Archive

Sumo tournament, Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo I’ve always wondered how much muscle those sumo guys have underneath their fat. They’re big chaps, no doubt, but they’re also so strong. I never realised how strong until I saw them in action up close. It doesn’t take them for them to take a competitor down. And keep in ...

The first olympics The Olympic Games have not changed all that much since ancient days. Thousands of years ago, the games were designed to please the Greek gods of Mount Olympus. These days, they’re designed to please the gods of modern capitalism – sponsors, television networks and tourism boards. It has, and always will be, ...

Palio di Siena horse race, Italy Standing here, you can imagine the thundering of hooves and the roaring of the spectators. The energy must be incredible, thousands of people crammed together in the centre of the square as the horses race around them. Encircled and squashed, there would be nothing to do but shout with ...

Who would go to the Lamborghini Academy? I’m not sure exactly what I expected but it wasn’t this. When you think about the kind of people who might go to an exclusive (and not cheap) Lamborghini driving academy in Italy, you think young playboys and middle-aged men going through middle-aged crises. You don’t think of ...

Driving tips from Lamborghini Max Venturi has a name designed for speed. It’s no wonder he’s ended up as Lamborghini’s chief test driver and driving instructor. He’s the kind of guy who spends his days behind the wheel of a 350 km/h car and has been featured on television shows like Top Gear. Now, today, ...

Lamborghini Academy, Italy Someone had told me that when you turn on the engine of a Lamborghini, you feel your heart roar along with it. In my case, I think it skipped a few beats. There’s something quite terrifying about being put behind the wheel of a machine that has the power to reach 350km/h… ...

Euro 2012 “You didn’t hear this from me,” someone whispers in my direction. “But I’m not sure Poland will be ready in time for the matches.” I take it with a grain of Polish salt. You seem to hear these things before every big international sporting event – and Poland is about to put itself ...

London’s Olympic Stadium London’s Olympics Games are just around the corner and in the host city there’s a buzz developing that even the British composure can’t mask. As the 2012 signs and flags begin to appear in the streets, the last of the construction and makeovers are being hurriedly finished. At the Olympic Stratford site ...

The best things to do in Austin, Texas Austin is a city with its own identity. It’s part-Texan but also part-funky. There’s plenty to do if you like music, the arts, sport or just relaxing. Make sure you give yourself enough time to chill out and enjoy the atmosphere of one of the coolest cities ...

Angola prison rodeo, Louisiana * Photography was not allowed so all images are courtesy of http://angolarodeo.com/ A maximum security prison in the economically-depressed and socially-repressed part of Louisiana is not the sort of place you should want to end up. But it was exactly where we were heading. We were going to go past the ...