NorthofEngland
Well-Known Member
As a younger man many of my choices for travel destinations were motivated by their reputations for inexpensive and superior weeds and hashish's.
Amsterdam was an obvious first place to visit - as an 18 year old with wonderlust and a powerful urge to try may different varieties.
But I found the whole experience something of an anti-climax.
Holland may have had coffee shops with menu's full of cannabis (and surprisingly inexpensive cocaine) but it lacked any adventure or sense of the exotic. Basically it was too similar to my own Western European home - except for the coffee shops and red light districts.
Plus, after smoking that first joint, the others just added to an already befuddled mind.
I had 3 days there so, obviously, had to try and smoke a little of everything. A few years later I would have realized that 'less is more' and to choose a different type, for each day, and to take time to savour the particular daily choice would've been as much as I could really appreciate.
I always enjoyed the 'fine wines' aspect of cannabis but, alas, during my first 3 day trip to 'the Dam', I behaved more like a lager lout on a pub crawl than an appreciative connoisseur with an international menu at my disposal.
Thailand.
In 1993, barely aged 20, I headed off for 2 weeks in Thailand, as a stop over on my way for work in Australia.
I had a 12 months work visa for Australia and £3500 in travellers cheques.
After one week I realized I needed longer in Thailand so I went to Malaysia, extended my Thai visa and went to the Islands of Koh Samui and Koh Pa Ngan for 3 months.
Grass and mushrooms were available at every bar but sometimes it could be old and stalky so, when I was offered some quality Thai Stick I jumped at the chance to buy a quantity. It was 1.4kg and it cost £72.
For the rest of my time there I didn't smoke tobacco - just straight Thai stick.
During the last month I was offered some Indian Manali Hash - and, to be honest, I was craving some hash (back then UK had far more hash than grass available). If you can imagine the graphite in a pencil but about as thick as a 10p coin - absolutely no give, before it would bend a fraction of a millimetre it would simply SNAP and fragments of the hash would fly all over.
When a flame was used to heat it it could be sprinkled into a pipe or paper very easily - and it require vey little fire to soften it ready to use.
The Thai Stick was a very 'light, giggly high' (My all time favourite type of cannabis high).
It made a person quite silly and was perfect for Island living where a social life was very much available.
The Manali was the polar opposite.
Very heavy - almost like my eyes were heavy in their sockets and all motivation was lost.
The only problem with the Thai was that an amazingly large tolerance to it was quickly built up.
On day one 3 or 4 grams lasted all day and kept a person nicely toasted throughout.
By day eight we were smoking straight grass joints as thick as a thumb plus different types of pipes ensured that 2 or 3 ounces was not an unusual amount to smoke.
Tolerance to the Manali never seemed to build and the 'crash bang wallop' sensation of the days first hit never lost it's 'crash bang wallopness'.
After a few days on the hash - acting as a break from the weed - the tolerance to the Thai would've dropped a great deal.
Which was a nice trade off.
Amsterdam was an obvious first place to visit - as an 18 year old with wonderlust and a powerful urge to try may different varieties.
But I found the whole experience something of an anti-climax.
Holland may have had coffee shops with menu's full of cannabis (and surprisingly inexpensive cocaine) but it lacked any adventure or sense of the exotic. Basically it was too similar to my own Western European home - except for the coffee shops and red light districts.
Plus, after smoking that first joint, the others just added to an already befuddled mind.
I had 3 days there so, obviously, had to try and smoke a little of everything. A few years later I would have realized that 'less is more' and to choose a different type, for each day, and to take time to savour the particular daily choice would've been as much as I could really appreciate.
I always enjoyed the 'fine wines' aspect of cannabis but, alas, during my first 3 day trip to 'the Dam', I behaved more like a lager lout on a pub crawl than an appreciative connoisseur with an international menu at my disposal.
Thailand.
In 1993, barely aged 20, I headed off for 2 weeks in Thailand, as a stop over on my way for work in Australia.
I had a 12 months work visa for Australia and £3500 in travellers cheques.
After one week I realized I needed longer in Thailand so I went to Malaysia, extended my Thai visa and went to the Islands of Koh Samui and Koh Pa Ngan for 3 months.
Grass and mushrooms were available at every bar but sometimes it could be old and stalky so, when I was offered some quality Thai Stick I jumped at the chance to buy a quantity. It was 1.4kg and it cost £72.
For the rest of my time there I didn't smoke tobacco - just straight Thai stick.
During the last month I was offered some Indian Manali Hash - and, to be honest, I was craving some hash (back then UK had far more hash than grass available). If you can imagine the graphite in a pencil but about as thick as a 10p coin - absolutely no give, before it would bend a fraction of a millimetre it would simply SNAP and fragments of the hash would fly all over.
When a flame was used to heat it it could be sprinkled into a pipe or paper very easily - and it require vey little fire to soften it ready to use.
The Thai Stick was a very 'light, giggly high' (My all time favourite type of cannabis high).
It made a person quite silly and was perfect for Island living where a social life was very much available.
The Manali was the polar opposite.
Very heavy - almost like my eyes were heavy in their sockets and all motivation was lost.
The only problem with the Thai was that an amazingly large tolerance to it was quickly built up.
On day one 3 or 4 grams lasted all day and kept a person nicely toasted throughout.
By day eight we were smoking straight grass joints as thick as a thumb plus different types of pipes ensured that 2 or 3 ounces was not an unusual amount to smoke.
Tolerance to the Manali never seemed to build and the 'crash bang wallop' sensation of the days first hit never lost it's 'crash bang wallopness'.
After a few days on the hash - acting as a break from the weed - the tolerance to the Thai would've dropped a great deal.
Which was a nice trade off.