So, we headed out of New York to make the trip down New Jersey to Forked River. We were heading here primarily for one reason and that was to train at Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Tom DeBlass. The drive down was rather scenic as we transitioned from the build-up cities to the countryside of New Jersey. We arrived at our Airbnb and got settled which was between Toms River and Forked River in New Jersey, it was backed onto Cedar Creek with a Read more
I’ve trained martial arts in buildings that would collapse in an earthquake. Gyms converted from industrial sites and clubs located down alleyways so ominous I half expected to find Batman hunting for villains.
Academy Cyprus breaks the mold. The club has a number of sites in different cities around North of Cyprus; the portion of the island controlled by Turkey.
The one I visited was near Famagusta, a coastal city full of resorts, with ocean breezes and sweeping sea views.
The team are based at the Caesar Resort. The complex of shinning apartment blocks includes a gym overlooking the pool with the horizon of the ocean in the distance. At the back of the gym is a decent area of mats where they train.
The day I visited a line up of ten guys were working half guard drills, followed by rolling. The drill focused on securing a deep half guard then a sweep.
It’s a small group with a pioneering attitude.
They compete under the Globetrotters banner and really embody the hashtag #bjjlifestyle.
The club’s owner Selman Ozcan, began BJJ years ago by watching videos online. He would take notes with his wife then bring them along to a group of other white belts to try out.
He is now a purple belt and splits teaching duty with the club’s other coloured belts. There’s a real feeling of sharing and working as a collective.
Everyone is a friend. Selman went out of his way to ensure I found the right place, then dropped me back to my bus stop afterwards and insisted on messages when I arrived safely in Turkey.
Cyprus is divided with the Turkish territory in the north and Greek in the south. Those who lived on the island before its partition, plus some tourists, can cross at selected check points. Otherwise the green line remains a military patrolled buffer zone which runs through the centre like a zip.
While visiting the south side I rented the island’s cheapest rental car for about $60 Euro for four days which is the way to go if you’re planning a visit. The little red Chevrolet thing had three doors, a dozen dents and the world’s most temperamental gear box. He earned the name Kevin. We even drove up Mount Olympus. Poor Kevin was barely moving at one point and I was worried he might roll back down the hill.
This warm hospitality offered by Selman is a real Turkish thing and a kindness I felt in every public space.
People saw me looking like a confused owl behind my thick rimmed glasses and offered to let me jump lines, women shared toiletries in bathrooms, others let me doze when I fell asleep on their shoulders. Where ever I went I was greeted with smiles and pats on the arm; a country of micro pep talks.
I flew in and out of Istanbul. I did not get a response from any clubs I contacted so didn’t have a chance to train. Instead I will introduce Halis Bekrizade Efendi, probably the best Turkish delight store in all the world. It is a white marble store with pyramids of sweets stacked on every surface. My box of the handmade goodies cost about $3.50 NZD. It was staffed by an older man who didn’t speak a word of English, but feed me from a bottomless plate of samples and smiled like I was his favourite grandchild.
I was warned about training in Russia.
Rumours trickled down to me about how rough the teams would be and how I was safer just watching.
But the opposite was true.
For a city with a lot of square, uniformed buildings, Moscow is a lot harder to navigate than it sounds.
Before my first session with Team Strela in Moscow I arrived 20 minutes early and waited patiently outside a large block of apartments.
After a few minutes three nearby teenage boys began sniggering at me and I realised there was no club behind the locked door.
Once I realised I was lost someone from the club called me numerous times to give directions and even walked around the neighbourhood looking for me.
Eventually I was within a block but still couldn’t quite find the door. I turned to see a shop with Venum shorts and a blue gi on display.
I walked in as a man was switching off the lights. He didn’t speak a work of English, not even hello, and I only spoke hello in Russian.
I brought up the team’s logo on my phone and he pointed me towards the door.
Inside was a converted basketball hall with padded wrestling mats on the floors and lower walls.
It was a huge open space with pair drilling spider guide guard in every gap.
There must have been over 45 people there – the only time I’ve been part of a crew that size was the New Zealand women’s camp last year.
This was also the first time I had been part of a lesson in another language.
At home I’m a notorious mat chatter. But I also laugh, cheer, daydream, ask questions and crack jokes.
Being in a class where I couldn’t understand verbal instructions meant I had to really focus and watch carefully to understand the movement.
A few people offered to translate during the demonstration and helped me later on, but just watching meant I learnt more than normal.
Classes began with a warm up, running then rolling and hip work. An hour of drilling, based around the spider guard, then shark tank type rolling the first night and open mat on the second.
The gym had a similar feel to my own back home, pretty informal, plenty of laughs and a place people really enjoyed being.
When it came to rolling, everyone was firm but fair, a rare find as a woman on the mat.
They also have a team in Saint Petersburg which I dropped in on the following week.
This crew was set up very similar to my first club, East Coast BJJ in New Zealand, with a caged mat area in a larger crossfit complex.
It was smaller with 12 to 15 people at the class. I had the best time here. The techniques taught during this class really challenged me – it used the de la Riva guard for different sweeps.
I had the most patient partner who talked me through each piece and the small crew worked together to correct and support each other.
I talked to one guy after class in Moscow and asked about his BJJ journey.
He said “I’ve been doing it for five years … and I’ll probably keep doing it forever.”
“Forever” – that has got to be one of the best endorsements a club can receive.
We arrived in Prague after three nights in Budapest. We decided to stay three nights there as we were all exhausted from the amount of moving around we were doing and needed some rest. We were fresh faced and ready to train again but we arrived fairly late and so dinner and a few drinks were the only things on the agenda. Our hostel was a bit outside of the city centre and so the next day we decided to grab a taxi in. The city is stunning. Full of old architecture and small cobblestone alleyways. We made a trip to Charles bridge which is also beautiful. If you can see it that is. We attempted to walk across it bit didn’t even make it halfway before turning back as the amount of tourists and tour groups makes it pretty impossible to focus on anything else other than squeezing through the crowds. We enjoyed it from a distance instead.
The main reason we came to Prague was to train in our gym’s HQ with our head coach Fernando Araujo. Our third day in the city was the day we finally got to. It was a very busy Monday night class. There was between 40 – 50 people on the mats. We started with a simple but long warm up of arm bars from closed guard, but without using our hands. Usually such a warm up wouldn’t be so difficult for us but we were definatley feeling the affects of doing little amounts of training and eating lots of food. After warm up we started on techniques. We learned an awesome back take, a strong bow and arrow adjustment and nice choke from the back. Because we were such a large group that night, not everyone could roll at the same time and so we only got 2/3 rolls in. As always though, everyone we interacted with was welcoming and friendly, and their level of jiu jitsu was awesome to watch and experience. It was great getting to meet Fernando again and be taught by someone with such a high level of jiu jitsu. After class we had to run to the train station to catch an overnight train to Krakow!
Unfortunately, this would be our last training session on the trip as we only had short stays planned in the last two cities. Travelling and training is something we definatley want to continue doing. Next time we will know to stay longer in places we visit so that we can train more, and we will 100% be investing in some light weight travel gis to bring with us!
It’s been six weeks since my last post on BJJ Globetrotters. This post is LONG overdue, but I finally have a second to sit down and write it. In the past six weeks, I returned home, started a new job, and started training at my new home for what will be a long while until my next foray into the Globetrotting lifestyle. That said, I couldn’t just ignore this blog and NOT finish what I started. I wrote the following while sitting in a Walmart parking lot a few weeks ago, recapping the prior week:
California is unimaginably large. After leaving Yosemite, I began what I assumed would be a quick hop, skip, and jump over to San Francisco. As I drove through the California countryside, speeding past the golden hillsides and amber sunsets, I truly felt like present. I’ve been feeling that a lot on this journey: like everything is falling into place as it should.
I decided that, despite the large BJJ presence in San Fran, I’d skip over the city itself. Nothing against San Francisco, but after a five days roughing it sans shower in Yosemite, I needed to get to my next stop as soon as possible. I needed a bed, some food, a shower, and just time to RELAX. I knew I couldn’t drive through SF without seeing Big Red (the Golden Gate Bridge), so I plugged her into my GPS and off we went!
Driving through the city, with “Full House’ flashbacks from my childhood replaying in my head, I realized that this was a setting I knew well. Coming from the East Coast, New York City is somewhere I’ve been dozens of times in my life. Well, though I’d have previously thought different, it was proven: when you’ve seen one city, you’ve really seen them all. Sure, they’ve all got their own quirks, unique qualities, and hidden mysteries; but every city feels the same. Tall buildings and a maze of streets that hide their secrets like a child hides their favorite toys, only revealing them to those who deserve them.
As my Jeep marched on through the rush hour Golden Gate Bridge traffic, I looked off to the east to see Alcatraz Island in the distance; an abandoned prison settled in the middle of the bay. I felt a twinge of poeticism flow through my mind. The world we all become accustomed to, the 9-5, the bills, the routine; it all becomes a prison in its own way. I’m no longer imprisoned on this trip. I can decide to up and go anywhere at the drop of a hat. I can do what I love in any city my jeep can reach, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m not obligated to train, I’m not obligated to travel, and I’m not obligated to be anywhere. I can just BE.
After a quick exit and five minute drive, I reached the picturesque scenery I’d been looking for. Atop a massive hill just west of the GGB, I was treated to a sight of the behemoth structure. Red, rusted, and rustic in a way, the bridge towered over the bay, and the Pacific mist fell on my cheeks. I breathed in the cool air, hopped in my truck, and onwards I went.
Worth every second on the road!
