The amazing around-the-world burger project: Istanbul, Turkey
The burger in Istanbul was a two stripe white belt. I was really eager to spar, so in the heat of the moment, I almost promoted it to blue belt. Light weight with no competition experience. Buys lots of instructional DVDs online, but never watches them. They are on display in the living room for any curious friends that might come by of course.
Istanbul in 24 hours
Last time I talked to Burak about coming to Istanbul for a day, was back in the beginning of December. I emailed him yesterday, and luckily he didn’t forget that I was coming :) It is snowing a lot here, it almost feels like Moldova or Denmark.
I spend the day together with him and Ertan, who is a promising upcoming MMA fighter. Basically, I joined in on a typical day of being a full time professional fighter. This included classics such as playstation, working out in luxury fitness gym, eating rice with chicken, drinking coffee and training Jiu Jitsu. They are going all in on MMA and it seems like they have a really professional approach to it.
Their gym (Corvos) is brand new and super nice, even though the mat area is a little small. It is one of the best looking (and smelling) gyms I have been to so far (my own is better looking, of course ;)). I taught a class on guard passing, but had to skip the sparring. My knee is still not ready for that, but it is getting better day by day I think. Good group there and nice facilities. A few really high level guys in between. Too bad I couldn’t join :-/
Istanbul visit was short, but nice. Tomorrow, I am leaving for India. It will be five hectic days in Mumbai and Nashik, but I am looking forward to it :)
The Turkish wrestlers
Today, I had the honor of watching a small wrestling class at the university. I met with the wrestling coach yesterday and he invited me to come train with them today. I was really bummed that I couldn’t do it because of my bad knee, but promised to come by and say hi.
Apparently, the same guys are also doing Turkish oil wrestling. It would have been SO cool to try that, what a perfect experience for my trip. It would have to wait unfortunately.
Their wrestling was very impressive. They are proud of what they do, and with good reason, I really hope I get the chance to train with some wrestlers another time on my trip (if you are wrestling anywhere in the world and reading this, please email me :)
The coach gave me a turkish national wrestling team singlet as a present. I was really honored, he must have worked hard to achieve that. It will definitely be put on the wall in my gym at home.
The amazing around-the-world burger project: North Cyprus
In North Cyprus, international companies like McDonalds and Burger King are not allowed to franchise. So they make a similar looking place with the same colors and a menu that assembles their normal one. They also change the names, so they are called “BigMac” and “Burger City”.
Since it was difficult to find an original Cyprus burger, I figured that the local Burger King knockoff would do.
The burger from Burger City was a three stripe white belt. It had trained for about a year and competed once. It had a good closed guard, but passing game was still lacking. It competed in lightweight with it’s two fat friends from school, Coke and Fries, cheering on the sideline. Blue belt is around the corner, but still takes some work to achieve!
Last training in Cyprus
Tonight was my last training in Cyprus. I promoted some of the guys (and girl :)) with stripes on their white belts. They are beginners and have no instructors, but really have a passion for learning and are working hard. I am looking forward to come back another time and I am sure they will be blue belt level then.
Since my knee still hurt, I skipped sparring myself. One day of doing nothing is always terrible for me, so I found a weight room in the University and did a workout there. It was full of machines and had virtually no free weights. There was a lot of people there, but I had the pull up bar, dip rack and barbells to myself luckily :) It was nice to do a workout, I really miss that from home. Also, I was reminded how lucky I am to have such good facilities and friends to train with there.
I hate this knee :-(
This morning in the shower, I took a step to the side and felt pain in my meniscus injury that I have been struggling with since two weeks before the trip.
I am sure it comes from sparring last night, where I rolled with every person on class. They were total beginners most of them and they went all in to try and beat me. Looking back it was probably a bad idea to do that, since they were really pushing and pulling my legs a lot, putting pressure on my knee. At one point, I was in mount with my feet grapewined and my partner kicked his legs out, twisting my knee. I think that was what probably annoyed my meniscus a bit. I should have put ice on it after training even though I didn’t feel anything. I guess I almost forgot about the knee problems for a while, but was certainly reminded today.
I will rest for 3-4 days and hopefully it will be good again. Crossing my fingers!!
The old Roman wrestling hall and bathhouse
Yesterday, I visited an abandoned sports hall, just like the Soviet one in Burlacu in Moldova. This one was just a bit more fancy and a bit older.
