tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85165366021301660882024-03-28T00:02:33.518-04:00Billiard TravelerPool nut, adventurer, eater of many foods.BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-57129033200440441562012-05-31T11:59:00.000-04:002012-05-31T13:33:25.849-04:00Toronto - Billiard Tourism North of the Border<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From NYC, I rode the Greyhound to Toronto.<br />
<br />
I visited two poolrooms in Toronto.<br />
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<h3 style="color: #b45f06; margin-top: 0px;">
Le Spot Billiard Lounge</h3>
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4531 Sheppard Avenue East<br />
Second Floor<br />
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada | M1S 1V3<br />
416.298.2888<br />
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</div>
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<span style="color: black;">This is the home room of Alex Pagulayan - many of his trophies are hanging up on the walls, as well as countless pictures. The room was not particularly photogenic, so I will not post any pics of it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The place was difficult to reach. The last subway stop got me to about 8km away from the poolroom. It was Good Friday, a national holiday in Canada, and the bus stop sign in front of the subway station stated that the bus did not run on Holidays. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">So I walked.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">And walked,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">And walked.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ElIBrMLoNwQ/T4d8TOTOmnI/AAAAAAAAbd8/Gr7WvkHucos/s1600/DSC_7164.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ElIBrMLoNwQ/T4d8TOTOmnI/AAAAAAAAbd8/Gr7WvkHucos/s400/DSC_7164.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the free BBQ roof party at the hostel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">Then I saw a bus - THE bus actually. I tried to flag him down but since I wasn't at an actual stop, he just went on. So I kept walking until I reached the next bus stop, waited a half hour, and did get to do the last couple of kilometers while sitting down, which was nice. </span><span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">When I got there at 3pm, the room was already packed : no tables available. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">One guy was shooting by himself, a Pakistani Canadian - we played some 9-ball races. Intelligent, interesting guy. A charming penchant for simplicity. </span><span style="color: black;">After we were done</span><span style="color: black;">, he kindly offered me a ride back to a subway station , which I accepted with enthusiasm.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I got off at the wrong stop. I misread my map scale, wound up walking over 1.5 hours to get back to town. You learn.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">For my first night I had arranged to couchsurf - if you don't know what that is, I highly recommend it. Check out www.couchsurfing.org. My host for that night was great, and I learned many things from his uncommon perspectives and life experiences. For my second night, I found a fantastic hostel right downtown which was clean, cheap, "green" and full of travelers from everywhere, particularly Germans and French </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">youngsters looking for temporary work/travel arrangements.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Now, off to one of the places I was most excited to visit on my North American vagabondery :</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbg9IqjnoIsWt499jlSFIGYADTn9eBTfWbCSFbjK55bU3cAk7OjW8Xe94-BVszILwIlPF9L7kAEceN90Tkm2L8o2rxSOphI1lEbidVq9y0AGiY59xOCgt5ypWve8lYRXU2se6HXCpbJQ/s1600/DSC_7080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbg9IqjnoIsWt499jlSFIGYADTn9eBTfWbCSFbjK55bU3cAk7OjW8Xe94-BVszILwIlPF9L7kAEceN90Tkm2L8o2rxSOphI1lEbidVq9y0AGiY59xOCgt5ypWve8lYRXU2se6HXCpbJQ/s400/DSC_7080.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Academy of Spherical Arts</b></span></div>
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1 Snooker St <span style="color: #38761d;">// For real ----></span></div>
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Toronto, ON</div>
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(416)532-2782</div>
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<a href="http://www.sphericalarts.com/index.php%20" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.sphericalarts.com/index.php </span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Twitter : <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/SphericalArts" target="_blank">@SphericalArts</a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Tip : </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Check in on Foursquare to get 1 free hour of pool - $20 value here ;) </span></span></i></div>
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<br />
<u>From the website : (anything in<span style="color: #741b47;"> <span style="color: #a64d79;">purple</span></span> is directly from the website)</u><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<div align="justify">
A BRIEF HISTORY of the Academy of Spherical Arts and the building that houses it reads like an outline for a short story.</div>
<div align="justify">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7yv_1gHWlQ/T4DIZKvcFpI/AAAAAAAAbH0/NuHio7-bDEM/s1600/DSC_7144.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7yv_1gHWlQ/T4DIZKvcFpI/AAAAAAAAbH0/NuHio7-bDEM/s320/DSC_7144.JPG" width="320" /></a>In 1890 the 38 Hanna Avenue (now #1 Snooker Street)
address was assigned to the original four-story building. Over the
years, space was added and<b> in 1905 the Brunswick Balke Collender Company
bought the building and began manufacturing billiard tables, cues,
balls and all manner of accessories</b> (can you see it coming?).</div>
<div align="justify">
In 1910 the company bought Canada's oldest and
largest manufacturer of billiard tables, the Samuel May Company, making
them the undisputed king of Canadian billiards. In 1959 the company
moved its operations to Cooksville, Ontario, and the building lay fallow
until its rescue in the late 1980's.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXAitNePyQ38gGXirZY8kUDaapU7d_c7jXKgFlfeISUtLYLMaQRsfNM9uiWJdpXTI2WA0Q3Sm3z4ACdLiM18nOkQYBak2dj_7UruYXuojxt6qAgGdpUGdjcU3XkLyu9VAD9jVlk4Bc1Y/s1600/DSC_7116.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXAitNePyQ38gGXirZY8kUDaapU7d_c7jXKgFlfeISUtLYLMaQRsfNM9uiWJdpXTI2WA0Q3Sm3z4ACdLiM18nOkQYBak2dj_7UruYXuojxt6qAgGdpUGdjcU3XkLyu9VAD9jVlk4Bc1Y/s320/DSC_7116.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serious collection of whisky</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify">
In September of 1991, the Academy of Spherical Arts opened with what is now the <a href="http://www.sphericalarts.com/the-academy/the-samuel-may-room.html" title="Samuel May Room">Samuel May Room</a>. The facility was expanded in 1995 with the <a href="http://www.sphericalarts.com/the-academy/the-john-brunswick-room.html" title="John Brunswick Room">John Brunswick Room</a>, and again in 1997 with the <a href="http://www.sphericalarts.com/the-academy/the-george-chenier-room.html" title="Georges Chenier Room">Georges Chenier Room</a>. As a millennium project, in the fall of 1999, the Academy undertook the construction of our newest addition, <a href="http://www.sphericalarts.com/the-academy/la-belle-epoque.html" title="La Belle Époque">La Belle Époque</a>. Today, the Academy occupies 20,000 square feet, approximately one sixth of the old factory.</div>
<div align="justify">
It is a poetic and comforting thought to know that
many of the billiard tables, cues, balls and scoreboards that were
handcrafted here decades ago have returned at long last to their place
of birth.</div>
<div align="justify">
All's right with the world.</div>
</blockquote>
<h1>
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">The Samuel May Room :</span></h1>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB79iriJh6nU5p4SHd_3x0qUWDb1gfJZBrqG1pKoaJilYyWvU8kuE0Lu8c8Z6YKAlwly7bZYMD0jVMtqpWYe13B-wbaYt0-6WftDeX9p2gYbUR_6FhVDiO08ar-B4Dctc3k1mJFlciT_w/s1600/DSC_7120.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB79iriJh6nU5p4SHd_3x0qUWDb1gfJZBrqG1pKoaJilYyWvU8kuE0Lu8c8Z6YKAlwly7bZYMD0jVMtqpWYe13B-wbaYt0-6WftDeX9p2gYbUR_6FhVDiO08ar-B4Dctc3k1mJFlciT_w/s400/DSC_7120.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Samuel May room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our current bar, built in 1998, is fashioned from steel, copper and
wood. This bar was custom designed by Rick using British Columbia fir
shipped to Ontario in the 1920's. It was stored in a barn near Glen
Williams, Ontario for some <b>seventy years</b> before being used to hold the
vast array of Academy libations. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Hub_bINNXlru-Jzeb8j6BUIyJqpmNrv072ylFAlIfdAa01dfT6F7Y9aUGEgZ3xwf1E64euBmgidShb-8xbOwig9fPPRmgUD0lOzSQjDxhQ_i1KgkskF6hyphenhyphenaEFimvW_X1GFj_OmuWkyk/s1600/DSC_7089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Hub_bINNXlru-Jzeb8j6BUIyJqpmNrv072ylFAlIfdAa01dfT6F7Y9aUGEgZ3xwf1E64euBmgidShb-8xbOwig9fPPRmgUD0lOzSQjDxhQ_i1KgkskF6hyphenhyphenaEFimvW_X1GFj_OmuWkyk/s400/DSC_7089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Samuel May tables</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<div align="justify">
Four of the billiard tables you see in this room are
original Samuel May and Co. tables; <b>they range in age from 100 - 130
years old.</b> They are fine examples of Samuel May's Manufacturing
excellence and keep Canada's billiard heritage alive.</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The room features <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII" target="_blank">Kind Edward</a>'s personal snooker table, on which I played for free thanks to Foursquare :<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr2Dmrx4Or4/T4DH5b27RnI/AAAAAAAAbEc/seH_4CZiEaM/s1600/DSC_7102.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr2Dmrx4Or4/T4DH5b27RnI/AAAAAAAAbEc/seH_4CZiEaM/s400/DSC_7102.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Edward's personal snooker table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlC3KdI1DsZA4JYV2QYC_u85qOfrVYQjugPz5mWUo82EJd_ULhVWhyphenhyphenttk0SrJewK118TnaQE_y_gkTlDEUph4VJAqiK4tH9Mfa19gIoI6kVDr1Ia5ZB4JvWCy0W-4gwkPPj8EzB0HNik0/s1600/DSC_7132.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlC3KdI1DsZA4JYV2QYC_u85qOfrVYQjugPz5mWUo82EJd_ULhVWhyphenhyphenttk0SrJewK118TnaQE_y_gkTlDEUph4VJAqiK4tH9Mfa19gIoI6kVDr1Ia5ZB4JvWCy0W-4gwkPPj8EzB0HNik0/s400/DSC_7132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodwork worthy of a King's table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h1>
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">The John Brunswick Room :</span></h1>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<div align="justify">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUWHWFs-IReT77MCPfre7lN2tQts4F6Wx041maN1WnhprZvaJvDtK7j_YJRHS7bnBpHnTF3-AghGnY0cIxP8K2y6-xWx0cLyRFclmNfdFvw4msSSexu0EBCuPrWpdhlWJQau-YlbT2Cc/s1600/DSC_7100.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUWHWFs-IReT77MCPfre7lN2tQts4F6Wx041maN1WnhprZvaJvDtK7j_YJRHS7bnBpHnTF3-AghGnY0cIxP8K2y6-xWx0cLyRFclmNfdFvw4msSSexu0EBCuPrWpdhlWJQau-YlbT2Cc/s400/DSC_7100.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<div align="justify">
The billiard tables and accessories found in this
room were all manufactured in the building. They have returned home. The
bar was built in France at the end of the 19th century, and the stained
glass lamps that light the bar are early 20th century. </div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h1>
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">The George Chenier Room :</span></h1>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TbaipSJBQAU/T4DHzl6SkyI/AAAAAAAAbD0/b0mg_56zVOY/s1600/DSC_7095.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TbaipSJBQAU/T4DHzl6SkyI/AAAAAAAAbD0/b0mg_56zVOY/s400/DSC_7095.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zOMG mustard felt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As a billiard factory this area of the building would
have been the busiest. It was the loading dock. All finished products
came to this area to be shipped across Canada. The external windows in
this room were loading doors and under the carpet you will find quarter
inch steel plate floors necessary for the movement of slate and heavy
table frames. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #a64d79;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1G2HgdhyLReoOMCMSV7rhVGgJiJNHB2Y-bf3wKlli9c9A59UJZaCOMiG65dHHp_9NfYZtnXywHVpy6JxTLvQk98MLxfeAp4koA81xVTMd9foZcg16iaey0ly5EB8Z1w8JKsqBwLryec/s1600/DSC_7097.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1G2HgdhyLReoOMCMSV7rhVGgJiJNHB2Y-bf3wKlli9c9A59UJZaCOMiG65dHHp_9NfYZtnXywHVpy6JxTLvQk98MLxfeAp4koA81xVTMd9foZcg16iaey0ly5EB8Z1w8JKsqBwLryec/s400/DSC_7097.JPG" width="400" /></a>This room was opened in 1996. The idea was to provide
space for smaller groups and create an intimate warm atmosphere. The
large interior windows give the room an airy feel and also represent a
significant part of Toronto's history. These windows were part of the
now demolished Massey Harris factory on King Street at Strachan. Massey
Harris was the largest manufacturer of farm tractors and implements in
the first half of the 20th century. So in a small way we've brought
together work and leisure under one loading dock roof.
<br />
<div align="justify">
Since the first two rooms of the Academy were named
after the foremost Canadian manufacturers of billiard tables, it was
only appropriate to recognize one of Canada's greatest players, George
Chenier.</div>
</blockquote>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdIrc7E7h5M/T4DHy12Er1I/AAAAAAAAbDs/Y_7rSuXECn8/s1600/DSC_7094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> <br />
There was also a last room called La Belle Epoque, but it was off-limits as they were in the process of renovating it :(<br />
<br />
I leave you with a few more shots from the Academy. The employees at this establishment were very happy to show me around and tell me history and anecdotes about the building, its furniture, and its tables. I highly recommend going to take a tour, shoot on some antique tables, sample some scotch, and have a delicious juicy ribeye with asparagus and gnocchi as I did!<br />
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<br /></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-5702619889129999622012-04-30T12:34:00.000-04:002012-05-04T19:04:38.152-04:00Koalas and 3-cushion Billiards in New York City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h5b-PDIU8tE/T5yxhSVZ-WI/AAAAAAAAfNQ/h0-KX5bvQkc/s1600/2012-04-04_14-49-40_769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h5b-PDIU8tE/T5yxhSVZ-WI/AAAAAAAAfNQ/h0-KX5bvQkc/s400/2012-04-04_14-49-40_769.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Erie, Pennsylvania - one o'clock in the morning. The bus is already 20 minutes late. The station is closed; I'm outside trying to keep warm. A taxi pulls up and drops off a very small man with one suitcase and one backpack. He approaches me and mutters something completely incomprehensible. I pull out a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips, crack it open and offer him some; I mean he was really skinny. He asks something again, and this time I understand a bit better: "What time the bus is?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I answer in my most neutral traveling English, "Twenty minutes ago".<br />
I'll spare you the impossibly language-barriered exchange and summarize.<br /> The guy is from Thailand, FOB. His name is Ski. He looks like he is 13 years old but is probably 20 or so. He arrived a couple of weeks before with a visa and a job aligned at a spa somewhere in the vicinity of Erie. He didn't like the job, "boss no good". He quit. He had heard from someone, somewhere that there was a spa in *NO IDEA HOW TO TRANSCRIBE WHAT HE SAID* and another person told him the bus went there, leaving at 1 am from Erie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> I try to explain to him gently how screwed he is; he seems to get it. You can't buy tickets on the bus. The bus is not going where he needs to go. It's -5 deg. C outside and he has a light jacket. He does not have a place to stay in Erie; he burnt bridges at the previous job; he doesn't have cab fare or any money really to get back to warmth. I started telling him that it's too cold to sleep outside and he could consider calling the police.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">fter much back and forth, I figure out that he wants to go to a small town in the Pocono Mountains, clear on the other side of the state. He has been grossly misinformed, or there has been a communication failure. The only bus leaving from Erie was the one to Buffalo, which I am taking on my way to NYC. That bus is not going anywhere near his destination. He was hoping to be at work in the morning. He does not have a bus ticket, and the station is closed. He is visibly hungry, and freezing his tiny frame to death in the early April winds of Erie midnights.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-InXJkJUSx40/T38SmoKhtKI/AAAAAAAAbbw/aR-Cl1XVLc8/s1600/DSC_7066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-InXJkJUSx40/T38SmoKhtKI/AAAAAAAAbbw/aR-Cl1XVLc8/s400/DSC_7066.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /> An old SUV comes screeching around the corner. A guy in a wifebeater and leather jacket gets out of the driver's seat. He's drinking Pepto-Bismol straight from the bottle. He's in a GREAT mood for some reason. Possibly drunk, but likely some other type of substance abuse. He walks up to check the bus schedules which are posted next to the window. When he sees Ski, he says "You're still here? From this morning?" and Ski mumbles something which I understood to mean "No, I went somewhere but came back when I was told the bus would leave here at 1." The Pepto-Bismol dude, in spite of his confidence and good mood, does not radiate trustworthiness. Rather, just plain weirdness. He gets back in his seat, rolls down the window and says, "Com'on guys, get in my car, warm up for a bit." I ignore him, and Ski notices this. Ski goes back and forth looking at me and Pepto and finally goes and opens the passenger door. He pokes his head in, mumbles something inaudible. Then I hear an incredulous Pepto say very loudly, "What? You want to come sleep at my house..." and then "You don't have any guns do you?" and finally, "Alright hop in". I help him get his luggage in the back and wish both of them luck.<br />
I have no idea how Ski will go forward from there. He's out of money, doesn't know where he is going, probably doesn't really have a job lined up the way he thinks he does. I won't even go into whether his visa is still valid if he just quit his previous job etc.<br /> So they went on their way, improbably connected. Good luck to you, Ski!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> The rest of the trip was uneventful, with stops in Buffalo and Syracuse in the middle of the night.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">My main interest for coming to New York, was to visit two very famous pool rooms.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJuj2h0t4Allt9ipYDf_0iHS1n7SqEV7mTAHAsOZCaoWvTOoTXuzM9sZGwNQUaelDqFCHKTlEU0qDr6bwS16SoMPacMHu29Kgai3uGkPfGX2jDIjgd8gZjyyG8129Z8fL2sSAKpYtAgM/s1600/DSC_6902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJuj2h0t4Allt9ipYDf_0iHS1n7SqEV7mTAHAsOZCaoWvTOoTXuzM9sZGwNQUaelDqFCHKTlEU0qDr6bwS16SoMPacMHu29Kgai3uGkPfGX2jDIjgd8gZjyyG8129Z8fL2sSAKpYtAgM/s400/DSC_6902.JPG" width="400" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Carom Café</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">3402 Linden Pl</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Flushing, NY 11354</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 718.358.8585</span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Located in Queens, this room has housed most of the best American 3-cushion players for the last decade or more.</span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">11 Full size, heated 3-cushion tables</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #351c75;">2 Korean 4-ball tables (8')</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #274e13;">20 Full size American Pool tables</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">3 Full size Snooker tables</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">6 ping-pong tables</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This has got to be one of the best places in the world to play 3-cushion. An employee vacuums the table after every game. They are super well-maintained, as you would expect from a place owned (from what I understand) first by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang_Lee" target="_blank">Sang Lee</a>, and now by Michael Kang. Regulars include Pedro Piedrabuena, Hugo Patino, Ira Lee, Sonny Cho and many others.</span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I watched a lot of 3-cushion, in particular Ira Lee and Hugo Patino who are practice buddies.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I played a game of <a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2010/09/uniards-if-every-other-game-is-too-easy.html" target="_blank">Uniards</a> with Hugo Patino, who had never played the game. It was a blast. He would get all excited about certain shots, saying something like, "Oh, I ALWAYS double kiss THIS one!" Turns out he would play the game by placing an imaginary red ball on the table and figuring out which normal 3-cushion shot would habitually kiss double-kiss the white ball after 3 rails. Interesting. Ira Lee validated that it was the technique he also used when playing Uniards.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacuuming the tables after every match</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean 4-ball table (8', unheated)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C1f3L-R2uXM/T3vag_uDapI/AAAAAAAAang/MPL5W5jjbSQ/s1600/DSC_6921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C1f3L-R2uXM/T3vag_uDapI/AAAAAAAAang/MPL5W5jjbSQ/s400/DSC_6921.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonny Cho (L) and Michael Kang watching the NCAA finals</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bktklF69E5k/T3vakpCuh8I/AAAAAAAAan0/ut4fdMSRoGU/s1600/DSC_6926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bktklF69E5k/T3vakpCuh8I/AAAAAAAAan0/ut4fdMSRoGU/s400/DSC_6926.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hugo Patino</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-swqNYnigpTI/T3vaufWGDKI/AAAAAAAAaoc/r90vZo5ZU2k/s1600/DSC_6933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-swqNYnigpTI/T3vaufWGDKI/AAAAAAAAaoc/r90vZo5ZU2k/s400/DSC_6933.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ira Lee</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>--Geological Interlude--</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">One of the reasons behind my decision to cross the North American continent overland was to be able to observe firsthand some of the most beautiful geology in the world, in particular in the American West. Although you may not think of New York City as being particularly interesting from a geological point of view, I was convinced otherwise by one of my favorite blogs, <a href="http://fopnews.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Friends of the Pleistocene</a> (Twitter : <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/geoturn" target="_blank">@Geoturn</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Friends of the Pleistocene explore the interactions of humans with the geological, often in a poetic, artful manner. They did an entire series on New York City - one of my favorite posts explores <a href="http://fopnews.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/eldorado-found-33-liberty-street-geologic-city-report-9/" target="_blank">the geology behind the Federal Reserve Bank of New York</a>. As a member (yes, I am a paying member of fan club of a particular geological time period), I also received a nifty booklet - <a href="http://fopnews.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/geologic-city-a-field-guide-to-the-geoarchitecture-of-new-york-book-launch/" target="_blank">New York City is a Geological Force</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">You can expect more pictures and possibly some stories about geological goodies in future posts.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>--End Geological Interlude--</b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious Manhattan Indian food with fellow traveler and awesome person (hi Lana!)</td></tr>
