Hello again! Since Sunday I have spent hours pouring over websites and travel guides and getting advice from my travelling buddies on FB to help me decide which company to complete the challenge with and which to route to opt for. For a few years I have held the idea of trekking the Inca Trail to the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu but I was unaware of all the options available to the trekker until now! I am only going to do this once so I want to get it right and get the most out of it!
Finally today I made my decision! I will go in October as that gives me enough time to get fit and hopefully raise my target amount plus it will be the 4 year anniversary of my last charity trek and it seems like a good way to mark the occasion! I have also decided to go with the organisation"Charity Challenge" - partly on word of mouth and partly because their trek appears to offer a bit of everything! Instead of following the Inca Trail directly, Charity Challenge offer a unique alternative far off the beaten track which will allow me to glimpse real Peruvian life. Not only will I meet Andean farmers in the valleys and spot herds of Llamas & Alpacas but I will get to meet the local communities and visit one of the local schools supported by Charity Challenge! Away from the tourist trail I will be able to interact with the locals and see them practicing their local traditions and farming techniques and see the authentic Peru! Then as the Trek continues we will join the route on the classic Inca trail and continue to Machu Picchu through the famous Sun-gate!
So what, I hear you ask, exactly is the challenge? Well ..... I will be walking for 5-9 hours a day, uphill, through the Andes, at altitude to reach the "lost city of the Incas" in a bid to raise thousands for a fantastic charity. The traditional Inca trail leading to the sacred city of Machu Picchu is just 45km long but I will be doing much of the Lares route in addition. During the trek altitudes of 4200m are reached, so ensuring that I am well acclimatized is vital! It is not going to be easy, thousands of feet up, in thin oxygenated air, it's tough even for the fittest ,so I will have my work cut out for me over the next 10 months getting my fitness levels up. In addition I will be travelling on my own, having to make new friends and getting used to camping in the wilderness! So much of this challenge is out of my comfort zone but as a wise woman (Rona ;-)) recently noted on Facebook - "Life beings at the end of your comfort zone". This will be a true test of endurance but the rewards will be stunning and if Denise Van Outen and Fearne Cotton can do it, then so can I!
Photo from http://world-travel-advisor.com
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