Hi Dubnjoy, thanks for the great thread. I love the pics and your artistic prose. Are you able to play on Bodog/Bovada in Montreal? If so, do you need to set up a Bodog account in another province of Canada?
While I have you, how about Vietnam? Are non-Vietnamese able to set up a bodog88 account in Vietnam and play poker?

Have you even hear about resizing photos? 35MB last page I had one time in blog many photos from trip, it was over 100MB one page and views declined after that from regular few hundred to regular 30. Mobiles and data plans, fups and limits...

Dem Falling Skies


Rainy day today. The skies, dem gods and all dem upstairs peeps, decided that they had enough of golden sunny days, and that alas , everything had to hence come tumbling down





Not a big concern, mind you, as I had been blessed with magnificent autumn days since setting foot on the Old Continent, effectively (barely) escaping both the Yukon winter (-40 as we speak) and the the Montreal one But a surprise was awaiting me - alas - just tucked beyond the cliffside of the mountains, on my way to Sarajevo





Not sure what Sarajevo has to offer outside of its myriads of buildings, its condensed population and beneath its freshly coated snow, but will be enjoying the old town, some coffee and my virtual grind here.









Bodog has always been my virtual plan B which, thankfully, I have never had to fall back on (you can add IDN to Bodog as my last potential grinding sites before fully exiting the virtual scene). But I believe you cannot play from Quebec, while Vietnam would definitely not be my first SEA choice to set up a bank account/address in (Cambodia, Thailand and Phils are much better options), albeit, it is still possible...



Gotcha, had never given it any thought, tbh... I am not really concerned about the potential reduction in views (still a bummer, I guess, but am content with simply having a platform to share my stories/travelling pics as a means of writing exercises/journal, even if I do not get a ton of replies), but if it is a nuisance to other users because of bandwidth usage, then I will take a look into it. Thx for posting bro


Run good all

Eastward

An 8h bus ride separates Sarajevo from Belgrade. Eight hours of mountains, magnificent cliffsides, layered snow and a fantasy-awe-inspiring picturesque scenery.








Well, at least on the Bosnian side of things, as the landscape curiously flattened out across the Serbian border, with the houses losing some of their charm in the process…





Had heaps of time to read, finally coming to terms with the interesting Red Wheelbarrel by Sam Esmail, the Mr. Robot novel following season 1 and leading into season 2 which takes us into Elliot’s schiphronic mind as he ponders about…. ehhhhh sanity, while sitting in prison I then binged Kingpin : How one hacker took over the Billion-dollar cybercrime underground a neat little intake on the cyberpunk scene of the late 80s/early 90s. It revolves around an interesting protagonist and driven by a narration that browses through the evolution of viruses/cyber security. Next up, Spam Nation and Digital Gold.

Poker has been amazing, with a surge perhaps only comparable to the one of cryptos ; up 5k in EU thus far (11k when adjusted with RB and up 12k in cryptos). Flying out tomorrow to Bucharast (ehhh, the land route was 4-5 combinations of bus/car/trains and most likely a 2 day trek) for 4 days of live poker and - obviously - an MTT binkage.


Hummmm, for someone like me that use to stubbornly avoid by all means getting overcharged by taxi drivers in the past, twice thus far I have been caught in the “speeding meter” scam. Kind of hard to get away from, once sitting in the cab, having already giving consent to the ride and stuck behind the language barrier…. Not a big deal, obviously, but that sentiment of being had/hustled always feels a bit shyty, doesn’t it….


Peace

The Finish Line

It always comes to an end… 501 people at the breakfast buffet eating their sorrows away, packing their bags, heading back to their respective countries... 501 individuals that fell short, are left behind, dissatisfied... And then there is that lucky one that took all that glitter down - of course -, the only one that claimed full success in our time in Bucharest.




The event was held at the Marriott, home of Grand Halls, luscious bars and restaurants...




...yet trying to squeeze out every possible penny of its customers with overpriced wifi, ridiculous mini-bar tags etc.