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The following day, it was time to visit Manhattan and meet up with a traveler I had first met on a bus in Norway who had recently moved to the City. We had a great time discussing language, music, food and a myriad of other subjects over some great coffee and then Indian food. After that, I walked to Amsterdam Billiards.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Amsterdam Billiards</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: large;">110 East 11th Street<br /> New York, New York 10003</span></span><br />
Phone: 212-995-0333<br />
<a href="http://amsterdambilliardclub.com/">http://amsterdambilliardclub.com/</a><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">25 Brunswick pool tables</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Ping pong, darts, foosball, pinball, and beer pong.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDqge6TJ6qw/T3vbMAJuojI/AAAAAAAAaqo/SahBpmo9Epo/s1600/DSC_7006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDqge6TJ6qw/T3vbMAJuojI/AAAAAAAAaqo/SahBpmo9Epo/s400/DSC_7006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mika Immonen playing at "home"</td></tr>
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Home to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mika_Immonen" target="_blank">Mika Immonen</a>, player of the decade, and to several other touring pros such as Jennifer Baretta and Tony Robles, this room came with high expectations, which... were not met, unfortunately. The space is terribly cluttered, and the low ceilings do not help. I realize this is Manhattan and space is at a premium, but the plethora of support columns, brass barriers and railings, chairs and tables, and tight walking corridors are not my idea of a great place to play or watch pool.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cluttered space, low ceilings... not my favorite type of poolroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redeeming quality - 3 pinball machines!</td></tr>
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I left Amsterdam Billiards a bit underwhelmed but with awesome plans to go see my favorite DJ in a concept art gallery/concert performance in Brooklyn :)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAo7nDfge80/T3vbjr6Z-CI/AAAAAAAAar0/FbsUsH8YYtA/s1600/DSC_7022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAo7nDfge80/T3vbjr6Z-CI/AAAAAAAAar0/FbsUsH8YYtA/s200/DSC_7022.JPG" width="132" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #666666;">Kid Koala</span></b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.kidkoala.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">www.kidkoala.com</span></a></span></b><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
Melodic Turntablist<br />
Artist, sculptor, cartoonist<br />
One of the most creative people in the world<br />
My favorite living musician<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cMubg2Edr-m3bl6AKB6jzc1ie-s5PdkU5YVe3Crl2apUkuPHb5yyRs9k4V7NGQ77ZDrRnLCh8w8UBnE0DDDXcIeyCuBRxYA5m4Q1WridHqxvGZWyMcAZa1XUL6gws5SfJhiwlgw30_g/s1600/DSC_7049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cMubg2Edr-m3bl6AKB6jzc1ie-s5PdkU5YVe3Crl2apUkuPHb5yyRs9k4V7NGQ77ZDrRnLCh8w8UBnE0DDDXcIeyCuBRxYA5m4Q1WridHqxvGZWyMcAZa1XUL6gws5SfJhiwlgw30_g/s320/DSC_7049.JPG" width="212" /></a><br />
As part of a launch series for his new comic and soundtrack, Space Cadet, Kid Koala happened to be performing in Brooklyn while I was there. I had seen Kid Koala in concert many times before, in Baltimore, New York City, Tennessee, and probably other places too.<br />
Kid Koala is not your traditional disk jockey. He is the only person I know that can create a jazz trumpet solo by changing the speed of records, juggling 4 turntables live with a signature, mature yet lighthearted sound.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PvP Pinball!</td></tr>
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The show started with a cocktail/gaming hour on the upper level, overlooking the stage. He and his wife had created many arcade-type games that guests were invited to play in order to try to win lottery tickets used to enter drawings for free stuff during the concert. Games included PvP pinball, "turn your face into an asteroid", and plenty of other little creative installations. There was also lots of art and sculptures, including an intriguing little garden of alien flowers, and various electronic music creation instrument hybrids such as a voicepiano and TVurntables.<br />
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After some sangria (made by Kid Koala himself), guests were invited to go downstairs and don wireless headphones - this concert was played at your own volume. It was actually interesting to remove the headphones during the concert and observe a dead silent theater full of hip young concert goers sitting on giant beanbag rolls, rocking out calmly to the best DJ in the world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The giant beanbag roll concert pit, seen from the art/gaming gallery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kid Koala spinning in his koala suit, as he does.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I had won a few tickets playing the games, and sure enough one of my numbers got called during the show and I won a copy of the new Space Cadet comic w00t. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Next stop, Toronto. Stay tuned.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-20437319943764694042012-04-09T17:49:00.001-04:002012-04-09T17:49:36.888-04:00Erie, Pennsylvania - Gold Crown Billiards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Erie sits on the very northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, sandwiched between the states of Ohio and New York. This is where I went to college, many years back, at Penn State University, the Behrend College. I still have many friends there and it was nice to visit them and also to see my old biology and jazz professors who somehow had not forgotten me. Many thanks to Dr. V for the free lunch with the chamber orchestra!<br />
I spent 4 days in the area, also stopping by Meadville a little further south to meet up with a fellow jazz musician with whom I had worked in the past... now, Joe has a huge studio full of instruments and recording equipment, we had a blast there and at the Italian Civic Club to which he belongs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe (R) and his jazz trio</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite beers - did not expect to find it in a Wegmann's</td></tr>
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I found some time to get out to Gold Crown Billiards, Erie's top poolroom. I had been there about 12 years ago, before the pool bug had sunken its proboscis deep into my brain.<br />
<a href="http://www.goldcrownbilliardseriepa.com/" target="_blank">Gold Crown Billiards</a> is a very nice room, opened in 1978. It has two bars attached, Andy's and the Bullfrog Bar (I had some great food at Andy's).<br />
Unfortunately, they did not let me take pictures of the inside of the pool room - but the website has a good <a href="http://www.goldcrownbilliardseriepa.com/tour/" target="_blank">picture tour</a> where you can see the different tables and layout.<br />
There was a lot of nine-ball and eight-ball going on, as well as some 3-cushion, although the table did not have a heated slate, there were pretty good billiards players there.<br />
I met a few good people there, Ben sticks out as a great storyteller who took some money from me playing 9-ball, and Brett who was happy to have someone around that shot one-pocket. And also took my money.<br />
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Getting around this part of the world without a car can be a frustrating experience. I had to get out of Crown Billiards on time to meet a friend a few miles up the road - there was a bus, but I had to wait in the cold rain and wind for 30min before it finally came.<br />
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From Erie, the next stop was New York City. I had booked an overnight Greyhound bus leaving at 12:40 am, going through Buffalo and Syracuse... Funny story about that in the next post! Stay tuned!<br />
<br /></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-34082933616250863282012-04-04T15:47:00.000-04:002012-04-04T15:47:24.543-04:00Yinz play any one-pocket?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Breaker's Billiards and Lounge - Pittsburgh, PA<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">15 Diamond/Gold Crown Tables</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1 Chevillotte Heated Slate Carom Billiards Table</span><br />
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Breaker's is not in the center of the city, but you can get to it easily by using the subway. It's only a 1 minute walk from the Potomac subway stop on the red line.<br />
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I showed up around 2:30pm. There were about 15 people in the room all included. Ten were matched up playing one-pocket, 3 were betting on the rail, and a couple of people were doing drills.<br />
This room is owned by Paul Mottey who completely renovated it in 2003 when he bought the place.<br />
Paul himself, as well as his son were there when I walked in. Paul was giving someone 10-7 and I think the bet was $50/rack.<br />
One thing I really liked is the "Lounge".<br />
It is separate from the poolroom, but when you sit at the bar, the back wall of the bar is windows into the poolroom - you can sit there with your rail-betting pals, drink, and watch and discuss the match out loud without bothering the players, who can't hear you.<br />
Paul Jr. told me that these guys come in basically everyday to play one-pocket. They leave at about 6pm. The evening crowd is variable, but sometimes they get quite busy. They do run some big tournaments, including the PA State Championship from a couple of weeks ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> View from the "Lounge" - the back wall of the bar is just windows into the poolroom. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here from inside the poolroom, you can see the "lounge" and a <i>Railbirdus pittsburghiensis</i> in its natural habitat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Paul Mottey - He no longer makes cues, but he still plays one-pocket all the time. Here he is giving up 10-7 in a high-quality 1-hole match. </td></tr>
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Unfortunately, I did not get any direct pictures of the 10' heated slate Chevillotte 3-cushion table (although you can see it in the background of the Paul Mottey pic), but I did get to play (and win!) on it and it was basically perfect.<br />
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I liked this room a lot and the people there were friendly enough.<br />
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My ratings :<br />
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Location : 7/10<br />
Character : 8/10<br />
Tables : 9/10<br />
Action : 8/10<br />
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-76411259874360684702012-03-20T19:21:00.000-04:002012-03-20T19:21:32.753-04:00Super Billiards Expo 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landing in Philadelphia</td></tr>
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After 8 months of galivantery around Europe, Africa, Asia and Europe again, it was time to return to one of my two lands of my roots. The stars and planets lined up perfectly (<a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/best-venusjupiter-conjunction-in-years-mid-march-2012" target="_blank">for real</a>) and I would make it to Philadelphia on time to attend the largest pool expo in the world, the<a href="http://www.superbilliardsexpo.com/" target="_blank"> Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo</a>. I bought in to the Amateur Open, a gigantic affair topping out at 984 players. Single elimination, two sets of race to 5 of 9-ball on barbox. I did not play well at all, losing 5-4 5-4 in the first round. After roughly 12 hours of anger and self-loathing I was back in the pool mood.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Billiards Show!</td></tr>
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My entry fee to the open included access to the expo on all 4 days, and I was planning on taking full advantage of that. The last time I had been to expo, I did not follow pool very closely. This time, I knew much more about the pool world, had some very interesting people to meet, some old friends to see again and plenty of time to spend.<br />
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Mixed feelings about the new venue. It was a bit further into the middle of nowhere than the Valley Forge expo center, although still quite close. The problem with that is that there are fewer hotels within walking distance, complicating transportation and partying logistics. On the other hand, everything was on one floor, and although this meant easier access and flow throughout the expo, I missed the awesome feeling of seeing the pool tables roll out endlessly as you made your way down the stairs.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Pedro Piedrabuena, pondering the last shot of the 3-cushion tournament</td></tr>
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The 3-cushion invitational and the trickshot competition were held right by the amateur open and TAP events - this surely brought some increased visibility to these cue sports which are too often forgotten. In fact, I watched quite a bit of 3-cushion and with the knowledge of the game that I acquired in Germany, this was very enjoyable. </div>
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The last match, between Pedro Piedrabuena and Hugo Patino was quite amazing. Pedro was up 33-24 on the race to 35, and Hugo ran a 7 to get to 33-31. Pedro made one more to get to 34, and Hugo made two to get the match to 34-33. Pictured above, Pedro playing white on what turned out to be the last shot of the tournament. If you know about 3-cushion, and some of you do, you can immediately see the difficulty in this layout. Since the three balls are aligned, and the two object balls are far from each other, the options are very limited. Pedro went off the yellow for a difficult short-long-short, executed perfectly for the win.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.poolcube.com/" target="_blank">Pool Cube</a> paraphernalia</td></tr>
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The very open layout of the expo also meant that you were constantly bumping in to pros and pool personalities going about their billiardly business.</div>
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I particularly enjoyed watching Ralf Souquet and Mika Immonen play <a href="http://www.poolcube.com/" target="_blank">Pool Cube</a>, a variation with elements of backgammon. The setting sun was shining in through windows near the roof, and I got to take some rare pictures of pool pros playing in natural lighting - see the shadows projected by the balls? </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Ralf "The Kaiser" Souquet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ralf Eckert trying his hand at the 14.1 challenge. He made the called 11 in the corner on this choochoo train combo.</td></tr>
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One-Ball One-Pocket, Dominican rules</div>
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No trip to Super Billiards Expo would be complete without losing a few bucks betting on the rail at the action tables. This year, there was a contingent of Dominican players quite successfully introducing their game of choice : Dominican rules one-ball one-pocket. Each player gets a diagonally opposed corner pocket, and must make the ball in their pocket to win. Scratches don't "count", you simply get ball in hand behind the line. Making the object ball in the "wrong" pocket is loss of game. I watched a good bit of this game, and it seems particularly well adapted to railbird infested barbox action.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br />
I had the pleasure to watch some of the pro action along with some knowledgeable friends. The pro arena was separate from the rest of the venue, and the silence in there brought a nice relief from the loud main area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren Appleton</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shane Van Boening</td></tr>
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I watched the whole final match, Stevie Moore vs. Shane Van Boening - this was not a "true" double elimination, they just increased the race to 13 from 10. Shane plays unbelievably well, And Stevie really didn't make many mistakes but was still down 8-0 at one point. In alternate break format, that is really impressive. Even being down by that much with a $13,000 swing on the line, Stevie kept his composure and did manage to stage a comeback while Shane was on the hill. Stevie got from 12-2 to 12-6, never losing his confidence. Shane did make a couple of mistakes at this point. Finally, Stevie missed a two ball entirely trying to thin it for a safe, and Shane got out for the win.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stevie Moore during the finals</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shane Van Boening and Stevie Moore at the trophy ceremony. $20,000 for Shane, $7000 for Stevie. </td></tr>
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I had a blast, thanks to friends old and new, to good food, and to the heavy dose of pool radiation I absorbed all week long. Who knows where they will hold this event next year, and where I will be by then... This was sort of a homecoming for me, after being out of the country for so long and having acquired so much new knowledge of the game and its characters. I'm now off for some American adventures, heading across the continent in what could be a circuitous journey. I'm taking suggestions for pool rooms to come visit so please let me know if you would like me to stop by yours. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: 800;">Quotes from the rail :</span><br />
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"I got up there and played the game the way it's supposed to be played, and he didn't like that"</b> </span>- <span style="color: #999999;">Earl Strickland to Stevie Moore, at the next table over in the pizza joint</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"The moral of the story is, don't ever let your wife talk you into getting fixed"</span></b> - <span style="color: #999999;">One-handed 9-ball bandit</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Inconceivable!"</span></b> - <span style="color: #999999;">Hypothetical livestream commentary for the yet-to-happen Princess Bride 10-Ball Invitational Battle of Wits</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">SPECIAL THANKS! --</span></b></div>
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<u><b><span style="color: blue;">Pros :</span></b></u></div>
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<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Michael Kang</div>
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Pedro Piedrabuena</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Nachito Block</div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px;">Sarah Rousey</span> </div>
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<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Robin Dodson</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Ralf Souquet</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Rob Saez</div>
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Shane Van Boening</div>
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Earl Strickland</div>
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Stevie Moore</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hunter Lombardo</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Brandon Shuff</div>
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Allen Hopkins</div>
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<u><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Not-so-average pool nuts :</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px;">Hung N.</span> </div>
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<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Jason B.</div>
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Angel L.</div>
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Abdel</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Rick S.</div>
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Tony C.</div>
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<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;">
Jill R.<br />
Brian P.</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;">
Zack N. </div>
<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Rob P.</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Christine P.<br />
JimboArmy<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><u>Cue Makers :</u></span></div>
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Joss Cues - thanks for the free joint protectors!</div>
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Eric Crisp - <a href="http://www.sugartreecues.com/" target="_blank">SugarTree Cues</a></div>
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Murray Tucker - <a href="http://www.murraytucker.com/" target="_blank">Tucker Cue Works</a></div>
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Dennis Dieckman</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>Marine biologists :</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://massiveunderstatement.com/" target="_blank">OMGWTF</a></span></div>
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-64671890657323795762012-01-16T11:18:00.004-05:002012-01-17T02:46:15.705-05:00New Year Pool Overdose - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Petronas twin towers, and a chunk of the Golden Triangle, viewed from KL tower.</td></tr>
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Kuala Lumpur, or KL as everyone calls it, is an incredibly diverse city. Large percentages of Malays, Chinese and Indians, but I also ran into Philippinos, Iraqis, Germans, Finns, Nigerians, Brazilians, Americans and a host of other nationals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petaling Street, Chinatown KL</td></tr>
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I stayed in Chinatown, home to a frenzied galaxy of street vendors who setup shop every morning and tear down every night in a logistical Gordian knot of commerce. You can find anything in Chinatown. $8 Rolexes, bongs, live frogs, burkas, bedbugs... Anything but a decent game of pool.</div>
