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S.E. Asian Expedition 2008...Cambodia/Vietnam...
- Thread starter Gypsy Nirvana
- Start date
A
arcticsun
thanks alot guys for the beautiful pictures of the tropics, DG the flowers are mindboggelingly pretty. i read through the entire thread all 11 pages of it, took me away from midwinter in the arctic for a moment 
subscribed and patiently awaiting the rest of it... dreaming of a tropical beach.
subscribed and patiently awaiting the rest of it... dreaming of a tropical beach.
C
Chamba
but this story isn't finished is it?
Since alot of the story so far was written close to when we were actually there I decided to let a little time go by before carrying it on for security reasons.....
It's always a bit of a conundrum in my mind whether to post my experiences and facts about my travels point perfect with full truth and acuracy because if I were to name names and precise locations then this would most probably compromise not only my security but other associates and friends who are engaged in persuits surrounding the plant that are definately on the illegal side and might be red flagged and investigated by foreign governments.......So in this thread I have naturally had to use psudonyms and location names that would lead anyone trying to follow up any leads no-where near the actual people and places where gardens of fine 'erb might be present......
No the story has not been finished just yet Chamba......and I will continue to write it for you all to read and enjoy soon......
It's always a bit of a conundrum in my mind whether to post my experiences and facts about my travels point perfect with full truth and acuracy because if I were to name names and precise locations then this would most probably compromise not only my security but other associates and friends who are engaged in persuits surrounding the plant that are definately on the illegal side and might be red flagged and investigated by foreign governments.......So in this thread I have naturally had to use psudonyms and location names that would lead anyone trying to follow up any leads no-where near the actual people and places where gardens of fine 'erb might be present......
No the story has not been finished just yet Chamba......and I will continue to write it for you all to read and enjoy soon......
I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your travels.
kudos jakespeed on the fine Khmer Gold specimen,can't wait to see how she turns out.
kudos jakespeed on the fine Khmer Gold specimen,can't wait to see how she turns out.
C
Chamba
yes, it's looking good Jakespeed....
my only suggestion would be, if you haven't already, is to take a clone from the undergrowth now...for those who don't know, most cuttings from tropical strains will readily root and revert to veg mode even when taken in early ~ mid flowering and placed under "Summer" sunlight hours..and this clone will be mature, (with an established root system) it will go into flowering mode and finish much faster than the seedling it came from..if it's a long flowering strain the cuttings (taken from plants in veg or very early flowering mode) can be placed straight into 12/12 for rooting, growth and flowering..but I prefer to get them rooted under 18 hours then into a bigger pot and flower them.
and speaking of sativas from Gypsy...I've got a Zamal in a pot that's well into flowering and a couple of others that have shown femme.
my only suggestion would be, if you haven't already, is to take a clone from the undergrowth now...for those who don't know, most cuttings from tropical strains will readily root and revert to veg mode even when taken in early ~ mid flowering and placed under "Summer" sunlight hours..and this clone will be mature, (with an established root system) it will go into flowering mode and finish much faster than the seedling it came from..if it's a long flowering strain the cuttings (taken from plants in veg or very early flowering mode) can be placed straight into 12/12 for rooting, growth and flowering..but I prefer to get them rooted under 18 hours then into a bigger pot and flower them.
and speaking of sativas from Gypsy...I've got a Zamal in a pot that's well into flowering and a couple of others that have shown femme.
Last edited:
N
neptune
anyone else besides jakespeed and myself get some of these beans?
lets see your plants folks!!!!
lets see your plants folks!!!!
Mota de Dios
Member
Any word on any Vietnamese beans? Thanks for your time.
Mota
Mota
Quarries full of Green Gold!
Quarries full of Green Gold!
Mr Ho had sent a Mercedes van to pick us up....it looked relatively new and as we were ushered inside of it by the short beaming driver I noticed that the interior was quite sumptuos.....all fine black leather with dvd players on the seat backs....
I quickly established that the drivers name was Chen and that he did'nt really speak much English so any conversation was virtually out of the question. Chen offered us some chilled bottles of water and a clean white, cold flannel for us to wipe our brows with and since the weather outside was a little humid and muggy I had been sweating slightly, so it was a welcome and refreshing relief to wipe down with the cold towel. With the air-conditioner cranked up on full we pulled away from the resort towards our at that time unknown destination.
The windows of the van were heavily tinted to avert the suns glare on the occupants I presumed and for a while I stared out of the window till Chen thrust something under my nose and said "DVD?"....I looked at the cover of the DVD case and it was the Indiana Jones and the Chrystal Skull movie that I had made a mental note of wanting to see a while ago and this looked like a bootleg version since I was sure that it had not yet been released in DVD format for general consumption just yet. "OK Chen"...I said and soon the opening titles were rolling in front of my eyes on the small screen.....and I wondered if my coming adventures would rival what Harrison Ford was going thru as Indiana in this movie.....hmmm....unlikely.
