real move for a smoke to relax.... but the shops open up at 4..... A small dilemma but nothing cycling 2-3 times around town won't take care of.... With the wind in my hair I finally enjoyed the cool breeze I was denied in the hot cramped lab.... So I pull up to Leidseplein and notice two bikes that are packed with luggage and packs and waterbottles... It looked like someone camping by bike.... which coincidentally was exactly what it was. One of the Bikes was actually a Rented Macbike from Amsterdam! On the back was a little canadian flag patch...

I wander on in and up to the bar. I order a gram of the Shiva and a coffee, as I listen around the busy shop right next to me i hear a distinct eh? at the end of an english sentence. So i struck up a conversation! They were two BC canadians, a guy named Ryan and a Lady who I can't for the life of me remember her name...... i believe they were married... but i can't remember that either... (we smoked a few joints and pipes.... so my heads a jumble)
Seems that they had been biking and camping around the netherlands and belgium since the end of April and were here until the end of June. They had come for the Lady who was an artist and taking a number of unique pictures around the netherlands....
The decided to come to leiden on a limb and we just happened to run into eachother... we chatted for a bit, enjoyed the Lovely Northern Lights and White widow he had bought from Leidseplein, as well as my Shiva... (All of which by the way are 7 euro a gram... the only more expensive weed there is a cannabis cup winner... black something something... but it's deadly worth it... I think 12/gram)


I showed them around town and we chatted about life and what not...Then took them to the edge of town and pointed them in the right direction of Amsterdam. I told em about Noordwijk and the Flying pig beach hostel. A nice place for a rest and a chill.... and about the Old Amsterdam and the White cheese... So Andy if you're there.... which I know you are a lot ... look out for the two Canadians with backpack bikes... real nice couple with a bunch of fun stories...

Only one simple problem.... I was going to go climbing today, but after meeting and chilling all afternoon, I missed everyone at the wall by an hour... oh well... I was too stoned anyways for big heights...

peace and happy toking

hippy

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

I had decided on Friday that instead of going to the lab and staring through a microscope all day, I would take long bike ride to Den Haag. The weather was simply gorgeous out and I figured since my advisor was in the Caribbean for a week... I might as well enjoy his absence as much as he was..

I chose Den Haag because its relatively close to me... Only about 17km away. I have previously rode up to Amsterdam a few times by bike... but at 45km, I'm hard pressed to make the same ride back.... especially since I'm quite a bit more stoned when leaving than when I arrive... I usually end up buying a one way train ticket for me and the bike, which is unfortunately a bit expensive. Nearly 10 Euro for me and the bike...

Again I plug in the Ipod, pop on a dopecast podcast for entertainment, and take off...The ride itself took about an hour and a half and was literally one straight line. I followed alongside the A44 which turned into the N44... I probably could have taken a more scenic route, but I didn't know the way yet.

Slowly the suburbs crept up on me until i was next to the train station in Den Haag! What a different city from Amsterdam and even Leiden. Gone are the narrow bumpy streets that zig zag in all directions with crooked buildings of all shapes and angles sticking out of walls...
The city is much more orderly and defined. With immense skyscrapers and government buildings centered around the Den Haag Centraal train station. Moving away from the government buildings you see older houses and buildings. It all still has a dutch feel to it, brick houses and back streets, canals flowing down streets and trams ringing their bells. The Trams here seem like they're from another age, but still run with the dutch efficiency i've come to love... Always on time...

I roamed the streets and the shopping center on my bike, Inadvertently comming upon a 4 lane road full of cars... Den Haag has much more space and wider roads... therefore many more cars.... a bit difficult for the bike rider but I was used to it from Riding by bike back in the states... where theres ALWAYS cars...

stopped at a Couple of Coffeeshops to sample the local ware... Firstly at Meneer Janssen and bought some of their special jetlag 12 euro for 2 grams.... I did a review of the shop in the forum section as well... lovely smoke...
I then rolled over to Cafe Cremers and bought a gram of their Super 88 (8.80 per gram) and a white widow pre-rolled for the ride home.

I slowly meandered through the parks and started to make my way home. I had to meet my buddy jay cause we were going to get some dinner before heading out that evening...

I cycled through the immense park in Den Haag called Haagsche Bos.
It's a very large wooded park area and is great to wander through. It has walking trails and bike trails throughout it. It's only the second place in the Netherlands I've been that's felt like "real" wilderness. (i quote because the park was created, but has a very wild feel to it... I don't think they do gardening work in the back parts...)

After a lovely ride through the park with my spliff I headed back home. Met up with jay and we headed over to a great bar/squat called the Leftist Church. There we had a really fun jam session with all kinds of musical instruments. I even broke out the ol' harmonica for a few jams. a great
friday.

peace,

Monday, June 1, 2009

It was the warm rays of the sun that peeked through my window and woke me gently this quiet Sunday. I heard the normal sounds, a bird chirping, the wind blowing, the crank crank crank of some old bike riding across the brick laid streets.

I rolled out of bed to greet yet another long weekend. It seems one of the most secular countries in Europe has the most public religious holidays... Seriously! We had a 4 day weekend a few weeks ago....
I guess the Dutch just enjoy taking breaks...

I rolled up an Amnesia spliff from the Goa and puffed away in my Garden while my breakfast Omelet was cooking. I gazed up at the sky watching how much faster the clouds move here than back home. Off in the distance I hear a jet engine, no doubt landing or taking off from Schipol and I can't help but wonder.... who's on that plane? is it an old businessman, wearliy travelling yet again abroad for some board meeting... or a group of College kids, with cannabis leaves for eyes waiting to experience a unique drug policy and culture very foreign to them....

I hear jets very often, coming and going to and from all remote places in the world...
... and I'm rambling on a bit... see what Hazes do to me?

I finished my breakfast and got ready for the day... no specific plan in mind, I just set my Ipod to random and took off on my old rusty Dutch bike... weaving in and out of the tiny streets and alleys of Leiden, I come to the main market street to find a book market unbeknownst to me even after living here for 5 months! I wandered slowly through the booths, looking at all the books, new and old, fiction and non fiction, adult and children books alike.... Most were in Dutch, but i saw a few english, french and others mixed in the bunch.

I ambled around the streets weaving in and out until eventually hitting yet another market, a cultural exchange between Leiden and Japan, complete with akido demonstrations, japanese films, and parades down the narrow streets. As the pass I'm pushed closer and closer to the other walkers and I begin to remember about the population density of the Netherlands.... theres so many of us in such a small place...


After some gazing around I biked over to my favorite coffeeshop in town, The The Leidseplein I was going to sit and enjoy the scenery, but the shop was bustling full without a seat in the place. (this usually happens during the peak hours right after opening...) I grabbed 2 grams of Organic Northern Lights for 14 Euros... I really love the prices here outside of amsterdam, especially in the small local shops... I slowly meandered home and rolled up a nice northern lights fatty. The sun has gone below the rooftops of the houses near me and the day is cooling off.


what a lovely place to live...



peace,
hippy