“There’s a dojo that I’ve been hearing about in Manaus, Brazil, Cia Amazonense Jiu-Jitsu,” Zach replied. “Here’s a perfect excuse for me to not be here and go there for some training.”
“But isn’t wrestling your strong suit?” Krista asked.
“Yes, but American collegiate wrestling,” Zach replied. “Any good brown or black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu would beat me in a straight wrestling match. If my ground game were just a bit better, I’d be even more dangerous.”
“I hope they teach defense,” Krista said.
“It’s all about defense and submissions,” Zach explained.
“I know,” Krista said. “But where would you live?”
“The cost of living there is about 25% what it is here,” Zach replied. “And Manaus is in the middle of the Amazon, literally. It’s sort of an old west kind of place that’s growing up. It’s 180 miles south of the equator, so the weather is the same 365 days a year. It is situated just west of where the Solimoes and Negro rivers meet and join to form the Amazon River. I’m sure that the dojo would be able to help, especially if they knew I was coming to train for an extended period of time.”
“Okay, so we’re going to Brazil,” Krista said. “When do we leave?”
“What, just like that?” Zach asked.
“You’re my assignment,” Krista replied. “This will actually make the story even better, showing the depths to which you’re willing to go for even incremental improvement and doing it while recovering from a knockout concussion. Mr. Johnson will love it. I might even be able to get him to spring for the flight tickets.
Not only did Mr. Johnson love the idea, he offered to finance everything, from the flights to rent to living expenses, giving Zach the same $1, 000 a week that he was paying Krista.
When they finally landed at Manaus’ Eduardo Gomes International Airport almost three weeks later, they were greeted by a blast furnace of heat and 80% humidity as they stepped off the plane at 2:00 in the afternoon.
“That must be Rui,” Zach said, pointing to the sign with his name on it being held by a powerfully built black man. “I’m Zach,” he said, introducing himself and holding out a hand.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Rui said in a mellifluous basso.
“I’m Krista, his business partner,” she introduced herself, extending her hand.
“Voce e muito bonita,” Rui said, taking her hand and bending over to softly kiss the back of it.
“Obrigada,” Krista replied, shocking him.
“You speak Portuguese?” Rui asked.
“Enough to keep you honest,” Krista replied.
“I apologize in advance for the comments that I know some people will make,” Rui said as he led them from the airport. “This is Brazil, the back country, the headwaters of the Amazon, and people speak their minds rather freely. And you are very beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Krista said, smiling.
“What would you like to do first?” Rui asked.
“See the dojo,” Zach replied.
“Find a nice cold beer,” Krista said at the same time.
“Dojo first,” Zach said, “then a beer.”
The dojo met with Zach’s approval, the people he saw working out focused and serious. He looked forward to getting started working out and learning. Rui then took them to Beer’s & Beer, a local legend with over 300 beers and ales on their menu only a few blocks away. They opted for different versions of a Roleta Russa IPA which was brewed locally.
“Right where we’re sitting, Manaus is like any other modern city,” Rui explained. “But that’s all a facade when it comes to Manaus. This is the wild, wild west of Brazil. We border Venezuela, Columbia, and Peru. There’s all sorts of illegal mining of gold and gems deep in the Amazon, not to mention drugs, especially cocaine. And one way or the other, whether physically, organizationally, or economically, they all go through Manaus. Which makes this a very dangerous place, especially away from places like this, areas like this, or at night anywhere, especially if you are a woman. Even more if you are a very beautiful woman. The east side of the city is dangerous for anyone at any time. I don’t willingly go there by myself. The police will only go in teams.”
“Manaus is the number 3 city for crime in Brazil,” Rui continued, “and number 1 for unsolved murders. Life is very cheap here. We will give you both dojo jackets that will give you a great deal of protection if you wear them when you are out. Nobody local will mess with anyone wearing one of our dojo jackets unless they have a death wish. I know your reputation and MMA record. Unless you are trained in fighting against people who will have knives or guns, that will be of little use.”
“It sounds like a nightmare,” Krista said.
“For some, that’s exactly what it ends up being,” Rui agreed. “But you will be part of our dojo family while you are here training, so you shouldn’t have any problem.”
“I want to focus on my training,” Zach said. “As much as my body can take, I want to work.”
“And what will you be doing during all of this training, Krista?” Rui asked, eyeing her.
“Watching him train,” Krista replied. “My job is to document his life, especially with respect to his MMA endeavors. I have to live it with him to understand it and I have to understand it to convey it in the documentary that I’m doing.”
“I did not realize… I arranged an apartment close by the dojo as you requested, but it only has one bedroom,” Rui said. “It will take me a couple of hours, but I’m sure that I can find one with two bedrooms.”
“One bedroom is perfect,” Krista said.
“Ahh!” Rui said, nodding.
“We may share a bed, but I am not his woman,” Krista said, reading his reaction. “It just makes things… well, it’s more fun that way. I have no hold on him, I only want to document his life. Actually, a love interest would make my job easier. People love that angle.”
“I’ve known her for a month and I still don’t get it,” Zach said to Rui, seeing the confusion that he still felt at times.
“Ela e gostosa,” Rui muttered beneath his breath.
“There’s only way to find out,” Krista said with a laugh as Rui flushed. “He thinks that I’m hot,” she explained to Zach.
“If that’s what he thinks, then he’s underestimating you,” Zach said with a laugh, draining his beer. “Let’s see this apartment now.”
“Well, it’s certainly a step up from what you had in the States,” Krista observed. “It actually has a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. There’s even a balcony with a view of the river.”
“It has air conditioning, too,” Rui said. “It can be very difficult here without air conditioning if you’re not used to our temperatures and humidity. We’re moving into the hot season, so it’ll be 40C — that’s about 100F — pretty much every day. It always cools off a bit during the night, mostly because of the river, the Rio Negro, the black river.”
“This will be perfect,” Zach said.
“There are many little family groceries all over the place, as well as street food and restaurants, all price ranges and types,” Rui explained. “You won’t have any trouble finding food at any time of the day or night. Drink only bottled water that you open yourself. That’s really important. If you’re going to cook, I’d use bottled water, too. The tap water is okay for washing and things, but you don’t want it in your body.”