The End

This little blog is finished now, I'm back from Amsterdam and resting at home in London.

Amsterdam was a great experience and a shitty one at the same time. I met a ton of people from every walk of life, from the over 60's reminisching on their drug trips way back when, to kids that came there to try pot for the first time.
It's shown me that there is a good strong culture that takes great pride in cultivating and perfecting some truly spectacular marjuana out in the Netherlands and talking to people from Australia, Switzerland, Germany, USA and so forth I was pleased to see it blur international barriers and bring people together over the course of the Cup. Australia have, I believe, voted on a weed legalization motion whilst I was at the Cup.
The last day was spent in a homage to weed. I bought 1g of Superskunk, the weed I got so high on at University a few years ago, 1g of Diesel, the first weed to really impress me in Amsterdam and 2g of the Cup winner 2008, Super Lemon Haze. All from the Greehouse Effect. I rolled each bag into 1 joint, with a little extra hash, skuff and kiff to pep them up. The two first bags ended up in two identical cones, rolled in the traditional fashion, wide enough to use the whole paper and looking faintly ridiculous for all their girth. The third bag was all ground and put into a larger joint, twice the size of these and rolled in a cigar fashion to contain the lemon haze, with a huge cardboard roach.
It was halfway through my rolling that I noticed all the kit around, there was a portable mixing desk on the end of the table and a bunch of AV kit. tripods and cameras. Then I noticed the other cup on the table next to my coffee. I was drinking strong coffee to weather the weed and my small black ceramic cup was sitting freshly emptied on the table next to another. The base was a wooden block witha a brass stem fastened to it. The stem was a double-helix design with the brass streamers encircling one another, fastened to a brass cup. It was a bit tarnished but there was not doubting its pedigree, this was the real deal. The Cannabis Cup.
I fought back the urge to paw it, steal it or order a coffee in it and got a few photos instead. They interviewed the guys from some Italian TV show with me sitting next to the owner, just out of eyeshot. I have no idea what he was saying but he managed to hold this Cup level with his face and mug with it for an impressive 20 minutes whilst spouting a torrent of Italian without seeming to stop for breath.
An American woman sat down, one of the growers and we chatted about weed for a bit while I put the finishing touches to the Super Lemon Haze cigar creation. It had been a good year for the growers too and she seemed pretty happy. We chatted over the joint and soon I was left holding an oily chunk of paper and card, drained of its weedy goodness. I looked at my watch and left for the airport.
Wandering along the streets on a massive euphoric high I realised that I am simply not able to enjoy weed in moderation. In fact I pointedly don't and often aim straight for oblivion or as wasted and I can be and still walk. Sure I enjoy it but weed hasn't done a lot for me. A number of years ago I formed some very good friendships through weed but for the last few years it's been a vice that's slowly slipped out of control. Occasionally to knock back clouds of depression but more commonly for me to simply stop myself getting bored when I'm on my own. I'm looking forward to being sober. To remembering all of this in due course. To having more of a social life and enjoying myself when sober. I look forward to all these things.

Thanks for the wonderful people of Amsterdam for being so welcoming and thanks for all the fellow tourists that I was able to share this trip with.

5 footer

Wipe Out. The first of the festival, I ended up coughing like a little kiddie.

The smoke in question was a 5ft tall bong loaded with a block of hash and a liberal amount of skuff. Hot and strong. My delicate lungs are unused to bongs and so I almost collapsed but I stifled the coughing, cleared the bong and left.

The only thing the Expo is good for is free bong hits.

Now the challenge is over I'm seriously bored. I'm a decadent sort and without a target to aim for and some pleasure to seek I get demotivated and mopey. Which is now if I'm not careful. Gotta find something interesting.....

Over and out

Judged, done and dusted.

the weed has been (almost entirely) smoked and I've sampled all the Cannabis Cup entrants this year. This necessitated voting at some point, although exactly when was only made clear when I asked a bloke in the hotel bar this morning. "You have 90 minutes before voting closes".
Ahh. Best skip the morning coffee then and get out of here. I went over to the Hotel Victoria to hail the purple shuttle bus over the the PowerZone. (a typically European jumble of English words which collectively convey nothing more than the author's ignorance of the language in question. Hypercool is another one. Grumble grumle) I recorded a little video on the bus and chatted to an interesting couple who were also off to Judge. They were very quiet and had been doing tourist stuff too. There's a lot of people here to buy weed or growing equipment and they range from the quiet, ordinary conservative types through typical clean-cut twenty-somethings to those with the gangsta image.
I got my pass from the nice dude at the counter and went through into the next room to fill it out. I ended up going for the Super Lemon Haze and the Royal Jelly although I was tempted by both the Bubblegum and the Grey Martian.
Now I have to roll a few joints and figure out what to do. Jesus. I've just remembered. I need to get something to eat. Haven't eaten since I finished those oranges before bed yesterday. Preferably a pastry. Maybe a burger. Maybe a curry Maybe a chinese take-away. Perhaps all of them.

Final day of judging.

I am perspiring THC. One joint of Happy Feeling's Super Silver Haze and one of Green Place's Chocolope.

Off to do some judging at last! I have all the weed and have smoked a large portion of it.

Ritter Sport Rum & Raisin. My type of sports accessory.

Done! I've toured the coffee shops and have been to 23/24 I think. Was too wasted to remember SoftLand but was definitely there. I did The Dolphins and Happy Feelings. Dolphin had some foxy bar staff and a decent weed but not exceptional.
Kamer - La Confidential
Happy Feelings - Super Silva Haze
Grey Area - Green Martian
Grey Area - Grey Crystal

I rolled a fat joint with 1g of Grey Martian and 0.5g grey crystal, a green powder from the skiff. Combined with a pinch of tobacco which I use to clean the grinder afterwards and I'm away. The joint was pretty fat but an excellent smoke with the skiff leading to a clean refreshing high. The grey martian isn't the strongest weed but the skiff gave it a lift, and it has a wonderful hint of Juicy Fruits gum on the first taste of each inhale.

Time to roll another one. Only one coffee shop remains, I may reach it tomorrow. It's a little suburban place but a couple of miles further out past everything. I spoke to a couple of Dutch guys who had some of its weed and it did taste most fine. We shall see what happens tomorrow.

Laters
S

Also, the Koskia weed is actually Roshia.

Mental Note

I must find out how to vote here.

Refuel. Over-filled

A curry, some chocolate-covered macaroons, ice-cream snickers, mars and bounty. and some apple turnovers dipped in this custard/apple stuff I found which came in a bucket. With a handle and everything.
3 notches on my belt later I'm falling asleep as my body tries hard to cater for all this. Somehow I wake up and slowly burp, fart and groan my way across the city. Being ill is always appealing at times like this, even more so with the alien-goo possibilities of all that custard. I make a point of never being ill. Be it alcohol or food, I'd rather learn my limits. When it comes to cakes covered in custard I have almost none. Choosing raspberry yoghurt as my drink probably wasn't ideal either. 2l of yoghurt today. Them thar's healthy bacteria.
I've made it back to the hotel now, and I'm liking the GreenPlace's chocolope.