As far as I am concerned, it is with a smile that I will face this (finally) sunny day. I am (relatively) happy with my 18th place/7k (CAD) score, yet still could not manage to look back and inquire about the final table... Look at the live stream online or imagine that that Netherland (nice) fellow that took me out AA > QQ 48bbs effective, happened to be that last man standing...




My table on Day 1, which saw a little too high variance 3bets GII plays while I was completely card dead.


In another quantum reality my QQ gets there on the J98 flop... In another realm, I put those chips to good use, mastering my way to the final table, easing my way to the final 3, defying life, dem poker gods and all stuff immaterial when I find myself heads-up... In that fictional world, I am that envious one that all other 501 players don't want to turn their attention back towards to, as the only way to flee that elusive conquest, is to not remain stuck in time eternally dwelling on the "what ifs"... After all, there is always another time... Or another place, or so we like to repeat to ourselves...




That elusive feature table, sitting on the stage... On which I got to play a whole 2 hands, before getting switched tables again


Well, my plans of spending the day exploring went array when dumping a % of my winnings into a bitcoin atm became a hassle, in fraud-heavy thus regulated Romania... On top of that, I got hit by a severe flu that kept me strapped to the bed for 3 days str8








Am presently in Brasnov, home of Dracula (pics to come), and will most likely head to Budapest next. Trump is shaking up the situation in Israel, so won't be spending time on the Gaza Strip anytime soon


Peace

Tactile Impressions

Dreamlike depictions is all that remains when you breeze through successive cities, snapshotting your life away... Your time-space recollection is occupied by lively pastiches, sure, but ones that remain at the surface - albeit magnificent... Of course, the goal was always to dip superficially into the Old Continent's colourful culture and absorb whatever I could ; and that, I have.




On the train Bucharest-Brasov








My trip in Europe has been splendid thus far, both on the the felt and as a full-on tourist Nonetheless, it will be nice to invest myself slightly more in Israel and then Colombia - me thinks... - where getting to work and meditate in the latter will be a growing experience, while learning the language in the former is the best way to completely immerse oneself into Latin America - never mind being accepted/not considered a Gringo .




Skating rinks, grafitis and churches, who would of phunked it


Hopping on a sleeper train tomorrow to Budapest.


Run good all

Dubnjoy,

Thanks again for the report and pictures. In tournaments in non-native English lands, is English-only still a rule at the poker tables? Local language only? No restrictions?

Be safe, have continued good travels.

It appears I didn't chime in here yet, but since this is as good a time as any I justed wanted to say that this is one of my favorite threads of all of 2+2. I have some personal history with some of the places mentioned but I still remember reading the thread before that. The Yukon poker room is still high on my list to make it one day mostly thanks to this thread.
But yeah, if you could shrink the pics a bit, that would be great. There's not much point in posting them in 4K and the pages take some time to load because of that.

golddog: Usually local language and English are both allowed. Depending on the location multiple languages may be allowed, e.g. Cantonese, Mandarin and English in Macau or Czech, German and English in the rooms near the Czech - German border. But this is often not strictly reinforced. But don't worry about that too much, usually local players or dealers spot it if there is something fishy going on. Mostly it's just whales chatting.

Feel free to PM if you need some Israel recommendations or help.

FWWM: Not worried about cheating. I'm not too likely to play in any of those places, and if I did, it's low-stakes rec play anyway. Just curious. Thanks for the info.

