How to smoke opium in a bamboo pipe
Don't try this at home
Begin in a village near the Burmese border.
This matters because:
a) They grow and smoke opium, storing it by soaking tiny strips of cloth.
b) They have bamboo.
Step 1: The Extraction
Take the opium-soaked cloth strips and dip them in water. Heat the mix in a brass spatula if possible. Squeeze each strip dry — don’t waste a drop. Keep boiling until all the water evaporates and you’re left with a thick, tar-like residue of pure opium. Take your time. This is ritual.
Step 2: The Hay
Find a clump of dried banana hay — or ask your ever-generous neighbour. Roast it slowly over a flame, turning it again and again until each strand is crisp and dry. No rushing. Patience is flavour.
Step 3: The Binding
With bamboo tweezers, dip the roasted hay into the spatula of opium. Twirl gently, letting the sticky resin soak in. Then transfer the clump to a plate and keep kneading it with the tweezers. Work it in thoroughly. This part is meditative — so chat, sip tea, let the moment linger.
Step 4: The Pipe
Fetch your bamboo pipe (or borrow the neighbour’s again). Add a bit of water to filter the smoke. Pinch off a bit of that sticky hay and place it in the bowl. Light it — match, ember, or lighter — and inhale slowly. Sip tea. Pass it around. Savor.
Lie down.