Dancing with the Pacific Coast Highway for almost 400 miles, I drove through dozens upon dozens of small, coastal Pacific towns. Seafood shacks, Gas Stations, and kind faces passed my window and through my rear view: I was ready to rest.
People often ask “Where do you sleep???” Well, in this case, I pulled my car over in a rural section of the PCH and crashed for the night. When I awoke, I was greeted by a scene right out of Silent Hill!
Honestly expected disfigured humanoids to appear from within the mist. No Shame.
Winding roads and coastal air slowly transitioned into the shaded, wooded forests of the Pacific Northwest. I felt the encroachment of nature replace the crowded streets, and all was calm. Gigantic Redwoods towered above, and roaring rivers meandered across the landscape. All too perfect for a photo-op such as this:
I rolled into Portland around 5pm on a Friday, greeted by the excitement of my high school buddy, Mitch. On my way into the city, something super important happened. Karen, my trusty steed of 5,000 miles, rolled over her 200,000 mile mark. An emotional moment, indeed, and one that was surely celebrated! After arriving, Mitch, a New York to Portland transplant, promised me a weekend of adventure in the land of redwoods, legal marijuana, and millennial delight. I was MORE than excited. But first… a nap.
ROLLOVER
After a night exploring the streets of Portland, I awoke the next morning to go catch a noon class at 10th Planet Portland; my first foray onto the 10th Planet landscape… I arrived at the gym ten minutes before class to sign waivers, get changed, etc. I was greeted by Phil Shwartz, one of the coaches at the gym. Phil, a brown belt under Eddie Bravo himself, was incredible welcoming and interested in my Globetrotting travels. As the few stragglers drifted into the gym, class begun with a short warmup.
The training grounds: a super clean, very organized facility!
I’ll admit, and I’m not proud of this, that I’d always been a little apprehensive of the 10th Planet system. The interesting names and the nogi oriented system gave my gi-oriented self a headache at times. Well, after training with the guys at 10th Planet Portland for two hours, I can say that I have adopted an entirely new respect for the system. Phil instructed the class on a few sweeps from lockdown, a position I always struggled passing. What I began realizing, very quickly, was how well-developed and intricate the system is. I’ve always been a conceptual learner; if I know WHY a move works the way it does, I’ll be able to apply it better than just learning HOW the move works. The small shift of the hips, the squeezing of the legs, the one inch between a submission and their escape; this is the stuff I cherish. Phil was chock-full of these little details. He spoke about how, when passing a position (in this case lockdown), the easiest way to pass is to reverse engineer the position itself. It made PERFECT sense. They need the hook on your leg to secure the lockdown, so the first step in passing is to nullify the hook. It changed the way I look at passing.
As drilling winded down, it was time to roll. I was excited to test myself, a spider guard/lapel grabbing fiend, against the NoGi warriors here. I rolled six rounds straights, one with Phil, two purple belts, two blue belts, and one of the female blue belts. I try to get a roll in with at least one of the women in class whenever I drop in; coming from a gym that has a strong female presence, I feel like I get an unadulterated sense of how the instruction at the gym is. Phil kept it really playful, trading positions, feeling out my game, and then, ultimately, dispatching me in a typical brown belt/blue belt fashion. He complimented me on my aggressive passing style, and I applauded his students, his system, and his technique overall. I had a blast rolling with the blues and purples. As I move on in my BJJ journey, I find myself having an easier time rolling with purples and browns than I do with blues. I’m noticing that blue belts in general, and this has really improved the way that I roll and train, almost try and prove themselves against other blue belts, especially visiting blue belts.
Overall, my experience at 10th Planet Portland was one I would gladly repeat. The instruction was top notch, the students incredibly welcoming, and the system is on point. Side note: I’m noticing something about a lot of 10th Planet instructors: they mimic Eddie Bravo in an almost eerie way. Had I closed my eyes, I’d have sworn that Eddie himself was teaching class, as Phil was like Eddie almost down to the mannerisms.
Thanks for training, fellas!
The rest of my time in Portland was quite an experience. Viewing Mt. Hood and Mt. Saint Helens off in the distance, Mitch and I decided no Portland adventure would be complete without a quick hiking trip. A quick google search of “Portland Hiking” delivered a familiar name: Oneonta Gorge. I went to college in Upstate New York at the State University of New York at, you guessed it, Oneonta. SUNY Oneonta to Oneonta Gorge, Oregon. It seemed right that the last place I go before turning home share a namesake with the place this journey really started.
Mitch and I drove to the gorge to find that, and I’m quoting the online train summary, “the creek is the trail.” A mile hike into the gorge in knee-waist deep water on a hot summer day was the perfect outlet. As I reached the 100-ft Oneonta Gorge falls, I felt a growing power in my gut. I felt a scream growing. As I trudged through the cold mountain water, and the waterfall crashed at my feet, I let it go. Tearing my hands through the water, throwing it into the air around me, I screamed at the falls. I yelled, cursed, and cried. I did it. I F***ing did it. I drove my car 5,000 miles to get to the other side of this country I’ve always wanted to see. And I did it, in part, because of the opportunities and confidence I found from the sport that I love. With the roar of the water crashing around me, I was in a moment of tranquility and beauty. I was calm. Jiu Jitsu has taught me, above anything, that being calm in the face of roaring thunder and discomfort is the difference between winning and losing, between panic and relaxation, and between joy and misery. In the age old words of Bruce Lee:
“Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
A magical moment. Plain and Simple.
Can’t wait to finish off my journey with you guys. I’ll have my next post about my trip to Salt Lake City up in the next few days! OSS!
Greetings from Friedrichshafen Germany!
It was a smooth bus ride into Friedrichshafen, my first stop for my month tour through Germany. This visit I would be staying with Ben, a fellow BJJ Globetrotter who had a Matsurfing ad. I messaged Ben and we talked briefly, he was more than happy to have me at his place and show me around his home town. Ben met me at the bus station, drove me back to his place while giving me a quick history of the town, and set me up his spare room and let me settle in. Ben had a lot of plans for training and showing around Friedrichshafen and the surrounding area during my visit, we set out bike around town and meet up with some old friends of his soon after dropping my gear off. There was no wasted time during this visit.
Home of The Zepplin!
Friedrichshafen is the quintessential small German country town. It’s set among beautiful orchids of mostly pears and hops, which the area is quite known for along with the wines and beers made from them. The area itself is also known for the The Three Points as the three countries of Switzerland, Austria and Germany come together and meet at Lake Constance, which Friedrichshafen is placed right in the middle of. The Friedrichshafen area is where the Zeppelin was invented and they’re still very proud of the invention. There’s a museum on the history of it’s creation and statues throughout the area and even a several daily Zeppelin rides to tour the area and see The Three Points from above. During the day when Ben was working I borrowed his bike to spin around town and take pics of the scenery, here’s some of the my best photos from the visit.
A water fountain made of old engine parts and statues.
They even have a Zeppelin playground.
This church was one of the few things that survived being bombed in WWII, the steeple is the only original part to it, the rest was re-built.
There’s a lookout tower to see the three points from, or look over the town.
One evening we took the ferry over to Konstanz to eat and show me around their neighboring city, which has some awesome old buildings and is actually where Ferdinand von Zeppelin (creator of the Zeppelin) lived.
The tavern where apparently the Council of Constance between the Pope and the mayor took place many years ago.
A statue in memory of Ferdinand von Zeppelin…or Konstanz just really loves the FFVII lore.
There was a council with the mayor and pope in Konstanz once, this statue of Imperia is to commemorate it. or satire it, depending who you talk to.
Bed picture but it’s the town square water fountain with different fairy tale animals around it.
Staying with Ben
Ben was a great host, he has a nice place with a fully furnished spare room and huge living room with more than enough space for me to put out my yoga mat and foam roller and stretch out. It was very comfortable staying at his place. Friedrichshafen is a small town so it only took 10-15 minutes on bike to get anywhere so during the stay I most just biked around using one of Ben’s bicycles. During our adventures out Ben would fill me in on the history of the area, both before and after the war, as most of the area was blown up during WWII and re-built afterwards. Most of our bike rides were broken up with Ben stopped to say hi to people he knew, which seemed to be most of the town. You quickly got the impression of a safe and friendly small town and I had no problem getting around during day without Ben. Thank you for inviting me into your home and showing me around your beautiful town Ben, you’re a great host! I highly recommend people go visit Ben and the club if you’re doing a visit of Germany!
Training in Austria
One evening Ben brought me out to an open mat session in Dornbirn Austria, which is about an hour away. It was a fun ride through the winding roads and mountain tunnels to this small Austrian town where we met with a few members of the Dornbirn BJJ Carlson Gracie Austria club. The club is in a community center on the top floor in with a Kung Fu club. The club is divided into two sections with a cage wall down the middle of the long room, one side a work out area with weights and machines, and the other a matted floor for martial arts training. The guys were all happy to have us drop by for a few rolls and although my hand was still hurting, I taped it up to try and minimize the problem and roll with some of this beasts. They were all game and very talented, I probably spent more time trying to survive than anything but it was all in good fun, no one going too hard anyone although they did roll with a good amount of speed aggression. By the end of the time we were all beaten, sweaty and tired. Happy to have a good session and hungry to go get some food!
After the session Ben and I and a few from the club went out for kebap. We walked around the city center, showing me some of the downtown beauty of the Dornbirn. We talked about all sorts of things as we hung out, Jiu-Jitsu philosophy, my trip of course and club social events like grabbing food after training or going to the bar together. During our many conversations came up the fact that you can make friends instantly in pretty much any setting by asking “Anyone want to grab some kebap?” as everyone seems to love kebap, even vegetarians will go for falalfel. That brought up the importance of knowing what kebap was, and what it’s called in other languages. I know it as it’s widely called in North America and the middle east, Shawarma, although in my experience in Europe it’s mostly called Kebap or Donner. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but knowing this fact will give you the ability to find food and make friends pretty much anywhere and at anytime as kebap places are usually the latest stores open, if they close at all. So we hung out eating and having a great time socializing after a good session on the mats, making friends and memories all in one night. This is one of the many many awesome experiences on this Odyssey that I set out for, thanks for having me guys!