Hey golddog, funny that you ask, as the issue arose a couple of times in the Unibet Open, once we were itm. If the atmosphere was light like a feather at the end of Day 1 (all 25% of the runners having survived and being closer to the money and all), things changed quite swiftly once itm - surprisingly -, and an Israeli (whose English was bad) got into it with a guy from the Netherlands. The Israeli muttered a few words in Hebrew to his opponent during a big pot and the floor was called. The ruling was "English only" during a hand, which seems to be a Unibet "UK-centered" decision, tbh, as usually the local language is also accepted... When we were down to 3 tables, the PokerNews Reporter came to tell me that 2 Romanians, who kept on yapping during hands at my table, were in fact sharing the holdings that they folded. Not in a collusion sorta way, me thinks, but moreso as amateurs whining about what they had to fold. This said, it was becoming intrusive and I was close to calling the floor, but then I busted a player QQ < 88 and we get a new redraw for the remaining 18. I would go on to bust the first hand of the final 2 tables QQ < AA, so did not get to witness a follow-up.

As far as cash games goes across the world, it is a bit more flexible then the moreso standardized tournaments which follow the TDA (tournament directors association). In Asia, for instance, anything goes. The Koreans (whales) will get their way. Collusion is to be expected (in between locals vs foreigners). As is slowrolling But events like the APT will apply set rules. In Montreal (WPT and Party Millions), it is both French and English. I feel that peeps would rebel over there if it was solely English Western Canada is English only.

Interesting side story about the Casino de Montreal which held the WSOPC, I believe... They used the French cards which - some might not know - have different letters for the face cards. "R" for the "K"ing, "D" for the "Q"ueen and "V" for the "J"ack, which would naturally prompt English speaking out-of-towners to study longer their broadway cards ; a clear tell, of course Needless to say, but the WSOPC has since to go back to the Casino of Montreal (The Playground in Kahnawake is where all the big events are held).

Thx for the good wishes friend



Thx for the compliments and chiming in, it always feels good to get these On the subjects of the pics, will look into it, I promise... Any suggestions is welcomed though (software or hints?).



Thx bro I got an Airbnb for my first 2 nights in Tel Aviv close to the beach before heading north to the meditation centre. I will be meeting up with 2 Israeli friends in Tel Aviv, is that where you live? I would be up for a coffee, if you are down with that... Peace

In my experience, these days, collusion among locals is not an issue in either Macau or Phnom Penh. I heard it was rampant in the Philippines, but I've never been there. Dunno about other places. And yes, I don't know exactly what it is but Asians love to slowroll, just be aware of that and move on. Some who do that are actually really nice guys if you talk to them a bit.

Pretty much any pic editing software will do, even gimp or MS paint. Or do it online, just google "online image size converter" or smth, tons of results

Border Control

San-Jose, Costa Rica, Febuary, 2002. I have spent 3 days on the bus from Guatemala, hovering through gangsta-infested Honduras, intriguing Nicaragua and now the capital of Costa-Rica, trying by all means to get back to my gf in Montreal. If I originally flew into Guatemala City, thinking - for some stupid reason - that forcing myself to cross Central America by booking my return flight from San Jose - duhhhh!!! - would be a good idea, here I am, 4 months later, stinky as f***, with 20$ to my name AKA not even enough to cover the airport tax, FML.

After I double and triple check my bank account at an atm, I decide that pleading my case to a fellow backpacker American might be more lucrative…. But alas, I get shut down, much like the machine did…, Time for Plan B : sale what I have of value, AKA a 300$ African djembe.

The situation is not looking promising when the only person of help I can find, is a 35 year old street Costa Rican dude with a Ganja hat and BIG red eyes sticking out of their orbits like mama-fracking Bombaclat

- "Viene amigo" he waives to me, hinting to trust his better judgement, red eyes, plans for a revolution and all dem fluffy dreams We find a vendor who's son instantly takes a liking into my hand drum, especially after I demonstrate what sounds can potentially come out of a wooden instrument with an animal skin, yo 25$ is agreed upon, enough for the airport tax, a bus ride home and some pocket change in Montreal. Revolution baby


I can't really say that I got all that much out of Budapest, unfortunately. Part of it is showing up at 4am, hopping off the train/catching up on sleep upon arrival then having to leave at 3am to catch my flight to Israel... Add to this the variance of not knowing in which neighborhood your guesthouse will be located, and your impression of the city is greatly affected... I will certainly be back in this part of the world, more specifically Bosnia, where it would be a nice plan to settle down for 3-6 months...














