In Amsterdam’s famous coffeeshops besides the usual fresh marijuana, a variety of hashishes are also sold over the counter. There are many different types of hash from various parts of the world. One type in particular, the legendary black hashish, has a rather dubious reputation. The reason is that the hash is often adulterated or contaminated with non-cannabis products. One of these adulterants, opium, sometimes gets mixed in to soften it up and improve the quality.
Black opiated hashish is sometimes sold in Amsterdam under various names including any kind of “cream”, “indian”, “manali”, “trans-himalayan”, “nepalese”, etc. Since the Afghan war, it seems Amsterdam is awash in hashish with much higher opium content (than usual), and most coffeeshops seem to have no qualms passing this same heavily adulterated hashish as just about whatever black hash you might choose.
Planted in the 1930s and 40s, the Bos is now a mature forest covering almost 800 hectares. It offers a diverse range of outdoor pleasures including lakes for boating, wading pools for the kids, the Openlucht theater presenting outdoor plays and music, a bison reserve, a campground, numerous bike, horse and pedestrian paths (all separate), and a wonderful feeling of being far away from the city.