Rolling with Patrick
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend any training sessions with Ben’s club, bad timing, but I was able to meet up and train with Patrick, purple belt and coach of the club. One day he picked me up and brought me to where the club trains, at the local gym in a gymnastics room that has the entire floor covered in puzzle mats that are designed to look like a wood floor. Patrick is a very gifted, technical and knowledgeable student and while we rolled he was very calculated, picking part my game and mostly toying with me. We would dissect what I got caught on and drill it a bit before continuing rolling some more until I got caught again with something else. We went on like that for an hour or so and if I was in better shape we could have easily spent another hour rolling, drilling and philosophizing. It was a fun session and a great opportunity to learn my weaknesses and get a different perspective on rolling. I was told Patrick drills and trains a lot and has a pretty nice set up at his home too. I would have liked training with Patrick more and attending a class with the club, to see how he runs training, but sadly this was the only time we would train together. I will have to return some day to train with everyone more and get to meet the full club. Thanks for the great one on one session Patrick!
After a fun and educational visit to Ben’s place in Friedrichshafen my first stop in Germany was over, setting the bar high for what to expect for the rest of the trip. I would not be disappointed. Ben dropped me off to catch my train to the next stop: Heidelberg!
Until next time,
see you on the mats!
OSSS!!
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Sadly, our BJJ journey through Myanmar is over but we finally have the time to write about it in our downtime in Vietnam. 18 days in Myanmar saw us well and truly exhausted by the end – we crammed a lot in during that time! Sight-seeing many beautiful places, navigating dusty streets, attempting to communicate with the locals, making several wonderful friends, and teaching BJJ was the best way to experience Myanmar in such a short time. Our trip was only made possible by Tammi Willis, founder of BJJ Myanmar. A friend of Rion’s from their rolling together in Bangkok, he contacted Tammi to let her know we were going to Myanmar and she began planning the ultimate trip for us, asking Rion if he would like to teach at remote garage/start-up gyms around country. Of course, he accepted, and our journey became something worth writing about. Thank you, Tammi, for creating this opportunity for us. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip.
Our first destination was Mandalay, a region with 12 million-ish people situated in central Myanmar, and with a relatively hot climate compared to the other places we visited. Whoever told me that Mandalay has nothing to offer tourists and is supposedly boring, you need to wash your mouth out with soap or something. It was one of the best parts of our trip!
Exploring the ancient city of Inwa in Mandalay.
Sai, AKA Tootti/Henry, is the owner of BJJ Mandalay (name of the gym to be confirmed). Sai is a white belt who has had four BJJ coaches come through his place and he’s trained a little in Yangon with BJJ Myanmar. He’s currently converting two floors in his home into what he hopes will be Mandalay’s first MMA gym. When we arrived, he had just purchased new mats and an air cooler, and was overflowing with motivation to create something beneficial for the community. A youth leader in the making, Sai hopes to keep people away from drugs and improve the quality of their lives and dreams of doing this through fitness and martial arts. We can attest for Sai’s quality of character. He has a big heart, was extremely generous, a great sense of humour, and felt like a long lost friend. Sai was the guy to know for everything; he’s the ultimate translator, the finder of mangoes out of mango season, the man who knows everyone from Myanmar’s most popular actress to the guy with the best durian… The list of Sai’s knowledge and connections is seemingly endless. Without him we would have struggled to maintain a vegan diet in Myanmar and our experience in the country would have been far inferior to the phenomenal time we did have. We owe a huge thanks to Sai and we are hoping to see our self-described “Asian Elephant” friend again soon. He’s very keen to host more BJJ Globetrotters so please get in contact with him if you are heading to Myanmar (his name is “Tootti Henry” on Facebook).
Sai and Rion.
Our first BJJ class kicked off shortly after our flight landed and we were initially blown away by the numbers of people who showed up – and they were mostly women! My heart was singing as recruiting women into BJJ and keeping them there is something I’m emotionally invested in. As everyone was either a newbie or had little BJJ experience, Rion began by teaching basic distance management (ie. If you’re flat on your back and your opponent is standing, how to avoid strikes to the head by controlling the distance with your feet) and elementary self defence. The usual giggling from all the new girls was loud, even when I put a lot of pressure on them during side control – just to show them how strong they can be, I swear! Unfortunately many of them were sore the next day and didn’t attend the class, but I attribute that to a smaller frame, lack of BJJ body conditioning, and perhaps being unfamiliar to the pace of martial arts training, rather than my mediocre white belt side control pressure. That night we went out for a meal with some of the guys from the gym who were initially quiet but over our time in Mandalay, opened up to us. We were all paralysed with laughter in many occasions – several jokes are funny no matter what language you speak.
Rion, Eileen, Mon, Kyaw Gyi, Myo, Sai, and Ma Thet after our first class.
During our downtime between classes, Sai had (of course) organised activities for us to do, such as: exploring the palace; walking the famous teak bridge, visiting the ancient city of Inwa, seeing the beauty of an old teak monastery, and many more activities. Our favourite by far was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I couldn’t talk about Mandalay without writing about it. We drove up Mandalay Hill at night with a few of our friends from the gym and due to the time of year there were monks praying over loud speakers in the pagoda near the summit. To describe this in words and do it justice is impossible, but we had the twinkling lights of Mandalay city all around us, a warm late-night breeze, the serenity caused the prayers, the quiet laughter between all of us, walking in the glittering golden pagoda lit up at night, and the best part – it was all completely empty of tourists and vendors. Rion and I both think that that was a highlight of our entire trip and that we were incredibly lucky to have that opportunity. If there was a particular moment during our holiday that was a spiritual reawakening, that was most definitely it.
Our classes over the next few days are a bit of a blur. Sai had organised split classes due to the numbers of people interested. He certainly can fill his mat space! Rion taught more basics but possibly more exciting techniques for newbies: how to regain posture in, and pass, the closed guard; maintaining side control, and; chokes – the standard RNC and a variant of the same, a triangle from closed guard, and the arm triangle from mount. During this time we were also honoured by the presence of a national judo champion, Selwee. It’s important to note that she was very small, around the 40-45kg mark. After me absolutely dying for a few minutes in her side control, we realised that many of the techniques we were going to teach her, she already had a great amount of knowledge. There was a significant language barrier here, but I found communicating with her non-verbally very easy. Selwee was interested in leg entanglements and submissions, even though she said she could not apply them in competition in judo (I confess I don’t know many rules of judo!). Rion taught her an inside sankaku entry from top mount and top side control, an inside and outside heel hook, and a calf crush counter to the heel hook defence. In return, she taught me a couple of takedowns, which was greatly appreciated. After class, we stayed behind with a few of the lads to answer questions about training and techniques, and then went out together to get the “best [insert food here] in Myanmar” for dinner.
Mandalay was a great welcome to Myanmar and there are several people there who we look forward to seeing again soon. To Sai, Eileen, Selwee, Myo, Kyaw Gyi, Ma Thet, and the other wonderful people we met there – thank you all so much for the experience and good times. We miss you all already and will be back, hopefully soon! Our next gym was in Myitkyina with Da Rock, another youth leader and Kyokushin karate black belt. Keep an eye out for our next post!
Greetings From Zurich Switzerland!
After a smooth uneventful flight up from Rome I met my host for the visit, Hristo, at the airport. Hristo is a friend of fellow Globetrotter I was talking to, Martina, but I’ll cover that later. While we made our way back to his place he told me about the trains and streetcars (or trams) and how to get around and see the city. We stopped off to show me the club he trains at, 360 Martial Arts, so I would know how to get here as Hristo would be busy working the next few days. Even though classes were done for the night we were in luck and caught up with the BJJ coach, Ivan Musardo, who is a very accomplished MMA fighter. Together we caught the train across town and talked about traveling and training, and all the places Ivan had fought at before. Talking to him Ivan was really quiet and relaxed, definitely not the ‘Ivan the Terrible’ ring-name you would picture. As it happens I was never able to attend one of his classes, which was disappointing, I would have liked seeing how his classes were run. We parted ways and we got to his neighborhood Hristo pointed out the necessary stores, like the local market and where was good to eat. I settled in as we talked about all sorts of things, like Hristo’s training and martial arts background and my traveling adventures, until we finally called it a night, the next day Hristo would be up and gone really early and I would have the day to explore the city.
The Beauty of Switzerland!
The view flying into Zurich.
I spent a lot of my time wondering around Zurich, especially down by the lake, and took a lot of pictures of the beauty of the city. There are all kinds of old buildings around the city and some great view points. The lake is so beautiful and walking around it, you see the still water surrounded by the city and parks on a hot sunny day, all set with the snow topped mountains in the background. truly amazing to see. Here are some of my pictures from my exploring.
The main train station.
I also happened to find an old vintage toy museum that was full of cool old toys like train sets and tin soldiers and of course lots of creepy dolls.
While on my way to Switzerland I got several requests for chocolate mailed to them. I sent a box of chocolates to my mom, keep a few chocolate bars for Ana in Hamburg as that would be my payment for staying there and also stocked up on chocolate for myself. Sadly, I have no pictures of all the chocolate I bought, I must have destroyed the evidence while feeling guilty, but believe there was a lot of chocolate bought.
