Undaunted by a 16-and-a-half-hour plane flight, and unfazed that they would be competing in an international jiu-jitsu competition in two days, the UAE martial arts team were in an exuberant spirit.
In fact, the 48 athletes from the UAE who awoke on Thursday morning in southern California were feeling so good they went hiking through Griffith Park, in the hills above Los Angeles, to a viewpoint beneath the landmark "Hollywood" sign.
“This is amazing weather,” said Suhail Ibrahim, 13, of Al Ain, referring to the temperatures that had dropped to 30°C during the trek. “The mountains are so green.”
The team of martial-arts students have their work ahead of them, today and tomorrow, when they compete in the American National Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship at Long Beach, about 30 kilometres south of Los Angeles.
It will be the first international competition for a youth team from the UAE.
But Thursday was a day to decompress and enjoy their surroundings, halfway around the world.
Their non-stop journey on Etihad Airways landed at Los Angeles in the early evening on Wednesday.
Mubarak Al Menhali of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, who heads the 64-person delegation, said the idea was to have the athletes acclimatised to the 11-hour time change as quickly as possible.
“We kept them up and took them to dinner,” he said, noting that the restaurant of choice was a pizza place near their hotel. “We wanted to keep them up for a while to avoid jet lag.”
It must have worked. The boys and girls, ages 10-16, had no problem negotiating the outdoor adventure, which began after breakfast and a one-hour bus ride. The hike took them on a 3km climb at midday. A training session occupied their afternoon.
Some of the group had already formed first impressions of the US, after a 50km drive through notoriously heavy traffic on LA freeways.
“The roads, there are a lot of people, a lot of cars in the way,” said Khalifa Mohammed, 15, of Al Ain, who nevertheless was impressed by the time the group reached the Griffith Observatory, a famous spot for astronomical research – and movie scenes.
When a tour guide said that The Terminator had been one of many movies shot on the grounds, Mohammed looked at the building and told her with assurance: “This is where they got their weapons.”
The Hollywood sign was as familiar as seeing their faces in a mirror.
“I know it,” said Khalifa Humaid, 15, of Abu Dhabi. “It’s in a video game.”
Predominantly, the group was focused on their competition. The students repeatedly talked of their desire to compete well and set an example for UAE competitors.
“The expectation is to be among the top three teams,” said Pedro Damasceno, one of the group’s coaches from Brazil.
Damasceno said the teachers were all accomplished players in their prime but who “have given all our experience to the kids, we are a tough team”.
But no one travels this far without looking for a new experience. Mohammed said he was looking forward to eating a taco.
Alyazya Khalfan Al Shyari, 15, of Abu Dhabi – one of seven girls competing – said she hoped to “learn about another country’s culture and learn how they live, so we can learn and develop our own personalities”.
But she also knew she was in LA.
“I want to see someone famous,” she said, smiling.
Ibrahim Yousef, 13, said he was a fan of American music and had enhanced his English-language skills by singing lyrics. He hoped to find some music, or memorabilia, to take home.
Several athletes said they wanted to find jiu-jitsu gear – clothing, guards and other paraphernalia – that would mark their trip to America. But their desires reinforced the sense that the seven-day adventure is about the sport and the competition. Dima Najjar, the chief operating officer of Palms Sports, which promotes jiu-jitsu in the UAE and helped arrange the US trip, said the journey is a first, giant step.
“If we want to compete globally, this is where we want to go to shine and make the UAE proud,” she said of the weekend tournament.
Mohammed made clear his intent this week and it was not to see the sights.
“I want to compete for all my life,” he said. “Inshallah, we will do our best job while we are here.”
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