Day 17: Rest, Poker, and Freaking Out About Puffer Fish
Friday March 18, 2016
I have spent my morning researching a day trip to Bohol. My main interests are biological: 1) The Tarsier Sanctuary; 2) The Butterfly Sanctuary; and 3) The Bee Sanctuary. It appears that we can take the ferry over in the morning, hire a car / driver at the port, see the things we want, head back in the early evening. No big deal and not very expensive.
I think the many sea horses that my friends spotted were pipe fish. Although CJ, the dive master at the resort stated that there are a lot of sea horses, the dive shop workers stated that it was very, very hard to see them. However, I have lots of pictures of pipe fish. They look like skinny, elongated sea horses lol
Green Camo Pipefish
2nd Shot: Green Camo Pipefish
Most of the pipefish are gray — here is one sitting on a coral
And here is one laying on the sand
No Sea Horses, BUT, Puffer Fish
I have always been fascinated with Puffer Fish, particularly that they carry such a deadly poison in their bodies. Online information states that they have the second most deadly venom of all vertebrates (after the Golden Poison Frog — Hey, I believe National Geographic).
I was a bit concerned to discover that I had taken close pictures of one variety of puffer fish for sure (identical fish picture was found in an online search), and possibly three. It turns out that the “scary fish”, about a foot long, that held its ground and rotated its body to see me as I swam around it, was probably a puffer fish. Aaaarrrrggghhh.
Blue Puffer Fish Close Ups
The scary fish that stared me down. Close Up Photo. Bad Fish, Bad Fish, Scare Shane.
I think this is the “Narrow Lined” puffer fish? Nickname: Bastard Fish
Scary Fish at wide angle (I did not dive down to see it closer LOL)
I only have one poor shot of the next possible puffer fish. It has the tail of a puffer fish. The photo has been greatly cropped so not such a good shot, but death is in the frame!
Needless to say, I want to go back and search for these guys, and sea horses…..sea horses!!!
POKER
Okay. It has taken most of the trip before I entered the one poker room in Cebu (supposedly there is a 2nd one almost impossible to find. This one was fairly obvious:
I got there at 3:00 PM and there were 3 tables going, all 10 / 20 P (.22 / .44 $) with buy-ins from 200 to 2000 P ($4.44 to $44.44). I bought in for 1000 P (22.22) and was the chip leader. Every type of player was at the table….calling station, gambler(s), tight, loose, it was a good game but variance kicked my butt and I lost my buy-in.
A fourth table opened up, 10 / 20 / 40 mandatory straddle. I played this game from 5:30 to 9:30, losing another 2500 P ($55.55) aarrgghh. Just the usual weak ace beating pocket Queens on the river…just not my night. I played well but was card dead and unlucky when ahead. Oh Well, That’s Poker.
By 9:00 there were 7 tables going with the big tables 25 / 50 P but with 2000 to 20,000 P buy-in ($44 to $444).
There are few differences in the gaming here:
1. They talk about hands all the time. I only heard a dealer once say “there are still people in the hand”.
2. They love to show only one card and slow, slow, slow, slow roll the winning or losing hand.
3. The player on the button inserts the cut card into the deck
4. Crowds of friends stand behind and between players. I’d have 3 people supporting their friend every time I looked at my cards.
Other than the four things mentioned above, it was regular poker with 7 tables going on a Friday night, with 20 or more people waiting.
What to do? What to do?
Take care.