Of course you can see more pictures of my adventures in Zurich over on my Flickr Account, especially the panoramic pictures of the lake and town that I can’t post here.
Staying with a Friend of a Friend
I only met Hristo online a few weeks before showing up. He’s a friend of another Globetrotter I had been talking to for a while, Martina. It was understood that Martina might be busy dealing with her family when I visited so staying at her place wasn’t a guarantee, and as it happened she ended up really busy with her children that week. I was almost about the resort to booking an expensive hotel room downtown (Zurich is very expensive as it is and there wasn’t any options for hostels or cheap Airbnb for my visit) when she told me she had a friend who was up for hosting me. Martina connected Hristo and I on Facebook and at first he was shy to talk, as his English isn’t very strong, but opened up once we met at the airport. In fact Once we met Hristo loved talking, asking me all sorts of things to do with Jiu-Jitsu.
Without knowing me Hristo opened up his place to me and although he didn’t have a spare room or couch he did find a spare fold up cot for me to sleep on, which was fine. I was very grateful for him to let me stay at his place and set me up to train at his gym, it saved me a lot money and I made more friends this way. This is the generosity of the community that I love, that I’ve set out to meet and that I will forever be paying back fro the rest of my life. Thank you Hristo for all your help hosting me and a big thank you to Martina for connecting us and helping me with all my questions about Zurich.
360 Martial Arts
I first made it out to the club that Hristo trains at, although he was away working and unable to join me. 360 Martial Arts seems to be more MMA oriented but has a lot of Jiu-Jitsu classes as well. The gym is in a business building and has a lot of space, all matted in blue and white. The class I made it to I thought was a open mat but ended up being more a individual drilling class. The members were all nice and welcoming, I spoke with a few briefly of my visit to Zurich but there wasn’t much time spent chatting. The drilling class was run by a purple belt and broke into segments. First we had some partnered warm up exercises we did then we had 5 minute rounds of one person drilling a technique they wanted to work on over and over until the buzzer and then switch.
I can’t quite remember what my partner worked on but I do remember we worked some guard passes and I also worked on the kimura sweep from bottom side. My partner was a white belt but a very knowledgeable and good to drill with, we would play with different resistances to see how the techniques would work. It was a good drilling class and I felt like I solved a few issues but it would have been nice to switch around with other teammates, I only worked with the one guy and never got to meet the others, other than in the change room for a few minutes. I would have liked to meet more of the club as there were only a few out for this class, but I ended up injured during this visit and this would be my only class. Oh well, I guess I have a reason come back and train and visit again. Thanks for the fun class guys!
BJJ Lab
The second gym I visited is where Martina trains, although she couldn’t make it out for class, and it was actually closer to Hristo’s than the club he goes to. BJJ Lab is in an old warehouse that is split into a multitude of small business shops. It was actually hard to find as there wasn’t a sign for which door to enter or where to go. The club is on the top floor in the back, shared with a Karate club and is actually a nice spot. During warm up the club was talking about moving to a more easily found spot and nicer area, I’m looking forward to seeing what their new club looks like. After circling the building looking for the gym I met another student who brought me up to the proper area where I met more of the class. I showed up for a no-gi night and the head coach, JB, was happy to have me and introduced me to the group. Martina had let JB know of me coming to visit so I didn’t have to explain too much, and JB is a really chill guy, he just seemed happy to have a visitor. The club in general was very relaxed and friendly, I felt very comfortable training and chatting with the guys there, it was a good club atmosphere.
After a good warm up we got into drilling the techniques for the evening and then into rolling. I had a lot of fun drilling and rolling and chatting with everyone, JB and other senior students were very helpful if I had a question and rolling with everyone was relaxed and fun, I even able to try new things without getting crushed too badly. I wish I could have returned, preferably to a class with Martina so I could finally meet her, but I would be out of rolling or training for almost week after that class. Thanks again Martina for connecting with your awesome club and thanks JB and the club for having me and making me feel welcome! Until next time guys!
That night I woke up in the middle of the night with my left hand throbbing in pain. I was unable to close my hand and make a fist for a few days, the pain was so bad, but there was no swelling or visible bruising. I don’t know what happened, some days I felt like I may have broke or cracked a bone, others it felt like a pitched nerve, either way it was a pain and a problem that put me on the sidelines for the next few days, and sometimes it still comes back a little bit here and there, so all I could do was sight see and relax.
This has nothing to do with my hand for the blog but Switzerland has cannabis iced tea, it’s quite tasty!
After a short visit Hristo brought me to the bus station to catch my bus to Germany and we said our good-byes, I wish I could have stayed longer and got some more training in and met more people but at the same time I was excited to start my month long visit across Germany. With one last overly expensive latte from Starbucks I was off, first stop Friedrichshafen!
Starbucks, getting your name wrong all over the world..
Until next time,
see you on the mats!
OSSS!!
WAYS TO SUPPORT PANDA’S ODYSSEY!
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Follow me and other traveling Jiu-Jitsueros at the BJJ Globetrotters blog section.
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So, after the BIG weekend of the World Masters we packed up our stuff and headed south east to Arizona. We planned on visiting the Grand Canyon and staying out that way for a night before Jetting off to New York.
The drive to the south rim of the canyon took us around 4hrs from Las Vegas, through a few interesting little towns. When we finally arrived around midday, it was easy to see why so many people say you can’t miss going to the Grand Canyon, the size of it is unbelievable and the views are amazing! We spend a good few hours walking the rim and checking out all the viewpoints. It’s a little scary how sheer the drops are just off the walkway, it kept Dee and I on edge Read more
Hitting up Seminars and Camps Everywhere!
I know I’m way behind on my blog keeping you updated on my adventures and travels through Europe (Rome was my last post and that was from end of May) but I Just got back from my first BJJ Globetrotters camp and decided I have to cover it now. I’ve also added the seminars I’ve attended recently since there’s a few of those too. I have a pretty big and awesome camp coming up in a month that has me traveling to San Diego and meeting my friend (and maybe long lost brother) Luke and a few members from his club from Perth Australia. I want to write about the whole adventure, and the shenanigans we’ll be sure to get into, separately so it’s no better time to cover the other seminars and camp than now!
Keith Owen Seminar In London UK (2 June ’17)
This is the first seminar I made it to while on this Odyssey. I changed my plans to make sure I could make it and even tried to show up as a surprise (I think it worked too!). Prof. Keith Owen, or Mr. Keith as we all call him, is our head black belt. He’s a 3 degree black belt under Master Pedro Sauer, he’s the coach of my coach Ari and I earned my blue belt from him so there’s a lot respect I pay to him. I always love attending his seminars as there’s always something I learn that I take with me, not just a technique but lessons in life. Mr Keith is always dropping knowledge bombs and helping you be a better person both on and off the mats.
The seminar was put on by Team Pedro Sauer UK and was held in a gymnasium in a small town about an hour east of London. I had been in talks with Robin, the coach of the club that lead putting together the seminar, about trying to show up undetected by Mr Keith and all the schematics about how to get to and from the seminar itself. I was looking forward to meeting Robin and the club, being fellow affiliates of the same Jiu-Jitsu lineage it’s almost like you’re meeting relatives for the first time. I was not disappointed. When I showed up Robin and his group, and of course Mr Keith, were all happy to welcome me and within minutes it was like I was always a part of the club.
During the seminar Mr Keith went over a few techniques from favourite positions of mine, side control and ‘S’/modified mount. There was no fancy techniques or ‘new moves’ that Mr. Keith was teaching but the small details he showed for securing the position and locking in the arm bars were the key. I always say you could watch 100 people do an arm bar and learn something from each one and in this case you could learn a lot, with all the little details. There all kinds of little things that I have since written down in my head and keep bringing up when rolling.
It was a great seminar and also a great excuse to fly back to London, see Mr Keith (we’ve met in 3 countries now) and make new friends like Halldór, a fellow Keith Owen fan who came from Iceland. I also got to hangout with friends I made from my first time visiting London as I was staying at Ellie’s (also maybe a long lost relative) and it was her birthday so she threw a huge party with a lot of the guys I had met from Wave BJJ attending. It was a quick but awesome 2 day trip and well worth it for the knowledge gained. I left back for Hamburg to finish my visit with Ana and Nexus Fighter Academy feeling motivated to continue to evolve my game, exhausted from the lack of sleep over the weekend but motivated all the same.
Nicolas Gregoriades Seminar In Berlin Germany (8 June ’17)
The next seminar was totally unexpected and also only a week or so after Mr Keith’s. I made my way to Hilti BJJ in Berlin and met Frank, who’s an awesome guy that everyone making a Germany trip must drop by and visit, when he dropped the surprise (to me) that Nic Gregoriades from the Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood would be doing a seminar the day after next. I haven’t followed Nic very much but I had read some of his Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood posts and liked what I saw so I was really interested to meet him and see what sort of seminar he would be doing.
There was a good turnout and I met quite a few new people visiting for the seminar that I hadn’t seen in class before, I made sure to train with a few different people, like I usually do when I attend seminars. This is something I think should be pushed as to meet more people and make new friends. It’s great having your favourite training partner and going to seminars together but at the same time only sticking to each other is the Jiu-Jitsu equivalent of going to a party and only hanging out by snack table. Anyways, this seminar was a happy surprise, not only did I get to meet more of the club and Jiu-Jitsu scene in Berlin and meet Nic Gergoriades but also picked up some great mind blowing techniques. I’m not going to give away what Nic taught us but I will say he started out his seminar by saying “If everyone knew these 3 things I’m about to show you then I would be done teaching Jiu-Jitsu” and after training those 3 things I must say he is correct! The key concepts we practiced I constantly keep in my mind when rolling and it’s greatly improved my control and different positions on my opponents. Actually when paired with the concepts Mr. Keith showed us and applied to all the techniques I have learned and am learning as I travel completely changes my game and even makes learning new techniques easier.
