Well after 8 months of training and 6 months of fundraising, Cathy and I made it to South America to complete our Inspired Adventure.
The experience is not one that can easily be described in words, let alone in an email, but I can say that it was truly amazing. We both thoroughly enjoyed Peru, everything from the people to the food to the sights and history, it was all extremely memorable. The town of Cusco would have to be one of my favourites I have ever visited, so much charm and character, and a very beautiful setting.
The trek itself was quite a challenge, more so due to the altitude than the walk itself, so when we made it to the top of the pass at 4550metres we took a moment to recognise our achievement (once we had caught our breath)! In the photo attached “The Ascent Begins” the dip to the left of the highest point above my head is the pass we went over about 4 hours after this photo was taken. The Andes are a spectacular mountain range to say the least, and the hills of Killarney will never seem quite so daunting again! At night, I can honestly say I have never been so cold, with the glaciers looming above our camp site and the wind whipping straight through you. Brrrrrrr just thinking about it.
As for Machu Picchu, I am still in absolute awe over that place. I cannot begin to fathom how the Incas built it, given where it is, what it is built from and how well it is constructed. They were definitely highly intelligent people and would put our engineers and building trade to shame. The surrounding landscape make the whole experience quite majestic and surreal, a memory I hope will stay with me for many years to come.
After being so cold it was hard to imagine that 2 days later, Cathy and I were sweltering in the Amazon Jungle just 30 minutes flight from Cusco. We had 4 fantastic days at 2 different lodges, one quite remote on the Bolivian side of Heath River and the other in Peru on Sandoval Lake. The wildlife at these locations was quite mind blowing, with the vast array of birds and the butterflies giving wonderful colour to the scenery, and close encounters with snakes, tarantulas and caiman (alligators), adding to the excitement. My favourite sites would have to have been the monkeys playing in the trees around the edge of the lake, the Toucan we saw on one of our jungle walks and the many fireflies we sited on our night walk.
So our Inspired Adventure comes to an end, however we are very proud of what we have achieved, raising over $28,500 of which $18,500 will go to Aspect to help those families that are less fortunate than us. Once again, I thank those of you who supported our Inspired Adventure and in doing so helped those families living with Autism. The journey has been quite an experience for me too, so I also sincerely thank you for that.
A few snaps attached to give you a taste of our trek and our day at Machu Picchu, and who knows, maybe they will inspire you too!
Love Tamara (AKA Tam)