Challenges, Inspiration

Ops Manager Jo’s Rajasthan Cycle Diary, Day 2 & 3

December 11, 2012

So we’ve arrived at Bharatpur after a busy day yesterday spent in Agra visiting the Taj Mahal, jaw aching for its magnificence, but also very noteworthy for the endless amounts of photos taken in front of it to fill a family album for a life time… You have to really don’t you it’s the Taj Mahal… you never know when you will be back!

An afternoon of bike fittings adjusting saddles, testing the brakes – thank god they work! Is followed by an early dinner, a briefing on the rules of the road from the guides… It seems there are none! Just ring your bell endlessly and just keep going… oh wait I forgot one ‘do not under any circumstances stop under a bridge with a moving train above unless its good luck to have someone’s bowels deposited over you, and I’m pretty sure it’s not very lucky!!

So with a more respectable wake up time than on day 1, and a peaceful sleep until the calling for prayer at 5.30, we breakfast and are on the road out of Agra. With only Nescafe offered at breakfast we were soon to realise that the caffeine fix hit us in the form of complete ‘organised’ chaos on the roads of Agra. It was a close call on many an occasion with Marcus wedged between two tuc tucs trying to be ahead of the game, horns beeping, cycles, tuc tucs, busses and cows all weaving their way in no order what’s so ever! Half an hour and we are out of the chaos of Agra to find ourselves cycling along a pleasant stretch of road… well so we thought. To describe pleasant on this cycle is to say that the roads are tarmacked and the end result of the day is that we can still sit down on a chair for dinner. We stop 20km in for a snack break to be welcomed by our support team. We build up a bit of speed having a chin wag to your fellow cyclist, every so often swopping partners like musical chairs. Suzanne dec

ided that she likes her chin wag partner so much that she falls into Toms arms … Unfortunately they are cycling at the time and both took a little tumble. Only a few scratches thankfully!

The days passes on and then there we are enjoying the lush yellow fields of mustard and taking in our first experience cycling in

India and then …..HONK!!  They (our fellow Indian road uses) seemingly creep up on you and then sound their horn at its loudest just as you’re least expecting it, Leaving you with a wobble! The adventure continues, we have been told by our guides  to‘keep on the left’..but on the left is a tractor racing along (and when I mean left, I mean its driving up the highway in the opposite direction!)And so you swerve to miss the tractor and then find yourself back to your pleasant leisurely cycle with now a couple India boys cycling along with their school racks looking at you like you have just stepped straight out off the planet Mars!

In India cycling is the lowest class of transport. Any Indian who had to cycle would do anything to have a car or even a moped… so when they see a line of westerners choosing to cycle they immediately think that we must be form a different planet. To top it off we are also all wearing these alien objects on our heads… The kids run out to wave and the buses of people that drive by all have mobile phones hanging out the window to take pictures of these weird foreign objects choosing to cycle for no apparent or sensible reason that they can work out at all.  Young boy Q. What you doing? Mick A. Cycling, Young boy Q. WHY??(very inquisitive look on his face followed by are ‘are you crazy’ look.. followed by a  ‘Il take your car anyday!!) Mick A. to get fit, Young Boy. Q. WHY(even more confused look!) and then Young Boy Q. Where you going? Mick A. That way. Young Boy Q. WHY(Now he is just completely lost and has no idea how to comprehend this and so the conversation comes to a standstill.) A conversation of many to come…so a good start to our cycle today from Agra to Jaipur. Five days to go.

So To hear more updates from Jo in India, stay tuned to this blog! Whilst she’s out in country, you can get in touch and follow Jo via her twitter feed at @jojowarren82

you can also find out more about the challenge she is embarking on – The Rajasthan Tiger Challenge! – by clicking here. To see more information about the array of amazing challenges we have, please visit our website at www.charitychallenge.com. To keep up to date on all our challenge news, please subscribe to this blog. You can also enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Challenges, Inspiration

Ops Manager Jo’s Rajasthan Cycle Diary, Day 1

December 10, 2012

The Rajasthan Tiger Challenge December 2012 Cyclists have touched down safe and sound here in India! After a quick turnaround we hit the bustling streets of Delhi, swarmed with the preparations of wedding season. As we jump aboard a cycle rickshaw we are soon swept into the hustle and bustle of Old Delhi following trailers full of what at first looks like old English Dictionaries – the pages are so think! – but we soon realise that they are actually truckloads of wedding invites on their way to the invitees!