Nicolas Gregoriades himself was a great guy to meet, really relaxed and approachable. Obviously I didn’t have a lot of time to talk with him, but we did chat a bit while getting some pictures together. I told him about the Odyssey and my plan to head down to Australia and he offered to help point me in then right direction, which would be awesome. I hope I get to meet up with him again and attend some classes. I really like the conceptual training he teaches and would love to do more classes on it and really get to learn them more thoroughly. Also, one day I would love to see Nic and Mr Keith do a seminar together. I think the two of them would make a great seminar together!
BJJ Globetrotters Fall Camp In Heidelberg Germany (21-27 August ’17)
I was really looking forward to seeing old friends I had made on the road (especially all my friends I made in Heidelberg when I was there a month earlier) and finally meeting those I’ve only ever talked to online. One thing I haven’t really thought about was the people who came up to introduce themselves and tell me they’ve been following my blog. I mean obviously I have people reading it and wish I had more but up until I walked into the gym and had the first person come up and say “Hey, you’re Robert Barker right? You’re traveling and write the Odyssey blog right?” I was purely looking at the camp as big milestone to check off, giddy to finally attend one. I was really quite excited to walk in and see the huge Globetrotters Fall Camp banner, about 100 people on the mats and Christian Gruagart himself running things behind the desk.
The Globetrotters camp has got to be the best Jiu-Jitsu camp to go be part of, to my knowledge. Not only is it a camp so full of training that if you make it through all the classes you are such a certifiable beast there is a patch for it, but also the socializing and social activities going on make it impossible to attend everything. 10-12 hrs of classes and open mat sessions a day, sight seeing activities in the morning and partying in the evening until the wee hours of the morning. This goes on every day and every night, some people are morning people and start the day off with yoga and the morning classes, some wait until after noon to jump into classes, others are just socializing and are there for partying and the evening open mat. Basically there’s social groups for everyone there.
I knew there would be a lot of classes and also a lot of socializing and I’d have to make sure to be a part of it as much as possible to really get the full effect out of this camp, but I would really have to pace myself. Luckily I’ve quit my partying ways or I (and my bank account) would never be able to make it out alive by the end of the week. I remember thinking ‘what am I going to do when I’m sitting out of classes? I’ll be so bored not training’ which is laughable because in actual fact is was more ‘oh it’s time for that class already? Shit I’m still really tired!’ between hanging out with all my new friends and making trips into town with people my days basically started at 8am and didn’t stop until at least 10pm. An easy relaxing night was sitting in the lobby, I was staying at the sports hall dorm with a bunch of other campers, and having all sorts of great conversations with everyone until midnight. And the camp final party, well let’s just say I didn’t sleep until I got to my hotel in Hamburg the next day. I can easily say I’ve never have so much fun doing Jiu-Jitsu and never have I made so many friends all at once.
The camp isn’t all partying, let’s not let the evening fun overshadow the daytime fun. Between the various open mat sessions and all the classes throughout the day there was more than enough time to not only learn all sorts of great techniques for your game but also practice them with willing people. I lost count of how many times people I rolled with attempting, some succeeding others not, techniques we just studied that day, or earlier that week. Also, with about 2 dozen different instructors each teaching their own styles different from each other, you could pick which classes would be better for you to attend and when would be a good time to rest. No matter what your skill level was or what your game style was there was definitely something for everyone each day. There are a few gems I took with me from the camp, and new instructors I now want to visit and learn more from.
After the camp a lot of people posted to the Facebook group about the ‘post camp blues’ which I thought was great. It’s actually something I have a problem with a lot, accepting the good times are over (for now). I quietly left the party on the last night without any big good-byes because I really hated having to say good-bye to all the awesome people I met and admit the best camp I’ve been to was over. I had this same problem with my sails in the Navy, even if the deployment was shit it was still more fun being on ship with friends than going back to an empty apartment while everyone else got to see their families. So I know all too well about the post event blues and seeing that I was not alone in this feeling just cemented more how I’ve found my place in life and am in good company. It also shows you how deeply these camps that Christian puts on touch everyone that attends them. Of course now I’m hooked and have to figure out how I can go back to another!
Interview With Christian Gruagart!
One of the many joys and highlights of the BJJ Globetrotter camp was getting to sit down with Chirstian Gruagart and do an interview with him. Christian has been a role model to me ever since I was referred to his book by a teammate. For those who don’t know Christian’s story (you can read his book here) he traveled around the world training Jiu-Jitsu like 10 years ago, before Facebook, Reddit or the huge awesome community that now exists or even social media. In fact the community that I mainly use to plan out the Odyssey and that hundreds of people use daily to plan out their own trips and vacations was created by Christian and the trip he did, working off of sports chat sites. From this trip he created the Globetrotters banner for people without affiliations to use to be able to compete in IBJJF competitions and of course the camps. Without giving too much more away here’s our conversation we finally had after working around the busy camp schedule to find time.
It’s crazy to think how all this came together without any grand plan and just going with the flow, it was definitely meant to be! Christian is a great guy, I swear stress just doesn’t exist with him and talking to him and being around him and his camp you can see there’s no room for stress for any of the other campers either!
Check out the interview on my YouTube Channel here!
I hope my experiences at these seminars and the BJJ Globetrotter camp inspire you to make it out to more seminars or take the plunge and attend your first camp!
I promise I’ll get back on track with my travel blog shortly, with the next article being on my visit to Switzerland.
Until next time,
see you on the mats!
OSSS!!
WAYS TO SUPPORT PANDA’S ODYSSEY!
Sign up to the Panda’s Odyssey Patreon Account.
Buy Panda’s Odyssey Patches at The Gi Hive.
Buy a shirt at Panda’s Jiu-Jitsu Store.
Follow me and other traveling Jiu-Jitsueros at the BJJ Globetrotters blog section.
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
Check out my full photo albums for each article at my Flickr account.
Add me and follow along on most social media @pandasodyssey
After many train rides and a number of short, one night stays in cities, we arrived in Zagreb, Croatia where we would stay for 3 days. We were all quite tired from the amount of fast paced travelling we had been doing and so took some advice from our appropriately named hostel (“Chill Out Hostel Zagreb”), and used these days to chill out and get some energy back. We did get to see some of the city and it was beautiful. Plenty of old cobbled streets, beautiful architecture and amazing food. Dublin is an expensive city to live in, so when we arrived in Zagreb and discovered how much cheaper it is than back home, we were delighted! We even strayed from our usual tactic of walking everywhere and splashed out on some taxis. Mental.
Even though we were getting as much rest as we could, it had felt too long since we had done any training and we were going a bit crazy. We grabbed a taxi out to Black Dragon Academy Zagreb. It was open mat for the guys and so we spent the hour after warm ups rolling with high level guys and girls and learning loads in the meantime. As always, everyone was super nice and welcoming. If you’re in Zagreb, be sure to go train with these guys!
When Adam and I decided to register for the World Masters, I instantly felt the usual nervous feeling I get when I am about to compete. I looked at It as it was just another competition, something I had done many times before but this time I was going to be prepping for it in America – what a great place to get ready!!
Whilst we were in San Diego I had to tighten my diet to bring my weight down to my competition weight bracket of 64kgs (whilst wearing my Gi -which Read more
First and most importantly we managed to send home Kobe’s sword he won at NAGA it only cost $130 US dollars postage …….. no more winning swords only medals from now on!!! :(
Kobe and his NAGA sword, that is on its way back to Australia
So our stay in Las Vegas has almost come to an end…. We have some mixed feelings about Vegas. It is everything we thought it would be, bright lights and Read more
We arrived in Frankfurt after two nights in Amsterdam. We spent the first day exploring the city and generally just wandering around. This is usually what we do when we arrive somewhere. Frankfurt is a really cool and interesting place. Most of the city was destroyed during WWII and as a result there is a big mix of old and modern buildings all mashed up together. There is something about the city that stands out as soon as you arrive. Look one way down the street and you see beautiful old buildings and narrow lanes, look the other way and there are huge skyscrapers towering overhead. It’s a weird feeling to say the least.
The second day was training day. We hopped on a train to Offenbach to train with Alliance Jiu-Jitsu.
To say these guys are friendly would be an understatement. From the moment we got to the door everyone was incredibly welcoming. It was a Sunday, which meant it was decided on the day whether they do technique and then roll, or just roll for 2 hours….we rolled for 2 hours and it was awesome. Everyone was genuine and willing to help each other learn. There was a very fun and family-like atmosphere and was the best possible first stop for our trip.
We would highly recommend training with these folks and can’t wait to visit again!
San Diego was a great experience…. We loved everything about it. The Training, Weather, People, Beaches and the overall vibe of San Diego was awesome.
The last couple of days we spent getting some more jiu-jitsu sessions in at Gracie south bay and Victory MMA. We spent some time relaxing it Balboa park and let Kobe and Lilly run around and burn off some energy which they never seem short of. After a clean up of our Airbnb (the kids seem to make it a challenge to see how much mess they can make) we packed our bags and headed off for Las Vegas.
Lilly’s class at Gracie South Bay
Lilly and Kobe with Paulinho and Gabi
Myself and Dee with Tim Mendoza
Now we could have just headed up the I-15 for a straight drive through but we decided to take a bit of a detour through Temecula, Palm Desert and Mojave Desert. This would add about 2hrs onto our drive to take us around 7hrs, something we are used being from Australia is long car trips. When we headed off on Sunday morning the roads were quiet with a light fog all the way to Temecula. From there we headed east to Palm Desert which took us across a section of Mount San Jacinto Park. The views along this section were beautiful as the road winds through the mountains.