Soon the bustle of Da Nang City dissapeared behind us as we drove into a more rural setting with many green rice paddies and large vegetable gardens evident. Water buffaloes and tractors were busy in the fields with the locals planting and harvesting a multitude of crops. Indiana Jones was busy fighting off the Russians from some amphibious vehicle on the DVD and I still felt the residual effects of the little bit of fine 'erb that I had consumed that morning as Chen drove confidently and carefully towards our surprise destination....
The terrain was quite hilly and mountainous most all of them covered with lush green vegetation and tropical trees and after about an hour or so we turned off of a main road onto a gravel track that lead thru a steep valley between 2 rather large rocky mini-mountains....The ride got quite a bit rougher than and we jostled around in the back of the van as the vehicle swerved occasionally to avoid some holes in the road....
By the time the movie had ended we had arrived at the entrance of what looked like what could be a huge quarry and Chen stopped the van at a checkpoint kiosk in front of some massive sliding metal gates attached to a huge fence that looked like it was over 4 meters high and was topped with razor wire. From inside the small security kiosk a wirey looking armed and uniformed guard emerged and exchanged a few words in Vietnamese with Chen thru the rolled down drivers side window before the same guard went back in the small hut and activated something that made the gates slide open with a loud scraping metallic noise for us to enter....
Slowly Chen drove the van up a winding rough road towards a row of small and larger sheds that backed right onto a towering cliffside of what looked like granite or marble rock judging by the many colours and density it seemed to have at first glance. After applying the brakes and stopping Chen sounded the vans horn and within a few seconds Mr Ho emerged from the largest shed smiling and warmly greeting us as we disembarked from the transport. I could hear the steady drone of what sounded like a large diesel generator or two faintly coming from somewhere and the air smelled very slightly of the exhaust of the burned fuel as I shook Ho's hand rigourously and said "So what do you have going on here Mr Ho?" as I smiled wryly...Mr Ho motioned for us to follow him into the large shed that he had just emerged from with an outstreched arm and so we did..."Please follow me" Ho said.....
Well....lets say that I was expecting to be shown something quite outstanding but was absolutely amazed as to the sheer scale of what Mr Ho had organized here over the last few years. The shed we had entered led into caverns and caves that had been blasted into the rockface and each cavern or cave was full of cannabis plants growing happily under an enormous battery of H.I.D. sodium and metal halide lights. I noticed that not all the growing systems were the same......some areas were using a hydroponic drip system with the plants growing in long rock-wool slabs, other areas were using a deep water culture or bubbling bucket system and others were being grown in yet other areas in various potted soil mixtures.....As I walked thru this labirynth of caves and caverns I saw many varieties of plants in all stages of growth....many of the caves and caverns were not accesible at this time since they were in darkness due to the lights in that area being off while the plants slept for 12 hours. Yes this was a huge operation and it was staffed by many workers that were all working away mostly on the harvesting and pruning of the finished product in one particular area...
Quarries full of Green Gold!
Mr Ho had sent a Mercedes van to pick us up....it looked relatively new and as we were ushered inside of it by the short beaming driver I noticed that the interior was quite sumptuos.....all fine black leather with dvd players on the seat backs....
I quickly established that the drivers name was Chen and that he did'nt really speak much English so any conversation was virtually out of the question. Chen offered us some chilled bottles of water and a clean white, cold flannel for us to wipe our brows with and since the weather outside was a little humid and muggy I had been sweating slightly, so it was a welcome and refreshing relief to wipe down with the cold towel. With the air-conditioner cranked up on full we pulled away from the resort towards our at that time unknown destination.
The windows of the van were heavily tinted to avert the suns glare on the occupants I presumed and for a while I stared out of the window till Chen thrust something under my nose and said "DVD?"....I looked at the cover of the DVD case and it was the Indiana Jones and the Chrystal Skull movie that I had made a mental note of wanting to see a while ago and this looked like a bootleg version since I was sure that it had not yet been released in DVD format for general consumption just yet. "OK Chen"...I said and soon the opening titles were rolling in front of my eyes on the small screen.....and I wondered if my coming adventures would rival what Harrison Ford was going thru as Indiana in this movie.....hmmm....unlikely.
Soon the bustle of Da Nang City dissapeared behind us as we drove into a more rural setting with many green rice paddies and large vegetable gardens evident. Water buffaloes and tractors were busy in the fields with the locals planting and harvesting a multitude of crops. Indiana Jones was busy fighting off the Russians from some amphibious vehicle on the DVD and I still felt the residual effects of the little bit of fine 'erb that I had consumed that morning as Chen drove confidently and carefully towards our surprise destination....