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<tr><td><a class="vt-p" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RE3rTFdngyM/TwctXN7lygI/AAAAAAAAWI4/_9Opv4cNEvw/s1600/DSC_5820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RE3rTFdngyM/TwctXN7lygI/AAAAAAAAWI4/_9Opv4cNEvw/s320/DSC_5820.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Kuala is a large city, both in height and area.</td></tr>
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The first couple of nights, I went to <a class="vt-p" href="http://reggaebarkl.com/" target="_blank">Reggae Bar</a>, an overpriced expat restaurant/bar/club - I wouldn't normally go to a place like this, let alone return the following day, but they did have two 7-foot pool tables. I'm not even going to post any pictures from this place, the equipment was sub-par and the pool experience was quite bad. I ran into just about all of the <a class="vt-p" href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2011/12/5-perils-of-billiard-travel.html" target="_blank">perils of billiard travel</a> here, including the oversized cue ball and a constantly changing set of rules (that's what happens when your customer base mixes UK patrons who know British pool rules, Americans who think they know proper 8-ball rules, and locals who have their own range of rules. There were even Norwegians who did not understand the concept of winner stays on.</div>
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the only good thing : they had pool on TV the second night. OK!</div>
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I spent the next couple of days looking for a more serious pool establishment. This resulted in visiting 4 different halls, some seedy, some trendy, but all invariably with poor equipment and no shooters (Coin ops in a pool hall? Carlsberg felt? Really?). I came to understand that KL is not traditionally a pool city. I did manage to find more serious cue artists and good equipment, but from the snooker world (still won!).<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvcSLLFGdsPuUxvY1vS_rzqlOQIATXiRaPzpIiys8X4DK1_8FAcbMU24vKJ7AwxF2aZ2wg_HlSvpLvsLhm_XdQjXmqEBiMTW1k3IdUPcgvmov5W1IDan1UohXTwgsiGh3N_GmOci7tUU/s1600/DSC_5666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvcSLLFGdsPuUxvY1vS_rzqlOQIATXiRaPzpIiys8X4DK1_8FAcbMU24vKJ7AwxF2aZ2wg_HlSvpLvsLhm_XdQjXmqEBiMTW1k3IdUPcgvmov5W1IDan1UohXTwgsiGh3N_GmOci7tUU/s400/DSC_5666.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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In my research, I had several times ran into a chain of establishments called "Golden Break", but all their locations were way outside of the city center. I finally asked a Malay <a class="vt-p" href="http://forums.azbilliards.com/" target="_blank">azbilliards</a> forum member where the action was, and he kindly replied that I should try to get out to the Golden Breaks. It turns out that yes, they are far, but I found one which was (seemingly) easily reachable by public transport.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=4606896906047344338" target="_blank">Golden Break Mentari</a></td></tr>
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I set out from Chinatown on New Year's eve at about 5pm, with my route all planned out using the KL Komuter train. Oh boy. The train was packed to the brim, I barely squeezed in. The ride took about 40min, stopping at every station, with even more people getting on at each stop. Finally made it, only to find out my phone GPS was not getting satellite reception - I had another 2km to walk, but only a faint idea of which direction to go in. It took about an hour of wandering through a questionable neighborhood before I finally ran into a local who knew where the Golden Break (Mentari location) was.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of you know not to bet against me at this game. <br />
Everyone else gets half my score spotted and 3-1 on the money. <br />
Open challenge!</td></tr>
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The place was nice. Real nice. Simonis cloth! Aramith balls! Employees who share their personal cues with random customers who look like they can shoot a little! The Megatouch machine also came in handy during the lull in shooters around dinner time. </div>
I did not know it yet, but I was in THE place to shoot pool in Kuala Lumpur (and perhaps all of Malaysia).<br />
I played a bunch of 10-ball and 8-ball for table time, with a Yemeni expat. Good people, good players. Lost. I found out that the place was open 24/7, every day of the year - great news, as I wouldn't have to find transportation back to Chinatown that night (now THAT would have been an adventure).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tMHbokgJ874/Tv-y2hADFkI/AAAAAAAAVkY/Ctx2b3f4hno/s1600/DSC_5673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tMHbokgJ874/Tv-y2hADFkI/AAAAAAAAVkY/Ctx2b3f4hno/s320/DSC_5673.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Lim (light blue shirt) checking in on his regulars</td></tr>
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After my Yemeni pal left, I settled down with a Heineken, ready for the long night of shooting that was ahead of me. Two guys were playing on the "feature" table, and when they were done I asked one of them if he wanted to shoot. I always want to play one-pocket, and this guy knew the rules and was willing to try it. We played about 8 racks, I did well but he was definitely catching up towards the end. We talked a bit, and it turns out he's an internationally certified pool and snooker referee, and get this, he's the general manager of all 10 Golden Break outlets in KL.<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjtT6nhBKS9Vt4FLYXGqXmXaunlafnqictFpzb1vdtbDP-l0KD2PrBQVrqUQy2ozLpcyi7o4zI7TkKLw2yjVmm2_YGP6H1Chi5naUgkhQc6AKagML31yV-H6CnnuxypQKup6pF1nLOnI/s1600/DSC_5678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjtT6nhBKS9Vt4FLYXGqXmXaunlafnqictFpzb1vdtbDP-l0KD2PrBQVrqUQy2ozLpcyi7o4zI7TkKLw2yjVmm2_YGP6H1Chi5naUgkhQc6AKagML31yV-H6CnnuxypQKup6pF1nLOnI/s200/DSC_5678.JPG" width="200" /></a>We talked pool, snooker, he told me about how he got to be manager, a couple road stories from his days as international referee, and I got a sense that the pool scene was on the up and up in Malaysia. As I was to stay in KL for another few days, Mr. Lim proposed that I also visit some of his other, larger locations.<br />
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I shot a bit more, and suddenly he says "Come with me, I'm going to show you some of the other outlets, let's go right now!"<br />
We hopped in his car at around 11pm on New Year's Eve, and went on a whirlwind tour around the KL suburbs visiting one pool hall after the next, a billiard traveling experience I won't soon forget! He knew everyone everywhere and I was treated as an honored guest, offered some free single malt whiskey, chauffeured around by a pool personality with an acute understanding of the pool hall business and a willingness to discuss everything and anything.<br />
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In this video, Mr Lim shows me one of his pool halls, the one with the tournament room!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SQP1g5L6X-0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stairwell - at one of the Golden Break outlets</td></tr>
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The pool halls went from nice and nicer, to the best pool establishments I'd ever seen.<br />
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Each outlet had its own specific personality, each had been meticulously designed, and yet there was a common feel to all of them, a testament to the hard work of Mr. Lim and his employees. No expense had been spared to make these the nicest pool halls in the country (and perhaps more... what do you think?)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wouldn't you like to have a place like this open 24/7 in your neighborhood?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasseled private pool side-rooms! Fancy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fully stocked bars, friendly staff, great lighting...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stadium seating tournament room, suited for snooker and pool! Oh my!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snooker fanciness too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bOLO6iJQnn0/Tv-zXa8DThI/AAAAAAAAVn0/MSxl2wwVEw8/s1600/DSC_5716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bOLO6iJQnn0/Tv-zXa8DThI/AAAAAAAAVn0/MSxl2wwVEw8/s400/DSC_5716.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oooooh look at all the pretty colors!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Lim checking in with yet another one of his branch managers</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a class="vt-p" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nr6I7AuZxT0/Tv-zMQkq7VI/AAAAAAAAVmY/Ek028R0SOCI/s1600/DSC_5700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nr6I7AuZxT0/Tv-zMQkq7VI/AAAAAAAAVmY/Ek028R0SOCI/s400/DSC_5700.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Trophys won by local players (got to meet a couple of them later on too!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jv-JaQWToQ8/Tv-zhdBIBnI/AAAAAAAAVpI/9-GvcLMFKXc/s1600/DSC_5730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jv-JaQWToQ8/Tv-zhdBIBnI/AAAAAAAAVpI/9-GvcLMFKXc/s400/DSC_5730.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Secretary General of the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation........</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u_77oTmweOo/Tv-zfLRkI9I/AAAAAAAAVo0/6Cucev7lpws/s1600/DSC_5727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u_77oTmweOo/Tv-zfLRkI9I/AAAAAAAAVo0/6Cucev7lpws/s400/DSC_5727.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">........and his son, banking out the six on a 9-ball break and run. Scary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com3Daegu, South Korea35.8714354 128.60144535.7684999 128.44351650000002 35.974370900000004 128.7593735tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-5792383881002445012011-12-21T13:38:00.000-05:002012-03-15T01:33:26.365-04:00First impressions from Vietnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNShmmi2pKFshrO2K9fZ2WeCKSfpgPr_-SnIEC0Yp2SkbVb-PrMJPrgelJllW_v0HZpbGm40fB1Pv3Ld6ww9iAC97OwujIOq0F6Wz8k6D2KO_3fHFAEhjM3kNNiAKJF-OBXIcpu5AErHA/s1600/2011-12-18_11-03-22_728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNShmmi2pKFshrO2K9fZ2WeCKSfpgPr_-SnIEC0Yp2SkbVb-PrMJPrgelJllW_v0HZpbGm40fB1Pv3Ld6ww9iAC97OwujIOq0F6Wz8k6D2KO_3fHFAEhjM3kNNiAKJF-OBXIcpu5AErHA/s320/2011-12-18_11-03-22_728.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The border crossing between Laos and Vietnam. Cold!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Vinh is not on anyone's list of places they would like to someday visit, but it's a large city on the main road between Hanoi and Saigon and serves as a bus hub for travelers in Vietnam. Most tourists try not to stay here for the night.<br />
I came here from Phonsavan, Laos and when I arrived at 8pm there was a bus ready to go straight to Hanoi. I decided to stay in Vinh for the night because 13 hours on a cramped public bus had been enough of a day for me.<br />
I had just spent 6 weeks in Laos, a country largely forgotten by tourism (although that is changing quickly). Laos is an incredibly laid-back place, where time doesn't exist and people are friendly but largely detached. Voices are never raised, saying no is impolite, and there is no real bargaining culture. Prices are low, the internets, as the drivers, are mind-numbingly slow. Although I didn't realize it till I left Laos, my concept of patience was radically transformed in those six weeks. I have much to write about Laos, its diverse culture and its incredible landscapes, and this will come in due time.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygBkYpf3a3xkLhxOj5wHraqe85OEPOpKRpc7g-lubV5EhuyMXtYSzsc9FDmPgaAcKaQ19RBt52_XqpfhoPana9ka9VpI1X5_arGrDuM2bKl1AUHxPJcDZAFx9cNMJW6TZWWOF8fFNdf8/s1600/2011-12-19_22-22-50_781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygBkYpf3a3xkLhxOj5wHraqe85OEPOpKRpc7g-lubV5EhuyMXtYSzsc9FDmPgaAcKaQ19RBt52_XqpfhoPana9ka9VpI1X5_arGrDuM2bKl1AUHxPJcDZAFx9cNMJW6TZWWOF8fFNdf8/s320/2011-12-19_22-22-50_781.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Invited to chiken feet and rice wine dinner outside the pool hall!</td></tr>
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A culture shock was waiting for me in Vinh. Now I was in a comparatively huge city, with insane motorbike and bus traffic, and people who were much more direct and inquisitive.<br />
I found a pool hall that night, called Lan Ann Billiards Club. It's right next door to another pool hall : the Vietnamese seem to love pool, and also billiards (Lan Ann has two full-size heated slate billiard tables).<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNiEMDwYgz4/TvGpSpJW50I/AAAAAAAAU4g/Kf_s0BoLkhU/s1600/2011-12-19_21-57-46_923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNiEMDwYgz4/TvGpSpJW50I/AAAAAAAAU4g/Kf_s0BoLkhU/s320/2011-12-19_21-57-46_923.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lan Ann Billiards Club storefront</td></tr>
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<br />
I returned to Lan Ann the next day and then decided to stay for a few days more - in fact, I am there right now at a coffee table with free wi-fi.<br />
The place is packed with shooters of all levels and ages (although almost no women save for the racker girls). Here are a few first impressions from pool and billiards culture in Vietnam :<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbM7RWzDRzSJtHJekcH4yZBLmlE61YAx4-oLXrr8gICmdqu9ivu6nEa6Bm9-BSYoB_RoOmY5ULFNwdMiCmEHwCP9vc5UdhyphenhyphenxvCI8oO-6ueXB_w03Nn_wuskdWWSJOlOPWfTYEvC0pCSI/s1600/2011-12-18_23-15-35_428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbM7RWzDRzSJtHJekcH4yZBLmlE61YAx4-oLXrr8gICmdqu9ivu6nEa6Bm9-BSYoB_RoOmY5ULFNwdMiCmEHwCP9vc5UdhyphenhyphenxvCI8oO-6ueXB_w03Nn_wuskdWWSJOlOPWfTYEvC0pCSI/s320/2011-12-18_23-15-35_428.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63liajxJL-hkx8Pp0056OHV2hFCe_aLWpcrlYpRDNs3F_Wabe6Jg3PTSQmIZwlEfNM2LOI_Iy2SAqXFAPfQPIoDUJksAjVC-6U9EYvx5o2gcN7jG-b9-IdvJHTcqt3VvY6mBs7qZ4vUw/s1600/2011-12-19_21-55-38_135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63liajxJL-hkx8Pp0056OHV2hFCe_aLWpcrlYpRDNs3F_Wabe6Jg3PTSQmIZwlEfNM2LOI_Iy2SAqXFAPfQPIoDUJksAjVC-6U9EYvx5o2gcN7jG-b9-IdvJHTcqt3VvY6mBs7qZ4vUw/s320/2011-12-19_21-55-38_135.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>It's an intensely social activity : each table has 2 to 6 players, and a slew of onlookers</li>
<li>Pool etiquette is non-existent : the spectators lean with both hands on the table, bump into the players and each other, talk loudly, put ashtrays on the tables and no one seems to mind.
</li>
<li>There is no emphasis whatsoever on precision in the rules or game mechanics. I saw the same racker girls placing the head ball anywhere from below the 2nd diamond to almost the middle of the table, the rack skewed up to 15 degrees, and sometimes no where near the center of the short rail. There was no checking for tightness of the rack. Again, I was the only one apparently concerned about this.
</li>
</ul>
Of course I will have to check out other places in Vietnam to verify that this is indeed the case everywhere - but what a difference compared to Germany for example, where there is very little talking, the rules are very strictly respected and enforced, and the houseman will be very vocal if an ashtray or drink gets anywhere near the table.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbs7vquUPSqDfZQP1QlZv8lJ2iOTohLer_5puu6dZhsGEitZvdhhmbAw-BcvYTcaKvSUYZfHAioKV6o6GGOe8BAPuh2ujq_nA2v4Q9xH_qwcC4u8RNMxT9cg3QpDgD1S0SD0GFUnjYvA/s1600/2011-12-20_20-23-45_938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbs7vquUPSqDfZQP1QlZv8lJ2iOTohLer_5puu6dZhsGEitZvdhhmbAw-BcvYTcaKvSUYZfHAioKV6o6GGOe8BAPuh2ujq_nA2v4Q9xH_qwcC4u8RNMxT9cg3QpDgD1S0SD0GFUnjYvA/s320/2011-12-20_20-23-45_938.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is going on here? If you know please comment!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It seems that there are two main games played on the pool tables here (they are proper American 9-foot pool tables, but with tight pockets (see pic). I have not been able to figure out the names of the games, but one of them is played with playing cards (see <a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2011/11/ko-chang-playing-pool-with-playing.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>) and the other is not. This second one was the one I got familiar with here.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-oTLwKWiXAHM_pKtl1RfUflknJzhfgZxB9Hb3Y-WFN-IgMht4dTuG5E2lwADU9UoyWKLDrPu7JzM-ZSXd_j0U1PpCwKdk9TQIS7jhfTOsQu1oNNlgM8SSRC0CFlT3_YU1Plp_e9fzRM/s1600/2011-12-19_21-37-18_65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-oTLwKWiXAHM_pKtl1RfUflknJzhfgZxB9Hb3Y-WFN-IgMht4dTuG5E2lwADU9UoyWKLDrPu7JzM-ZSXd_j0U1PpCwKdk9TQIS7jhfTOsQu1oNNlgM8SSRC0CFlT3_YU1Plp_e9fzRM/s320/2011-12-19_21-37-18_65.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3-cushion anyone?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In this game, you use all 15 object balls racked randomly. After the break, one of the players will have the even balls and the other the odd balls, meaning one player has to sink a total of 7 balls and the other 8 (and I'll have a post someday about other asymetrical games that can be played on a pool table). There is no prescribed order the balls have to go in, simply the first one to finish his or her group wins. Fouls result in ball in hand. I did quite well against several players at this game, although it took some time to get used to the unusual ball groups - it was difficult at first to get the "big picture" of your pattern when some of your balls are stripes and some are solids. The game isn't bad and resembles 8-ball in many ways. The tighter pockets did cause some changes in my shot selection, mainly to make sure that the object ball would stay close to the pocket in case of miss.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOlkkxIx2Wk/TvGpSgbERSI/AAAAAAAAU4g/61E9Mksbn3w/s1600/2011-12-19_21-55-47_65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOlkkxIx2Wk/TvGpSgbERSI/AAAAAAAAU4g/61E9Mksbn3w/s320/2011-12-19_21-55-47_65.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The VIP room at Lan Ann Billiards Club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Billiards (as in without pockets) is quite healthy here as well - they play mostly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkline_and_straight_rail" target="_blank">Straight Rail</a>, but also 1-cushion and 3-cushion billiards. I did not see any advanced Straight Rail play like I saw in Germany, and the highest scoring inning I witnessed here was 10 (I saw over 100 in Germany, and I believe the world record is over 5000!).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Although virtually no English is spoken here, it was a great place for me to start playing real pool again after the Laos lull. I am off to Hanoi tomorrow afternoon, where I am sure to find more pool!</div>
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G</div>
</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0Lan Ann Billiards Club, Vinh, Vietnam18.6795848 105.681333318.6194163 105.6023693 18.7397533 105.7602973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-53153967787609828522011-12-08T18:20:00.000-05:002011-12-08T18:20:21.398-05:00The 5 perils of billiard travel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We've all been there - you're in a new place, looking for a good game of pool, but something about the table is not quite right. You might say a good player should not worry, since the equipment is the same for both players, but occasionally it's just a bit extreme...</div>
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This is a compilation of common and less common problems, annoyances and pet peeves about playing in unfamiliar places.</div>
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>1. The chalk</b></span></u></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4EcAlJPZCkFm5WoQMQUq2RWM2ySxJv2_BaSkNgZMvK1bQ7cEAplk0pbPVKUO51Et3vaDVlyHcrYOpc2SgWV2vXBLha0xiZDhLK4whp09qU_8OdHFywRKTZvaiVRQlWhkH-VUs8_yQ4A/s1600/ChalkCut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4EcAlJPZCkFm5WoQMQUq2RWM2ySxJv2_BaSkNgZMvK1bQ7cEAplk0pbPVKUO51Et3vaDVlyHcrYOpc2SgWV2vXBLha0xiZDhLK4whp09qU_8OdHFywRKTZvaiVRQlWhkH-VUs8_yQ4A/s200/ChalkCut.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Everything's perfect in this new bar you just found. Cheap gin, loose women, clean balls. You put your quarters up on the table, wait your turn. You get called over, your opponent breaks, runs 3 balls, informs you that you have stripes. You grab a cue, and proceed to look for chalk. You don't see it, so you ask your opponent for it, and he just laughs and says something dumb like "a good player doesn't need chalk". You look at the tip of your cue, and suddenly realize that this bar has never had any chalk. You painfully shoot through the rack, miscue 18 times in the process, win, and refuse to stay on your rightfully acquired table to play the next banger.</div>
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Solution : Stash chalk everywhere in your car, on your person, or find a secret spot inside your favorite bar to hide a emergency cube!</div>
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>2. The balls</b></span></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHGLKhFWNUNyC98DjAfgZPHYieTc4e3NFcR4eDCUyS0XPo9PJQ9Tc0iaqaqV-1YrJV0ZxRn0CBeXc97SbypxTYFeUSoJFxD4zih62xD-JC3jLnM8QqeOKYZsmdbwAe6IS1OUkuVF2nWM/s1600/RaleighWhiteEight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHGLKhFWNUNyC98DjAfgZPHYieTc4e3NFcR4eDCUyS0XPo9PJQ9Tc0iaqaqV-1YrJV0ZxRn0CBeXc97SbypxTYFeUSoJFxD4zih62xD-JC3jLnM8QqeOKYZsmdbwAe6IS1OUkuVF2nWM/s200/RaleighWhiteEight.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raleigh, NC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Another common group of annoyances involve the quality of the set of balls.</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Incomplete set : <i>"Only 6 stripes?... Okay, I guess errrrr take out one of the solids and we can rack them up without the wing balls" "This sucks!!!" "Yeah! Now I hate pool!"</i></li>
<li>Over-sized cue ball<i>, </i>presumably dating from before the discovery of magnetism - all the cut angles change and drawing the ball is more difficult</li>
<li>Under-sized cue ball, sometimes still found on snooker-type coin-ops in Europe.Cut angles are a mess, and applying follow is pointless.</li>
<li>Cue ball has more craters than the moon. It rolls erratically at low speed, it even sounds weird when it collides with other balls. You have to make sure you don't stroke onto the edge of a canyon and ruin your tip </li>
</ul>
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Solution : Carry your own set of balls, or at least keep your own personal cue ball behind the bar.</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbH7fKJEo50/Tt2ufi5fb-I/AAAAAAAAT1c/dtR3dtmYFFk/s1600/2011-07-08_23-20-22_578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbH7fKJEo50/Tt2ufi5fb-I/AAAAAAAAT1c/dtR3dtmYFFk/s200/2011-07-08_23-20-22_578.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Raleigh, NC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>3. "House Rules"</b></span></u></div>
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These can be a minefield. At best they are just stupid but don't take away too much from the game. Examples :</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The 8 must go in clean<i>. </i>Occasionally found in backwoods bars in the US, this rule is total garbage and is often not mentioned until after you just made what you thought was the game winning carom.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LrQF1fS7GHY/Tt2uqUzpH7I/AAAAAAAAT1g/Ty-wa20TIVU/s1600/2011-10-15_21-51-52_196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LrQF1fS7GHY/Tt2uqUzpH7I/AAAAAAAAT1g/Ty-wa20TIVU/s320/2011-10-15_21-51-52_196.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Siem Reap, Cambodia</td></tr>