I think I will be skipping the USA part of my trip and go directly to Colombia after the Israel part of my journey... tbd.



Resized the pics, so hope this helps you guys

Have not played in Macau, but imo, the biggest form of collusion, is moreso in the form of locals softplaying each other while keeping the gist of their fight for foreigners. Not much different than any other casino in the world, tbh, where the regs instinctively gun for the newcomer. Also, there are the "house" players to consider, that might have much more incentive to share bankrolls, especially in shorthanded situations where the variance is obviously higher (and the collusion has greater impact).

edit : hummm, that blue framing sucks, but it was worth a try...


Run good all

HolyLand

Israel and Bosnia were my 2 most anticipated stops in Europe. Of course, I just set foot over here in Tel Aviv, so take my first impressions for what they are - a rough surface level -, yet I did nonetheless manage to walk a good 25kms, see quite a few peeps, vehicles, graffitis and - a first - even a Bitcoin shop.





3 employees, 5 computers, a couple couches, a big arse tv monitor, all of which are supported by the minuscule fees of 1 single bitcoin atm I could not believe the frenzy though, as peeps kept lining up - 6 or 7 at a time - and feeding the machine a couple of thousand each













The AirBnB felt like the good old college days : small quarters for limited activities - ehhh drinking and some studying -, a whole lot of dust, mess, but located in a hip/artsy neighborhood





Heading out to the meditation centre tomorrow. For 1 month. One... full... month... of intensive as frack introspection Not sure if I am quite ready, but will nevertheless find myself fully immersed soon... Talk then folks.


Peace

Heart of the Unknown

Thailand, January, 2017, Day 11 of the 20 day retreat. At 5 in the morning, anger comes pounding on the door... like an unwanted guest. A stubborn, fistful, rage inclined visitor. Its claws are fierce, but accurate, scratching away at the open pores like an eerie, deafening migraine. Yet I persist, sitting through the pain, the distractions, until the aching becomes a loss dissuading sensation...

At 1pm, depression shows up. Like a dear old forgotten friend... and one whose absence went unnoticed. He whispers in my ears in that familiar tone, reminding me of all the mistakes committed along the way... Pouring back in that guilt, grief, chagrin, sadness, heavily weighing me down... Yet I sit still, unmoved, refusing to be unearthed by its presence.

At 7pm, it is anxiety turn to come shake things up. To deter, hinder, impede upon all the peace that had managed to instil itself within me... Yet, like a statue, I remain rigid. Resolute. Firm.

At 9pm, I find solace in sleep, closing my eyes to the gruelling day. Lighter than I was at sunrise. Calmer. Purer. Rid of all these calamities. Yet, this ephemeral lull only lasts a few hours before the gong comes resonating through my being at 4 am, bringing back a new cycle of unwanted guests. A new fight. Rinse repeat


After 5 days of serving at the centre (and slowly stirring up some demons to the surface), management asked us to leave the premises for a day or 2. To stop the operation. To engage the outside world again. Resurface. So it was time to hit the road, Jack








Destination north towards Haifa, by the beach








I am usually not in the habit of staying in 100$+ nightly hotels, yet find myself doing so for half of this trip thus far, go figure Part of it is the Unibet Open, of course, where my package covered 4 nights, yet find myself oftentimes just booking an expensive option out of convenience/location desires.





Will be looking to spend a good amount of time in the desert after my retreat in 3 weeks. Israelis are not the most welcoming/warm-hearted folks at first approach (yet get along with them/like them), but I can definitely picture really liking this country


Shalom

Does this sizing for the pics work, folks?

Not happy with the quality of these last images, by that says more about me as a photographer than anything us

Inside Existence (Metaphysics 101)

Chaing Mai, Thailand, November 2003. "Why are you here?". These glaring 4 simple words inscribed in black marker on the door of my meditation cell... why am I here...