The terrain was quite hilly and mountainous most all of them covered with lush green vegetation and tropical trees and after about an hour or so we turned off of a main road onto a gravel track that lead thru a steep valley between 2 rather large rocky mini-mountains....The ride got quite a bit rougher than and we jostled around in the back of the van as the vehicle swerved occasionally to avoid some holes in the road....
By the time the movie had ended we had arrived at the entrance of what looked like what could be a huge quarry and Chen stopped the van at a checkpoint kiosk in front of some massive sliding metal gates attached to a huge fence that looked like it was over 4 meters high and was topped with razor wire. From inside the small security kiosk a wirey looking armed and uniformed guard emerged and exchanged a few words in Vietnamese with Chen thru the rolled down drivers side window before the same guard went back in the small hut and activated something that made the gates slide open with a loud scraping metallic noise for us to enter....
Slowly Chen drove the van up a winding rough road towards a row of small and larger sheds that backed right onto a towering cliffside of what looked like granite or marble rock judging by the many colours and density it seemed to have at first glance. After applying the brakes and stopping Chen sounded the vans horn and within a few seconds Mr Ho emerged from the largest shed smiling and warmly greeting us as we disembarked from the transport. I could hear the steady drone of what sounded like a large diesel generator or two faintly coming from somewhere and the air smelled very slightly of the exhaust of the burned fuel as I shook Ho's hand rigourously and said "So what do you have going on here Mr Ho?" as I smiled wryly...Mr Ho motioned for us to follow him into the large shed that he had just emerged from with an outstreched arm and so we did..."Please follow me" Ho said.....
Well....lets say that I was expecting to be shown something quite outstanding but was absolutely amazed as to the sheer scale of what Mr Ho had organized here over the last few years. The shed we had entered led into caverns and caves that had been blasted into the rockface and each cavern or cave was full of cannabis plants growing happily under an enormous battery of H.I.D. sodium and metal halide lights. I noticed that not all the growing systems were the same......some areas were using a hydroponic drip system with the plants growing in long rock-wool slabs, other areas were using a deep water culture or bubbling bucket system and others were being grown in yet other areas in various potted soil mixtures.....As I walked thru this labirynth of caves and caverns I saw many varieties of plants in all stages of growth....many of the caves and caverns were not accesible at this time since they were in darkness due to the lights in that area being off while the plants slept for 12 hours. Yes this was a huge operation and it was staffed by many workers that were all working away mostly on the harvesting and pruning of the finished product in one particular area...
Mota de Dios
Member
Thanks Gypsy for continuing your great travel story, I enjoy living your adventure through your story telling. Thanks for your time.
Mota
Mota
Thanks Gypsy...my mind has been consumed and moved gently to a new place for the day..DD
PedroGarcia
New member
Great advertures man...bring SE Asia back with a bang...visited there a few years ago and still blown away by Cambodia every time I think about it.
Nice one
Nice one
k9hohriver
New member
great story! I really have enjoyed this adventure.
Gypsy...would you please ask Mr. Ho if he has any Cambodian Red, I smoked some back in Vietnam (Phu Cat) and have always remembered it.
peace, k9hohriver
Gypsy...would you please ask Mr. Ho if he has any Cambodian Red, I smoked some back in Vietnam (Phu Cat) and have always remembered it.
peace, k9hohriver
Planit Growit
Member
Your pictures and story are very inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
No seeds to be seen, but many beautifull ladies!
No seeds to be seen, but many beautifull ladies!
It was surely a wonderfull sight to behold, the temperature inside the caves and caverns where all these plants were growing was a little cooler than outside and the humidty was less too thanks to some industrial sized airconditioning units that kept the plants at the optimum conditions required...Everywhere I looked I saw only female plants and most all were indica dominant varieties and this was confirmed by Mr Ho who told me that the clone Mother's for most all of these plants had originated from Canada.....Ho was not into seed production he was just producing sensimilla for commercial reasons and doing it on a larger scale indoors than I had ever seen.....
Yes...it was exciting to see all these plants being grown in purgatory but I was looking for Vietnamese landrace varieties in seed form.....
No seeds to be seen, but many beautifull ladies!
It was surely a wonderfull sight to behold, the temperature inside the caves and caverns where all these plants were growing was a little cooler than outside and the humidty was less too thanks to some industrial sized airconditioning units that kept the plants at the optimum conditions required...Everywhere I looked I saw only female plants and most all were indica dominant varieties and this was confirmed by Mr Ho who told me that the clone Mother's for most all of these plants had originated from Canada.....Ho was not into seed production he was just producing sensimilla for commercial reasons and doing it on a larger scale indoors than I had ever seen.....
Yes...it was exciting to see all these plants being grown in purgatory but I was looking for Vietnamese landrace varieties in seed form.....