The ruins of a Roman bathhouse had revealed an enormous sports area, where wrestlers of ancient time would compete. It was surrounded by tall pillars and accompanied by a wast complex of bath and massage rooms. Here, the wrestlers would prepare themselves before the matches and the spectators could hang out and chat.
It was a really impressive structure and not hard to imagine, how beautiful it must have been. The walls had been all marble and a wooden ceiling had covered the many square meters of halls and baths. Remains of amazing paintings were on the walls and tall statues of ancient gods next to the walls.
Imagine having a gym like that! :)
The ghost town
In 1974, Cyprus was divided in two between the Cypriots and the Turks. Right in the border zone is the old Farmagusta city, which today is controlled by the UN. When the Turks came, the inhabitants of the city fled to the south, leaving everything behind. They assumed that they could come back a few days later. 27 years have passed since then, and the city is still completely empty. It is a no man’s land between the two political enemies.
When I heard about this first, I thought it was maybe a little village or something. I was pretty stunned when I saw that it was a enormous city, spanning a wide, sandy beach, that must be several kilometers wide. All the buildings you can see in the photos below are abandoned. It could be a big tourist magnet if it was reopened, but so far, it has been untouched for almost 30 years.
It was not allowed to take photos of the city. Guards are standing in watchtowers, blowing their whistles every time someone tries. I managed to play stupid tourist and get a few though ;)
The Jiu Jitsu Jesus
I LOL’ed :)
http://vampiresandbrownbears.blogspot.com/2011/03/jiu-jitsu-jesus-and-me.html
First Cyprus trainings are in the books
This afternoon, I had our first training here in Farmagusta, Cyprus. Most of the guys were in school, so we were only a small group, which suited me fine.
AcademyCyprus is the first and, so far, only BJJ gym on the Island. Selman and his wife has started it without any instruction, but what they have been able to find on the internet. So the gym is really just taking it’s baby steps with the instructors being beginners themselves. It is interesting to be here and help them out a bit, sharing my experience both in regards of teaching and in how to build up a gym from bottom.
The island is an interesting place with an interesting history. We went for a bit of sightseeing today to the beach, ancient roman ruins of a wrestling hall / bathhouse (awesome, will post more about that later), a giant ghost town (scary!) and the (really) old town.
In the evening, we had a larger group. Most of them were beginners, some of them even had their first class there, so it was a little challenge to make everything work. We did lots of sparring (=I sparred with everyone, phew) in the end, and I think all the participants enjoyed that though.
Goodbye Ankara, good evening Cyprus
I am now in the airport, waiting to fly to Cyprus. Ankara have been a really good experience for me, it was different than I expected, in a good way. Eren have taken really good care of me, and it has been a real pleasure to see a gym in it’s very early stage and be able to share some of my experiences on that field. I wish him and the guys the best for the project. I have had a lot of good experiences in Ankara, and is happy I decided to go there.
In Cyprus, it will be a similar story. They have a training group running with no help from any instructors from the outside. A few seminars and the internet is all. I am looking forward to meet them and hopefully help them a little bit with the project.
And also, the weather there should be a bit warmer. It is soon time to ship home my winter jacket!
The amazing around-the-world burger project: Ankara, Turkey
Finding a burger in Turkey was a little bit difficult. Mostly because all the other food was so good, that I didn’t feel like eating hamburgers. I had to stick to my project though and today, me and Eren went to a place someone had recommended to him.
Even before I got the burger, I was impressed by the awesome name of the restaurant. The burger itself had solid game. It was a blue belt one stripe. Still so new to BJJ, that wearing all the right brands of fight wear seems Ike one of the most important parts of training. It had a good overall game with a few signature moves it could pull off even on higher belts. These included special onions and some nice spicy sauce. Weight class wise it was a light heavyweight, tough to roll with. After sparring with this in class, you know you are going to just crash and sleep when you get back home on the couch.
Location:İç-Dış Hatlar Geliş,,Turkey
Today, I ate an intestine sandwich.
Like traveling, where I want to go strange/dangerous/unknown places, meet locals and stay far away from tourist areas, I don’t mind living life on the edge when it comes to trying new food. At least I’ll taste it and see how it is. So today I had an intestine sandwich. It was chopped up, fried intestines in a piece of bread.
