Intro Link to heading
Honestly, this isn’t how I wanted to start writing the blog. I’ve been trying to decide to do it for a long time, but in the end I realized there was no right way. I probably have more interesting things to tell, but you have to start somewhere, right?
The Destination Link to heading
Amsterdam is never a casual choice. Generally, people go there for three reasons: prostitutes, drugs, and hardcore. Excluding the last one, the first two are very valid reasons.
Red Light District Link to heading
I’ve never been with a prostitute, and I don’t think I ever will. Don’t get me wrong — I’m as far from a moralist as you can get — but it seems sad and a bit sleazy to me. I have nothing against people who do it; I simply wouldn’t.
One thing must certainly be said: the prostitutes in Amsterdam are the most beautiful girls I have ever seen in person! They’re perfect, looking like dolls in their displays lit by red light. Compared to the quality, the price isn’t even that high — €50 for oral and €100 for full service.
The place itself is quite bizarre, little more than two streets teeming with people. Driven by curiosity, you don’t find only guys but also couples, elderly people, families with children… I think I can say that at night it’s the most congested part of the city. The working girls stand behind the glass, smiling and winking — but don’t even think about taking a photo. Their smile turns into a kind of sneer; they open the door and start cursing at you.
The Drugs Link to heading
I admit it: the reason for my visit was mainly this. I’m going through a really stressful period because of work and other things, and I thought spending four days numbed by who-knows-what would do me good. Unfortunately, I wasn’t satisfied — let me explain why.
From my previous visit, I have a beautiful memory of using magic mushrooms. Sure, weed and smoke get you stoned, but nothing compared to the aforementioned. I remember that even though I hadn’t followed the seller’s instructions (empty stomach), the effect came two hours after taking them. I felt an incredible warmth in my stomach, a sensation of absolute well-being; I couldn’t control my laughter; I saw all colors much more intensely, and they almost seemed to have their own light. In short, an almost mystical experience.
As I said, this time I wanted to go overboard, so I went to the first smartshop and spent €70.
Shopping list:
- Salvia 15% Extract 0.5 Grams
- Atlantis Forbidden Fruit 15 Grams (mushrooms)
- Dragon’s Dynamite 15 Grams (hardcore mushrooms)
- Pipe for smoking salvia (I only mention it because my friend left it at the hotel…)
I should mention that the day before we finished half a box of Atlantis between us, with zero effect (a dose that was sufficient on the previous trip).
So we start the evening by swallowing, on a nearly empty stomach: me, the Dragon’s Dynamite, and my friend, the Atlantis. While waiting for them to kick in, we go for a walk.
15, 20, 40 minutes pass. An hour and a half later, still nothing — only I started to feel a strange sensation in my stomach (nothing like the other time) and a sort of giggling. My friend apparently no effect (though I don’t quite trust him — he’s one of those who enjoys saying “nothing ever affects me!” for who knows what reason…).
So we decide to compensate with the salvia. I’ve heard crazy legends about it.
“The Strongest Hallucinogen Available!!!” Link to heading
According to the seller, the packet was enough for 8 hits, each giving a hallucination lasting from 6 to 20 seconds. Let’s just say nothing of the sort. The first hits — nothing (inhaled as hard as I could, mind you). Around the fourth hit, I started seeing the sky turn light blue (and it was nighttime) and the stars moving toward a single point, as if there were a hole and the entire sky was sliding into it. The effect lasted a few minutes.
Well, that’s where the story ends. The mix of various substances made me lose almost all sense of balance — as long as I was walking it was fine, but as soon as I stopped, a heavy “rough sea” effect kicked in. My friend remained unfazed as always, although I’m certain it wasn’t really so; but if that’s how he likes it, I’ll let him believe it. In the end, he compensated with other experiences.
Conclusion Link to heading
In the end, I had a wonderful New Year’s. Not everything went as I’d hoped, and there are certain details I don’t want to reveal, but I’m sure that if I had stayed in Italy, it wouldn’t have been even remotely like this. Italy is a slave to prohibitionism, a system that has historically proven ineffective and often counterproductive.
Amsterdam is a splendid city, the capital of vice, where you can find people from all over the world (who knows why, at the Red Light District at a certain hour, 90% were Italian). I recommend anyone looking for a different kind of trip to try it at least once. I’ll definitely be back.