Brazil

We are in Brazil now and the trip is turning out to be everything we expected and more! We were received here with great warmth and excitement from the athletes at Club Pina Jiu-Jitsu. The made sure that we stayed out all night on our first night here by taking us to what we agreed was the biggest party we have ever seen. The Brazilians know how to party! We maintained our composure, of course, and managed to get home in one piece....a feat in its own if yo have ever seen Brazilians drive. Picture a NASCAR track with street lights and sharp turns..oh and people and motorcycles on the road too! On the first night we had two different drivers. The first one liked to reacj out and shake hands with motorcyclists at speeds of 60+ mph. Josh and I almost soiled ourselves in the backseat. The second guy to drive us around had no headlights and tailgated everyone to piggyback on their lights. I was seriously scared for my life more than once! Red lights?? they are just a suggestion. First one to the intersection goes...
We took a boat on the river on Saturday and swam in the Black River - very warm water. On Sunday, we went to the jungle to a ranch owned by a student at the academy. It was about an hour away from where we stay and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful place I have seen. Today we trained hard!! These guys are absolute animals and we are holding our own against these beasts. We trained at 7:30am, 4:00pm, and again at 7:00pm. They like to train a lot!! They are all the nicest guys you would ever want to hang out with - Very friendly and welcoming to their club. Josh and I were also on TV today. They took us to a studio where they film a sports TV show that covers the state of Amazonas and interviewed us about what we thought of the Jiu-Jitsu in Manaus. What an experience....TV stars on our third day here! We were alongside world champion, Carlos Holanda in the interview...He is a celebrity here and trains at the academy where we are staying. We are celebrities because we are Americans. If you want to be famous, just come to Manaus and train! We stay in a real nice apartment on top of the academy and Carlos Holanda, Diego, and Mestre Pina all like to hang out there with us and make sure that we are shown a good time. Well, that is all for now...
More later..stay tuned!!!