vietnam, cambodia & laos

[nabraxas]

the mrs & i are taking 4 months off to take a jaunt through those S.E Asian places, from the start ov November.

I've been reading the guidebooks & the itinerary's pretty well planned, i just wondered if anyone knew ov any ethnobotanical activities that should maybe looked into

[apothecary]

Primitive but psychoactive C. sativa plants grow as a weed in Vietnam. Discrete picking is possible but illegal.

Of course, if you're like me, just running naked through a field of flowering sativa is satisfaction enough

[incognito]

haha apoth id like to see that on youtube! i think sab should sponser him! ill donate a cut!

edit there should be a fungal scene man...bring back some prints! for microscopy that is.

Edited October 13, 2007 by jono

[dqd]

Not quite botanical, but ethno ... you really should grab some of the differing styles of Dan moi, the Vietnamese beaten brass jew's harps. They're played on the lips, and easy for kids to get the hang of , (my kid has one, the only other j-harp player I know!). There are different styles, and if you get them from the craftsman then you know the money is going where it should. Apparently some are also making copies of the Chinese Hoho's, which can go from 2 blades to a staggering 5 blades! . Check this out...

 

I have a 3 blade and it's alot of fun .

And of course, if you had any harps left over you didn't want...

[nabraxas]

Dan moi, the Vietnamese beaten brass jew's harps

excellent suggestion, thanks. could be a good pressie to bring back.

As to picking wild MJ, when i did that in India i was very dissappointed w/the results, but i'll keep 'em peeled for likely suspects or fields to go for a run through

Is Kratom used outside ov Thailand?

[Francois le Danque]

kratom is illegal in Nam, and the way those countries go about their drug laws i would say it is probably a bad idea, unless you want to make the channel nine news ;).

some advice: DONT DRINK THE LUA MOI! (rice vodka) it costs 4 dollars a litre and is 55%...needless to say we have crossed paths in the past... turned me off the devil's water for many many months. probably my fault for drinking the whole 50cl bottle... YOWCH.

that being said i wish i didn't do that because it would have been nice to bring some back as a cheap source of extraction ethanol. also tobacco is relly cheap there (80c pack of marlboros). and all other liquors. i didn't get to do much else, as this was a school trip but what you should pick up is some of those bamboo bongs that they use EVERYWHERE. when we arrived it was such a shock to see people bonging it on every street corner...very entertaining!

the vietnamese are very hospitable people, you're sure to have a great time. also ive heard on here that in Kampuchea you can buy all sorts of chemical goodies...

[shruman]

U should be able to find an opium den or 2 although illegal.

I would imagine ephedra would be easy to find.

And u should be able to find a few OTC's we do'nt get here.

[incognito]

mmmmkratom seed!!! u know, ive still never tried kratom, wish itwas still legal so i could go an extract!!!

ive wanted to try for a long,long time!!! but yeah if u see any seed around stick emin ur undys.

[nabraxas]

but yeah if u see any seed around stick emin ur undys.

much as i'd love to help a brother out, i don't wanna be the next star ov "Boarder Security" much

Opium dens: apparently there are a few around in Laos, but the wife read reports ov travellers being robbed ov all their shit while passed out, so she's put the ixnay on that idea, though a little bit smoked in the relative safety ov our hotel room might be in order

Edited October 14, 2007 by nabraxas

[xShiva.spacetechnology]

And u should be able to find a few OTC's we do'nt get here.

What may these OTC medicinal products be?

[nabraxas]

What may these OTC medicinal products be?

yeah, i was curious about that.

maybe Shruman means you can get products OTC that we need a prescription to get here?

i guess valium would be available, but i don't think any ov the strong painkillers like hydrocodone, oxycodone can be got OTC.

maybe viagra?

[Conan Troutman]

probably just tramadol,codiene, diet pills and dxm OTC, K may be easy to find..Valium is not OTC although you will probably find it much easier to get a doctor to prescribe them. The most common pain tabs will be morphine, which Ive heard some pharmacies will hand **WITHOUT a script. Also a lot of pills are generic and will not have proper markings Lots of pharmicies just keep lookin til you find hte right one and best to stay away from the big western owned ones..

REMEMBER: Doing drugs in SE ASIA is playing russian roulette with your life. Thailand is extremely corrupt. Only place I heard have bit more lax drug enforcement is cambodia

EDIT**

Edited October 16, 2007 by Conan Troutman

[shruman]

"yeah, i was curious about that."

Yeah pretty much what CT said, u might be suprised though, deffinitely worth checking out.

Like CT says cambodia is supposed to be the shit.

[Sparkster]

One of my friends from work went to cambodia earlier this year, fascinating place, she told me an interesting story about a tour she went on there.

She went with a small group of tourists to one of the killing fields where there are still remains slowing surfacing up under the ground, so as your walking you hear the crunching of people bones. pretty horrific scenery.

Eventually they came across a musuem with photographs of the commanders who carried out the masacres, there were some photos with one of the commanders intentionally cut out of the pictures, the tour guide notices her lookign at the photos and hers aside to tell her "the reason that person has been taken out of the photos is because he's now our prime minister"

funny what people can get away with....

[complex]

What kind of work is she doing, and how long does she intend to stay?

Just asking because I wouldnt mind going over the to do some work for a short period of time.

[Sparkster]

she was a work collegue of mine in Oz, she didn't go there to work, don't think it would have paid very much!

[Conan Troutman]

Cheap trip to cambodia...not for werk Reckn I can grab her number

Edited October 16, 2007 by Conan Troutman

[complex]

whoops, i read it wrong

[Sparkster]

she likes normal men trouty... besides, shes taken

[Conan Troutman]

she likes normal men trouty... besides, shes taken

LOL...I just saw a female connotation and got all excited

[Sparkster]

"did you say steak??..... ohhh.... you got me all my all excited"

*rubs nipples*

Edited October 16, 2007 by Sparkster

[narayan]

Some Vietnamese guys that I used to goto uni with told me about a drink that you can get in the more rural areas of vietnam in which they get a live snake, chop out its heart and throw it into a shot glass of rice wine. Apparently its still beating when you drink it Its meant to be a really potent aphrodisiac which may be good for a romantic trip away with the missus ;)

[nabraxas]

gulping down a still beating snake heart would probably have me puking rather than poking.

i am in abit ov a moral quandry over the snake wine.

i've smoked cobra venom before w/very interesting results & i'd like to try drinking the wine w/venomous snakes in it, but i don't particularly want to contribute to an industry that's furthering the decline ov an already endangered species, especially if the main business ov that industry is curious tourists like me.

I guess i'll try & suss out if it really is a tradition that would be going on with or without tourist sales, & then reconsider.

Anyone w/opinions on this issue i'd like to hear them as i'm sort ov 75% against the idea on general principle, but then 90% sure that when the opportunity to indulge presents itself my principles fly out the window

[dqd]

Fuck the snake wine.. try finding one steeped in mysterious herbs, less likely to be endangered or on the hit-list of wank tourists with fat wallets and few morals...