June 23 – Fun & Cultural Experiences

The team took about an eight-hour bus drive from Osinski to Berdsk. The bus drive was a bit hairy at times. I think we will all be glad when we get back to the states and can deal with safe drivers again. The bus stopped about three hours in at a place that had roadside stands for food, and we ate our favorite food of kabobs. They seem to eat and sell them like we do hamburgers in the US.

The team is staying at a sanatorium in Berdsk.  It’s by far the nicest place we have stayed so far.  It’s also a short walk to a body of water they call the sea but it’s actually a reservoir on the Ob River.   It is a pretty area and about a ten-minute drive to the city center.  The team had two workouts again today. Everyone was tired from the bus ride so it was fairly light workouts. The training situation in Berdsk was the most disappointing we have had.  The facility has one mat and had only about ten wrestlers training.  Following the evening workout, our hosts took us out on a huge boat on the Ob. After driving around, the boat docked on an island where we had a cookout with kabobs. It was a real nice event and the hosts did a great job. They also celebrated the United States World Cup win in soccer today with us. One of the more unique things is that it stays very light out until about 11 PM and the sun comes up before 4 AM. Everyone here believes that the Medved brothers have taken in the culture the most.  They also eat all the unique foods we are served. We will have a training session in the morning and then a competition tomorrow night. They are supposed to have a team here from Kazakhstan for our match. We are hopeful that will happen.  Thank you for reading and remember to check out the new photos.