Since the jet lag from the sleepless night on the flight was kicking in, most of the group put themselves to bed early, but only to be serenaded by the sound of a brass band! Those of us who had the front rooms peeped our heads over the balcony, in time to see the magnificent bridegroom parade by on a white horse. Looks like wedding season runs day and night in Delhi! Continue Reading…

Challenges, Inspiration

‘Miss Adventures’ all around the world with Charity Challenge’s brand new range of women only challenges

December 10, 2012

When we first came up with the idea of running treks exclusively for our lady trekkers, we had a blast of a Friday afternoon spent on Facebook brainstorming with our Charity Challengers to find the perfect name for our women only treks.

We came up with some real crackers, including “only girls allowed”, “Girls on trek”, “Charity ChallengHERS”, “heals on hills”, “survival sisters” and the rather dubious “babes in boots”!

We decided to settle on “Miss Adventures”, as to us it seemed to sum up what these challenges are all about – A chance to escape the humdrum of everyday life and go off on a wild adventure of a lifetime with your best friends!

Women only events have grown in popularity over the last few years, as they represent a unique opportunity for women to join together in a celebratory, non-competitive atmosphere.

We are really excited to be launching this fantastic new challenge range, and whether you’re interested in endurance, culture, cycling, or jungle trekking, we feel we have the perfect challenge for every adventure seeking woman out there!

We currently have 4 special ‘Miss Adventures’ challenges featured on our website;

Miss Adventures Great Wall Discovery challenge – for this challenge, it’s ‘sisters vs the steps’ as our challenges take on the legendary steep staircases of the Great wall of China, whilst also having the opportunity to explore the city and culture of Beijing, China’s capital. Click here for more details and to book!

Miss Adventures Thailand Jungle Expedition – as one of our Charity Challengers christened it on Facebook, this is the “lip stick jungle” challenge, where our challengers battle their way through the tough terrain of the Thailand rainforest, go bamboo rafting along the River Kwai and visit the Elephant wildlife sanctuary. Click here for more details and to book!

Miss Adventures Saigon to Ankor Wat Challenge – it’s “heels on wheels” on this amazing cycle challenge through Vietnam to Cambodia. Participants on this challenge cycle 450kms through heart of Mekong Delta, get aquatinted with Khmer culture by staying in locally owned accommodation, and visit the iconic temple of Angkor Wat, a true masterpiece of Khmer architecture! Click here for more details and to book!

Miss Adventures Trek to Machu Picchu  –  on this “not so Macho picchu” (these puns are getting worse and worse!) challenge, you

explore the Inca capital of Cusco, hike in the Peruvian Andes and reach the end of your journey at the legendary lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. Click here for more details and to book!

Miss Adventures Kilimanjaro Summit Climb – on this classic “Kili-woman-jaro” challenge, adventurous ladies attempt to summit the highest mountain in Africa in extreme conditions. Click here for more details and to book!

You can find out more information about all our challenges on our website at www.charitychallenge.com. To keep up to date on all our challenge news, please subscribe to this blog. You can also enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Challenges, Inspiration

Charity Challenge Operations Manager Jo experiences India for the first time on our secluded ‘Trek to the home of the Dalai lama’ challenge!

December 7, 2012

Trek to the home on the Dalai Lama – an exclusive India Challenge with Charity Challenge

Have you been thinking for a while now about doing a charity challenge, but don’t want to go down the well-trodden routes of Kilimanjaro or Trek Machu Picchu with the masses? Then our trek to the home of the Dalai Lama might be the challenge for you!

As the Operations Manager for India and Asia at Charity Challenge, I’ve got the amazing opportunity to venture into the Himalayas on trails only trodden by Charity Challenge trekkers and the local Tibetan Community. As Ops Manager of this trek, I know that the Himalayas are a very sought after trekking destination, especially with the spiritual element of a visit to the home of the Dalai Lama. This popularity can sometimes make the Himalayas appear to be a crowded place!  But many of our participants come back from the challenge and write to me saying how quiet and exclusive their trek was, and how much more they loved it for this reason!  So I decided to head out to India and experience the tranquillity for myself.

Those that don’t know much about India, apart from the overwhelming amounts of people, and the extras that come from the vast crowds – i.e crazy roads jammed packed with vehicles, tuc tuc, cows and dogs, a country with no drinking water and the sheer extremes of poverty and riches! – may be surprised when I tell you that today I felt free from the hustle and bustle of London and enveloped in the peace and tranquillity of India!