I have come to know the nuances of the cracks in the walls, the precise odd shapes of the floor tiles... yet, why am I here? Probably to jump in the bottomless pit of human complexity... to revel in the joyride of manic emotional swings... to be the protagonist of epic inner battles... Why are you here?


Well, that was quite an interesting battle, wasn't it I threw in some precise jabs, some decent left hooks and even a sweet and effective Mama-fracking uppercut, nevertheless saw myself get tossed around, exposed to some kicking, wild body slamming and even some endgame stomping Ohhhh, I am not sure who came out the ultimate victor of self vs self AKA the battle of the underdogs , but I sure am walking away a more liberated man, yo . Time to reacquaint ourselves with the outside world and to pursue with, you know, this thing called life




The meditation centre overlooked some magnificent scenery







The centre, while monastic by all means, offered comfortable facilities


Next up, Nazareth


Shalom

That hotel has a great looking design, how was the room?

Taking some good photos there bud, looks like the little walking path in the last picture was just laid down nothing like fresh asphalt.

Maybe you will find Jesus in Nazareth...

Shalom!

Just make sure that you have a room booked before you get to Nazareth.

(Sorry, The Last Waltz was on the other night.)

The (Re)birth of Cycles, Part 1

To be greeted with a smile. A simple "hello". Or "welcome to Israel". Words and gesture that sound trivial, by all means, but had been lacking thus far in the Holyland.





Not to take a stance, side with the oppressor or come to easy-complacent conclusions, but there is something to be said about being in the corner of the defeated... You develop more empathy, gratitude for the small things (victories?), kindness in your understanding, me thinks...





I guess it is refreshing for yours truly as, as much as I hate to admit it, the abundance of anti-muslim propaganda thrown our way through the American medias combined with my lack of interaction with some Islam peeps (I have literally no close Arabic friends back in Canada ), had somehow ingrained some form of prejudice in my being, despite my keen awareness of its presence... Moreover, I had naturally developed an affinity with Jewish Israelis that I met along my travels, so was expecting to mix in more with the latter then Palestinians, tbh, yet find myself humbly proven wrong. There is a blissful light in some of the Arabic folks I have met here….

The mix of modernity with traditions from the past are fascinating and outstanding.

Looping Around the Cycle, Part 2

I once had a fellow cook (effectively) sell me the idea of simplicity in cuisine ; that inside the delicate flavours of any given sandwich, burger or rustic dish imaginable, culinary bliss could be attained, provided the right amount of knowledge and love were delicately blended together... Dude was enlightened, I tell you, or had come to Israel to bite into the succulent fresh vegetables of the falafel/shawarmas





I might have to come back to Nazareth, as I really enjoy the vibe here...





Back in my Uni days, my 2 housemates were studying in Communication and hence taking some Photography courses, but I alas never got to dip into the lighting or composure knowledge - and whatnot - that form the art of photo... I feel I suck at taking pics, tbh, but am glad you are enjoying them though Hank

Yup, it was fresh asphalt, on which we strictly had to glance upon while walking as not only did we have to keep our sensory stimulation to a minimum (eyes cast down at all times), but had to avoid killing any ants or little creatures in the process.

Room was pretty sweet, much better than the one I have now at 100$/night which might be comparable in value to a 15$ nightly hotel in Vietnam It also had a great overview of the beach from the 6th floor :





Sorry golddog, I can't get the reference, as I never got to watching The Last Waltz, despite my buddy trying to convince me to do so back in our 20s...

Up next, Jerusalem. Thx for following folks

First verse. From The Band, an old Canadian rock band, maybe from the late 60s/70s? (Although the Nazareth in their case was Nazareth, PA from what I understand).

Glad to her your travels are going well. Enjoying your writing.