Fog between San Diego and Temecula
Lilly and Kobe checking out the view
When coming into Palm Desert we stopped at the Coachella Valley Vista Point and checked out the view. It amazing how quickly the landscape changes here, we headed around to Twenty-Nine Palms to link up with a section of the famous Route 66. Through this section it felt like driving into a scene from the movie “The Hills Have Eyes”. There was nothing to see but desert and rundown abandoned houses and shacks. It seemed as though all the traffic had disappeared and we were almost alone driving through this unforgiving section of the country.
View from the vista point down onto Palm Desert
Mail boxes in the middle of nowhere
Once we hit Route 66 we came along Roy’s a Motel and Café and home to the worst dunny’s I think I have ever seen ha ha ha. We had planned to stop for lunch but this Café doesn’t have a Kitchen so we headed for Mojavi. The drive through Mojavi was very scenic with rocky outcrops, cactus and more cactus. We soon linked back up the I-15 and were heading straight to Vegas.
Better hope you don’t need to use the loo
Mojave Desert
Plenty of this around
Las Vegas just sort of appears out of nowhere in the middle of the desert. The weather was hot and dry like we are used to in Newman. We checked into our Airbnb which is located at the flamingo palms villas. It’s in a central location and the kids were super excited that it has a couple of pools. We then headed to Robert Drysdales gym for training. We have signed up to complete the Masters Worlds camp with them after some good advice from Jamie Morrison a Drysdale Black belt we know from Perth.
One of the other reasons I wanted to train here was to take some NoGi classes with David Avellan, the master behind the Kimura Trap system, something that I have been using for a while now. We have been training there every day since we arrived taking two classes a day. It is great to be part of the camp with this team as we have learned so much on how much work really goes in with these teams before big comps. It’s also not uncommon to see some of the big names training here such as Kit Dale and Frank Mir who are both here preparing for ADCC 2017
David Allevan demonstrating the Kimura Trap system on me
Fellow Aussie Kit Dale with Lilly and Kobe
Lilly loving the NoGi classes
Unfortunately, with all this training my limitations have become apparent with the rib injury. I have had to make the very difficult decision to pull out of the Masters Worlds, in the hope that I can continue to train during the trip and compete later during the journey.
We took the time to visit the Mandalay Bay aquarium in between training which was impressive seeing as it’s in a hotel. The kids loved the lights of all the buildings and Kobe it just itching to get in and play all the “cool games” in the casinos. We have spent hours just checking out the strip, the kids and us loved the fountain show at the Bellagio, It really was amazing!!
Bellagio Fountain Show
The bright lights of Vegas
Dee is still prepping for the Masters and is doing all she can to get ready which includes not eating all the cool food that’s around, to make sure she stays on weight for her division. Kobe and Lilly asked to do the NAGA tournament that was on this weekend after it was mentioned at their class at Drysdales. NAGA do things a little different and allow you to weigh in the night before and also register on the day. We took the kids after training to weigh in and register the night before, Lilly said it made her feel like a UFC fighter, i’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing?
Weighing in the night before
The day started off with a lot of waiting around the same as all grappling comps. NAGA seem to put a lot of effort into the kids and ensuring they have a good time and event provide a second exhibition match if your child loses their first match. Dee had to shoot off to here Women’s Master Worlds camp and I stayed with Lilly and Kobe. We headed to the warm up area and went over a few things and also helped Bella Mir ( Frank’s Daughter) warm up, who the kids and us had got to know well. Both the Lilly and Kobe had outstanding performances and really showed that all this extra training has been paying off with Lilly taking home 3rd in Expert NoGi and a Default 3rd in Expert Gi. Kobe managed to submit his way to winning both Intermediate Gi and NoGi. Now NAGA do things a little different and I now have a Samurai sword that I have to get home that Kobe got for winning his division. Overall the kids had a great time and I’m glad I listened to their constant begging to let them compete.
Lilly warming up with Bella Mir
Friends before and after they step on the mat!
Kobe with his hand raised
Proud of these 2 !!
Next weekend will be Dee’s turn to challenge herself against the best competition she has faced yet at the IBJJF Worlds Masters!
-Woody
Last weeks Vlog
jitzwithwoodys.com/blog Youtube Facebook Instagram-Woody Instagram-Dee BJJ Globetrotters
This is my first blog as my partner Amanda and I took two months away from our regular lives and escape the Australian winter to chase the sun in Europe (Via Thailand and New Zealand) and train Brazilian jiu jitsu!
We have recently returned from our trip and now I will get stuck into writing about it!
A bit about us:
My name James and I am from New Zealand and Amanda is Irish but we both live in Sydney, Australia. Amanda began her training a few months ago while I have been training for several years.
A quick trip home before the journey begins:
The first leg of the trip to Europe involved a quick trip for myself to go back home to Christchurch, New Zealand. Since I had quit my job to go travelling I thought why not take a quick trip home to see some friends and family? The fact that there would be a UFC event only an hour flight away in Auckland also made the decision to pop home an easy one.
While I was home I had the opportunity to visit the new facility of the gym I used to train at before I made the move to Aus. Famous in New Zealand for being one of the toughest MMA gyms in the country, the gym formerly known as Strikeforce had relocated to a larger facility joining forces with a muay thai and a BJJ club named Groundworx.
The first thing I noticed when I walked through the doors of the new gym was how absolutely freezing it was. The temperature did not change when walking inside from outside, in fact I think it got colder! Christchurch in the middle of winter can be a cold place, especially when you have got used to the warm climate in Sydney. The whole reason Amanda and I had decided to go to Europe at this time of the year was to escape Winter, and here I was standing in the middle of a gym in Christchurch with toes that felt like they were about to get frost bite.
One of the great things about jiu jitsu is the friends you make. Being back home I was looking forward to testing myself against one of my old training partners and good friends Anthony. The last time I had trained with him was about a year prior and he mopped the floor with me. I had been training extremely hard in Sydney ever since and I was looking forward to seeing if I had managed to close the gap.
We paired up during the class and after doing some drills it was time to roll. Finally, here it was, time to see if I had bridged the gap compared to the last time we trained together. Time to see if all the hours I had put in over the last year would amount to a more competitive roll with my good friend. I knew he had been training hard too, I knew it was going to be an intense roll – they always were.
Because of the limited space on the mat we started from our knees, we slapped hands, bumped fists, it was time to roll. Anthony fell to his backside, willing to play guard. I pushed ever so slightly on his knee, looking to pass, “here we go” I thought to myself, let’s see if I can pass his guard. Within seconds of me looking to pass we both heard a pop. I immediately backed off as Anthony grabbed his knee in pain. ‘Ah fuck’ I thought to myself.
Anthony’s knee had turned the wrong way and an old injury had been aggravated. I went and grabbed him some ice as he sat on the side of the mat unable to roll. While Anthony iced his knee we both talked about how much we had been looking forward to testing ourselves against one another. Ah well, maybe next year then!
Training in Christchurch, New Zealand with Anthony.
UFC in Auckland
After spending five days or so in Christchurch it was time to head up to Auckland to watch the UFC where New Zealand’s greatest ever athlete Mark Hunt would take on Derrick Lewis in the main event.
As an avid mixed martial arts fan, I was extremely excited about heading to Auckland for a live event. Not only were some of my favourite fighters from New Zealand and Australia competing, but 17 of my friends from Christchurch were making the journey up with me.
The weekend got extremely boozy as it was the first time in many years that this many of us had got together. After a heavy night on the piss the boys were up bright and early extremely excited to watch some hand throwing. For many of them it was their first live UFC experience and the fights lived up to the hype!
The highlight of the card was seeing all the New Zealanders win.
Luke Jumeau from Hamilton impressed in his octagon debut and Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker proved that he belonged in the lightweight division knocking out the durable veteran Ross Pearson with a vicious knee. In the main event Kiwi legend Mark Hunt got the 10th knockout victory of his career when he battered Derrick Lewis.
A great thing about the UFC is the accessibility of its athletes to the fans. During the weekend and after the fights we got to meet a number of the fighters including former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
A few mates and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
After the fights we went to Dan Hooker’s after party where a large number of the Kiwi and Aussie fighters were celebrating. It never ceases to amaze me how much time these guys have for their fans. They are more than willing to have a chat and give an insight to their lives as elite athletes and professional fighters.
Anthony, myself and Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker after he viciously knocked out UFC veteran Ross Pearson.
The weekend up in Auckland ended up being a bit of a whirlwind. While it would have been great to get some training in, there was little chance of that when I had so many friends wanting to get stuck in at the pub.
It was a great weekend away with my mates from high school who had not been together in such numbers for many years.
Myself and Glory kickboxer and future UFC star Israel Adesanya
After a fun filled week back home in New Zealand it was time to head back to Sydney, link back up with Amanda and head to Phuket for a 6 day stop before we head to Europe!
Running JRE at the UFC
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8 weeks ago, I hyperextended my elbow in Serbia. 3 weeks later in Portugal, I jumped on the mat for the first time and something in my knee popped. I finally accepted that I had to stop rushing my recoveries and give my body some time to heal. Otherwise, I may not be able to train at all for the last six months of my world trip.
After only one class at Gracie Barra Benfica-Lisboa, I was out of commission simply because I had bad footing and pressure was out on knee at just the wrong moment. I humbly sat on the sidelines during sparring, limped (ironically across a hospital campus) to the metro, got home and started to RICE. Now I had to figure out how I was going to rehab with my hectic schedule.