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<li>If the cue ball is in the kitchen and you have no shot, one of the legal object balls can be spotted. Similarly, this is not mentioned when you are in the described situation, only when your opponent is!</li>
<li>Scratch on break is loss of game. This is just about the worst one of all, and its adherents will vehemently defend it saying that's how it's done on TV, have you never played pool in your life?</li>
<li>No shooting with the bridge. Ridiculous.</li>
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Solution : Learn to be comfortable playing a wide range of variants. Agree to the rules beforehand. Do not over argue your point, even when you know you're right, just play the damn game and beat them at their own rules.<br />
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>4. The Table</b></span></u></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Don Det, Laos</td></tr>
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By far the source of the majority of problems, the table is rarely perfect. Some of the following issues can be dealt with by experienced players, and others affect the game so dramatically that the good player loses any advantage.</div>
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The most common affliction is the non-level table. When slight, it's not so bad, you just have to shoot a little harder than normal to avoid the roll-offs. When it's massive, you can tell because all the balls tend to migrate to the lowest point on the table, and you can actually use the table roll to curve object balls around other balls.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least an effort was made to try fix this one!</td></tr>
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As we all know, it's exceedingly rare to find Simonis 860 cloth on a random bar box. Additionally, the cloth is often mistreated by ignorant bar managers and clueless customers, commonly by means of spilled drinks, cigarette burns, "tapped in" spot ball mark. The felt does not sit fast to the slate, so it bunches up like cheap carpet when you form your bridge. The balls roll unpredictably and tend to settle in local minimums of felt thickness.</div>
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Recently, I've run into many tables with the peculiar property of making balls jump when they make contact with the rails. This is usually due to having cushions that are set too low, and can drastically alter the banking properties (to the point of balls jumping clear off the table at certain angles). Another common rail problem is when the rubber is too old or of poor quality, the balls come out very slow from the banks and the angle of reflection is greatly lengthened. Rail issues are difficult to adapt to, but at least they don't affect the simple "make the ball" shot. This tends to disadvantage the best players more than the worst ones.</div>
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Solution : Treat the table with respect, even if it's bad. There's a reason it got the way it is, do not contribute! Ask about other places to play in the area. Have your bodyguard, personal chef, or butler learn basic table maintenance and repair.</div>
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>5. The Extreme</b></span></u></div>
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Then, there are the worst of the worst. Places with one stick, with no tip. Tables that have been kept outside for months, then brought back in on a whim. The table that doubles as the all-you-can eat buffet on Thursdays. The game room that is also a working barn. The closest table mechanic lives 400 miles away and is from an ethnic group that is currently involved in an armed conflict with yours.</div>
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Below, a selection of some of the more extreme things you find when looking for pool around our strange planet.</div>
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If you know of a particularly decrepit table or place to play please share with us in the comments!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truck stop in the middle of the desert, Ethiopia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamed Ela, Ethiopia - see <a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2011/10/billiards-in-hottest-inhabited-village.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OSPBxX1jNYc/Tt2v9BmgJuI/AAAAAAAAT10/fZoqepSxikQ/s1600/DSC_4431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OSPBxX1jNYc/Tt2v9BmgJuI/AAAAAAAAT10/fZoqepSxikQ/s400/DSC_4431.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Det, Laos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6CntqCXOWc/TuBJ1vYZpDI/AAAAAAAAUBQ/KOh4b4Yd6sQ/s1600/2011-12-01_19-39-00_354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6CntqCXOWc/TuBJ1vYZpDI/AAAAAAAAUBQ/KOh4b4Yd6sQ/s400/2011-12-01_19-39-00_354.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vang Vieng, Laos - This place calls itself the Q-Bar.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ixtMktvxVG4/Tt2w0DrQ7rI/AAAAAAAAT2A/aQvvWUhfQN4/s1600/DSC_4443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ixtMktvxVG4/Tt2w0DrQ7rI/AAAAAAAAT2A/aQvvWUhfQN4/s400/DSC_4443.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 4000 Islands, Laos</td></tr>
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com213, Vang Vieng, Laos18.9333333 102.4518.903294300000002 102.410518 18.9633723 102.48948200000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-67165655314853862582011-11-16T08:48:00.001-05:002011-12-05T23:56:30.721-05:00Phnom Penh nights, custom tables, and the gaming culture of Cambodia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phnom Penh traffic, minutes before I was drenched in monsoon rain on the back of a motodup</td></tr>
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Cambodia struck me with its apparent contradictions :</div>
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- Some of the most impressive historical sites in the world, and a disturbing recent history that appears unacknowledged from within.</div>
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- Extreme wealth side by side with poverty</div>
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- Tourists come to Phnom Penh for the genocide rubbernecking, stay for the raging nightlife</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvmEKzF7F1QfiBwhR_rXHVk0lMHUTmJQzPJ6tNOZsn7xfTJWQXJXczigpO4iadrTkAQhhhDq7CS85DzjgYjf0JFSJOOzZOzW2aZIg6ApyKlPiluKw0CtObpyHQUiDww-mKGqt3XG-uS4/s1600/2011-10-26_16-13-13_699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvmEKzF7F1QfiBwhR_rXHVk0lMHUTmJQzPJ6tNOZsn7xfTJWQXJXczigpO4iadrTkAQhhhDq7CS85DzjgYjf0JFSJOOzZOzW2aZIg6ApyKlPiluKw0CtObpyHQUiDww-mKGqt3XG-uS4/s320/2011-10-26_16-13-13_699.jpg" width="320" /></a>As soon as I arrived, greeted by the famous and ubiquitous Khmer smiles, it was obvious that the people here loved taking their minds off of the numerous difficulties they face, in particular through a wide appreciation for games of all sorts. These games include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makruk" target="_blank">Makruk</a> (which they simply call "oh" here), an acient relative of chess as we know it, and people do play it everywhere... Tuk-tuk drivers waiting for their next fare, kids at the market, they all love playing.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7gNlIYAwjbg/TtzQ6fNAVXI/AAAAAAAATzE/dASCIpHVh1A/s1600/2011-10-26_16-41-03_626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7gNlIYAwjbg/TtzQ6fNAVXI/AAAAAAAATzE/dASCIpHVh1A/s320/2011-10-26_16-41-03_626.jpg" width="320" /></a>After being convinced by other tourists, I did go visit the genocides sites including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-21_prison" target="_blank">S-21 prison</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choeung_Ek" target="_blank">killing fields</a>. It was worth it, and I guess I would recommend it, although I still do think some people go there for morbid emotional stimulation and I'm not really sure I'm cool with that.</div>
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One night, along with another American I had met and traveled with from Koh Chang, we were looking for some bar to go to and had hopped into a tuk-tuk. Riding through the center, I saw a sign : "HOWIES BAR - FREE POOL" and immediately ordered the driver to stop.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The pool table at Howie's which some would characterize as a gaff table</td></tr>
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We walked in and were greeted by a horde of girls behind the two tiny bars inside the tiny place. They were all playing games, with tourists, with locals and with each other. Connect 4, and a strange little game played with dice were the big hits. They would play the tourists "for a drink", but of course when the girls would win they would order the most expensive drink on the menu, which did not contain much alcohol at all. No giant worries, though, because that drink was still only $2.50.The girls simply never lost, though, so if you have too much pride you will windup leaving with a very light wallet!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Clearly a customized table!</td></tr>
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Walking from the connect-4 bar 5 feet, I bumped in to the pool table, with its uncommon (to be polite) lavender felt. I played a few games that night, pick-up pool with a whiteboard list on which to write your name and wait your turn, winner-stays-on style. The pockets were enormous, the balls rolled relatively true given the looks-like-it's-been-through-several-wars state of the felt. However, there was definitely something unusual about that table, and finally I figured out what it was : the table was not proportioned normally - it was too skinny! About 2 inches were missing from the short rails! That night I played a few games and we went back to the guesthouse relatively early after a full day. I wound up staying in Phnom Penh for over a week, after having met some very cool expats living in the city. I came back several times to Howie's bar, and met Howie himself on one of those nights. Turns out he had worked for Boeing in Seattle, and that's where he fell in love with pool. He told me all about his table...<br />
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He cut 2 inches off the short rails because the 7-footer was too wide for his bar. He built and added a ball return system to the original drop-style pockets, and he widened the pockets in order to increase the speed of the games so that his customers would keep interest and to even out the chances, giving more people a chance of winning. Although I like tight pockets for practice, I think these customizations are what made this table so enjoyable for simple bar pickup pool.</div>
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Another thing designed to speed up the games were the house rules, which differed from the Phnom Penh and general South East Asia regular rule folklore (for a later post). This is what he had :</div>
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<li>The game is 8-ball</li>
<li>Fouls result in ball-in-hand, anywhere on the table, for the opponent</li>
<li>The table stays open till you make a called shot</li>
<li>No defensive shots allowed (Howie clarified to me that not all defensive shots are illegal, only the ones where you slowly push the ball with no chance of messing up)</li>
<li>You have to make contact with a ball of your group</li>
<li>There is no rule regarding touching a rail after contact (making the no defensive shot more of a necessity)</li>
<li>Any foul while shooting at the 8-ball is a loss</li>
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Part of the homemade ball return on this unique pool table</div>
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Howie does know the "normal" rules for American 8-ball, but put these special rules in place again to accelerate the play, and make it simple for weekend players to enjoy the game in a competitive sense, and I think these are overall a great set of rules for that purpose - and yet the game is still a lot of fun for more serious players.<br />
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I really enjoyed Howie's, the great staff he had, who were friendly and quite skilled at their gaming craft, Howie himself and his great stories, and the general atmosphere in Phnom Penh. If I ever go back to Phnom Penh, and I hope I will, I will stop by Howie's and try my luck at staying on the table as long as I can! Go and pay a visit to Howie next time you are in Cambodia!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the ball rackers at Howie's bar, along with Howie's son</td></tr>
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-66848260409677997502011-11-05T00:06:00.004-04:002011-11-05T15:20:20.635-04:00Ko Chang : playing pool with playing cards, in paradise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view on most days on Ko Chang</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Ko Chang is a large island in the east of Thailand. Although tourism has been present here for quite some time, it is far less developed than in the south Thailand islands of Samui and Phuket. In fact, the entire eastern side of Ko Chang is almost devoid of tourist accommodation.</div><div style="text-align: left;">After consulting with some experienced backpackers, I decided to stay in Bang Bao, a tiny fishing village on the very southern tip of the island - this was a good compromise between lost island paradise and tourist commodities.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUydVUo4P2s/TrFkhDrVxxI/AAAAAAAARaI/_bmeYdKG4Do/s1600/2011-10-05_23-43-17_681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUydVUo4P2s/TrFkhDrVxxI/AAAAAAAARaI/_bmeYdKG4Do/s1600/2011-10-05_23-43-17_681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Life on Ko Chang is pretty laid back - activities in which I partook included snorkeling, boat tours, circling the island on a motorbike, sampling all sorts of spicy soups, and a ton of just kicking back in a hammock.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bay right under the cottage - decent snorkeling here too!</td></tr>
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Life is slow and easy here. Cheap, too, for the most part.<br />
I had a nice bungalow for the first few days, with air-conditioning and a private bathroom (while still getting used to life post-Ethiopia, these were drastic but welcomed luxuries!). Towards the end of the stay I moved into a more rustic bungalow, right on sunset cliff. There, I just had a fan and a mosquito net, but hearing the waves splash below definitely helps with having a good night's sleep!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch on the snorkeling boat. Pineapple and shrimp go well together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It was my first time snorkeling - this was definitely a highlight of my stay on Ko Chang. Sea urchins with giant black spikes and centers colored in iridescent blues, greens, yellows and oranges, a mind-blowing variety of coral formations, fish large and small, a few beautiful jellyfish are just a few of the things for which I would have liked to have an underwater camera, but alas...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Matthias takes the shortcut to the snorkeling waters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>During my first hours on Ko Chang, I met a group of three French tourists (from southern France - they pronounced "gauche" with the "O" sounds like we Normandinians would pronounce "roche", which cracked me up every time). Great people, all with a love of traveling and lots of cool stories to share, made for lovely long dinners and conversation as well as solid partners for daytime activities. More about Elodie, Simon and Matthias in the obligatory pool material further down this post!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motorcycle fuel is stored in old Samsong whisky bottles...</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Another highlight of the trip was meeting Tim, an American living in Barcelona working remotely as a freelance web designer. We got along from the start and wound up traveling together after Ko Chang, all the way to Phnom Penh. Tim and I rented motorcycles (more like glorified scooters, but still - it was the first time for each of us!) and circled the entire island. About 1.5 hours each way (there is no road completing the circle in the south), we saw the gradient of development, going from 5-star spa-resorts in the western strip to abandoned temporary fishing hamlets guarded by tourist-hungry dogs in the south eastern end.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjVQDzcTrkBJghJmc9gyNPxY1ki_AeF3-tTe2xSR3kPx3yeetXLPowD4CXzOEGuWRXfS-pFX2nsP0LIA1Y3udVXW02cgX0ZOCL-IoFZe5pzQntkSe0sjJVDm04VR2HA_IPjMEb1wn4lY/s1600/DSC_3859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjVQDzcTrkBJghJmc9gyNPxY1ki_AeF3-tTe2xSR3kPx3yeetXLPowD4CXzOEGuWRXfS-pFX2nsP0LIA1Y3udVXW02cgX0ZOCL-IoFZe5pzQntkSe0sjJVDm04VR2HA_IPjMEb1wn4lY/s320/DSC_3859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> We had heard that the road on the eastern side of the island had some damage. This was confirmed when we got to a spot on the road with a single cone and a sign that explained "The road has aproblem. Please use careful.". A couple of kilometers later we were greeted by a gigantic gap in the road caused by a recent landslide. As first-time bikers, we had some apprehension about going around the massive hole on the strip of mud that was propped up for that purpose (this is the only way to get to that side of the island!). We did make it across without problems, very fun!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHjZuej3E9SMKxNkL7sJ859osFsZ9r0nP98j4OE0JIldXOfx0vTAdTz_eMlBfzDnrBc_vUIfcI99t69uf02_hI-uYRh_ukiWQvge2Tk3KNS4kgzoO_-D5z__GqWyZ68N-KnVKNQ2fx54/s1600/DSC_3886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHjZuej3E9SMKxNkL7sJ859osFsZ9r0nP98j4OE0JIldXOfx0vTAdTz_eMlBfzDnrBc_vUIfcI99t69uf02_hI-uYRh_ukiWQvge2Tk3KNS4kgzoO_-D5z__GqWyZ68N-KnVKNQ2fx54/s320/DSC_3886.JPG" width="320" /></a>The road deteriorated quite a bit in the south eastern end. Unfinished pavement, no pavement, more landslides and crazy dogs were par for the course, but we were rewarded with breathtaking views from lesser-known vantage points. It will still be a while before the whole island is covered in bland tourist paraphernalia, but it will happen - maybe 5 or ten years. Things are changing very fast in southeast Asia, some of it is good of course, but the price to pay is traditional lifestyles and unspoiled paradises such as Ko Chang will not realistically be the same tomorrow.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snooker-sized american pool ball set, on a snooker table</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Night life in Bang Bao is virtually non-existent. There are a few restaurants, but they close quite early in general and by 11pm you have nothing to do but go back to your bungalow, flashlight in hand, dodging mosquitos and the occasional sleeping hound. After one such restaurant dinner with the French, as we were walking back we saw some locals playing what appeared to be snooker in a local food shack. I got the French to come with me on promise of buying them a beer, were it to be available, and everyone had a great time trying to figure out the rules of this crazy game in spite of the insurmountable language barrier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">This guy is explaining the rules to me. I'm not getting it.</td></tr>
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This game is played with a deck of playing cards. I have a feeling this a version of the game that my good friend Jonas experienced in Cambodia (<a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2010/09/cambodian-pool-eyewitness-news-from.html" target="_blank">see this old post</a>).<br />
Each player gets dealt 5 cards face down. If any player sinks a ball, then all players may reveal and discard the corresponding card. Whoever plays all his cards first, wins. For example, on my turn, I may have an 8. If I shoot and make the 8, I play my 8 card, but the other players also get to play their 8 if they have one (or several for that matter).<br />
The game is actually quite interesting tactically, because you can actually figure out the contents of your opponents' hands by observing which shots they attempt (if you are relatively sober).<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAWj1sHjs-w/TrUCgG1aPLI/AAAAAAAAR1A/QNEtd8rXTu4/s1600/2011-10-06_00-03-50_115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAWj1sHjs-w/TrUCgG1aPLI/AAAAAAAAR1A/QNEtd8rXTu4/s200/2011-10-06_00-03-50_115.jpg" width="200" /></a>There is quite a bit of defense. In fact, sinking a ball for which you didn't have the card, or fouling in any way meant you had to take an extra card from the deck (and if that one had already been played, too bad for you!). Unfortunately I only won 1 rack and came out down about $12 after 2+ hours of play, not so bad for such an experience. The locals were super friendly and happy to try to teach the game (and to take my money).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The whole crew</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I leave you with a Ko Chang spicy soup pr0n selection. Can you name them all?</div><br />
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-21355255948580199862011-11-02T12:47:00.001-04:002011-11-02T12:53:09.181-04:00Gambling in Bangkok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">After 3 weeks in adventurer mode through Ethiopia, a dramatic reversal of lifestyle seemed appropriate.<br />
Addis Ababa -> Bahrain, Bahrain -> Uneventful<br />
Bahrain, Bahrain -> Bangkok : Secured the "ghetto upgrade" (you are on a giant aircraft and the flight is so empty you can claim and entire central isle) :<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elusive ghetto upgrade</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRlrxRckOdpDdWDzbT9cwC3YmEkRDGMgoOgh_f7J_uteVI8QeLP2YFit2TXcTfC6k0AsQuDHnQ4t5MpO8_WG4Y36SqhMbHlB6qZkfs8SacAPUlG7nwpm6mjeOjnPDhyWzVm-6_mCO6jM/s320/2011-09-26_12-41-09_183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRlrxRckOdpDdWDzbT9cwC3YmEkRDGMgoOgh_f7J_uteVI8QeLP2YFit2TXcTfC6k0AsQuDHnQ4t5MpO8_WG4Y36SqhMbHlB6qZkfs8SacAPUlG7nwpm6mjeOjnPDhyWzVm-6_mCO6jM/s320/2011-09-26_12-41-09_183.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coca-cola in Arabic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>List of things I learned between Bahrain and Bangkok :<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Coca-cola is still identifiable as Coca-cola by westerners when written in Arabic</li>
<li>The average Greek sexpat to Thailand doesn't believe that Greece is at fault in the Eurozone crisis</li>
<li>The average German ecotourist is profoundly upset with Greece</li>
<li>Walking out of a plane in Bahrain, three temperatures - normal plane temp, followed inside-a-steel-walkway-in-the-desert-heat, and finally ICE FRIGGIN COLD air-conned airport luxury overload does not help with jetlag</li>
<li>Most taxis in Bangkok are hot pink. Very hot.</li>
