Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Volunteering

Reflection allowed me to improve photography

Reflection, passion and volunteering

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

There is something comforting about having a rhythm and consistency. It allows you time for reflection.  Whilst you have a rhythm during a tour the consistency is somewhat lacking!  No two days were the same.  Different people, different spots for lunch and never the same place for sleep.

After a couple of weeks I started to enjoy the rhythm but maybe not working on the laptop all the time.  I should’ve offered to do some construction work as well.  But I also wanted to work on my website and develop a few pages for it.

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Back to the Grind

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , ,

A short ride to my volunteering opportunity and a chance to be selective over my last night of wild camping.  Then I would spend a month in a floating house on the Sepang River. First, though, I had a chance to visit the turtle conservation centre in Masjid Tanah, just North of Melaka.

The centre is right on the water’s edge, just after the beach where the turtles come to bury their eggs.  They also have a special area for the turtles to shelter from the sun, an educational section and a pool to rear turtles.  There were few turtles in the pool, it was the wrong time of year.

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Dead-goats and horse skills – the legendary game of Kyrgyzstan

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Whilst making my way to Karakol and Duet Hostel I got the chance to attend a Horse and Birds of Prey festival in Tamchy.  I also got to meet my friends Harri and Sofia for a second time.  The festival was organised in a typical Central Asian style.  Despite being advertised, everyone was booked last minute and they were late setting up!

The festival was a chance to see a legendary game of the region called Kok-Boru.  A game where horse riders battle over the carcass of a goat to score goals.  People have referred to it as goat-polo.

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Saddle Sores, Suffering and Beautiful Views – Checkpoint 3, The Silk Road Mountain Race

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

‘How quickly can you get to Kochkor?  The riders are arriving a day earlier’ the message from Regina, volunteer co-ordinator, goes.  Unfortunately, I and the other volunteers were about a day away and would not arrive until the evening.  One of the support/media cars would have to look after the competitors until we arrive.

The riders are getting faster each year and this year is no exception.  Sofiane Sehili, the eventual winner (for the third time), knocked a day off his previous record.  There was also more competition this year, which showed in the riders; some were a little short in how they communicated.  A combination of tiredness and adrenaline from the race were playing havoc.

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Uzbekistan: A bright future but some ugliness remains

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Arriving at the home of my host I suddenly realised there were a lot of other volunteers.  I had the impression that the opportunity did not gain much attention.  The next day I got my first chance at helping out.  Filip, a Swiss who was also volunteering, and I headed over to the school.  The children were prepping for their IELTS exam in June.

On arrival, I was asked to give a quick introduction to myself.  The first thing they all noticed was my accent.  A native British accent is always tricky and whilst my accent is relatively neutral, the speed at which I speak isn’t!  I had to slow down and enunciate my words more clearly.  Our host had to leave, so Filip and I took over.  We played a little hangman and I added in a few tongue twisters to help with pronunciation.  It was fun but very tiring.

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