While you’re travelling, you want to see and do everything. There is no time to sit on a couch and lick your wounds. This has its benefits and curses.
When you’re at home and hurt, you have a huge chunk of your life and normal schedule thrown off when there’s no BJJ. You get restless at work and wish you could do more than patiently sit on a couch waiting for parts of your body to stop complaining about being bent the wrong way. The lack of schedule and constant new experiences associated with travelling totally negate this restlessness. I may have been slowly getting out of shape but at least I was having fun doing it.
All the fun does take a toll though. If you’ve ever been to Lisbon, you know that anywhere you want to go is at least a 20 minute walk uphill on cobblestone streets… and somehow it’s still uphill on the way back. Not an ideal situation for someone with a knee injury. Also, I couldn’t resist fulfilling a BJJ stereotype by learning to surf. (Now I get to say I learned to surf in the shadow of a castle on Portugal’s coast!) Side trips to Budapest and Vienna were also too good to turn down. The non-stop adventuring and partying definitely added some time to my recovery, but I wouldn’t do anything differently.
Teaching local Portuguese how we celebrate independence day
You can see the giant castle in the background right on the beach
Successful day surfing
After 5 weeks of “taking it easy” I was finally ready to get back in the gym. Penta Gym was recommended to me by Mark Magpusao, a fellow BJJ Globetrotter I met up with in Lisbon. It’s an MMA gym, and the only place to offer the afternoon classes my work schedule demands.
The first day back was amazing. Even though I had minimal MMA training, it felt great to throw a few guillotines and practice the boxing tricks I learned in Thailand. I felt a little ashamed to call it quits when it came to sparring, but they were focusing on kicks and I didn’t need sit out another 5 weeks because I wanted to look tough.
My face after a few kicks and punches. I guess I’m more used to chokes and knee mounts.
I’ve been to a few classes since and I’m ecstatic to be back. The only bad part is I’m learning how terribly my cardio is and my striking game is basically non-existent compared to my training partners. My plan is to keep at it and build my intensity and stamina so I can dominate some rolls next month in Bulgaria!
I hadn’t planned to go to Poland until much later in my trip, but as is the nature of training without a plan, plans change. Initially I had wanted to travel down through Germany and Italy, training my way to Croatia. Leaving everything until the literal last minute in peak season European summer isn’t the smartest way to travel. So I improvised, and after maybe one too many beers, booked a bus ticket to Poland. Well, it wasn’t quite that easy – I actually booked a number of bus tickets after jabbing the ‘purchase’ buttons a number of times while the page lagged.
So, after a few phone calls, emails and profanities I was off to Poland – with just one seat reserved. I’ll gloss over the riveting details of the bus trip, but on a positive note it’s an amazing way to see the countryside. Classic little cottages lining fertile, green farming land. Deer occasionally pop their head above the crops to check out the passing trucks. Crops that backed onto big, dark forests. Some really, really bumpy highway.
And after only nine hours, I was in Krakow, Poland. I wandered through the town using a hastily drawn map in my notepad, passing through a shopping mall that could have been transplanted straight out of suburbia in Australia, straight into a beautiful, classic old town square. A classic contrast between historical, artistic buildings and modern utilitarian buildings. The town was similar in the way it contrasted the ways of modern life with the historical architecture and structures. It was as if any Sydney street had been transplanted straight into a street from a bygone era. Polished cobblestones, looked over by old church bell towers formed the backdrop for young adults who walked along, staring into their smartphones.
After settling into my hostel for the night, I set off to check out some of Krakow’s art scene with a new friend called Orson. A young artist from Sydney’s inner city, Orson had just come back from the Ukraine and had been in Poland for a couple of days. We walked through the Jewish quarter of Krakow, and stopped for a breakfast of traditional Polish pancakes called Racuchy Z Jablkami (RAH-tzook-eh ZEE ya-boo-KAH-me)
Our first stop was the Cricoteka (Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor), a gallery curated by its namesake from beyond the grave. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Kantor formed the Independent Theatre. This theatre held secret and illegal performances during the war, which many credited for helping keep Poland’s theatre and arts thriving during an era of oppression. After the war, he became known for his avant-garde (before it’s time) stage design and performances that immersed the audience within them.
The Gallery’s exhibitions were made from old stage props, and many pieces were created by other artists after Kantor invited many of them to make a piece of art from a stage prop. Prior to his death, Kantor had left strict instructions as to how the gallery should be curated, from the placement of various artists work, down to how the light should hit each work. A truly fascinating gallery that, much like Kantor’s works, invited the viewer into the work to take their own meanings and experiences from the one they were immersed in. The gallery got me thinking about Poland’s rich, but tragic history. So often they became a pawn in the broader geopolitical games of larger neighbouring nations. In the past this had caused great suffering, loss of life and suppression of their culture, but what emerged (or remained) was an intense nationalistic pride. The Poles are so proud of their country in a really positive way, and are always keen to impart some knowledge upon you – on topics from food, to politics or philosophical musings.
From the Cricoteka, we wandered across to MONA, the Polish Modern Art Museum. For me, modern art is usually a bit hit and miss. Usually, I’ll love the concept and the execution of the idea – regardless of how esoteric or left-field it might be. But I struggle with the distinct lack of technical skill displayed in some works. Yes, we all know that it’s meant to elucidate a certain kind of thinking, but I can’t help that we’re having our legs pulled sometimes – or that they’re just displaying lazy thinking.
Thankfully I didn’t have any such thoughts in MONA. All the works showed an incredibly deep level of thinking, and often gave you an “ohh!” moment, through the concept, the way it was executed or both. One particularly powerful work we saw was a short film of a group of neo-nazis on a split screen. On one side, the audience saw what they were seeing – everyday scenes in a number of countries. On the other side, you watched the neo-nazis watching this film and pausing to make observations. It was shocking how nonchalantly they spilled their vitriol. The way that humans are able to dehumanize one and other on the basis of a political ideology is gut wrenching.
From MONA with the ideas presented in the short film fresh in our minds, we wandered across to Schindler’s Factory. This place is essentially a tour through the time leading up to and during the Nazi occupation of Poland, in particular Krawkow. Walking through the exhibition, the political climate of the time is explained and you’re given an insight into life at the time. The insight was grim. The Poles lived through terrible oppression and hardships – this museum served as yet another reminder of a dark period in human history, and as a reminder of the dangers presented by insidious, xenophobic political ideologies.
On our way back to the hostel, we stopped at a small craft beer café that overlooked the river in town. It’s fascinating to have a conversation about art with somebody that’s embedded in the art scene and who readily practices it. It helped me gain a different perspective on a lot of the works, as well as developing the perceptions I had about the day as a whole. This also led into a broader conversation about ideologies and the resilience of the good parts of humanity during tough times.
Auschwitz
I took a bus out to see Auschwitz. This is one of the most confronting places on earth, a visible scar on modern history. The scale of the place is insane and represents evil on a grand scale. The mind boggles at how many people went through the camp – it’s actually really hard to get a proper grasp of the scale of things. It was insane me not only to think about the evil that motivated all of this, but that which existed through the duration of the war. The fact that so many everyday people were complicit in this evil is almost as confronting as the effects of the genocide itself. As confronting as it is, Auschwitz is definitely worth visiting to get a grasp of this period in human history, and to learn from past generations.
Krakow Town
Krakow is dotted with green parks and beautiful old architecture. There was a public holiday when I got to Poland, which saw a giant catholic mass in the main square. The public holiday also meant that there was only limited classes on for a few days, giving me the chance to lace up the running shoes and see more of the city. The out suburbs of the city are fantastic, leafy green and so foreign to towns I’m used to seeing at home. I ran around the perimeter of the old town, along the old fortress walls. During my runs I managed to find an outdoor gym and running track to keep my fitness up while I wasn’t rolling, and work on some new movements and skills.
Polish Cultural Observations
The hostel staff suggested that I check out some of the local eateries. My favourite place to eat was the local Polish style ‘Milk Bar. The food was delicious and filling. Meats, vegetables, potatoes and omelettes. I also enjoyed the concept of a Polish milk bar. They have large cafeteria style tables, forcing different groups of people to sit together and enjoy their meals. Often, you’d be sitting in the midst of a big family, laughing and talking as they broke bread together. I came back to the milk bar a fair few times to eat, not only because the food was delicious but because watching people interact with each other in this environment was fascinating. Where people would usually be closed or segregated from one and other, they instead sat together and made an often private ritual a communal one.
If you haven’t heard about Piogi (Polish dumplings), you’ve been missing out. This was the second highly recommended culinary experience, and it didn’t disappoint me. At 3am after an interesting jaunt in a Polish psy-trance club I tried my first plate of Piogi. This is late night food done right. Fresh dumplings stuffed with a number of different ingredients. Much tastier and more wholesome than a greasy kebab. I navigated my way through the swathes of people riding out the rest of their alcohol high and placed my order, before sitting down at one of the tables to watch the scene unfold. I watched plate after plate of steaming dumplings walk out the door, growing hungrier and hungrier with each plate. Didn’t this bloke understand I hadn’t had any food since before I’d trained, hours before? What was this injustice?
It turns out old mate had forgotten my order, but eventually I got my dumplings and walked home inhaling dumplings like I hadn’t eaten for a week. Worth the wait? Reluctantly, yes. I would have preferred not to wait, though.
The Training
All this talk of art, food and beer. Surely I found some time to train? You bet. I trained at a place called Akademia Fenix, which was roughly a 7km walk from where I was staying. My first visit to the academy involved a somewhat moist trek from the hostel to the gym, arriving just in time for the nogi class. The class itself was awesome, with a big focus on wrestling from the clinch, as well as some defensive options that sequenced into offensive ones.