I was a little scared at first when Eren told me about it, but I am glad I tried it, cause it tasted really good. I would definitely eat more intestine sandwiches if I could get them at home :D Unfortunately, it tasted so good that I had eaten it before I thought about taking a picture of it :)
More training with the unknown Turkish Machado brother
Did two trainings in Ankara today, then spend the rest of the day looking for postcards (failed) and eating good food :)
The group today was small, but I don’t mind. I think I could still have an influence on their game and hopefully inspire them a bit. In the evening I did a training session alone with Eren. It stuck me today, that he could totally pull off being a lost brother of the Machado family. A little work on the accent and he can fool anyone. We rolled for an hour or so and did a little physical training afterwards.
I miss doing all the workouts with my friends at home. I feel like I am quickly getting out of shape and loosing strength, but i guess that is the nature of a trip like this.
My knee has been feeling quite good. A little bit sore after the training yesterday, but almost nothing today. Rolling for an hour two days in a row with Eren, who is a 100 kg technical purple belt is the ultimate test for my knee, and it has passed so far :)
Food tonight, then a class tomorrow and then I head on to Cyprus!
Ankara Castle
On top of a hill in Ankara is the old city castle. The construction itself was interesting, but what captured my eye more, was the surrounding ancient city and the panoramic views of the city. In western Europe, a tourist attraction like this would be wiped clean of anything or anyone that is poor and dirty. This place seemed like it was exactly as it had been for centuries.
Kids playing in the narrow streets. Houses almost falling apart, but still with smoke coming out of the little chimneys, witnessing that someone still live in them. There was a distinct smell of firewood being burned to keep people warm behind the old walls.
Walking onto the castle building itself, there were no fences or anything to keep the tourists from falling down the 50-100 meters straight drop below. It was certainly not a place for anyone afraid of heights. The view over the city was incredible. The setting sun lit up a whole hillside of slum houses, revealing a huge area of poor peoples homes. Right next to it was a modern looking building complex. The contrast was pretty stunning.
Training in Ankara and best kebab ever
I arrived in Ankara last night. Eren, who is running the only BJJ gym in town, picked me up from the airport. He is a lone purple belt in a place, where BJJ hasn’t really picked up yet.
Today, we trained in the afternoon just him and I, and in the evening, we had a small class with a few guys from the gym. Eren is a big guy and has a solid game. The gym is nice and the guys training there have a good base, so I really think he can start something good here with time, work and patience. It is interesting for me to see a gym in it’s very beginning, and I am happy to be able to share some of my own experiences as gym owner with him to give him a little push in the right direction.
He showed me around town a bit. We went to the Ankara Castle, which was very cool. I will post some photos from there a little later. We also had, what was so far the best kebab I’ve ever had. Gotta get back there tomorrow I think :D The weather is a bit warmer than in Moldova. Don’t need my hoodie under the jacket here :)
So far Turkey has been great! Looking forward to more training tomorrow and also to visit both Cyprus and Istanbul next.
Robert McMasters – not your average tour guide
Sitting in Turkey, I am thinking back on the last week, that I have spent with Robert. I don’t think I have yet processed completely, how good and important an experience this part of the trip have been. Both for my travels and for myself. Robert went out of his way to help me, a complete stranger, to discover an area, almost no one gets to experience.
Having visited these places, I wonder how the rest of the trip can top what I have experienced and felt here. It has definitely changed my view on how I will travel from now on. I need to stay focused on getting out and see the real world. Not just the big cities, which are often nothing but variations of the western world I come from and already know. It will be difficult to find ways to see these places, but I’ll do my best. I need to find more Roberts out there :)
He took a week out of his calendar to show me around three countries and five cities and expected nothing back. Before that, he – like his wife Amanda – took years out of his calendar to work with kids in a village far away from the world you and I live in. It is really inspiring when someone spends so much of their ressources on helping others. It makes me think, that I should focus more on doing the same. What have you done today to help someone else?
If you feel like taking the same trip as me, I have promised Robert to say that he is willing to show anyone around if they come. The blog post about the kids in the village is slowly moving down the page to the point where it will eventually be forgotten. The kids are not going anywhere though, and would love another visit. Just contact me and I’ll get you in touch with him.
