This eagle could keep a village in meat for a week

I dwelt on that statistic as I held said eagle. Huge and majestic, it was a live weight sat on my outstretched be-gloved hand. We (myself and a group of assorted Flemish bird watchers) had just paid 700 SOM (about £7) each to watch the Kyrgyz eagle hunter Ruslan fly his bird. We also got … Continue reading This eagle could keep a village in meat for a week →

The Wager

And so a deal is struck. Emily, 178cm, American, will take on Untumak, 160cm, from Kyrgyzstan, in a horse race. Untumak will provide the horses, Emily will chose the course. Being the away side perhaps Emily is at a disadvantage, but being a cowgirl from California and boldly proclaiming that she can ride anything with … Continue reading The Wager →

The Charismatic Megafauna

The journey continues in Hungary, and I'm doing my best to get to know the people and what makes them tick. That involves talking to as many as possible, seeimg what they like to do and looking into their history. Seems that Hungary has something of a heroes culture. Go to Budapest and you find … Continue reading The Charismatic Megafauna →

But is it a sport?

My head buzzing with thoughts of flight and death, I headed for earthier territory. For this I chose the arid desert-scapes, natural parks and underdeveloped coastlines of Almeria. There were no specific sporting activities I was looking for here, more the general kind of activity people do away from the Hurley burely of … Continue reading But is it a sport? →

So, I went to a bullfight

Yes, as the title indicates, I have decided not to beat around the bush, and come out with it. I am travelling around seeing lots of different sports, and while in Spain I felt I had a duty to see “Los Toros”. Because it is controversial, because it straddles sport, art and something else, and … Continue reading So, I went to a bullfight →

Joy Ride

The frenetic football of Morocco done with, I boarded the ferry in Tangier, bound for Tarifa and so Spain. This was to be the 2nd of 3 continents on this trip, and my longest stay in any one country, at 2 weeks. With a great diversity of traditions among the different regions of Spain, I … Continue reading Joy Ride →

When in a crowd

As I mentioned in a previous post, it may not be entirely obvious why this sporting voyage I am on started in Morocco. The answer is something unassumingly know as the MdS, or les Marathon des Sables. This “race” (perhaps better termed a survival event) takes place in the Moroccan Sahara. And you run for … Continue reading When in a crowd →

Football, football every where, does it make you stop and think?

My adventure into what makes sport so attractive for all humankind (see previous post) began in Africa, in Morocco, and in the busy market city of Marrakech. To be frank, I was a little daunted to be starting here; it would be a big change from the quiet lanes and inlets of Cornwall, my previous … Continue reading Football, football every where, does it make you stop and think? →

The end, but also the beginning

If you follow me on Twitter you may be aware that I recently finished my PhD. Yippee!!! Three and a half years of work, and its safe to say the hand in is a bit anti-climatic. Thankfully a couple of friends, Sean and George, were there to buy me a pint, enjoyed in the sunshine at … Continue reading The end, but also the beginning →

The cooperative ape

Its an easy thing to forget when the media is fanatical about telling us how people are always being nasty to each other, but humans are actually a very cooperative species. We work together to achieve things we could not alone, and have done for millions of years. In fact, much of this niceness is not … Continue reading The cooperative ape →