Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 26/11/2008 15:11:23
And so here I am sat on my sofa at home with a cup of tea and chocolate digestive - a year's worth of training and fundraising and a weeks worth of intensive walking - over.
This experience has changed me. I have learnt that even at my most tired I have reserves that I didn't knew I had.
I have met people who it was an honour to spend such a special time with and have been humbled by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. And all for a great cause - the chidren at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Read more about our trip on our Inca Trail trek diary 2008.
Posted By Rachel Nicholls at 25/11/2008 09:57:20
Sorry there hasn't been a post for a few days - it was difficult for Amanda to get access to the blog.
They reached Machu Picchu on Friday - the whole group made it all the way, which is a fantastic first.
Amanda sounded in high spirits although cold. They were all really happy to have made it and were looking forward to their evening celebrations and a warm shower!
On Sunday the group arrived in Lima to spend the day before catching the Madrid flight home and were pleased to be back at sea level!
As soon as Amanda can get to a computer (hopefully later today), she'll be updating the blog with lots of stories from their Peruvian adventures so watch this space...
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Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 18/11/2008 16:25:48
4:15 wake up call. Now 5:10 and we are half heartedly eating breakfast.
We start on the trail today and there are lots of nerves and some slightly sunburnt people. Cuzco has the highest UV rate in the world. Lots of factor 50 today.
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Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 18/11/2008 08:20:17
Acclimitisation walk today. Drove up above Cuzco then walked back into town. Guides are great, telling us history as we walk. Beautiful scenery and lots of laughs.
Had lunch in lovely clearing in trees. Traditional peruvian music played live as we ate. Visited Inca ruins and some went down stone bumpy slide!
Going out for dinner tonight. Opportunity to try guinea pig - the local delicacy. Will report back on culinary experience. Whole group is great - feel like have known them forever!
5 Comments Posted
Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 17/11/2008 10:15:46
16.11.08 - New York, New York. What fun, it's 3am UK time and we have been delayed in New York for 4 hours, but we are rallying round and shopping. Some of us got some sleep on the floor. Flight from London was bumpy to say the least and we had a stewardess who looked like Shirley Maclaine.
17.11.08 - arrived in Cuzco 27 hours after leaving London. All baggage safe. Met by Simon - who is leading the trek - in Lima. The flight in to Cuzco was awesome. We flew in over the Andes - beautiful. Hairy descent. Hotel great and Cuzco lovely. Briefed at dinner for tomorrow's acclimatisation walk. All to bed early.
p.s. picture of 'Fancy ketchup' - from our breakfast in Lima!
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Posted By Rachel Nicholls at 17/11/2008 10:02:18
It's friday night - the night before we fly and Andrew and I have just picked Vicky up from the airport and are now ensconced in our local for dinner and pre-trip drinks.
Vicky is a GOSH mum who is coming with us to peru. She and her family are amazing - you should read her blog which she has been writing over the last year recording her training. We have compared the size of our bags trying to guess whose is heaviest and if we have enough t-shirts - not that there is any more room for anything else.
We are all both excited and nervous. Some are more worried about the flight than the walking but we think a couple of drinks will sort that out! More tomorrow!
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Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 10/11/2008 08:55:16
On Saturday we made lists: lists of things we need to take with us; lists of things to do this week; shopping lists.
We bought our US dollars which don't look like real money but have a lovely quality to them.
Apparently it's going to rain heavily pretty much all this week in Cuzco (our destination before setting out for Machu Picchu). We might make use of those waterproof trousers we all wondered if we really will need, after all. Fingers crossed for better weather.
Amanda
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Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 07/11/2008 10:45:52
Last night Andrew and I decided to try out our sleeping bag liners so we camped in our lounge on our thermarests and in our sleeping bags.
Tricky things liners are.
Would recommend giving yours a go if you get chance.
1 Comments Posted
Posted By Amanda on Trek Inca at 05/11/2008 13:12:31
My name is Amanda and I am the design manager at Great Ormond Street Hospital and on Saturday 15 November I will be joining 29 other fundraisers at Heathrow Airport to fly out to Peru to climb Machu Picchu in aid of the charity.
For me, and my partner Andrew (who is coming too), this trip has been over a year in the planning, but the time has flown. We have trained quite hard – running, cycling and, of course, walking. We are now very familiar with certain parts of Surrey, especially the hills! The training has been hard to fit in sometimes, but it has been made easier by the fact that we are both doing it and can kick each other out of bed in the morning to exercise, especially now it’s dark and cold.
The fundraising has been made easier but the very many generous people who have either donated financially, given us stuff to sell at car boot sales (involving more cold early mornings), partied with us, or bought cake from one of my many cake sales in the office. We never thought it would be such hard work and I have no idea how those people who have done one trek after another keep it going.
But what has kept me going are the children, families and staff that I have the privilege to meet as part of my job and I am so pleased that some of them are joining us in Peru. I hope this blog will not only keep you up to date with where we are in our adventure but will also introduce you to some of my fellow trekkers.
Amanda
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