[rajen]

one or two alone are o.k. but a group is a drag...
the only ones I met causing trouble!
there are many guest houses in bangkok with a sign saying 'no isralies'
because they're causing too much trouble all the time.

we will go to kashmir next year and im planing to go to rishikesh, shimla, kullu/manali/malana/parvati area too to smoke a little

about the place you were talking about i find it, its Kasol its approx 10km south east of malana village, am i right ?

[rajen]

Originally Posted by The Batman

about the place you were talking about i find it, its Kasol its approx 10km north west of malana village, am i right ?

:

correct, but you could even stay there, I wouldn't worry too much. or just don't go there, or have look first and if it dosen't fit , move along. I don't think your wife is going out in chador ...

thanks a lot for your words man, you are cool.

[theclearspot]

Rajen, I know you said I dont need a guide, but I'd like a guide because i think they can offer numerous insights into the local culture and people etc. could you point me in the right direction for a guide? cheers..

[hom]

Nepal is a brilliant country too visit and it has everything to offer the avid smoker. its available everywhere and costs about 2 euro a gram before haggeling.. weed is alot cheaper too. On my first night in kathmandu I had 10 grams of some nice pollen for 2000 nep rupees( got over charged) and later was offered some weed at the hotel......told him I wanted a bit an was told to wait for 20 mins.....then a young guy lands with a plastic bag full of buds..maybe 5 ounces...1000 rupees for everything..10 euro...was rollin bob marley spliffs that night. Found much nicer weed in the countryside though. Locals are really good fun to hang out with....very generous and friendly. Hard to get very high quality hashish in nepal because the best comes to Europe and the remainder seems to be mixed with some contaminent. Stick to the blonde and the weed.

[hom]

[rajen]

right what you said. stick to the pollen, it's easier to point out the quality.
although I would look for good charas too, as it's the traditional kind of hash making there, and you will only find it it in nepal.
imagine the amount one experienced worker can produce in one day (a good one can make 8 -10 grams a day, which is one thola). All of them cream their hands with some grease (whats around, I even saw vaseline to be used, only a litle bit, but it gets off the hands better this way.) as you can imagine there are some pieces of the plant included. but this is what makes it not stronger but most unique in the worl, but don't expect to get blown away by this stuff, though it coul happen if youre lucky.

For the guide it won't be a problem, but it's a question of what you expect. If you're known to be out for scoring a lot, you'll have to manage with the israelies, or you just walk up towards Melana, and ask someone there. As the Melana people are a special kind of people, they are not allowed to touch something which was touched by outsiders, so don't try and shake hands or exchange anything (i.e. a bottle of water, a thola of crema :-) directly from hand to hand, this won't work. Put it down and they wil take it, and they will place the good in question to the tabel or ground and from there you can take it.
They also won't guide you around, not even if you want to buy big amounts, which will be almost impossible for you to get.
A guide to walk you around is found easily, but what you're looking for won't be shown to you. Would you show a stranger your growroom or field ?
There are two chances to see the hidden places: you stay there long enough to hook up with some locals, or you fall into a field by youst strawling around.
It depends on what youre after.
There are many trks and hikes over there, and it will be nice to go on a trek for some days.
Make sure youre guide is a smoker, and on the way you ask if he knows some weed farmer or a nice field to take fotos. If youre lucky maybe you will pass by a nice field.
This is for melana and north india.
in nepal, fields are everywhere, mostly wild ones, the cultivations will be cut in oct. so most of the fields will be gone and you will see only wild weed on your trek, i.e. up to jomsom near tatopani (hot springs) everywhere. If you tell me what your after, I could get you some contact (I do know some mountain guides who will be glad to walk up to some base camps, or make the annapurna round trek, but you can get those guides easily, just go to some travel agency).
have a good time there and unworry, with the feet on nepalese ground everything looks different as from home, and tourns out to be quite easy, whats a real tip for any nepal tourist, or asia tourist: stay with the flow, go with what happens and you will be fine. I don't remember how often i planned to go west and ended up in the north or somewhere I didn't intend to go. And it was always cool.

cheers rajen.

[rajen]

btw: I'm gonna smoke some melana the next weekend :-) :-) :-) :-) :-),