Rainy days and packed houses alwasy get me down

Part two:

Well the plane ride was what a 10hr plane ride in coach - long, uncomfortable. Although I must say that I was thankful that the plane was not too packed - this was probably due to the fact that I flew on a Tuesday as opposed to a flight closer to the weekend; which I’ve been told are the times to avoid as everyone leaves on weekends.

The flight went well - I ended up watching the movie Date Night as well as an episode of The Office as well as some other comedy shows. I also watched some House and a bit of CSI. To kill time I also started to read one of the books I picked up before I left; in this case I started to read The Road as I had watched a movie and liked it and figured I needed to read the book. I plan on finishing it quickly as I might use it for teaching English this coming fall.

We made it to Rio on time. I was a bit worried that I might get hassled by the customs people as I do believe I only have about 15 days till I have to renew my visa for another 90 days. Of course it will go back bump back to 180 on Aug 07, 2010 - as August 07 was the day I arrived last year.

In talking with Dennis he said that a gentleman named Danillo “Moto-Serra” would pick me up at the airport. I was told he was a black gentle man, with tattoos, who is also a Vale-Tudo (anything goes) fighter - basically an MMA fighter. I waited for my bags to come around, which they finally did after about 25 minutes. I then walked through the final check in and walked out hoping my ride was there - and of course he was not. If you’ve never been to Rio you won’t get why I was so nervous - I did not want to get swarmed by the Gringo Hawks aka the cab drivers that hound you to take their cab. But for some reason they did not bother me - one guy even tried to help me with calling Denis. I wandered around for about 40 minutes. I then noticed someone walking in and towards the arrival area - he fit the description that Denis gave me so I walked up to him and asked if he was Danilo and he said yes. So I had my ride - it was a long ride as Danilo decided to take the scenic route and even made a stop at his place to pick up a cell phone charger. I was a bit worried I was being taken for a ride but I eventually made it to the Connection Rio house.

When I arrived at the airport it was overcast but no rain as Danilo and I made our way through the city it started to rain and continued all the way to Barra da Tijuca. And has been raining ever since I got here - that’s 4 days now. I must say it is getting kind of depressing. I wanna hit the beach and see some skimpy bikinis…ha ha!


Anyhow, when I arrived the first thing I noticed was that the place was packed and no one really knew where I was going to be sleeping - I was dead tired by this time and just wanted to sleep; after I got something to eat of course. Dennis was not around and was not expected to be in for a few hours. So I grabbed a chair and sat there doing absolutely nothing and tried to get some sleep which is not very easy to do in a house packed with people, clothes, while you’re sitting in an uncomfortable chair.

After about 2hrs I struck up a conversation with one of the gals in the house and told her I was tired and hungry. She ended up lending me her key so I could walk down to Camacha’s restaurant to get some chicken, rice, and beans - pretty much a staple for me. I started to walk down and had barely gotten half a block when I noticed someone running up to me - low and behold it was Denis. He shook hands, hugged and had a brief conversation. He was heading to the house to pick up some of the house members for a training session and I was hungry so we went our separate ways.

I ate breakfast/lunch - went to the bakery to grab a coffee, listened to my I-pod and then walked back home. By this time I learned that I was going to be sleeping in the make-shift room - which is the living room. Either I was happy to be getting bed so I could get some rest. Unfortunately, by the time I got my bed situation sorted out the coffee had kicked in and I was took jacked up to do anything. So I pulled out my computer and surfed the net for a bit.

I was definitely too tired to train that night so I decided to just walk over to Gordo’s academy and take some pictures. I walked in and got to see the new renovations that Gordo’s academy has undergone. When I left last October the gym was just starting their renovations and was pretty rough to say the least. Well it’s safe to say Gordo now has the first class gym that is deserving of his legacy, reputation, and manner. Gordo’s renovated academy is beautiful. I’ve added some pictures to show how it looks now. I’ve yet to wander up stairs but I will post some pictures from up there once I get back.

After I had walked in and settled in a chair - Gordo noticed me and stared at me for a few minutes, smiled then walked over to me. I got the fairly standard handshake and half hug that seems to be the norm amongst Jiu Jitsu practitioners here in Rio. He was very happy to see me and asked how long I was going to be and if I was going to do the Rio Open. I told him a month and that I might do the open - of course I ended up missing the deadline for the Rio Open (it was the day of my arrival and my mind was just not working properly - so I ended up forgetting to registrar.)

You will notice that there is a large mirror in the background of some of the photos - each section of mirror is a little storage place. I thought that was wonderful. Overall, I’d say that being back here is like coming back to my ‘other home’ I just wish that I did not have to travel so far to feel like I’m where I need to be. Life is strange like that. One thing that I’m happy about is the mindset I’m in this time. I don’t have all the baggage I had last year and I just feel so much more positive about this round here in Rio. I do plan on coming back again and again - till my goal is reached.

I really hope that it stops raining soon - so I can get out and go on my walks around Barra - picture taking of course. It just sucks being stuck in the house most of the time. Till next time!

Stay tuned for more updates.

Peace :) Andre!