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</div><div>Bangkok for me consisted mostly of having an upset stomach and moving up in pad-thai spice-level. Also, I found a pool scene. </div><div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What Jim looks like when he's 2 ahead in a race to 5 for 1,000</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Pool in Bangkok is mostly drunk <i>farangs</i> trying to impress Thai prostitutes for reasons that escape me. Redeemingly, for this young but storied city, it's winner stays on (read carefully you silly Frenchmen, you are the only nation in which I've never see a winner-stays-on table!). This means you can put your name up on the board, and wait till your turn to dispatch, one by one, a legion of drunk bangers. Each rack, the loser pays about $0.50 after losing and the winner breaks the next rack. Rules alternate between British style 2-shots-on-foul and the less insane "ball in hand" rules more familiar to American players, but either way, the rules are enforced by a neutral cohort of bar-employed racker girls who actually know their job well.</div><div>I was in one of these bars, winning hard, when Jim came along and played some instantly recognizable "serious pool". After he beat me he asked if I would gamble, for minimum 1,000 Baht. So we went to a nearby and more serious pool hall that I had previously scouted out. I played some of the most fun big table 8-ball in my life and came out exactly even after about 4 hours of play. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div>After Bangkok, it was time to find the famed island paradise of Koh Chang - for next post!</div></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-727561678393673252011-10-31T08:33:00.000-04:002011-12-01T11:23:01.846-05:00Alien Earth - The Dallol volcanic explosion crater<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Green lakes of acid, the lowest subaerial volcanic vents in the world, and sulfur-crusted landscapes combine to create the Dallol volcanic explosion crater.<br />
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It's very hot here, sulfur and acid fumes define the olfactory landscape. Gurgling sounds of various frequencies and volume meter the progress of what will become the world's newest ocean in about 10 million years.<br />
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In pictures :<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The land cruisers put the size of the Danakil salt flats into perspective</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geo-shrooms!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibrahim, our driver, standing on a stone mushroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake of sulfuric acid</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Afar guide for the day. He did not bring any water for this trip, unreal.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Hamed Ela</td></tr>
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<br /></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-33231385472632123532011-10-29T13:55:00.000-04:002011-10-29T13:55:26.075-04:00Billiards in the hottest inhabited village on the planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hamed Ela, Dallol region, Danakil depression, Ethiopia.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flirty donkeys in the burning morning winds of Hamed Ela</td></tr>
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From Wikipedia :<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">"Dallol currently holds the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremes_on_Earth" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;" title="Extremes on Earth">record high average temperature for an inhabited location</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> on Earth, where an average annual temperature of 34°C (94°F) was recorded between the years 1960 and 1966. Dallol is also one of the most remote places on Earth. There are no roads; the only regular transport service is provided by </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;" title="Camel">camel</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> caravans which travel to the area to collect salt."</span></blockquote><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0510/feature2/">National Geographic has an excellent article about the region</a> :<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">"Already, following our week in Hamed Ela, a dust-and-fly-stricken hamlet, I'd formed some opinions. One was that people can and will live anywhere—even in the Danakil, a place of dry sands and even drier gravel beds, rocky lava flows, active volcanoes, burning salt flats, temperatures that often top 120°F, winds that choke you with dust, and suffocating days of no wind at all."</span></blockquote>Getting to Hamed Ela was no picnic. Our expeditionary force consisted of :<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>3 tourists who were not sure what they were really getting into</li>
<li>2 expert drivers</li>
<li>1 excellent guide</li>
<li>1 wonderful cook</li>
<li>A rotating outfit of teenagers armed with AK-47s and hand grenades, anywhere between 2 and 5 of them depending on the day's destination and activities</li>
<li>Various passengers hopping on and off between random desert settlements</li>
<li>2 Toyota Land Cruisers in excellent condition, with 6 days worth of fuel, food and water for the crew</li>
</ul><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeWG79Nc_HAGA5xELHjWgHGiv4ZHLYo4q1stZChIwU8D0t1PuzSzRRYOgoktrVZYN0gKCnaSxqg2Igz7jxZTujCfjtpFtBCROGC-Vta_aCcGMVj9pak6acL1idag7EtxH1y6dIpsl2JI/s1600/DSC_3309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeWG79Nc_HAGA5xELHjWgHGiv4ZHLYo4q1stZChIwU8D0t1PuzSzRRYOgoktrVZYN0gKCnaSxqg2Igz7jxZTujCfjtpFtBCROGC-Vta_aCcGMVj9pak6acL1idag7EtxH1y6dIpsl2JI/s400/DSC_3309.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lead land cruiser, expertly piloted by Biniam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Danakil depression is home to the Afar tribe of Ethiopia. These are some of the fiercest people on the planet. They consider themselves Afar first, and only really cooperate with Ethiopia when the territorial integrity of the country is at stake, when they will take up arms and fight alongside the ethnic Ethiopians. The Afar sharpen all of their teeth into points using metal files. Most of them are salt miners and salt-trade nomads, crossing the desert back and forth with huge camel caravans loaded with salt slabs from the Danakil flats. Until relatively recently, the Afar used to cut off the testicles of visitors and hang them up in their tents to dry, although if you asked them today about that they would say "No, we never did that. And we only did it if they really deserved it". Allegedly some visitors have seen the dried up packages hanging in Afar tents as recently as a couple of years ago...<br />
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Could I possibly find some pool or billiards in this place?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnz4VHRjclfHIYDdjJGmUa9mGjl7RfypNHvY2uPyx798_XfzIfQE43dJIjkzPV9WV_84pm2ShQYgCUvSsHAJgQaTrvRIl23Wi8VwYMkVuJ16KXTMO4U-63AIQKkipD4BOj7RVSgA8C0dE/s1600/DSC_3066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnz4VHRjclfHIYDdjJGmUa9mGjl7RfypNHvY2uPyx798_XfzIfQE43dJIjkzPV9WV_84pm2ShQYgCUvSsHAJgQaTrvRIl23Wi8VwYMkVuJ16KXTMO4U-63AIQKkipD4BOj7RVSgA8C0dE/s400/DSC_3066.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ert'Ale lava lake, from about 100 meters away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The reason we had come to Hamed Ela, was to explore the geologically incredible region of the Afar. The unquestionable star attractions of the area are Ert'Ale, the only permanently erupting lava lake in the world, and the absolutely alien volcanic landscapes of Dallol (for a future post). We setup camp at the base of Ert'Ale, where the Land Cruisers could not go any further. We were about 6km from the volcano by bird's flight. The climb had to be done at night, because it's just too damn hot during the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQTa_GA3eI6C1fhyphenhyphenV0yt7sBjeND1LVCkTjnE4qvWKiy4rO6In1pWvWRDJ_owu_pn24BI1p6JGKKSDCB9oNWwNK-651En_p8Vm5yrT79JBzZfOhq5nfrKdfzdBMpvCjsTsirfT5Qr5EEs/s1600/DSC_3041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQTa_GA3eI6C1fhyphenhyphenV0yt7sBjeND1LVCkTjnE4qvWKiy4rO6In1pWvWRDJ_owu_pn24BI1p6JGKKSDCB9oNWwNK-651En_p8Vm5yrT79JBzZfOhq5nfrKdfzdBMpvCjsTsirfT5Qr5EEs/s400/DSC_3041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two members of our Afar escort contingent of teenagers in skirts with AKs</td></tr>
</tbody></table> We started walking right after sunset, and I'll spare you the difficulties we encountered with our armed Afar "guide" which ultimately lead to the two other tourists having to head back to camp just 2km into the trek. I continued on with our real guide, and two armed locals who had not - as of yet - caused any problems. The 5-hour climb was incredibly difficult, due mostly to the terrain, which consists of all types of more or less solidified and jagged lava which occasionally gave way under your step. This is dangerous - a serious cut would be a show stopper here, as you could imagine. Other difficulties included the relentless ambient heat, the loss of my flashlight, and the remote but real possibility of running into Eritrean insurgents who occasionally cross into the area.<br />
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But man, was it worth it!<br />
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Selected pics of the lava lake :<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SH38G8zAOXY/TnOCeRWmWmI/AAAAAAAAJx0/eB_zX_0acXI/s1600/DSC_3082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SH38G8zAOXY/TnOCeRWmWmI/AAAAAAAAJx0/eB_zX_0acXI/s400/DSC_3082.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jaAsXKthzM/TnOC43wNsBI/AAAAAAAAJyo/JIhWqUGMUuM/s1600/DSC_3095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jaAsXKthzM/TnOC43wNsBI/AAAAAAAAJyo/JIhWqUGMUuM/s400/DSC_3095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keDtU8vO0t8/TnODIV2agLI/AAAAAAAAJzM/MHu2-37sHXY/s1600/DSC_3102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keDtU8vO0t8/TnODIV2agLI/AAAAAAAAJzM/MHu2-37sHXY/s400/DSC_3102.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsH_e6m1qN-HkAl6tzx0811YbIfykLomf1OGFIGd46S97DnkErYm08bkVRG-VgUg9CE4npo9JAguzM5S9qwl0iRxyaI38w2ta0Q81-AKVPVkKrpODerUUlS1TEYHiN1ziVTCEd5PJw3E/s1600/DSC_3122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsH_e6m1qN-HkAl6tzx0811YbIfykLomf1OGFIGd46S97DnkErYm08bkVRG-VgUg9CE4npo9JAguzM5S9qwl0iRxyaI38w2ta0Q81-AKVPVkKrpODerUUlS1TEYHiN1ziVTCEd5PJw3E/s400/DSC_3122.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwi0SyzrETwUMpFf8MRphBDL-j7pSBfHpd-22jXuAwSQxePuO4g1Y4MIT9N9L6v7_zXDDU22KfZ4rLzV5UBWrQ-LxHEqQPm3eLoVBSGxFsay17US4pAXtauXkYPZhwDXj7L4_ZDmVcCs/s1600/DSC_3125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwi0SyzrETwUMpFf8MRphBDL-j7pSBfHpd-22jXuAwSQxePuO4g1Y4MIT9N9L6v7_zXDDU22KfZ4rLzV5UBWrQ-LxHEqQPm3eLoVBSGxFsay17US4pAXtauXkYPZhwDXj7L4_ZDmVcCs/s400/DSC_3125.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTWUSkSEsiH_pJAHc9__ylFFS24QFU-rka1uw4z3Ynj8LEsIdTSwfJRLeK5ik2a98urEI2RxsFOaxYAD42hxC9hPZVtqoiXxspnrbGB9dPFOx0Rmhv4cMgNiww3OqMEPRlHyznFWiT2E/s1600/DSC_3158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTWUSkSEsiH_pJAHc9__ylFFS24QFU-rka1uw4z3Ynj8LEsIdTSwfJRLeK5ik2a98urEI2RxsFOaxYAD42hxC9hPZVtqoiXxspnrbGB9dPFOx0Rmhv4cMgNiww3OqMEPRlHyznFWiT2E/s400/DSC_3158.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I spent an unforgettable 45 minutes right on the edge of the crater, in the volcanic heat, complete with suffocating gusts of sulfuric acid fumes. You can also see a couple of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70Y4m6cs-yk">videos I took</a> on my youtube account.<br />
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We slept for about 3 hours at the top, then started back down about an hour before sunrise. We had commissioned a camel to meet us up top with more water (I drank 5 liters on the way up) and I was happy to load my backpack onto it for the way back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQk1kDoCLcJpK_Q0-FzNdC7H-dARMuOqJ2ON5dWJZeqYmPr3J6cXDIrza2k-IjrycmN3o-UIfDgmBms9UeDCSnGRI3LAd6DKVVVyhliP_t54uJNYUNuMbX7OtEC3fJbSAytnaXprS6Ro/s1600/DSC_3221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQk1kDoCLcJpK_Q0-FzNdC7H-dARMuOqJ2ON5dWJZeqYmPr3J6cXDIrza2k-IjrycmN3o-UIfDgmBms9UeDCSnGRI3LAd6DKVVVyhliP_t54uJNYUNuMbX7OtEC3fJbSAytnaXprS6Ro/s400/DSC_3221.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treacherous lava tubes are part of the hazards of this trek</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDM-VaFDxYYsS77oUSyOylKwRafyNtMjW3DgTg3c6rYQe6tuh6ypKb9XunRZBpeOBUcDSJPOzivXAmFHZ9KLWyg-L9cV-RgbtrIGkDYJuBYfk2reHq7QVnwYSfKoPf761sB0mYxGZOfI/s1600/DSC_3247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDM-VaFDxYYsS77oUSyOylKwRafyNtMjW3DgTg3c6rYQe6tuh6ypKb9XunRZBpeOBUcDSJPOzivXAmFHZ9KLWyg-L9cV-RgbtrIGkDYJuBYfk2reHq7QVnwYSfKoPf761sB0mYxGZOfI/s400/DSC_3247.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This clown decided to start shooting his gun without warning, for "practice"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Back in Hamed Ela, we had some well-deserved rest, and in the afternoon I went to explore the local bar scene, which consisted of two shacks and no fridge. They had beer, although not much of it. As I sat there, watching Braveheart with the military and potash-mining clientele in the debilitating heat, I suddenly heard that sound so familiar to pool junkies, the clanking of billiard balls in the general vicinity. It turns out that they had a pool table right next door. As I stepped in, this is the scene I was greeted by :<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidclIaUYPCnwEViKha25ioZydvh-urL9G_oDv2CvgKfn51caRstN9kDNlt89y_ynp0vG1RPWI9LHYBmB08De9Ndee_Y1Dw7sUtYC07DEEWMYDdRQx8GH0fhJKWbgGWeRWflVhONzcoA2I/s1600/DSC_6286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidclIaUYPCnwEViKha25ioZydvh-urL9G_oDv2CvgKfn51caRstN9kDNlt89y_ynp0vG1RPWI9LHYBmB08De9Ndee_Y1Dw7sUtYC07DEEWMYDdRQx8GH0fhJKWbgGWeRWflVhONzcoA2I/s400/DSC_6286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone loves billiards, even Afar salt miners in the hottest village on the planet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ijE5rx4s3Xk/TnO5LhkiPvI/AAAAAAAANrI/XOSShgxITcY/s1600/DSC_6307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ijE5rx4s3Xk/TnO5LhkiPvI/AAAAAAAANrI/XOSShgxITcY/s400/DSC_6307.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This game is called "carambola" in Ethiopia - its closest relative is the Italian game of Bocette, which I have had the pleasure to play in the Tuscany region of Italy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OdRsJa1T_Jy8YDFwTZ1qdCt0BfDjf3Cf2oBgYhn9kI8YDaOZwKkV0R31qu2N9BNzKBPNXbEZ7a0QPrEKrU_I94DfwOZjZMKwjaTnlNIwyyDs9P2jCOKGkouGSuiM2tykixWWZfFjS80/s1600/DSC_6299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OdRsJa1T_Jy8YDFwTZ1qdCt0BfDjf3Cf2oBgYhn9kI8YDaOZwKkV0R31qu2N9BNzKBPNXbEZ7a0QPrEKrU_I94DfwOZjZMKwjaTnlNIwyyDs9P2jCOKGkouGSuiM2tykixWWZfFjS80/s400/DSC_6299.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billiard Traveler doing his best not to get beat too thoroughly. Just like Bocette, Ethiopian Carambola is played without cues - you roll the balls with your hands!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J8O8b62r3eo/TnO5ICZgPZI/AAAAAAAANrE/AAwtvPVfz98/s1600/DSC_6306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J8O8b62r3eo/TnO5ICZgPZI/AAAAAAAANrE/AAwtvPVfz98/s400/DSC_6306.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how you get the balls back out of the pockets - from what I can deduce, this is an Italian table from the 1940s, a relic of the short-lived Italian occupation of Ethiopia.</td></tr>
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For more about the details of Ethiopian Carambola and the Italian game of Bocette, come back for a later post!<br />
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Soon, I will have some pictures up of the alien landscapes of Dallol, and a story of playing the Ethiopian rotation game called "straight" in Bahir Dar.<br />
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And I leave you with this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_09N-BHlLnE/TnOyXbJgOWI/AAAAAAAANn0/ccU0e5hvmy8/s1600/DSC_6267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_09N-BHlLnE/TnOyXbJgOWI/AAAAAAAANn0/ccU0e5hvmy8/s400/DSC_6267.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, clueless as to what to do about the goat in my shower</td></tr>
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com1Phnom Penh, Cambodia11.558831 104.91744500000004-28.042399000000003 45.151820000000043 51.160061 164.68307000000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-31357837865038519422011-10-24T09:22:00.001-04:002011-10-24T09:28:37.932-04:00The churches of Lalibela<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">As I have mentioned before, Ethiopia is the second ever country to declare itself christian - this has resulted in a very rich cultural and architectural heritage, the most famous of which are the church complexes at Lalibela.<br />
Lalibela is an ancient town situated on an incredibly beautiful hill side between the lowlands and high plateaus of northern Ethiopia. It is named after the king of Ethiopia, Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, who had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and according to the local historians, decided to build up the city as a "second Jerusalem", possibly following the fall of the real Jerusalem to the Muslims in 1187. Indeed, all the place names and church names reflect ancient Jerusalem locations - even the river that runs through the town is named "the river Jordan".<br />
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There are 13 churches in total, arranged in 4 separate complexes. The church complexes are mind-boggling - the churches were made by starting from one gigantic piece of rock, and built by carving the church out, meaning each church is just one continuous piece of rock. In some instances, they started from the side of the rock and carved the church by digging into the rock horizontally, kind of like in Petra, jordan. In other instances the church was built "in reverse" by starting from the flat top of the rock and digging down, and these are truly the most impressive feats of the ancient builders.<br />
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A few pictures :</div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifB6M2LIxw5klBGEfyNTPHmxoYiKu3OyLmD9UFAI-B79Z7ZmLZe0_AQ7p0-0WqsgcpRP6qCU_S5gzseYgL6A9A0ux4w3Gc3dwrtAtzIHn5LoItabQw8iVy6KmBCSwCZsTB4YzkV9LH0KI/s1600/DSC_2410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifB6M2LIxw5klBGEfyNTPHmxoYiKu3OyLmD9UFAI-B79Z7ZmLZe0_AQ7p0-0WqsgcpRP6qCU_S5gzseYgL6A9A0ux4w3Gc3dwrtAtzIHn5LoItabQw8iVy6KmBCSwCZsTB4YzkV9LH0KI/s400/DSC_2410.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNESCO recently built the cover, and although visually disastrous, it is necessary to protect this church, the oldest one in the complex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yiphDAqyVF0/TmqKs-8Tz5I/AAAAAAAAGo8/XtqcYnDqYJA/s1600/DSC_2414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yiphDAqyVF0/TmqKs-8Tz5I/AAAAAAAAGo8/XtqcYnDqYJA/s400/DSC_2414.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's difficult to overstate the skill of the ancient rock carvers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFrdz24Xmybc3Z_DBuJy4TV7QAwy75MGKE5_AiVTIM-a0iw_amUXS4DTvzZrWeWit1R2cn8QJNXrUUb1OR-xOLV7SSuHvnhwpgZjIXkNcksemlB5pajtYNuIjUiqnePzD2YnAqW1RgTs/s1600/DSC_2411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFrdz24Xmybc3Z_DBuJy4TV7QAwy75MGKE5_AiVTIM-a0iw_amUXS4DTvzZrWeWit1R2cn8QJNXrUUb1OR-xOLV7SSuHvnhwpgZjIXkNcksemlB5pajtYNuIjUiqnePzD2YnAqW1RgTs/s400/DSC_2411.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each church has a well thought-out drainage system to avoid erosion at the base</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK1geXMRziUfUSH1w9bA20HDW_VeH1IddG_sdR69Sl8C7-hNJhIQzOVmKUTM-eTFc572YADAGYE7H9G8UK2i8HtTeUd9K2hqlQ2b6oWwJY2IjjyRBibSGzcY5SbaymC2KIEDVRg5Dz6Y/s1600/DSC_2420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK1geXMRziUfUSH1w9bA20HDW_VeH1IddG_sdR69Sl8C7-hNJhIQzOVmKUTM-eTFc572YADAGYE7H9G8UK2i8HtTeUd9K2hqlQ2b6oWwJY2IjjyRBibSGzcY5SbaymC2KIEDVRg5Dz6Y/s400/DSC_2420.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the "mother rock" from which the church was carved</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66Y8vvldHJCRDxnsRORWIA6rfuLAZbCiUx26tIzenl8Mew6d16BQyJolNg7xu_mltDx2TNh_U9BtwE7vHQ9xBz1ULrY52OWVw2EfKymrR91R4j4p-VEnlcJmbTPc4KQtxdwZ0SW3Ow6c/s1600/DSC_2430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66Y8vvldHJCRDxnsRORWIA6rfuLAZbCiUx26tIzenl8Mew6d16BQyJolNg7xu_mltDx2TNh_U9BtwE7vHQ9xBz1ULrY52OWVw2EfKymrR91R4j4p-VEnlcJmbTPc4KQtxdwZ0SW3Ow6c/s400/DSC_2430.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This inside is no less impressive</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcPXjXQdUmo2kK06LxC2ymXlErJkxewVhGEGlGEs5BawA4TpETqpRHrBChL7TKTH65RW7tx5JQJ5qOtXz5tLkrYj79aC-Y6T3Mqt1pSnEyiaLBLMmEBOnUWVgDiqV0FS9IFmefxrbMR8/s1600/DSC_2441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcPXjXQdUmo2kK06LxC2ymXlErJkxewVhGEGlGEs5BawA4TpETqpRHrBChL7TKTH65RW7tx5JQJ5qOtXz5tLkrYj79aC-Y6T3Mqt1pSnEyiaLBLMmEBOnUWVgDiqV0FS9IFmefxrbMR8/s400/DSC_2441.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only one of the churches has elaborate internal carvings and paintings</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglirQG9QjAThoWQgKBLXXBzSNKnh6RCM1gFM4uI9oy4gDJcR77ionBxxl1nmaJi1aiAFd-Nc0ue0kNrJz2pfQSpw4Zqb-c0ICwBrZqAJD0u48fYqlhvLIyIJtv6czHCOt_-qU1QQmaSZs/s1600/DSC_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglirQG9QjAThoWQgKBLXXBzSNKnh6RCM1gFM4uI9oy4gDJcR77ionBxxl1nmaJi1aiAFd-Nc0ue0kNrJz2pfQSpw4Zqb-c0ICwBrZqAJD0u48fYqlhvLIyIJtv6czHCOt_-qU1QQmaSZs/s400/DSC_2450.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Saint George church, the most well-recognized and also the most recent church in Lalibela - still dates from the early 12th century though!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdL5d85eJagwuFPiPVsGwNWbTYsudvriOQ-JxAoax3zROWbwnghu4T9wNO7X3LHh6zDCt2POJsXnRB8syM9UellhxwqqXJC1JvDf6ShxYJLaDm2YW2c3u9aQVJt_1YDtcixtvCLJAkioI/s1600/DSC_2487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdL5d85eJagwuFPiPVsGwNWbTYsudvriOQ-JxAoax3zROWbwnghu4T9wNO7X3LHh6zDCt2POJsXnRB8syM9UellhxwqqXJC1JvDf6ShxYJLaDm2YW2c3u9aQVJt_1YDtcixtvCLJAkioI/s400/DSC_2487.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-01lHY-cXZP0/TmqR38P8WnI/AAAAAAAAGvc/8jacnGp_K0Q/s1600/DSC_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-01lHY-cXZP0/TmqR38P8WnI/AAAAAAAAGvc/8jacnGp_K0Q/s640/DSC_2486.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Although I did spot a few "pool houses" in town as we walked through, I had no time to actually play any as our ays were packed with exploring the churches and the myriad passageways, tunnels and ridges linking them...<br />
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-66552286767513479422011-10-07T02:39:00.002-04:002011-10-07T02:48:36.607-04:00Ethiopia Part !!! - Aksum and The Semien Mountains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is difficult to have to distill all of these landscapes and experiences into a few pictures and paragraphs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ethiopia is grossly underrated as a tourist destination. There are no real issues of safety and security (until we get to the Danakil, a post or two in the future), the people are friendly, the scenery is breathtaking, and the history is unexpectedly rich. If anyone is interested, I do have some contacts and suggestions so please do not hesitate to let me know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyKsZkidGwOpvDcagq0-WkNPqSH-zsFT6bmmfej3HlX7pRKQ6kqnNG_rL4B51qpmA-xLs2seQczuerpRDwMEzRUHmGUWoVzkIuraMDv891k07uVb7H9i2m8j0w06B4aCL_isrAxHaqS0/s1600/DSC_2125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyKsZkidGwOpvDcagq0-WkNPqSH-zsFT6bmmfej3HlX7pRKQ6kqnNG_rL4B51qpmA-xLs2seQczuerpRDwMEzRUHmGUWoVzkIuraMDv891k07uVb7H9i2m8j0w06B4aCL_isrAxHaqS0/s400/DSC_2125.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the road to the Semien Mountains - more volcanic plugs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7pgy38ZGYzI/TmjpK8pXCBI/AAAAAAAAI6w/NsWisxDG2OM/s1600/DSC_2127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7pgy38ZGYzI/TmjpK8pXCBI/AAAAAAAAI6w/NsWisxDG2OM/s400/DSC_2127.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view on the high plateaus</td></tr>