During the class I actually met four blokes from the U.K. It turns out they were in town for Andreas’ (the groom) wedding. It also turns out that the wedding was the next morning, and that the groom and a lot of his groomsmen were on the mat. I loved the enthusiasm, and they were a great bunch of blokes to boot. I also admire his bravery shooting takedowns and rolling hard the day before the biggest of his life. God forbid he get a black eye for the wedding photos – imagine what the Mrs. would say! A braver man than most.
The sparring rounds at the gym were bunch of fun, with a big focus on the standing grappling, as well as some exploration of leglocks. Eastern European wrestling techniques did not disappoint, the rounds we started from the feet were a grind and we explored some interesting setups, transitions and finishes. I’ve been loving how much stand up wrestling I’ve had the opportunity to do over here, and it was one of my big goals to work on wrestling and judo for BJJ while I am abroad. So far, things are going well. I’m looking forward to settling in one place for a bit longer and dedicating some time to it, and being able to implement these different techniques into my stand up game.
Next, it’s onto Budapest in Hungary! Stay tuned.
It was the first time either of us had been to South America, so we didn’t really know what to expect arriving in Colombia, the first stop on our tour of the continent. We didn’t have as long as we’d liked here, just under a month really, as we had booked a trek on the Inca Trail in advance and had to reach Peru by mid-August – so we had to rush through some places we would have loved to linger in.
BJJ isn’t that developed yet all over Colombia, except for the bigger cities like Medellin and Bogota where you can find more gyms with some great fighters. So we opted to spend half our time exploring the smaller towns in the countryside and the other half in the big cities to train.
Jack, a teammate from Roger Gracie Academy and also a fellow yoga instructor (who has also been teaching Yoga at the most recent BJJ Globetrotter camps!) spent some time in Colombia recently, training BJJ and teaching yoga at MMA Colombia (http://mmacolombia.com.co) in Medellin and gave us plenty of tips and contacts for when we arrived.
The head coach at MMA Colombia, Daniel Nogeuira, a Brazilian from GFT, was very welcoming. He teaches the classes in Portuguese which the Colombians seemed to have no trouble understanding, but I had to rely on my eyes and Alessia to translate what bits she could for me. The techniques were of a good level and some which I hadn’t seen before. I had some great rolls with the guys at MMA Colombia during the times we trained there, especially with Professor Daniel and also Felipe, a blue belt with some absolutely killer skills. Everyone was incredibly friendly and quite a few people could speak English and went out of their way to help us, give us advice and just generally have a chat.
While Medellin is only at 1,500m above sea level, Alessia and I really felt the altitude (combined with the heat) affect our cardio and energy the first couple days training – finding ourselves more lethargic and having a harder time getting enough oxygen into our blood. It was definitely good acclimatization for us though, as we’re going to progressively be traveling and training in higher altitude cities like Cusco in Peru.
On the second day, I got a bout of food poisoning from a street vendor serving delicious fried cheese, which lasted the rest of my time in Medellin (and got quite bad with fever at one point), but I still forced myself to train and see the city each day. I think that continuing to train prolonged the misery, but that’s what I was there for so I had to power through.
Jack also put us in touch with another friend of his, Wilbur Molina, who teaches at several different gyms around the city. We went to one of his classes at a small but friendly gym called Submission Clan (https://www.facebook.com/submission.clan.medellin/). It turned out to be a very intense conditioning class which I was really not prepared for, especially as I was still recovering! Afterwards though, we worked on back-step saddle entries to heel-hooks and kneebars, followed by a few fun rounds of sparring.
Medellin is a lovely city, nestled in a green valley. When we weren’t training we explored downtown with a free walking tour ran by Real City Tours (http://www.realcitytours.com) which was fantastic and gives you a great insight into the culture and history of the city and the people. We also explored Comuna 13, once known as the most dangerous area in Medellin, with Casa Kolacha (http://www.medellingraffititour.com) a community-based hip-hop group seeking to raise awareness and bring opportunities for the Comuna.
Lucky for us, we also happened to be in town for the Féria De Los Flores – the biggest festival of the year. It started over 60 years ago when villagers from Santa Elena would bring flowers to town to sell their flowers, now it is the biggest festival of the year with loads of concerts and events around the city. We were invited to an open mat and MMA exhibition happening as part of the festival – we arrived early, helped set up some of the mats and had a lot of fun rolling outside (luckily it was under some cover!), afterwards we watched some of the MMA exhibition and then went to enjoy the rest of the day listening to live music and tasting the food on offer (me very carefully).
Beyond Medellin, we spent a few days exploring the pretty coastal colonial city of Cartagena. It’s a beautiful city full of colour and music, but also quite touristy in the Old Town area and the beach is pretty grim. We were staying in Getsemani just outside which has a much nicer vibe, with amazing restaurants like Cafe Lunatico where we had the best seafood paella, and every night in the Plaza Trinidad there would be locals dancing, eating and drinking. The heat and humidity was intense though, and the Airbnb in which we were staying happened to have no air conditioning and no windows – it was essentially a sweat box which was often hotter inside than out, and was unbearable to sleep in.
After a few days in Cartagena we left for the beach for some fresh air in Playa Blanca. Playa Blanca is known to travelers as an incredibility beautiful beach with crystal clear waters, that unfortunately has been ruined by tourism and development. It’s often crazily crowded, noisy and often dirty because of the hordes of day-trippers and party-goers from Cartagena, but after they leave it becomes a very peaceful, quiet place in the evening and early morning. We stayed in a cabana right on the beach and enjoyed an incredible sunset.
We also visited Santa Marta and Minca in the North. Santa Marta is a small city which is very popular with a Colombian tourists and also a staging point for backpackers wanting to head to Tayrona National Park. We’d heard that Tayrona was crowded, dirty and a bit of a pain in the ass to get to, so we opted to head into the serene mountains of nearby Minca instead. Minca was only recently opened for tourism, as it was previously too dangerous to go there because of the guerilla groups active in the area. Now it is starting to prosper with a budding tourism industry, with a few small hostels opening up, but it still feels very raw and natural in most places. We stayed at Casas Viejas (https://www.facebook.com/casasviejasminca/), an isolated hostel higher up in the mountains which was quite difficult to get to but with a view that couldn’t be beat. We spent the rest of the time there hiking, swimming in waterfalls and just taking in the quiet.
Seeking a bit more of the outdoors, we spent a few days in San Gil in the East, which is making a name for itself as the adventure sport capital of Colombia. It’s a pretty little town that does not feel overly touched by tourism yet, surrounded by the incredible countryside of the Corcora Valley. We walked the El Camino Real, a 200 year old trail that connects the lovely towns of Barichara and Guane. Afterwards we went rafting in the Rio Suarez on class 5 rapids, where Alessia almost died after our raft capsized on a particular nasty section and she and another girl had to be rescued by the safety kayak a few hundred meters downriver. We also went canyoning, 6 hours of rappelling, jumping off cliffs and navigating rivers in the jungle, all accompanied by the world’s coolest dog Cain who was with us every step of the way.
On Jack’s recommendation we also spent a few days in Guatape, a small lake region with stunning natural beauty just 2 hours from Medellin. The centre point is La Piedra (the rock), an epic stone formation that juts up from the land and has amazing views from the top. The locals in Guatape and nearby El Peñol have historically argued over ownership of the rock, with some locals from Guatape even trying to paint their name in giant letters on the side of the rock to stake their claim (luckily this was halted before they got too far, but there is now a giant ‘GI’ visible on one side!). We went kayaking, climbed the rock and just enjoyed the stillness of the area.
We only got to spend one full day in Bogota before we flew out to Peru. We tried to go training at the Alliance gym there, but luck wasn’t with us – as we left the hostel to take the bus to the gym on the North side of town we saw that all the roads in the area were closed off for Ciclivia Nocturna – a special night where the main streets in La Candelaria are closed to vehicles and everyone cycles. It was also the start of the LitFest (light festival) so we spent the night walking around and enjoying the events and exhibitions instead.
I speak very little Spanish, having only studied it in university 8 years ago, but with my smattering of Italian and French vocabulary I can understand about 25% if they speak slow enough. Luckily for me, Alessia has a much better grasp of the language (although she insists she is just faking it by speaking Italian with a Spanish accent and hoping they understand). I’m hoping to do an intensive Spanish course somewhere soon though to get me a bit more up to speed.
The food has been great, with delicious seafood dishes and ceviche aplenty along the coast. Although for Alessia it’s been a bit difficult in the more inland areas, as away from the coast seafood is not always readily available and culturally the Colombians don’t really understand the concept of not eating meat (fair enough I say!).
While it doesn’t have any world wonders, Colombia is a fantastic little country that has beautiful countryside, lots of history and a great budding Jiu Jitsu scene. Hopefully one day we’ll be back and be able to train more.
Next stop: Peru for some high altitude training.
Instagram: @marcust.bjj @alessiabjj
So this Thursday 19th August we are heading off to Amsterdam to begin our interrail adventure. There are four of us going; myself, Aaron, and two other lads (both named Cian). One of the Cians trains regularly with us and the other has trained a handful of times. While we are travelling we’re hoping to train in every city that we visit. Our travel itinerary is not exactly set in stone as we usually just like to go with the flow, but the cities that we are hitting up include Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zurich, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Budapest, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, and Bremen. We’ve done a bit of research into gyms that we would like to pop into, but any recommendations are more than welcome! One gym that we will definitely be visiting is the Jungle BJJ HQ in Prague. We can’t pass up the opportunity to train there!
Throughout our trip I’ll be posting updates on how everything is going, I’m excited to visit all these new places, make some friends along the way, and share it all with the Globetrotters community!