Moving Forward, 2018 Style

Woke up weighing my options this morning... Going back to Asia? Ehhhh, I think not. Love the women and all, but it is time to move on to unfamiliar grounds. Likelihood : <1%. Bosnia or Croatia? Hummmm, interesting, but 2 words deterred me from pursuing this thought : cold and language. Another time. So Colombia it will be, as after doing (literally) 2 minutes of research, I booked my flight late Jan for Santa Marta, a Caribbean city of half of a mil peeps where I should easily find a nice beachside flat and a Spanish tutor.


2018 Goals (AKA a Glance in Advance) :

- Travelling : Much like in 2017, I have a few destinations planned for 2018, notably Colombia (and Peru), followed by Quebec where I will be renting an AirBnB for 1-2 months in St-Agathe, 90 minutes north of Montreal. Then Dawson by crossing Canada in a camper van. Back to Montreal (by land with stops in Alberta) for a brief visit before flying to Western Europe and ultimately finishing off the winter probably in Latin America again(?)... I really - REALLY - love this travelling nomadic lifestyle, something that had been (somewhat) missing when I had a steady relationship in South-East Asia

Health : To pursue what I have established over the past few years, will be my aim. Which consists of eating relatively well, exercising 2-3 times weekly (tennis, hiking and running), daily 2h of meditation, frequent walks, a positive outlook on life and - ehhhhh - reducing my cafeine intake to 4 cups max daily.

Writing : I feel this facet of my life will take somewhat of the backseat, sorta speak. Since poker, meditation, exercising and travelling will be the frontrunners, something has gotta give, right No worries though, as I do plan on focussing on 2-3h of daily writing while crossing Canada by land (twice) and will naturally let loose when those moments of inspiration come swaying by, yo

Poker : Since the past half decade or so, it feels as if every year might be our last, given the fragile state of the ecosystem. At this point though, I do have extreme confidence in my game to the extent of relinquishing to the past that sentiment of feeling threatened of extinction. Nonetheless, at the ripe age of 41, I don't have much left in the tank for a full time grind, yo This said, I want to hit the tables relatively hard this year, try to average 35h/week (remember, I do take 2 months off a year which hence lowers this hourly quite significantly), a 6 digit year and make a deep run in a 4k+ buy-in event. My live MTT schedule will go as follows :

- Party Millions Montreal (5.3k buy-in) in April.
- White Ram Dawson City (if these count, 3 events with a cumulative buy-in of 2k) in September.
- Deepstack Alberta (2k buy-in) in October.
- WPT Montreal (4k buy-in) in November.
- Party Millions Caribbeans (5.3k buy-in) in November or...
- Unibet Open in Europe (1.6k buy-in) in November followed by...
- EPT in Europe (estimated at 10k buy-in) in December.

Which adds up to 20-30k in buy-ins where I would love to finish with a profit and a final table of a 4k+ buy-in within the next 5 years. I also want to play some live highstakes in the next 2 years (10-25).

Miscellanous : - Be semi-fluid in Spanish. Given that I have a strong based, this should be relatively easy with 5-10h of weekly studying with a private tutor.
- Enjoy whatever I am doing, such as the grind, retreats, travelling, studying etc.
- Study 4h of weekly poker most of the year. It is harder and harder to constantly stay ahead of the curve, but I have managed thus far and will continue to do so, yo. Also, given that I want to final table a MAJOR live event and play some live highstakes before ultimately stepping away from the game, the studying part figures to be mandatory.
- Read 12 books this year.
- Meet a gf who will make all of the previous goals obsolete

Edit : darn, scrap that Colombia plan, as it seems that I cannot play online over there...

Edit #2 : Double darn, am running good : apparently I had a 48h free flight cancellation which I beat by 24h!!! Peru it will be, I believe...

Run good all

In here too obv. How could i not

Lets see if i can catch up with u in one of those live stops!

Glgl again m8!!

Edit 3 : Ehhhhh, pardon the spelling mistakes or absence of free flow in this last post, but can't be arsed to edit it right now...

Cool bro, or let me know of interesting events in your corner of the world