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For the city of Aksum, I will quote directly from<a href="http://pegandpat.wordpress.com/"> my parents' blog</a> :<br />
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</div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1txX395pgQQdh5ki3tf4ocEs0QTrylrqAsOTf0zkrZbcCmpVptfAAU9euGJOXLIrhJvUW4Z2hm2yKrN-F2W4STsuewzVsvM9ojxIQJ1gba_G8H70z5bRjVV_Si7eS2nGgQEebEX7Fn20/s1600/DSC_2337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1txX395pgQQdh5ki3tf4ocEs0QTrylrqAsOTf0zkrZbcCmpVptfAAU9euGJOXLIrhJvUW4Z2hm2yKrN-F2W4STsuewzVsvM9ojxIQJ1gba_G8H70z5bRjVV_Si7eS2nGgQEebEX7Fn20/s400/DSC_2337.JPG" width="400" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><i>"Axum is the holiest city and the most ancient capital of Ethiopia! And yet, very little research or excavation has been done up until now. From around 400 B.C. to the 10th century, Axum was a major trade center. Under the influence of two Syrian missionaries, King Ezana embraced christianity in 340 AD and that was the start of the Ethiopian Orthodox church. According to the Orthodox religion, the original Ark of the Covenant was taken from Israel to where it has been kept ever since in the Holy of Holies in a chapel in the center of Axum. Another attraction here are the stellae fields, the northern one being the most famous. Stelae are believed to be funeral monuments to kings and markers of underground tombs and treasury chambers that form an intricate well-preserved network of catacombs often going back as far as 1700 years. Excavations are underway but the areas are huge. Finally, tourists usually visit the ruins of Queen of Sheba’s palace and her swimming pool but keep in mind that it is difficult to differentiate between fact and legend concerning the Queen of Sheba. For more information, check the wiki link at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Sheba" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Sheba</a> and judge for yourself."</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An ancient manuscript inside the largest church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee ceremony (the roasting of the beans part) outside of the Aksum archeological museum</td></tr>
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The Semien mountains were formed between 40 and 25 million years ago and are essentially the remains of a massive volcano. The highest peak, Ras Dejen, towers at 4,543 meters (14,905 ft) and is the 4th highest mountain in Africa. The biodiversity is very strong here and many species of both plants and animals are endemic and not found anywhere else. Of particular interest is the Ibex and the Ethiopian Wolf, although we did not have any luck spotting any - they are extremely endangered.<br />
For most of our small trek we were above 3,000 meters and the altitude can felt a bit - shortness of breath, but also the very cool air and fog. Seeing te Bleeding Heart baboons through the mist, just a few meters away, was a real treat!<br />
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Our little trek :<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bleeding heart baboons in the wild</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local kids singing songs and selling wares.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3x9bkll7CRs/TmkADhBaTKI/AAAAAAAAJJ4/sIWosIRwrt0/s1600/DSC_2304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3x9bkll7CRs/TmkADhBaTKI/AAAAAAAAJJ4/sIWosIRwrt0/s400/DSC_2304.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild mountain goats doing their thing</td></tr>
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</div></div></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-69693723539017883242011-10-04T10:59:00.000-04:002011-10-04T10:59:14.225-04:00Ethiopia Part II - the Blue Nile Falls and pool in Gondar...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Smoking Water - the translation of the Ethiopian name of the Blue Nile falls - and you can see why. We were there towards the end of the rainy season, hence the large flow rate and the brown color showing off the rich sediment coming from the highlands.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvaUQVsKObXQYX01vYuRVvKdAOmyStYVzMrBaSv-seupzOQJ_SrpGjwpkP_MqRN0B1fCRpdv87-3UwOBxFMPVS3uBxjbSsZ8E_xiaCmQIpkKolWtfYQZVwSajZGf8SUfFbu9WZ-bwrT0/s1600/DSC_1924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvaUQVsKObXQYX01vYuRVvKdAOmyStYVzMrBaSv-seupzOQJ_SrpGjwpkP_MqRN0B1fCRpdv87-3UwOBxFMPVS3uBxjbSsZ8E_xiaCmQIpkKolWtfYQZVwSajZGf8SUfFbu9WZ-bwrT0/s400/DSC_1924.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Nile Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-quSigfaM0Dc/TmVIroDlPqI/AAAAAAAAImk/A6p2GeDRa64/s1600/DSC_1941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-quSigfaM0Dc/TmVIroDlPqI/AAAAAAAAImk/A6p2GeDRa64/s400/DSC_1941.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first stone brisge in Ethiopia, built by Indian engineers supervised by Portuguese missionaries</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnAxvaXgYDJ1BeqVhJOJ_D16DksXZRDWgU4PvUNpMpra_Yjm3mIuQuzztvjeNY0eYoZkys0GEvnE4ef4Dp_K2A6VJR2j4onl4yNgGIgoxc9WDgjj0IC4gnPvZHet8dEO-mKG334cu59M/s1600/DSC_1940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnAxvaXgYDJ1BeqVhJOJ_D16DksXZRDWgU4PvUNpMpra_Yjm3mIuQuzztvjeNY0eYoZkys0GEvnE4ef4Dp_K2A6VJR2j4onl4yNgGIgoxc9WDgjj0IC4gnPvZHet8dEO-mKG334cu59M/s400/DSC_1940.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What my Dad calls a "fake fig tree"</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUM_rv4V-os/TmVHLPQq7FI/AAAAAAAAIls/-l0OOMTdlVQ/s1600/DSC_1931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUM_rv4V-os/TmVHLPQq7FI/AAAAAAAAIls/-l0OOMTdlVQ/s400/DSC_1931.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As one of the foremost tourist attractions in Ethiopia, the path to the falls is full of children trying to sell you stuff. They are quite talented with languages and high-pressure sales techniques, but still cute, somehow.<br />
The scenery is very green indeed, because this is the rainy season. During the dry season, the countryside will become brown and dusty.<br />
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The road to Gondar was peppered with interesting geological oddities.... The following are volcanic plugs (according to my own amateurish geological opinion). These form when a column of magma hardens, and then the sedimentary rock around it erodes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FuWxrBB0hgs/TmfRuddVNOI/AAAAAAAAGGQ/k_W8LImyzjk/s1600/DSC_1951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FuWxrBB0hgs/TmfRuddVNOI/AAAAAAAAGGQ/k_W8LImyzjk/s400/DSC_1951.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOMUtUBDiAzxPVjYMhvfZGvTpu5c6EqjU_5i1JBBllnq5IqoQZH2ZIlM3aeYdv4j5I6lnkDOy3qxINwHnRxt-EigIH2Afw8qXSfViqsfsO-7Z3YtbGwWe9sY-qdD3wF9z-ZTui06VBVk/s1600/DSC_1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOMUtUBDiAzxPVjYMhvfZGvTpu5c6EqjU_5i1JBBllnq5IqoQZH2ZIlM3aeYdv4j5I6lnkDOy3qxINwHnRxt-EigIH2Afw8qXSfViqsfsO-7Z3YtbGwWe9sY-qdD3wF9z-ZTui06VBVk/s400/DSC_1965.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.unmuseum.org/dtowerdiag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.unmuseum.org/dtowerdiag.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit : <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.unmuseum.org/devtowergeo.htm">http://www.unmuseum.org/devtowergeo.htm</a></span></td></tr>
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Gondar itself is quite a large town, and is the capital of medieval Ethiopia, where King Fasiledes established himnself over the country in the 16th century - pictures of his palace :<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i1knP8knPtw/TmfVGTRDP0I/AAAAAAAAGIw/9XyLoZIufxs/s1600/DSC_1979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i1knP8knPtw/TmfVGTRDP0I/AAAAAAAAGIw/9XyLoZIufxs/s400/DSC_1979.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5dZdOUYNjkU/TmfaOPHgz6I/AAAAAAAAGes/crrsPeyKv5Q/s1600/DSC_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5dZdOUYNjkU/TmfaOPHgz6I/AAAAAAAAGes/crrsPeyKv5Q/s400/DSC_2026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The royal kitchens, alas now empty :(</td></tr>
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</div> This is the royal pool - one day a year, the basin that surrounds the building is filled with water and pilgrims from all over Ethiopia come to bathe in the blessed water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOlgWiaPPpg/TmfeSeAgoCI/AAAAAAAAGiI/9D8bqOskYQM/s1600/DSC_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOlgWiaPPpg/TmfeSeAgoCI/AAAAAAAAGiI/9D8bqOskYQM/s400/DSC_2092.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And finally, a different kind of pool - the kind that is played throughout Ethiopia, which they simply call "straight" - after our tour of the Gondar architecture, I asked my guide to take me to one of the many "pool houses" in Gondar where I had my first experience shooting pool in Ethiopia. These pics are from my cellphone, please excuse the quality...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZhAd2ovITDhqPH7Ugs9Pazx8sqH2kKIJ5zRSi6QqAbrrml_JzVTcRv6Z4Y8Cnn5AW6SZMojy2MKJLewEJweL8bGI211jzZ0EjkcYFSg2hcEP8S7Dhn61KOJo3vV1ratuRoogkVA0nys/s1600/2011-09-07_18-41-00_446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZhAd2ovITDhqPH7Ugs9Pazx8sqH2kKIJ5zRSi6QqAbrrml_JzVTcRv6Z4Y8Cnn5AW6SZMojy2MKJLewEJweL8bGI211jzZ0EjkcYFSg2hcEP8S7Dhn61KOJo3vV1ratuRoogkVA0nys/s640/2011-09-07_18-41-00_446.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dagem Modern Pool House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg714rp1qjQi0t-9D0S68ToNzd2AzLgg5ZWoPgd5Sxt2yPf_SYolty9St_vZb9YgT9uFW95oX0oEcY7f1Hm5K4FRQPABKxH9qtzDx3P81eeTEbXwOulm6Thffk8_aFmDSht8YPreXBMqME/s1600/2011-09-07_18-20-44_484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg714rp1qjQi0t-9D0S68ToNzd2AzLgg5ZWoPgd5Sxt2yPf_SYolty9St_vZb9YgT9uFW95oX0oEcY7f1Hm5K4FRQPABKxH9qtzDx3P81eeTEbXwOulm6Thffk8_aFmDSht8YPreXBMqME/s400/2011-09-07_18-20-44_484.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the pool house is a major "line taxi" stop - a bit hectic, but it is he main mode of urban transportation in Ethiopia.</td></tr>
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The "pool houses" in Ethiopia usually only have one table. It works by challenge - you say you want to play, and the person in charge calls you when it's your turn. After the match, if you win, you stay on, if not, you pay for the loss. You do not pay for wins :)<br />
I lost my first rack - my opponent asked me to play again, and the lady took note that I had lost a game. I won the second game. My opponent then proposed a "bist" match - thanks to the help of a railbird who spoke good English, this meant that the third game would be played for the entire bill - meaning the loser of the third match would pay for all three racks. I won! Nothing to pay this time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1A8gCjQW04/TmehSLgMYJI/AAAAAAAAF80/Ii0Py4hm6eU/s1600/2011-09-07_18-19-19_746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1A8gCjQW04/TmehSLgMYJI/AAAAAAAAF80/Ii0Py4hm6eU/s640/2011-09-07_18-19-19_746.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lady sitting down is in charge of racking the balls and counting how many games you lose....</td></tr>
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I had never played this game called "straight" before. A basic run down of the rules...<br />
The balls are racked like this, with the three ball up top and the cue in the kitchen :<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RV817mT5eOg/TosbGyzFdJI/AAAAAAAAPCs/V5_bBnBaf-g/s1600/2011-09-07_18-18-10_275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RV817mT5eOg/TosbGyzFdJI/AAAAAAAAPCs/V5_bBnBaf-g/s400/2011-09-07_18-18-10_275.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The official way to rack a game of "straight"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This is a rotation game, meaning the first contact has to be with the lowest numbered ball on the table (the 3 on the break). The balls are worth their numeric value in points.<br />
If you fail to make contact with any ball, your opponent scores two points. If you make contact with the wrong ball, that ball's numeric value counts as points for your opponent. The game is quite interesting as there are definitely tactical approaches to it - one of the problem is that the balls so often sit in their starting positions that divots form under them, making them sometimes near impossible to "walk" down the rail, and significantly affecting the banking behavior.<br />
Pool is doing very well in Ethiopia - in the center of all the towns we visited their were several pool houses. Even inthe middle of nowhere you would often find them. The other major game, locally called carambola, is everywhere as well. For another post!<br />
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In part III, the Simien mountains and Lalibela! Stay tuned, there will be baboons!</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-5421374484457194362011-10-03T15:06:00.001-04:002011-10-04T07:42:50.548-04:00Ethiopia Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. I landed in the morning after an overnight flight from Cairo. First of what would turn out to be many stereotype-shattering experiences, it was actually COLD in Addis. As in sweatshirt required...<br />
<div>After getting through a simple visa-on-arrival process, I was greeted by my parents who are volunteering in Ethiopia, accompanied by my sister who had landed earlier that morning from Korea. The next day we were set to embark on a week-long tour of the major religious, architectural and natural sites of Ethiopia - but the first order of the day was lunch!</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK1o0CzYBQTP2GyC9PjgjQcK3zMu-Eq0DSePLcQj4_dIf8j_gO-ozi3GfwMaDzDc95cxjawwStd_3RXCOymTcANXtvju-Z9C0KH8_cMErTbEfO20oKlNMJrF5sKQX2-Jw9zTFdVXObfw/s1600/DSC_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK1o0CzYBQTP2GyC9PjgjQcK3zMu-Eq0DSePLcQj4_dIf8j_gO-ozi3GfwMaDzDc95cxjawwStd_3RXCOymTcANXtvju-Z9C0KH8_cMErTbEfO20oKlNMJrF5sKQX2-Jw9zTFdVXObfw/s400/DSC_1792.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Special Foul"</td></tr>
</tbody></table> You can see here normal bread, which they tend to serve to "ferenji" (the term for foreigners) as well as the traditional injera bread (top right).<br />
<i>Edit : thanks to my sister who looked into it, the normal bread is actually served with the "foul" dish to everyone, not just to ferenji!</i><br />
<br />
Basically everyone eats from the same dish by tearing off pieces of injera and using them to scoop from the main dish. Awesome.<br />
<div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwl1-9P7_9dpLxloiZLv8SLbh2Fuj35xpy1hdLLSaoJcclZ4hT8hMsu0Dlee4gsbyhAwvO0SUN9X33o5o8V_JcnEQXXAFB-CJK5TdH9PQV87hnv-cpC54JmHgbCiT6BgSHfOm3Zz_OTsE/s1600/DSC_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwl1-9P7_9dpLxloiZLv8SLbh2Fuj35xpy1hdLLSaoJcclZ4hT8hMsu0Dlee4gsbyhAwvO0SUN9X33o5o8V_JcnEQXXAFB-CJK5TdH9PQV87hnv-cpC54JmHgbCiT6BgSHfOm3Zz_OTsE/s200/DSC_1788.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was amused by the name of the restaurant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><br />
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</div><div>Addis was a lot more developed than I had expected. Tall buildings, asphalt roads, cars in good condition, signs and menus in English... However there were definitely signs that this was still a developing country. Particularly striking to me was the scaffolding used for construction. All made of eucalyptus wood, hand assembled! Incredible...</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ubBKK3dGVE/TmUnW3MPEHI/AAAAAAAAGyM/T1VEpaGwfmQ/s1600/DSC_1765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ubBKK3dGVE/TmUnW3MPEHI/AAAAAAAAGyM/T1VEpaGwfmQ/s400/DSC_1765.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiSWmS8qgZft93fD0QqzPHXIyoGCTATFxcx9bI99-x7FrppYfaxkz3-qJwRJztenj9wfVpkJdLUoxnxXv5Tlcv2vjhyphenhyphenqjMrDOwQO0mirfvKYiPfMf0CcGkLl5vH6dcbLwsnF2Tca0T0Q/s1600/DSC_1766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiSWmS8qgZft93fD0QqzPHXIyoGCTATFxcx9bI99-x7FrppYfaxkz3-qJwRJztenj9wfVpkJdLUoxnxXv5Tlcv2vjhyphenhyphenqjMrDOwQO0mirfvKYiPfMf0CcGkLl5vH6dcbLwsnF2Tca0T0Q/s400/DSC_1766.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHROY9Ie1IXQb6nwZsfgOhyVxxrEKY4jx43sRfHy3B-iui4xK-lSI8_koa3nQjUjCpPvLDptJAt9KOR8vzCMVNm1jLCMnG0rQrVKpfg2kV-tqiHYjU9aOMNEPlrfa0VdS8kzjQKQ_E0z8/s1600/DSC_1770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHROY9Ie1IXQb6nwZsfgOhyVxxrEKY4jx43sRfHy3B-iui4xK-lSI8_koa3nQjUjCpPvLDptJAt9KOR8vzCMVNm1jLCMnG0rQrVKpfg2kV-tqiHYjU9aOMNEPlrfa0VdS8kzjQKQ_E0z8/s640/DSC_1770.JPG" width="425" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeSSfmxMJrs/TmUr_7q3OhI/AAAAAAAAGz4/xEu-2BF52pg/s1600/DSC_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeSSfmxMJrs/TmUr_7q3OhI/AAAAAAAAGz4/xEu-2BF52pg/s400/DSC_1786.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>We set off early the next day for Bahir Dar, city on lake Tana, one of the largest lakes in Africa. This is a vacation resort of sorts, as relatively wealthy families from Addis come here to enjoy the lake shore. There are also many monasteries around the lake and on small islands, of which we visited three. It may be a surprise to you to learn that Ethiopia is 63% christian with the main persuasion being Ethiopian Orthodox. In fact, Ethiopia was the second officially christian country (4th century!) after Armenia! Muslims make up about 30% while the rest is mostly animist.</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhHj16H0nfo/TmUzNeR6TyI/AAAAAAAAG2Q/3fomkVoDgHo/s1600/DSC_1820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhHj16H0nfo/TmUzNeR6TyI/AAAAAAAAG2Q/3fomkVoDgHo/s400/DSC_1820.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside one of the monasteries. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and explained each painting...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2iLodOUFGhbaf_UAjL2EIejYyGQPLt9HJISFvR0Uqdl1yfPNIl5TSiiAd-5nM4rCQZVOyr7WmPqhxR3mKJAa9svgIlqZroIKNr05BThSjEtirNquJEKO3P-Eggoa0L8wMiJakVtep30/s1600/DSC_1806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2iLodOUFGhbaf_UAjL2EIejYyGQPLt9HJISFvR0Uqdl1yfPNIl5TSiiAd-5nM4rCQZVOyr7WmPqhxR3mKJAa9svgIlqZroIKNr05BThSjEtirNquJEKO3P-Eggoa0L8wMiJakVtep30/s400/DSC_1806.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is wild coffee! Coffee drinking originated in Ethiopia, and the tradition is quite strong as we will see later.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-82QR9r0vqIA/TmU6YX9gmxI/AAAAAAAAHF0/_dxZ7WNr2a8/s1600/DSC_1862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-82QR9r0vqIA/TmU6YX9gmxI/AAAAAAAAHF0/_dxZ7WNr2a8/s640/DSC_1862.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This monk is showing off a 13th century icon from the church.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDhgLslNt_hP0tAT-hiqaR9n1ywxM40J8ihqYl0Z9ZzEzkSjoByP3utg01dsmk5H9AyhJcNuaqzrvlyf6Cl2Zo9YCbp297F6QEwrVqaCb_ipmhPfS8qQQxM03pY1GA97jXSddkIV0Kj0/s1600/DSC_1852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDhgLslNt_hP0tAT-hiqaR9n1ywxM40J8ihqYl0Z9ZzEzkSjoByP3utg01dsmk5H9AyhJcNuaqzrvlyf6Cl2Zo9YCbp297F6QEwrVqaCb_ipmhPfS8qQQxM03pY1GA97jXSddkIV0Kj0/s400/DSC_1852.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fisherman on lake Tana - he is holding the fishing line with bare hands.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>After the monastery visits, of course lunch was in order. Again, I was completely amazed by the diversity, quality and quantity of food available. Ethiopia is by no means a starving country at the moment. I did see some evidence of malnutrition in some of the remote tribes (for another post) but for the vast majority of the country there are no food shortages. In fact their culinary tradition is rich and unspoiled, as Ethiopia is the only African country to never have been truly colonized by Europeans. Save for a 5 year period of Italian occupation in the 40s (with billiardly legacies I shall get to later) the country has had a continuous, homogenous history dating back over 3000 years.</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Exo9FT84q0/TmU6hJSPgvI/AAAAAAAAHF8/dKy61wMVfHk/s1600/DSC_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Exo9FT84q0/TmU6hJSPgvI/AAAAAAAAHF8/dKy61wMVfHk/s400/DSC_1864.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish Dulet</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-crkBqtw7c/TmU6sXM2AeI/AAAAAAAAHGA/z8bCpFnBSJ0/s1600/DSC_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-crkBqtw7c/TmU6sXM2AeI/AAAAAAAAHGA/z8bCpFnBSJ0/s400/DSC_1865.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the injera bread very clearly</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7TnwpsNr8TK-HsSbfwYuSwz1HF4U9MMLoxqTW7DeSrWz6fyHHjHY9qzkVk9LoQeUv7PWjyzcSUUmGLQFel29uQWCu4S8tIOS1nuNW-VzpEad2Wp6aKMDgLQj5CRWrtwiWJjZoeuHb6U/s1600/DSC_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7TnwpsNr8TK-HsSbfwYuSwz1HF4U9MMLoxqTW7DeSrWz6fyHHjHY9qzkVk9LoQeUv7PWjyzcSUUmGLQFel29uQWCu4S8tIOS1nuNW-VzpEad2Wp6aKMDgLQj5CRWrtwiWJjZoeuHb6U/s400/DSC_1866.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coffee ceremony</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>After lunch, we treated ourselves to the obligatory coffee ceremony. Ethipians do not mess around with coffee. The beans are roasted right in front of you on a coal fire, it is unfiltered, and always served with burning frankincense. At first, the scent reminded me of the French catholic church we went to as kids which abused the stuff. Now, church will remind me of Ethiopian coffee :)</div><div>You would think the ceremony would be some traditional thing that is only done on special occasions, or worse yet just for tourists - not the case. Everyone we asked said they did the coffee ceremony at home at least once a day!</div><div><br />
</div><div>For the next post, we will travel to the Blue Nile falls and the Simien Mountains. Now I'm off to watch a Muay Thai boxing match!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Please comment and ask questions about Ethiopia!</div></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com1Bangkok, Thailand13.7234186 100.4762319000000213.492911600000001 100.17089640000002 13.9539256 100.78156740000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-90113537184910202262011-09-06T12:38:00.000-04:002011-09-06T12:38:43.882-04:00Unexpected billiards 001 - Istanbul Airport!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">About 3 days ago I started my journey to Ethiopia. This involved leaving Istanbul on a noon flight to Cairo, followed by an 11-hour layover before the Cairo to Addis Ababa flight.<br />
I arrived to Istanbul Airport with about two hours to spare, and the check-in and security procedures were a breeze. Thanks to my Star Alliance Gold status, I had access to the Turkish Airlines business lounge - I was expecting it to be nice, but I was actually blown away by the luxury.<br />
