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Just returned from a trip to Brazil w/ Kite adventures and it was SUPER SICK!! endless down winders ,warm water, super cool people and great food.Checked out a great new kite from Carved.They are a German kite company and make a bomber kite.Check them out at www.carved.de I will post more info and photos on the trip after I get my camera dialed in.

Sweet. That looks like a sick trip! How was the wind? Was it solid? Brasil looks amazing for kiting. I must add you are fully addicted to be doing kite trips. I know becuase I'm getting ready to do my 2nd kite trip this winter. ha ha!

I can't wait to see pictures!

-Bobby

Rode 10,9 and 7 meter kites. Wind was 20-35 knots and smooth,water 80 degrees.

Hello Curt,

So how is the Brasil health care system? Was it tested by any of our friends?

Z.

Nice. Small kites!

JG, you okay?

Hi Everyone.

I am okay. I broke my right leg fibula bone all the way through while kiting near Jericoacoara in Brazil. It was after 7 straight days of awesome kiting in incredible wind every single day, nice long downwinders in the ocean, lagoon kiting, 5 to 6 hours of kiting each day, incredible scenery and nice people, nice sandy beaches, no sea varmits to worry about :), etc.

The Kite Adventures trip was incredible and I would highly recommend it to everyone. Jessie, Dave, and Alberto made this the best trip I have been on. Everything was very well planned and stress free and they took care of everything. It was also very good to have Alberto around when I broke my leg. He is awesome and ensured that I got the medical care I needed, and his knowing Portuguese and English very well made everything go as smooth as possible.

I was kiting on my 10m Torch 3 kite in the ocean in close to 20 to 25mph winds and went for a very powered full large radius kite loop as the wind unexpectedly quickly ramped up. I got launched pretty high with very fast scary forward speed into a wave and my kite didn't quite make it back up on the upstroke to soften my landing. I plowed into the wave and broke my Agression board in half under my right foot. As I was spotting my landing, I saw my right foot bend up with my leg and with the board and heard a loud noise (not sure if it was the board breaking or my leg bone breaking).

I have to wear a cast from my toes to just below my knee for 2 weeks and then I should be in a walking cast for 2 to 4 more weeks and then back to kiting after a couple of weeks of rehab.

The health care system is quite a bit different than what we have in the U.S. We first stopped at a village clinic about an hour from the injury site and they took an x-ray. There was no charge at all for the service. We then decided based on the x-ray to go to the hospital in Fortaleza (a 4 hour drive). Once there, we stopped at the first clinic and the doctor appeared drunk, so we headed to the next one. The next one was very nice and professional. We talked to the doctor, they x-rayed it again, and put on a splint. The total charge was about $200 USD.

The good thing about the broken leg was that it allowed us to enter the TAM airlines VIP room (free beer) and also we didn't have to wait in lines for checking in and immigration.

Thanks also to Curt and Michelle. They were my caretakers until I got back home to Folsom.

John

Jgar - OUCH!!!! I feel your pain brother, heal quickly..........

.......glad you did not hurt your knee/hips/back, those take much longer to heal. Take that PT seriously. When you get back, go easy until you build up your muscle strength........

.....those kite loops sure do have a lot of power, huh? Makes me respect Len10 even further (from all balls out rider pt. of view....throwing those huge loops in high winds). Were you hooked in during the loop??

On the plus side, for the next few months you don't need to check the forecasts ;-)

Drunk doctor reminds me of the beatles song "Doctor came in, stinking of Gin, and proceeded to lay on the table.......
...........he said Rocky you met your match, and Rocky said Doc it's only a scratch, and I'll be better just as soon as I am able"

Good winds + waves, Zeev.

Hello J-GAR,

Bummer about the leg... Hope ya be healing fast. Good to hear you had a great trip.. Curtis was telling me all about it.. Will chat at ya soon..

ED/DEB OUT

oh no johnny, man, the sherman island gang is sounding like the bloods and the crips. hope you mend well, remember 'keep it up'(your leg ya big dummy) lots off eggnog and brandy helps too.

I WANNA GO TO BRAZIL!!

here's some pic from my trip 2 weeks ago. http://picasaweb.google.com/csuson/Cumb ... To11262006

Enjoy!