If there were more people like Robert and Amanda, the world would definitely be a better place.
The amazing around-the-world hamburger project: Transnistria
“We don’t have hamburger in Transnistria”, Andrei said with a heavy Russian accent. Robert had met him through couch surfing a while back and stayed in his apartment. My mission seemed impossible.
As we walked up and down the main street, we passed by Lenin statues, tanks and war monuments, but no Transnistrian hamburger joints.
We ended up in “Andy’s Pizza”, which is a Moldovan chain of restaurants, so it doesn’t really count, but it was the best I could do. Hamburgers were never a big hit in the USSR, I guess.
Andy’s hamburger cost me around two dollars. It was a white belt in the light weight division. It knew a few sweeps, but still hadn’t pulled any submissions off in sparring. It was wearing a gi from traditional training and it looked a little awkward. Still much to learn for this beginner.
Transnistria, a fake country.
Yesterday, we took the bus to Transnistria. It is not recognized by the UN, but has it’s own border posts, military and so. It was a little scary to go through the border, the guards looked very serious.
There wasn’t much to see, but it was interesting to be in a country that is so strongly influenced by Russia. The closest I’ll get to the old USSR on this trip.
Chisinau Quickie
Me and Robert had been riding the bus from Burlacu to Chisinau from early morning to around noon. We were meeting up with some traditional Jiu Jitsu guys. I really didn’t know what was arranged for me there, so I was a little surprised, that I had two seminars scheduled the first day. One only an hour after I arrived, and one in the evening. The late seminar was in a big, old wrestling hall. They had invited 100 people and even printed tshirts for the event. Kind of took me by surprise, but since I am on a quest for adventure, I don’t mind surprises, so I took the challenge :)
The seminar in the old, soviet wrestling hall was really cool. I didn’t teach any technique, but did some different drills and games instead. I have never before seen so many people play Jiu Jitsu Virus, it was chaos lol There was lots of cool kids there too, it was really awesome to train with them. All the training had to be translated to Russian, so took some time to explain every drill, but worked out ok.
I did about an hour or so of sparring with the guys. I miss all the sparring I usually do with my friends at home, so it was nice to get some work done :)
Thanks to the guys in Chisinau for taking care of me and Robert!
The abandoned sports hall in Burlacu
It seemed like the Soviet union had big plans for the small village of Burlacu. A wine factory and a house of culture had been build. The post office was the size of a palace, but only one small room the size of a living room was being used now. Several places around the village, building projects had been started, but when the Soviet fell, the work stopped. They still stand there, half done.
The most fascinating to me though, was the old, abandoned sports hall. In the the 80s, it was a thriving place with sports events and training going on all the time. One of the locals told me, there had been wrestling competitions and many tough boxing matches. He had played soccer there himself as a kid. When the union fell, the funding ended, and the building was left to fall apart. People of the village took whatever they could use from it. Today, only the ruins are left, of what must have been a magnificent place.
There are no locks on the doors and no glass in the windows. Walking into the entrance hall, it struck me, how beautiful it must have been back then. The walls are white and blue. Most of the paint have fallen off now. First are the locker rooms. So many athletes must have waited in these small rooms, before going into the hall to perform. There are four rooms, two for the home team and two for the away team.
Walking from the locker rooms, a small corridor is going into the hall itself. When I first walked this way, I could imagine how it must have been for the wrestlers, boxers and gymnasts doing the same. Nervous. Anxious. Listening to the sound of the audience inside the hall ahead.
Entering the hall, the first thing one sees is the light coming through the enormous windows on the opposite wall. The light must have filled the room beautifully. Above is the the spectator balcony with people cheering for the athletes. On one wall is written “Raise high the flag of sport” and on the other, the Olympic rings and motto “Faster, higher, stronger”.
So many dreams of young athletes must have been dreamt in this building. Dreams of reaching the top, becoming the best they could. Making their families and country proud. Standing there, was a very special thing to me. Closing my eyes, I could see how it must have looked. It was not hard to imagine the tense atmosphere, before a big game or match.
Today, there is nothing. The silence is stunning. The wind is blowing gently through the big windows, carrying a few snowflakes with it. A tree is growing in one corner. The wooden floor has probably been used for firewood many years ago. There are no more breathtaking seconds of victory and defeat here. No more dreams.