As in most business lounges, all you can drink. As in some lounges, there was food available. As is almost no lounges, the food was varied and excellent (I am more used to the potato chip stands and free saltines lounge variety).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SytwYbXd5Eh80WnG6PMxx-lPfnaTTaAkSLpTzdqZEaGSEy__dC3wZ5ZMen6mEU1QXB_SWD0cxENUYoREVM_DGQj0lI43BCxJ39u7fIkpjpxGYx8IaBsrCBc6ZHwKD2VWZI5UQ0kuAro/s1600/DSC_1700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SytwYbXd5Eh80WnG6PMxx-lPfnaTTaAkSLpTzdqZEaGSEy__dC3wZ5ZMen6mEU1QXB_SWD0cxENUYoREVM_DGQj0lI43BCxJ39u7fIkpjpxGYx8IaBsrCBc6ZHwKD2VWZI5UQ0kuAro/s400/DSC_1700.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TV room from the future</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2McAfdNyBKDTuTHnUN0eoGReIREQSEvHx7BTxEqV9GPLeUScLvIDQjUZFHfMAnEZJrArY01PFdaqEgGk-DBLJp10kVnQBZTgmuQZQEjpXDqGXgS06kHbpQy7yONfCY3wvc9JxJ_s3o0/s1600/DSC_1701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2McAfdNyBKDTuTHnUN0eoGReIREQSEvHx7BTxEqV9GPLeUScLvIDQjUZFHfMAnEZJrArY01PFdaqEgGk-DBLJp10kVnQBZTgmuQZQEjpXDqGXgS06kHbpQy7yONfCY3wvc9JxJ_s3o0/s400/DSC_1701.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olive bar from Heaven</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOVV6_6isu-ZhhDGB2sQUPhUDCrVHtYt0GjeKdkZphXV_nSKeIp_CzEIArv9s-OfzqYJZ58q-_8pQULjTcrqEU_P2l9_2U_qijnav8hB4Efd3sEp4htWnAo4JwjcYz84_XB0iXSba1SA/s1600/DSC_1714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOVV6_6isu-ZhhDGB2sQUPhUDCrVHtYt0GjeKdkZphXV_nSKeIp_CzEIArv9s-OfzqYJZ58q-_8pQULjTcrqEU_P2l9_2U_qijnav8hB4Efd3sEp4htWnAo4JwjcYz84_XB0iXSba1SA/s400/DSC_1714.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">All you can drink, all you can eat, free pool.<br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5imAC93vHf4/TmNyHxtCOcI/AAAAAAAAFjo/5r5AxZKVU64/s1600/DSC_1703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5imAC93vHf4/TmNyHxtCOcI/AAAAAAAAFjo/5r5AxZKVU64/s400/DSC_1703.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piano that plays itself</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And now for the icing on the cake - there was a pool table. 8-footer in great condition, with sticks and chalk. It could have used a leveling, but otherwise a nice table. The setting is perfect - in a library!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgputLLAaCJrw-HAlT2XCfDxWWqrosGwS0gF2RcjPqtNVwnNcVkwTxBWLik0Q0P3KMx025th-83BG0vM3XHuZK17Rv4XYW6WbxzttwuPUCn9EWjTnEgSP3Kyd1Zyx-avwuNXZvIUT7BO9U/s1600/DSC_1706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgputLLAaCJrw-HAlT2XCfDxWWqrosGwS0gF2RcjPqtNVwnNcVkwTxBWLik0Q0P3KMx025th-83BG0vM3XHuZK17Rv4XYW6WbxzttwuPUCn9EWjTnEgSP3Kyd1Zyx-avwuNXZvIUT7BO9U/s400/DSC_1706.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mortal nuts of billiard travel</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--YXXSEun6nM/TmOG6WiaeXI/AAAAAAAAFkM/QmeFndkPLWg/s1600/DSC_1710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--YXXSEun6nM/TmOG6WiaeXI/AAAAAAAAFkM/QmeFndkPLWg/s400/DSC_1710.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you believe this place?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VOPDM20qfYs/TmOHXEWwLVI/AAAAAAAAFkY/ykIpdyR8ZH8/s1600/DSC_1712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VOPDM20qfYs/TmOHXEWwLVI/AAAAAAAAFkY/ykIpdyR8ZH8/s400/DSC_1712.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pool table in a library - the dream</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I only had about an hour to enjoy the lounge, which I spent eating 3 bowls of lentil soup and ravaging the olive bar. I also played a couple of unremarkable racks of 8-ball with a dude from Chechnya who was heading back to Grozny.<br />
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Landing in Cairo, I learned that Egyptair had included a 5-star hotel, dinner, and transportation to and from the airport because of my unusually long layover. They had not mentioned this to me when I reserved, so I had to make sure I wasn't getting conned - turned out legit. I decided to hire a cab for a couple of hours and head out to Gizeh to see the pyramids. The cab driver knew a guy, so I also rented a horse and went out to the lookout point for sunset. I can now add "seeing the pyramids" to my awesome layover list (also see <a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2011/04/kolbys-corner-pocket-tempe-arizona.html">previous post</a> where "playing Preacher Ron a couple racks of one pocket at Kolby's" was scratched off the layover bucketlist). Then, back to the hotel, buffet dinner annihilation followed by two hours of happy sleep before heading back to Cairo airport, home of the most incredibly stressful check-in of my traveling life. But I made it to Ethiopia! I hope to be posting more from here, there are some promising billiard leads so far...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqq7nk_sOy0_1irv1wFpPMCzBBjOE_mxtVZQKpDaogtePO8qYjNwJ_vFKKgydlNMbFiNMDQ_PCBg-9bHCIsjPaSWJsCs-R77JeAixGYBjhPUeznsGhCt1F48oae25J82JI1Ba-rSwDU4/s1600/DSC_1739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqq7nk_sOy0_1irv1wFpPMCzBBjOE_mxtVZQKpDaogtePO8qYjNwJ_vFKKgydlNMbFiNMDQ_PCBg-9bHCIsjPaSWJsCs-R77JeAixGYBjhPUeznsGhCt1F48oae25J82JI1Ba-rSwDU4/s400/DSC_1739.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh and btw I rode a horse out to the pyramids at sunset on a layover :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KK8YmvaElWM/TmOK6gGjY9I/AAAAAAAAFmo/Qxp7d-PyRSg/s1600/DSC_1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KK8YmvaElWM/TmOK6gGjY9I/AAAAAAAAFmo/Qxp7d-PyRSg/s400/DSC_1744.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over the desert. That's Lybia in the back (pretty far though)</td></tr>
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-52284482514433926262011-08-29T08:15:00.002-04:002011-08-29T08:17:20.795-04:00Vilnius Biliardo Klubas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vilnius, Lithuania - The bus that took me here from Riga was very comfortable, and even had internet. In general, the buses in the Baltic states were very nice, and tickets were purchasable online, and most had free cofee and tea.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJ2qO1ihAfX3Q0OeOax06mYL3T9zSam-GX_Li7KaDVd1W2hF8ydcVoVPHM-bf-izUe8_NvGw2GCdMxipUtUlU39JuWSL-WDu_lyA6qlmPXQ2IhBZE9mQ9igqFuhxaNLGTizRL4bTG2Y8/s1600/KGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJ2qO1ihAfX3Q0OeOax06mYL3T9zSam-GX_Li7KaDVd1W2hF8ydcVoVPHM-bf-izUe8_NvGw2GCdMxipUtUlU39JuWSL-WDu_lyA6qlmPXQ2IhBZE9mQ9igqFuhxaNLGTizRL4bTG2Y8/s400/KGB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">KGB prison - new prisoner "orientation" room</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After so much constant travel for the two weeks prior, I spend some time relaxing and catching up with friends and family. I did manage to visit the "KGB museum", which was in fact built in an old KGB prison in the center of Vilnius. This place was an eye-opener to the brutal methods of the Soviets used during their subjugation of the Lithuanian people. When you learn that the prison was still in use as late as 1991, it becomes significantly closer, more real.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fresh out of the KGB museum, I walked a couple of blocks and was looking for a place to sit down and grab some coffee, when I ran into a place called Biliardo Klubas - </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was 3pm. As good a time as any to explore the Vilnius billiard scene.</span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The place was on the second floor, quite large, with about 15 pool tables and one Russian pool table. If you have read my <b><a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2010/08/helsinki-17-20th-june-2010.html">HELSINKI POST</a></b> you know that Russian tables use gigantic balls and tiny pockets. However in Helsinki they did not play Russian billiards, but their own version called Kaisa. Hence, I still had, up to this point, still not tried actual Russian billiards.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Could you handle the tightness of these pockets?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The pool hall was completely empty except for the girl behind the counter, who was very friendly and offered to teach me the rules of Russian billiards.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We played two games of Russian billiards, she beat me both times. The rules are very simple : first person to sink 8 balls. Any 8 balls, including the ball you use as your cue ball. You can choose to strike any ball as your cue ball, and any ball as object ball. This means playing a carom to what would be a "scratch" in American pool is actually worth a point and therefore becomes a big part of the game. The pockets are so tight that the game still takes a while.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We talked a bit and I inquired about the pool scene in Lithuania. It turns out that Monika is a teacher of American Pool and has young students that she actually brings to tournaments in Mainland Europe where the play is stronger. In her opinion the play in Lithuania is relatively weak because of the small number of players, and it is important to bring her students to tournaments in Denmark etc. because of the experience gained by exposure to better players. She mentioned that she used to compete in Lithuania but now prefers to travel to the more serious tournaments herself.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Monika in a delicate straight-pool situation</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After Russian billiards, we went to the pool table where we played some straight pool. I can't remember exactly, but I think we played two games and I won the first and she won the second race to 50. We als played some 9-ball and she obliterated me, I think I scored 3 games in a race to 9.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Through some more talking I found out that she is actually the owner and she is working to improve the image of billiards in Lithuania in order to attract younger players to the game. In the summer, there are not many players at all because like in the other baltic and scandinavian countries, people prefer to be outside when the weather is nice. In the winter though the place does fill up.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Loved this place!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Around the time we were done playing 9-ball, a couple other players showed up and she had to take care of the customers so she introduced me to a guy and we played a couple of 9-ball races. I won the first and he won the second. We then played many racks of 8-ball and I was playing excellently at that point (at least the way I remember it, but I had had a few drinks by that point). We played late into the night, and I enjoyed hanging out with a few friendly lithuanian pool players.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So yes, if you go to Lithuania and find yourself in need of a 12-hour pool fix, definitely visit this place and say hi to Monika for me!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-49230577999384703232011-08-19T13:41:00.001-04:002011-08-19T13:44:04.405-04:00Novuss - interesting version of carrom played in Latvia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">"Carrom" is not mispelled - it is actually a set of games which are possibly ancestrally related to billiards. It is played on a small board, with "pockets" in the corners, and you use your fingers to snap your stricker (i.e. cue ball) into the other game pieces to try to make them into holes. Carrom is thought to have originated in India or Pakistan, although surely some other similar game existed before that, just like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billiards#History">billiards came from an indoor version of croquet or similar game.</a> I do find it interesting that the name of the game is carrom, in my opinion very likely to be etymologically linked to the billiards term "carom".<br />
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I was in Riga, Latvia for a couple of days and while walking around the old town came upon this :<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5NhjrybgqY-9Yqy-kqLQC939qp8QLz4tBwxpniBGFV6FfGsJ2bDUo1TEqzaBP3lEqxgkWYz8DUlYT8IJckyEZ3X9tgbLxT-5ojiq2P-ORzDUKSMnccnCDDv_MUOHPkxMNGq-V_H_pSM/s800/DSC_0498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5NhjrybgqY-9Yqy-kqLQC939qp8QLz4tBwxpniBGFV6FfGsJ2bDUo1TEqzaBP3lEqxgkWYz8DUlYT8IJckyEZ3X9tgbLxT-5ojiq2P-ORzDUKSMnccnCDDv_MUOHPkxMNGq-V_H_pSM/s400/DSC_0498.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novuss table, Riga, Latvia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now I had seen carrom tables before. In fact I even played a bit of carrom in Germany - but what I had played was the "standardized" carrom game, which most definitely did not use a cue, and the table was smaller - more on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrom#Standardised_rules_and_regulations">standardized carrom on wikipedia</a>.<br />
Here I was at the wild frontier of cue sports, unable to play or even learn about this game, as the establishment to which it belonged was closed for the day.<br />
I did do some basic research later when I rejoined the soothing internet bubble. The game is called Novuss, it is quite popular in Estonia and Latvia, to the point where semi-pro or even pro players exist. Fifty-five thousand practitioners? Really? That's enormous for such small countries (2.2 million in Latvia, 1.3 million in Estonia!)<br />
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I did not see any chalk around - not sure if it would be needed? Can you really put spin on the small hockey puck visible on the bottom right corner of this pic, the Novuss version of a cue ball?<br />
Just for size reference, the table was about 3 feet by 3 feet and stood about3 feet high.<br />
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Here are a couple of facts about Riga :<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Christmas tree was invented here</li>
<li>The food is awesome and cheap</li>
<li>The only pool hall I found had 8-foot tables only and was almost empty, the few people that were there were weekend bangers and a couple of shady Russians telling us to go to the one nightclub which is on the american embassy list of known Latvian scam operations (they might have gotten me there by telling me there was a 9-footer in the back of the club though)</li>
</ul>Pics of Riga :<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0JdAKx_eG0cYFwH6X92QlJfK4vly09yFNEsjav3_ECn88ruIvHpdmuHxge9lQL_LVvlebbPdY-2G_eHQrhrDD6WIeCg54LgXWUniAe9PAvfbrmVDHqIPyrkyir70mgHfnYIl02yPHoQ/s800/DSC_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0JdAKx_eG0cYFwH6X92QlJfK4vly09yFNEsjav3_ECn88ruIvHpdmuHxge9lQL_LVvlebbPdY-2G_eHQrhrDD6WIeCg54LgXWUniAe9PAvfbrmVDHqIPyrkyir70mgHfnYIl02yPHoQ/s400/DSC_0511.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party houses built in the 14th century by rich, young and single German Hansa league merchants that dug Latvia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlSBV4d-AWlrg86K76Y9P5KcA_k7D22mB0hlSD9pKo_4bxxd2UVz8L4ScGDBUpZah3V4eV2UA8Y3zIltlYuUTFx2Srt5g6EHJUDDihOIo5caJO5RBi45WyazSv5fNwCPdBLpkUrhlPOI/s800/DSC_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlSBV4d-AWlrg86K76Y9P5KcA_k7D22mB0hlSD9pKo_4bxxd2UVz8L4ScGDBUpZah3V4eV2UA8Y3zIltlYuUTFx2Srt5g6EHJUDDihOIo5caJO5RBi45WyazSv5fNwCPdBLpkUrhlPOI/s320/DSC_0513.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaque marking the location of the first ever Christmas tree. No joke.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg357GNOWUbZfhbz3WHckjVV6mCWEmWslA4g2Xe5JgVxK8n7jy1bfEXbg1JxgG2_67Hg4Q9SPenWPNvAdLaPgXO6cajn4MVSLWZoRRuuKve687rtal3DvD96FMLdvWGewKg65ANJXST1M0/s800/DSC_0518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg357GNOWUbZfhbz3WHckjVV6mCWEmWslA4g2Xe5JgVxK8n7jy1bfEXbg1JxgG2_67Hg4Q9SPenWPNvAdLaPgXO6cajn4MVSLWZoRRuuKve687rtal3DvD96FMLdvWGewKg65ANJXST1M0/s400/DSC_0518.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Normal everyday life for the pillory boy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTlMSlZdVwHUEuaHan7Ne9w7MWPplwEDp8Jqw3ihc7iFIs5gnZkF5xtPvEg0a1I6VboOamaSfRUiFHxnO_F7k1eexTglobkQUAHjvaHB0WqNlICCSxMxPbbT403vGXD-9HwwX2Zi51SY/s800/DSC_0523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTlMSlZdVwHUEuaHan7Ne9w7MWPplwEDp8Jqw3ihc7iFIs5gnZkF5xtPvEg0a1I6VboOamaSfRUiFHxnO_F7k1eexTglobkQUAHjvaHB0WqNlICCSxMxPbbT403vGXD-9HwwX2Zi51SY/s400/DSC_0523.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A clean, calm and pleasant city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnGxmo0sEQg/Tja2cHdrW8I/AAAAAAAABho/85ZhyB9MVpI/s800/2011-07-31_14-17-23_266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnGxmo0sEQg/Tja2cHdrW8I/AAAAAAAABho/85ZhyB9MVpI/s400/2011-07-31_14-17-23_266.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$5 buffet. The sausage was spectacular.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BwwghHILAtw/Tja2acituOI/AAAAAAAABhk/3kO0TukMesg/s800/2011-07-31_21-01-53_560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BwwghHILAtw/Tja2acituOI/AAAAAAAABhk/3kO0TukMesg/s400/2011-07-31_21-01-53_560.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork knuckle!!! Yes!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">as anyone played Novuss before? How about carrom? Comments please!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-36789419838595108632011-08-08T11:15:00.000-04:002011-08-08T11:15:33.875-04:00The only Snooker hall in Sweden, and a good one-pocket battle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As I sit here in Vilnius, Lithuania waiting for the overnight bus that will bring me to Poland, I'd like to share with you my brief stay in Stockholm last week.<br />
First, a brief look at the the Swedish language, which is hilarious to me. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SEaREu7kA_s/TjJ26_6lDwI/AAAAAAAABVw/CC3mqviGErs/s640/2011-07-29_00-11-19_345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SEaREu7kA_s/TjJ26_6lDwI/AAAAAAAABVw/CC3mqviGErs/s640/2011-07-29_00-11-19_345.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hc9zAmWU4eI/TjJ2978sKII/AAAAAAAABV4/W6gXrjdkCq4/s640/2011-07-28_23-32-40_547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hc9zAmWU4eI/TjJ2978sKII/AAAAAAAABV4/W6gXrjdkCq4/s640/2011-07-28_23-32-40_547.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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After having been to Edinburgh and Oslo playing absolutely zero pool and billiards, I had some time in Stockholm to explore the scene a bit. Looked online and found a pool hall about 35 min walk away from my local secret headquarters.When I walked up I was happily surprised to find a snooker hall, of a different name. At the time I just figured it had changed owners and turned into a snooker hall, but after talking to the owner found out I was just on the wrong side of the building and the pool hall did actually exist as well. Two for one!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2700b7hP4iY/TjJ3MGk67eI/AAAAAAAABWY/JpNY6qW5nTU/s288/2011-07-28_22-00-25_541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2700b7hP4iY/TjJ3MGk67eI/AAAAAAAABWY/JpNY6qW5nTU/s288/2011-07-28_22-00-25_541.jpg" /></a></div>The place was nice and very well maintained. Scandinavia is not the best place for cue sports tourism in the summer, as people spend the few truly nice days of the year outside. Consequently, there were only a couple of people playing (quite well I must say) so I ordered a beer and chatted with the owner who turned out to be a nice gentleman with great command of English, as has come to be almost expected in Scandinavia in general and Sweden in particular.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNcyvMUO5IU/TjJ3E_C5muI/AAAAAAAABWM/WmZWT3zuLVE/s288/2011-07-28_22-03-01_869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNcyvMUO5IU/TjJ3E_C5muI/AAAAAAAABWM/WmZWT3zuLVE/s288/2011-07-28_22-03-01_869.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snooker sized pool balls! So Cuuuuute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We discussed many current cue sports topic, including the precarious situation in America, the rise of snooker on the European continent and the risks involved in the billiards industry in general.<br />
He showed me these cute little snooker-sized pool balls that he gives to the clueless customers that come in and play "pool" even though there are no pool tables in his establishment. Would have loved to watch some bangers trying to play 8-ball on twelve foot tables for a bit, but then again, it would probably be detrimental to the perceived approachability or our beloved game.<br />
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According to the owner, the first snooker table came to Sweden in the fall of 1982. He was actually there to see it installed, at a place called BilliardPalast in Stockholm where he was working at the time.<br />
There are very few snooker players in Sweden, and again according to him, only 10 or so are capable of a century break (100+ point run in snooker), and perhaps more tellingly, only 30 or so capable of a 50+....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXUO_Z8DHmFzJCusYsMfG3cXghUBO-ysW1CXvJkSb5c-laoQGyMW5ScWkhKI2AcoKAv21amsPBgqqYvMMSb0Y7IrkhEH5oxGpJKR1t4yPvGOxtt-iFe9DHl1R2m5JFRRbK_BN-sDAAqQ/s288/2011-07-28_22-44-53_494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXUO_Z8DHmFzJCusYsMfG3cXghUBO-ysW1CXvJkSb5c-laoQGyMW5ScWkhKI2AcoKAv21amsPBgqqYvMMSb0Y7IrkhEH5oxGpJKR1t4yPvGOxtt-iFe9DHl1R2m5JFRRbK_BN-sDAAqQ/s288/2011-07-28_22-44-53_494.jpg" /></a></div>As the conversation meandered through discussion of various cue sport personalities, Earl Strickland came up and he mentioned that he had breakfast with the Pearl in the early 90s in Helsinki as they were staying in adjacent rooms in the same hotel for a tounament - said he was a nice enough guy and nothing of Earl's nefarious table antics transpired through their discussion.<br />
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By then, the two players had left (turns out one of them was a previous swedish snooker champion) and the owner agreed to play a quick frame with me. I am by no means a snooker genius but did manage to hold my own for a while before he trounced me when we got to the colors.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDTBXqUDA78/TjJ259CdMII/AAAAAAAABVs/D1SAVAhKF-w/s288/2011-07-29_00-16-36_736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDTBXqUDA78/TjJ259CdMII/AAAAAAAABVs/D1SAVAhKF-w/s288/2011-07-29_00-16-36_736.jpg" /></a></div>As he was closing up for the evening, I left and rounded the corner to check out the "regular" pool hall. This turned out to be a rather large drinking establishment, with many tables and also a restaurant. They also had a small pinball parlor, and I was in heaven : they had my favorite machine,, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Madness">Medieval Madness</a>. It was setup in tournament mode, so my arcane knowledge of this game's hidden cheap extra-balls turned out to be useless and I was not able to beat it (left ramp was very difficult to reach because of a weak right flipper). They also had a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy_(pinball)">Family Guy pinball</a>, one of the rare machines made after 2005. If you think the pool world is in a sorry state, you should be merciful not to be a pinball fan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghujkiEpNGpusiwlPWg6dRFqxbcHOPaoGp52fud5nW_kVKpjktlaWTflzFPcU2nIkt1gAT-hysJPu79onafIvXlR7njQZTZ5A65PfJlODdJbWEheTO7aLK7eIALtokwj8ceYBhOQMdLP0/s288/2011-07-29_00-17-05_741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghujkiEpNGpusiwlPWg6dRFqxbcHOPaoGp52fud5nW_kVKpjktlaWTflzFPcU2nIkt1gAT-hysJPu79onafIvXlR7njQZTZ5A65PfJlODdJbWEheTO7aLK7eIALtokwj8ceYBhOQMdLP0/s288/2011-07-29_00-17-05_741.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What more could you ask for?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After investing a few Swedish crowns into the troubled future of pinball, I waltzed over to the pool room itself, and it was full of bangers drinking with their friends. Except for one guy who was practicing some 9-ball patterns by himself. I introduced myself and he turned out to be a cool guy, and we played a few racks. It was getting late so we decided to meet up the next day for a more serious session.<br />