I trekked our most exclusive and secluded challenge – “Trek to the home of Dalai Lama”, whilst trekking in the shadows of the world’s highest peak I found myself stopping and listening to the silence and taking in the awe-inspiring scenery of alpine forests, beautiful meadows back droped with snow capped mountains, and small Tibetan villages hidden in the rolling hills.

If you are new to the life of Tibet and the movement into India following the Dalai Lama then you will find this challenge as fascinating as I did, as you start in Daramsala with a ‘clockwise’ walk around the Dalai Lama’s Temple. You will learn about Tibetan/Buddhism and the issues it faces today, and see how Tibet is preserved in India through the practising of traditional Tibetan arts and crafts at the Norbulinka Institute.

I will have to apologise to you now, as after just 3 days I have learnt so much and realised how little I knew about India, and I won’t feasibly be able to share with you all the amazing experiences and revelations I’ve had so far!  However, I can say with certainty that if you want a challenge where you will trek the mountains with tribal Tibetan nomads and their goats, learn all about why cows are head of the household, be greeted by the friendly faces and smiles of the Tibetan/Indian people and see how you can help Charity Challenge give back to the communities of this area, then you should definitely check out our September and November 2013 departure dates for our Trek to the Home of the Dalai Lama Challenge! Click here for all the info!

To hear more updates from Jo in India, stay tuned to this blog! You can also see more information about the array of amazing challenges on our website at www.charitychallenge.com. To keep up to date on all our challenge news, please subscribe to this blog. You can also enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Inspiration, Latest News

Charity Challenge team to be featured in “North Pole Airport”, on tv tonight at 8pm on channel 5

December 7, 2012

If it wasn’t for Barneo, the temporary airfield on ice set up and maintained for nearly a month every spring, then we wouldn’t be able to run our epic North Pole Charity Challenge!

So we’re glad to see the hard work the team at the Barneo airfield put in to make one of the most isolated places in the world accessible is being recognised in this Channel 5 documentary.

Acting as a gateway from which a motley assortment of tourists, scientists and explorers set out to conquer, investigate and discover the North Pole, Barneo Airfield really is an amazing piece of engineering – setting up the airfield on ice is no mean feat! –  A team of Russian paratroopers have to skydive onto the frozen Arctic Ocean to create this extraordinary ice camp. facing temperatures as low as -40° C, as they sculpt a unique airport on the drifting ice. Continue Reading…

Inspiration

When Dreams and reality Collide Part 4 -Laurie Sodomlak starts fundraising for her journey of a lifetime to Peru next year!

December 4, 2012

People are always surprising…..I received a call from  Mac’s Convenience store owner who had seen my Garage Sale poster.  He wanted me to call his brother because he  wanted to do a fundraiser with me.  I was  completely stunned by the open generosity of this offer.  Later that week, I visited Arshad at his Mac’s Convenience store.  We talked and  decided on a date for a BBQ.

Arshad began collecting donations during the week leading  up to the BBQ and again, I simply created a poster for the store, made a few of  my special pink ribbon cookies.  Arshad, his suppliers and one of his regular customers donated prizes and all of the food items.

On the day of the BBQ, the sun was shining, a good sign  that it was going to be a great day!  My friend Kathy and I, did a little decorating, put up our pink poster on the  road, and promptly at 11:00 a local resident, Carla who had seen the poster showed up to get the first hamburger. The day was filled with many of Arshad’s regular customers stopping by and enjoying a burger, cookie and a drink and of course getting their ticket for one of the prizes that Arshad had wrapped in pink paper!  One of the visitors that stands out in my mind was a 11 year old boy and his friend.  He had a special haircut, a ribbon. I asked him about it and of course took his photo! 

He told me that his hair stylist told him it was breast cancer month and he thought it was a good idea to get this ribbon design.  We need more young people like him.  The great part was that he was one of the lucky winners of the silent auction prizes!

It was another one of those amazing days when so many people shared their connections to breast cancer, thanked me for doing this fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and continued to be very generous.  Thank you to the generosity of Arshad from the Mac’s Convenience Store and his customers, I had a $544.10 to deposit to my fundraising.

If you would like to donate to my cause, then you can visit  my fundraising page here. To find out more about the amazing charity I’m fundraising for, you can visit the Canadian Breast Cancer  Foundation here.

If you’ve been inspired by to take on your own challenge of a lifetime whilst raising money for the charity of your choice, you can visit the charity challenge website at www.charitychallenge.ca where you can find lots of amazing challenges, including the Mt Kilimanjaro summit climb challenge, the Great Wall Discovery  challenge – which takes place on China’s Great Wall! and of course the Trek to Machu Picchu  Charity Challenge based in Peru!