Day One - Rio De Janeiro Trip

The Roof Top Of My Hotel - Marina Palace Hotel - Leblon, Rio

In Front Of The Leblon Shopping Centre

That Brazilian Sexyfineness Y'all Been Hearin' Bout...

This AIN'T IT!
A Shame I Didn't Know Enough Portuguese To Say: "Hail To Tha Naw!"

On The 767 From MIA To Rio
Yeah I Was Happy Until My Ribs Started Kickin My Ass!

Another View From The Hotel Top Looks Just Like This From My Room! You Are Seeing Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana Beaches Here

The Jogging Is Nice On The Beach

Weight: No frickin idea but I am sure I've gained a bit b/c I'm eating constantly...

The Photobucket Slideshow (about 100 pictures..and im too damned lazy to write captions on all of em so just ask what everything is if u wanna know!) will be up sometime late tonight or earlier tomorrow...its taking FOREVER to get it uploaded!


OK...I KNOW I will forget something...So I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off...But I get tot he airport about 1hr and 45min ahead of time...Get in through security smoothly and even get to the gate and get an upgrade to 1st class on the N.O. to MIA segment of the trip for me and Jon (The Black Belt from my school I am traveling with)...We are to go from DFW to N.O. to MIA to Rio...
They call our flight...We get in line for the flight to N.O. ...Here goes...First ten minutes then thirty then an announcement that they don't know when they can have the valve on the plane replaced (they'd called to see if they can take off without fixing it!!!)..I go to the desk and let them know we won't make the connecting flight to MIA if we don't get reassigned...We do so, and it gives us about an extra hour and 20 minutes or so past the time we were supposed to leave, but b/c it is a straight DFW to MIA flight, we will stil be on time!!!...They put in the request to move our bags...We go to get some BBQ Brisket, mashed potatoes and corn with sweet tea...then off the gate....
We get to the gate, ask if our bags were transferred...The lady tells us yes they had plenty of time to make it and to check in MIA...We get on the plane...B/C we got upgraded we r in first class..I wanted a window seat which I had on the other flight, but got an aisle...So I promptly sat in the window seat and end up sitting next to this bleached blonde lady (Sarah) with a white bichon-frise dog...I could tell this even before she spoke (from quite some distance away) that she had probably consumed a bottle or two of Jack Daniels...Looks like a decent enough lady...tells me she's 33 but looks 53...and has like 21 1/4 short stubbly gray beard hairs pokin out the left side of her jawline...She sits down, I ask politely if I am in her seat (knowing damned well I am!) and she says "I don't mind if you stay there as long as you don't mind my dog being out...and takes him out and hides him under her blanket in the seat next to her...Over the next couple hours...I am heavily being persuaded to drink with her, attempting not to be full force in the way of her breath that by then smelt (yes I said smelt) like wet garbage fermenting in the dallas sun, and finding out that she was off to Miami to buy a house, had bought houses in new orleans and newport beach and that she could obviously not get the hang of not screaming dumb sit at the top of her lungs because she had the damned earphones in...Then crying because she was moved by her starting a new life in a new home in Miami....(really moved by the white wine and cocktails she had on the plane, plus whatever the hell it was she had before she got on!!)...On top of that, we were on a 757 from the 1970s which had something outside on it that created a hum that many passengers said was reminiscent of a crop duster....
Well we make it there to Miami and I honestly had a very nice layover there...Got time to relax, walk around, notify everyone I was ok, and spend some time just sittin and talkin....
My next Single serving friend was Heidi...Met on the plane to Rio...We get on the plane and I am seated right behind another gentleman who got reassigned so as to make the flight to Rio on time...Apparently he had a lot of beans, buttermilk, and soda b/c the gaseous emissions were retched...Heidi told me of her trips...she'd just come from kenya and is on her way to Rio to do more study for her PhD in Public Administrations...funny thing is I could not get over, that she spoke in fit and starts...even when sleeping but especially in the in between times, I SWEAR she had to be a stunt double for the woman in Deuce Bigalow's movie that was narcoleptic...she would fall side to side with her head and even bumped into a passenger walking by to the restroom...THAT was some funny shit...Other things of note on that plane was we had a flight attendant that resembled Mr. Clean ...and the pilot was doing like 5mph on taxi out to take off and in from landing..it honestly took us 20 minutes to taxi in after landing here in Rio...
Getting in to the airport, we had to get scanned but didn't get searched and went to get baggage....uhhh
NOPE...NADA...NONE...
Apparently they LEFT it on the original plane, which got to N.O. NOT in time to get the transfer to the plane to MIA...so we SHOULD have it in the morning....Seeing how I compete tomorrow...this is NOT what I needed to hear...plus, some meds I need for these fuckin ribs are in there...:( ...We make our claim then ride to the hotel....Very nice taxi driver named Beto...Damn I shoulda taken a picture of Beto...But he slowed down for us to get pictures of all the landmarks...We get to the hotel with just our carry on bags and are told the room isn't ready...Anyways it is great because it is RIGHT across the street from the beach...we walk out..cross the street and hit sand...To the right you can see the Sugarloaf...and all the way down to the left of the hotel are the ipanema and copacabana beaches...So we go off for Jon to get some shorts from the mall...Then we come back to the hotel and go up to the rooftop pool and viewing area! This shit is marvelous...We took some real nice pictures and as soon as I can have the pics up...I will...Well we went off to have some food once we finally got to the room...The room has two SINGLE FUCKING BEDS!!! What the hell I'mma do tryna sleep in a single bed??? They have about 3 english speaking channels...The view though is the shit...We can SEE up and down the beach from the room...and even though we are on the 23rd floor the ocean pounding on the beach sounds like it is pouring down rain...THAT is how close we are!!!...We went out and Jon had a surfing lesson...the waves are like 10feet tall and close in succession...He wasn't successful yet but he is going back tomorrow..the water was cool but not cold...I am gonna try probably sunday or monday so as to save my body from the beating for the tournament...We went out later to a place called Nik's Sushi in Ipanema (Make sure you go and ask for Nina! She speaks english and remembered Jon from last time he was here!) The Salmon and Beef off the grill was tight....Now I'm back in the room and can look back on the day, and see that 75-80 degree weather, where folks are actually in the water kickin it in "winter" in a place with as beautiful people and culture as this is amazing..I can not wait until tomorrow to compete...Oh and for all the guys who ask...YES, the women ARE like that down here...No pictures yet of that...
As for me...my knees and hips are creaky and stiff as hell...all that flying, no meds and a lot of walking around...The cartilage and muscle pull in my side as well as the cracked floating rib that hurts in back is flaring up again...all those hours on planes (over 12) have and are taking their toll...I am starting to worry whether or not being added tot he weight class and absolute divisions with the young guys in the Rio Open is a smart idea...Man the spirit is willing but the body is weak as hell...I am hoping to have my things in the morning and HOPE to get some good rest as well as taking some pain meds tonight...If all else fails I will have to buy a GI or borrow one from a teammate (only one I can think of that I know from down here that would be able to fit if I have to borrow and cant buy one) , and I have these Lidocaine Patches from my pain mgmt doctor that I can plaster along my side and on my chest...The crack in my rib/sternum area only bothers me with direct pressure...The other things bother me with twisting core movements...I just hope not to look stupid and embarrass everyone back at home...I'd like to at least have a good showing to uphold jiu-jitsu where I'm from....There's probably a LOT I have missed ...sorry but I'm trying to do this and to upload about 100 pictures to photobucket at the same time...As well as trying not to keep tweaking my ribs...We will see how it goes...You know me....I fight on...