I returned the next day and I taught him the rules of one-pocket and he took an immediate liking to the game. As some of you know, one-pocket is fundamentally different than any rotation game and it is virtually impossible even for someone with great mechanics and position play to beat an experienced player within the first couple of racks. I won 3 or 4 racks and asked if he'd like to change games as I was sensing some frustration on his part, but he declined. In the next few racks his focus was palpable and we went to one-pocket war. He took a few and I took a few and in the end a great time was had by all. My favorite part of traveling is meeting people like David, who I can relate to and make friends with very naturally. David, if you are reading this, keep in touch!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Fb8e64LCU08zPlw-lUSGRcXTh5AHiehIyWBHNbloN5ujZpvz-AFZh_K1l4ZwiqLCPC4dIYrARqykfMEgfHcDhTMbMN1jxpGeifqyczq74jXBCzPubGN8q4BUpWQGYUAt-MszKkk_Awc/s640/2011-07-29_00-50-02_971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Fb8e64LCU08zPlw-lUSGRcXTh5AHiehIyWBHNbloN5ujZpvz-AFZh_K1l4ZwiqLCPC4dIYrARqykfMEgfHcDhTMbMN1jxpGeifqyczq74jXBCzPubGN8q4BUpWQGYUAt-MszKkk_Awc/s400/2011-07-29_00-50-02_971.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David running a rack of 9-ball</td></tr>
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Expect more regular postings as I travel on - very soon, a post about Vilnius, Lithuania and a great place I found there!<br />
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-5720747445226218352011-04-18T18:51:00.000-04:002012-03-24T22:29:08.714-04:00Kolby's Corner Pocket - Tempe, Arizona<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's post : the best layover of all time!<br />
I had been in Europe almost since the beginning of the year. I had long planned on being back in Pennsylvania to hang with my brother this week, but it turned out he had to take a business trip out to Santa Cruz. Luckily, my company has an office in San Francisco, and I had a standing invite to go out there for several business reasons - so I arranged to fly to SF with my brother (awesome!)<br />
The flight plan was Philadelphia->Phoenix->San Francisco. We landed in Phoenix a half hour ahead of schedule, and were promptly notified that our next flight would be delayed two and a half hours - DAMN!<br />
Then I remembered that we were in Phoenix, and that there was quite a pool scene, especially in one-pocket . I quickly turned on the GPS on my phone, and found out that Kolby's Corner Pocket (home of Scott Frost, one of the best, if not the best one-pocket players in the world at the moment) was actually just 4 miles away. So naturally me and my bro hopped into a cab and headed out there in between flights.<br />
After watching so many <a href="http://ontherailtv.com/">On The Rail TV</a> live streams out of this pool hall, it was quite cool to be there in person. Preacher Ron (author of one of the best one-pocket shots ever recorded on camera - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63itJ9RCnks">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63itJ9RCnks</a>) was there and wanted to shoot some cheap one-hole, so I obliged. He gave me 10-8 the first rack, and proceeded to easily destroy me. Then we adjusted to 13-8 and I took the second game, it was awesome. I was playing a bit over my speed and had some good rolls. The freshly re-felted 9-foot diamond was an absolute pleasure to shoot on, and everyone at Kolby's was super nice. Unfortunately we had to roll and after a rack or two with other players we packed up and left (with an order of hot wings that we ate in the cab :D)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq7X2MT3e8zG1t1XcxjPd8njq7ddB4fJuKnzDahOiAh616SWsHkZoOu-UHX3FWtSh9nPd1pofXdo8jV-wOweEAW077jz6ivUdfBYc1NZAYLNGU4i_-BmVLp2QAfdbAdmGEfeWuPaZXJA/s1600/IMG_20110417_181925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq7X2MT3e8zG1t1XcxjPd8njq7ddB4fJuKnzDahOiAh616SWsHkZoOu-UHX3FWtSh9nPd1pofXdo8jV-wOweEAW077jz6ivUdfBYc1NZAYLNGU4i_-BmVLp2QAfdbAdmGEfeWuPaZXJA/s400/IMG_20110417_181925.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Preacher Ron</td></tr>
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Tomorrow, I will meet with Mike from the <a href="http://angleofreflection.wordpress.com/">Angle of Reflection</a> blog in San Jose, on my way back up to San Francisco from Santa Cruz where I am at the moment with my brother.<br />
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So far, this California trip has been just perfect! Talk to you all soon...</div>
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Gabe<br />
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Santa Cruz, California</div>
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</div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-32996176295653270122011-04-18T18:11:00.000-04:002011-04-18T18:11:38.151-04:00No-Pocket!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Since it <a href="http://www.pooltipjar.com/2011/04/my-favorite-game/">seems</a> <a href="http://johnny101.com/post/2011/04/15/Pool-Synergy-My-Favorite-Game.aspx">to</a> <a href="http://poolriah.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/poolsynergy-volume-diciotto/">be</a> <a href="http://angleofreflection.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/poolsynergy-my-favorite-games/">the</a> <a href="http://www.poolbum.com/one_pocket_still_my_favorite">latest</a> <a href="http://detroitlarry.com/?p=62">fashion</a> <a href="http://www.johnny101.com/post/2011/04/15/Pool-Synergy-My-Favorite-Game.aspx">to</a> talk about ones favorite games, we (Gabe and I) would like to join in. Those of you who happened to read my <a href="http://billiardtraveler.blogspot.com/2011/02/hello-everyone.html">first post</a> can probably guess where this is going.<br />
Exactly. Pins. And to help you appreciate my favorite game more, I want to share this link with you: <a href="http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-a79c0909-666f-4ea4-997f-63a928bb223f-raisport.html">LINK</a>. This is the website of the italian Rai-Sport-TV-channel.<br />
Just scroll down a little and click on "bilardo". Its on the left. They have entire matches between the best players there, and you should definitly check it out.<br />
But enough of that. The Poolsynergy authors did a good job explaining their favorite games, and I don't think I have to state the obvious here. I'm a pinhall-junkie :)<br />
This said, Gabe and I came up with a novelty game we would like to share here. We have literally taken one pocket to the next level by inventing the awesome game of no pocket.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3m_NWtnA4RtbBMP9o4c0jLPqAJjigDfRXBj-YCfLvxEfit9CIiA5dlezxZFY1tpy5cEdMriJ4I9NjGjtEw782Eh1Z_QykaMoWXauRghLBr0p17e78VcH1rpBGfsipofGGFCK9iZ3XYI/s1600/2011-02-22_21-56-50_146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3m_NWtnA4RtbBMP9o4c0jLPqAJjigDfRXBj-YCfLvxEfit9CIiA5dlezxZFY1tpy5cEdMriJ4I9NjGjtEw782Eh1Z_QykaMoWXauRghLBr0p17e78VcH1rpBGfsipofGGFCK9iZ3XYI/s400/2011-02-22_21-56-50_146.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
What you need is a 3-cushion table and two pins. Oh, and also fifteen red, yellow, or blue balls and a white cue ball. Put a ball in each of the two corners by the footrail. It must touch both rails. Now place a pin exactly in front of each ball. Take the balls away carefully and rack a full rack like you would for one pocket (as in the picture above - you can see the red and white pin in each "pocket").<br />
Each player is assigned a pin to shoot at (their "no-pocket"). Points are scored by knocking over that pin with any red, yellow or blue ball. The ball that hit the pin is then removed from the game.<br />
Knocking over any pin with the white ball will result in ball in hand in the kitchen.<br />
'Inventing' this was obviously a sad attempt to play one pocket with no pool table available at the time, but it shows that there is more to this concept of game than one would think. That is because balls that knock over a pin have to roll to a complete stop before they are taken off of the table. If you shoot too hard, they will most likely hit the remaining stack and move more balls to your opponents side. Or they might attack your cue ball, ruining your position.<br />
So you need to be even more careful with your speed-control, using only pin-speed unless you are sure to control the object ball after it returns.<br />
Sometimes it is also possible to utilize this to break up positions that favor your opponent or to move other balls around.<br />
The game has many similarities to one-pocket, but using big 'ol billiard balls and a heated 10-foot slate. I can assume with a reasonable certainty that you didnt know it before.<br />
If you ever get to play some no-hole (haha), tell us in the comments!<br />
We have also invented a particularly interesting 3-player variant using only one pin, but with assigned ball colors - maybe for a future post...<br />
Wishing you all the best rolls,<br />
Jan and Gabe</div>Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04755300084717714416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-59476466331057692552011-02-04T17:44:00.003-05:002011-02-05T10:37:17.129-05:00Hello Everyone!<div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">For those of you who care, my name is Jan. I live in Marburg, Germany where I met Gabe and was offered a chance to write a few posts for this blog, so from now on you will be treated to some of my random thoughts on billiards from time to time. Soon you will notice that I have a favorite subject when it comes to cue sports: Five-Pin-Billards or, as the italians call it, cinque birilli.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">When it comes to carom billiards, most people are a little suprised by the distinguished lack of pockets on the table. Also, there are only three balls (white, yellow and red), and one player uses the white ball as his cue ball while the other one shoots with yellow. You score points by caroming your ball off another ball into the third. If you find this confusing, please feel free to consult Wikipedia for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carom_billiards"><font style="text-decoration: none;" color="#000000">more info</font></a>.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">There are an amazing number of variations to this game, some requiring the use of at least one or three rails to score, others dividing the table into scoring zones, forcing the player to move the balls around the table in a more elaborate way.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">One of these variations is Five-Pin-Billards. As the name suggests, there are five pins in the middle of the table (four white pins arranged in a square and a red one in the center), in addition to the regular three colored balls.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">And now it gets more confusing: Player A starts the game from a designated position with ball-in-hand for the white ball. Player A must hit the opponents ball first, which is the yellow one. He may or may not score points afterwards, but missing the opponents ball is a foul, punishable by ball-in-hand. Lets assume he shoots correctly, sending the opponents yellow ball through two white pins and caroming the white ball into the red ball. This will result in eight points, as one white pin counts for two points and the red ball is worth an additional four if hit with ones own ball. In case you are wondering: hitting the red with the opponents ball is only worth three points. So 2+2+4=8. Player A may now go to the board, mark his points and sit down, since its player Bs turn now.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">This may be the most messed-up thing for people who have played any other cue game before: No matter what happens, you will never shoot two or more times in a row, regardless of any points you make. There is an easily understood implication to this : every shot should be at least a half-safe, because if you manage to make any points, the last thing you want is your opponent scoring more points on his next shot. A fairly useful way to keep opponents from scoring is hiding your ball from theirs, so they will have to shoot a kick, thus minimizing the chances for a good hit.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">If you have trouble visualizing this (I know I would), here is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-pin_billiards"><font style="text-decoration: none;" color="#000000">Wikipedia entry for five-pins</font></a>.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">Or you could just go and watch some of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxoaDlNkTQ"><font style="text-decoration: none;" color="#000000">masters at work</font></a> via Youtube.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">In the video you will see Andrea Quarta playing Ricardo Belluta, with Quarta as the eventual winner by three to one sets. The sets themselves are races to 60 points, although the distance may vary for different tournaments.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">You can see the score at any time in the upper left corner, if you feel like following it. Notice how many banks and kick shots come up during this nine-minute-video and how perfectly those guys execute these shots. This is actually the bread-and-butter of pins-players. Since every shot is played with a saftey in mind, the pins are rarely available by shooting at them directly. It is very common for a player to have to bank or kick a ball into the pins, using precisely measured speed to achieve a safe position for his opponent. Just watch the video, you will see stuff like that coming up every other shot.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">You will probably notice quickly that my posts are a little bit more technical than Gabes, the reason being that I don't travel as much as he does, so there's only the billard-related part of BillardTraveler for me to write about. I am quite fascinated by the systems used in various cuesports to determine the aiming point for bank and kick shots, which is an important part of pins. So you can expect most of my posts to be about these systems, the best situations to use them in and maybe a couple of anecdotes about how I used them or how they were used against me. Maybe, if you do read Michael Reddicks great blog Angle Of Reflection, you came across <a href="http://angleofreflection.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/how-did-i-play-this-shot/"><font style="text-decoration: none;" color="#000000">this little story</font></a> about a well executed safety and an amazing kick. If you did not yet read it yet, do so. It is very informative and has an unexpected ending. Also, Michael is a great storyteller, so it is probably worth your time.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">I actually managed to pull off the same thing his opponent did, including the not-pocketing of the ball, about a week ago during a small tournament at a club in a town nearby. When Michael described the preparations his opponent took before this kick I could not help but chuckle, because I know them all too well. It is a system you can use to find the aiming point for three- and five-rail-kicks, and basically it is really simple once you get used to it. Also it is described in many books about various games, so it will not hurt to do it all over again, right?</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">I left myself the following desaster after a specifically careless shot in a game of ten-ball:</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">(All pictures thanks to <a href="http://pool.bz/">pool.bz</a> and their cuetable software)</font><font lang="DE"></font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bYHtVq-evWDIiBUO9c3xc_Q2I58oCyBg6_uiF5gGsGz5GlB2FTxScMrzz1DlKTUVGmkhToqy9fd61wQ4prQdsE-u8RrWMC-8bhPkEcAfVU3bUdMG8lCz5J8U14LACXMnlUdMqbPAnN4/s1600/Jan-Diagram1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bYHtVq-evWDIiBUO9c3xc_Q2I58oCyBg6_uiF5gGsGz5GlB2FTxScMrzz1DlKTUVGmkhToqy9fd61wQ4prQdsE-u8RrWMC-8bhPkEcAfVU3bUdMG8lCz5J8U14LACXMnlUdMqbPAnN4/s640/Jan-Diagram1.bmp" border="0" height="333" width="609"></a></div><font lang="DE"></font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">So, not much to do but grind my teeth and swear under my breath while my opponent cannot wait for me to miss this shot, getting him ball in hand and a routine runout. Well, maybe there is. Here we go:</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8Rvl4EnWF7_6AdvrCuiLik2WDGaPtVfT68x7dU5PVSZ20OEzJchwwENFQrk7L8SCwUxbvXWZtb0Ecn0DTKyyGgbx4Vu2SJnfjDaD5hU9S5LROxx82YA3wC5tat2no4zOkTepjtkGPP8/s1600/Jan-Diagram2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8Rvl4EnWF7_6AdvrCuiLik2WDGaPtVfT68x7dU5PVSZ20OEzJchwwENFQrk7L8SCwUxbvXWZtb0Ecn0DTKyyGgbx4Vu2SJnfjDaD5hU9S5LROxx82YA3wC5tat2no4zOkTepjtkGPP8/s640/Jan-Diagram2.bmp" border="0" height="333" width="609"></a></div></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">This is, to a reasonable degree of accuracy, what I managed to do. The 8-ball was stuck to the long rail, the cueball was sitting right above it and my opponent looked a little uneasy now.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">Of course there is no way to be sure this is going to happen, but to me this solution makes a lot more sense than the only 1-rail-kick available.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">To be fair: my opponent made the bank I left him and I eventually lost the set, but hey, I bought myself a chance and did not make it easy for him.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">Plus, I also had a chance (ever so slight) to actually make the eight myself and run out despite my immensely stupid mistake.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">So, whats the secret here? You will have to memorize the following values and the diamonds they correspond to:</font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhxQdd7TiwoBP7CgSmTk_iQeb417r3KUitZq5ru2RFA6aoIP5cnp8dA4wallm1sGzoLdGrXNOd4UTiHHk3G9vcoAKoIw0G8HxySLkqZ4qrqZ9I3HEXt6mG_p3fynPvD5lF2nmFgR9ra4/s1600/Jan-Diagram3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhxQdd7TiwoBP7CgSmTk_iQeb417r3KUitZq5ru2RFA6aoIP5cnp8dA4wallm1sGzoLdGrXNOd4UTiHHk3G9vcoAKoIw0G8HxySLkqZ4qrqZ9I3HEXt6mG_p3fynPvD5lF2nmFgR9ra4/s640/Jan-Diagram3.bmp" border="0" height="333" width="609"></a></div><font lang="DE"></font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">The red numbers mark the values for diamonds in the corner you are shooting from. The green numbers are the paths the cue ball will take off the 3rd rail after doing the math and taking the shot. And the blue numbers are what its all about: they are your aiming points!</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">To determine these you will first need to know which path is the one you want. In my example I needed to get on the path for 30. Now you find a path through your cueball by substracting blue numbers from red numbers to end up at your chosen green number.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font lang="DE">For me that was <font color="red">41</font> – <font color="navy">11</font> = <font color="lime">30</font><font color="black">, telling me I need to aim into the eleven-spot on the blue numbers.</font></font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">It is very important to realize you are aiming at the actual diamond for this system to work, not at the point in front of the diamond on the rail. Shoot with a fair amount of running english and a tip of follow. You will find that this is not true on all tables, and especially not on old cloth, so correct for bad equipment by using more running english, and if you have to, leave out the follow to get more running on the balls equator.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">Once you get used to this shot it is a very convenient and accurate way to get out of a large number of safeties brought onto you by your opponent or even yourself :)</font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">The range in which it works can be extended, but that is for another time.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">Also, for the perfectionists among us, there are minor corrections to use, but I will get into that in more detail in a later post. This will let you hit balls, and that is all I tried to let you know for now.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">This post is running freaking long by now anyways.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">If you try this shot in your training routine and you have trouble getting it to work, please let me know in the comments. I will be glad to help you.</font></div><div class="Standard"></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">Have fun shooting, I hope to see you again soon.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">I'm off to practice pins now.</font></div><div class="Standard"><font color="black" lang="DE">Jan.</font></div>BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516536602130166088.post-85439424970077924762010-12-20T14:41:00.000-05:002010-12-20T14:41:18.069-05:00The height of coincidence<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK9qvpSCJRVAtDZwM3dxUMXGXtPgQ0HhAuPK2Gh_I26qB-JCphXe_UTNGG7MmCpOXVH4YzksjwtM6V_S4p_vC8fBq0A8bYpkCKc3hRDGlDqTGaFA443-Z38GICXmpPB2eh1OeyUJ_MDQ/s1600/26454_339347597983_539767983_3642268_2559756_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK9qvpSCJRVAtDZwM3dxUMXGXtPgQ0HhAuPK2Gh_I26qB-JCphXe_UTNGG7MmCpOXVH4YzksjwtM6V_S4p_vC8fBq0A8bYpkCKc3hRDGlDqTGaFA443-Z38GICXmpPB2eh1OeyUJ_MDQ/s320/26454_339347597983_539767983_3642268_2559756_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bermuda Billiard and Darts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I've been playing quite a bit of one-pocket here in Germany. I introduced my friend Jan to the game - he is an excellent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-pin_billiards">5-pin billiards</a> player, and immediately took a liking to the cerebral strategy aspects of the game of one-pocket.<br />
On one Thursday evening, we had taken a cab to go shoot some 1-hole at <a href="http://www.bermuda-billard.de/">Bermuda Sportcenter</a>, and I started off wining the first couple of racks. At this point Jan murmured "I can't deal with this anymore, I hope I didn't forget it" and proceeded to dig through his bag looking for something. Finally he pulls out his trusty clip-on chalk-holder, and it dawned on me that he usually ALWAYS has it on when he plays.<br />
Naturally, his game improved dramatically and he caught up the score as we kept playing.<br />
Next morning, I have an 8am meeting at work. I call a cab at 7am to pick me up from the hotel at 7:40 and go to the work campus. <br />
7:35 : I am outside waiting. No cab. <br />
7:40 : No cab. <br />
7:45 : I call the cab company again. "He's 2 min away"<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjPv58bjrCpLpa9h9TnUhX9LGYxLMA6vtZlneIgRKp8K6Ne1itjDSxPV2jaKgYMik4dlDBIRrrwgIINb_wYS2wJ8CZf7KaJ6Iy_3yAOo1R1lBZWNU6MqCtOH8RGcjxNJyJI9cBBReeD4/s1600/2010-12-17_16-58-36_225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjPv58bjrCpLpa9h9TnUhX9LGYxLMA6vtZlneIgRKp8K6Ne1itjDSxPV2jaKgYMik4dlDBIRrrwgIINb_wYS2wJ8CZf7KaJ6Iy_3yAOo1R1lBZWNU6MqCtOH8RGcjxNJyJI9cBBReeD4/s320/2010-12-17_16-58-36_225.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very lucky 1-pocket break from a couple of nights ago</td></tr>
</tbody></table>7:50 : Still no cab<br />
7:55 : I call again. "He is just about there"<br />
8:03 : The cab finally shows up.<br />
<br />
At this point I am flip-out angry with the cab company. It's about a 10 min ride to work, which I spent moaning and groaning at the poor driver, in my best Angry German emulation. So now I'm 15 minutes late for my meeting, in an execrable mood. As I step out of the taxi I notice something on the floor of the back seat of the cab. Low-and-behold : it's Jan's chalk-holder!!! Obviously my mood immediately changed as I pocketed the billiard war relic and pondered the magnitude of the coincidence. I decided to interpret the event this way : billiard travel permeates the universe and manifests itself to hacks when they least expect it, brightening their day!BilliardTravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04580397361956860030noreply@blogger.com2