Day 1 down, haven't gotten lost yet!

Yes a triumph! We've been all over Lima, visited pyramids (very weather-beaten mud-brick ones, but they still count), church's (including the catacombs of the Franciscan Monastery - strange to see piles of human bones more than 4 metres deep), and visited museums (incredible gold and pottery artifacts - some of them with quite unusual topics; more on this later!); and I never got lost - not even once!

Well of course I was accompanied by the other Trekkers and our 2 guides all day; but still, I count this as a triumph.

High points so far:

1. Learning an incredible amount about the very complex history of Peru with it's many cultures that developed and flourished before the coming of the Spanish; who then set out destroying and despoiling these cultures and their monuments as much as they could. I've decided I wouldn't have liked Francisco Pizarro.

2. There is a dog that is more ugly than a Mexican hairless - the Peruvian hairless. See photo below. Nothing more that I can say.

3. STDs have clearly been around for a long long time. The museum we went to was the 'Museo Larco' - absolutely stunning. However in addition to many incredibly interesting somewhat conventional pieces, they also had a special exhibition of 'erotic pottery' from Peru about 1,000 years ago (stop reading this if you are less than 18 ... yes Alena, that means you!). I had no idea any culture would have the thought of effectively trying to replicate the Kama Sutra in ceramics, with handles and spouts (don't ask me why). In addition to a range of 'normal pieces' (there was one including a rug, and I've tried to photograph it from an angle that is suggestive rather than showing the rather surgical detail it had), there was a section on necrophilia (rather disturbing to say the least, I couldn't bring myself to take any photos) and also would you believe it ... on sexually transmitted diseases. Any guys that are thinking of playing around - please pay attention to the multiple pustules all over this guy.

It has been a very very educational day!

I'm off, I'm going, hopefully I'll be coming back ...

I'm now at the airport waiting to board. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the fantastic supporters of The Shepherd Centre there is more than $29,000 going to help support children who are deaf or hearing impaired. Thank you everyone (including my gorgeous wife who sourced fantastic prizes for the trivia nights) - so so much! I'm now reflecting on the next fortnight and what it will be like - I'm sure incredibly interesting and rewarding, but one conversation with the doctor keeps coming back to me ... I was getting all my travel vaccinations and he asked if I wanted a rabies jab. I said no, that's fine, I planned to avoid all rabid dogs. He said don't worry they come up to you ... Mmmm how will I feel about this choice in a fortnight? Keep you posted ... Jim

I've been dreading this post ...

I've been so good, I've walked over 100km, I haven't missed a day in the last 3 weeks … but it almost all came unstuck last Sunday.

Let me paint the picture …

Need to do a long walk to really help the preparation for Peru; search online and I find a lovely 15km round route in Garrigal National Park starting and finishing at Roseville Bridge; choose it as its very sentimental as I used to walk in the bush there as a child. Have lots to do on Sunday, but decide if I set off after lunch I'll have plenty of time. Tell Julie I'm walking around Roseville Bridge, print out a Google map. Race around doing stuff in the morning … running late … get the car washed … running later … get to the bridge at 2.30. Phone battery half flat but I'm sure I'll be able to keep up my 5km/h average and get around no worries. Set off on a beautiful afternoon, enjoying the sunshine.

First km goes well, pass a few people, feeling good about the pace. Second km easy. Third not bad, accidentally take a track offshoot that slows me down a bit, but convinced I'll be able to make it up. Fourth bloody slow … hmm, will this work out OK?

Umm, why is the nice wide track turning into a barely marked trail? Uhh, I thought this was nice and flat following the water but now I'm bush-bashing up and down sandstone outcrops. Oops, took the wrong turn again. Realise as I scramble through some scrub that it probably would have been a good idea to bring a first aid kit just in case.

Now about 8km in, on the return track … but its now almost 5pm and its getting dark. Realise my phone battery is almost dead ... pressing on as fast as I can and starting to think I should have put a bit more planning in to this.

9km and its getting very dark - and now the track turns inland. Am I going the right way? I can't check with my phone as I want to save the battery in case I need to call Julie. It's almost pitch black and I think to myself - wouldn't be funny if I trip and break a leg … really should have told Julie exactly where I was walking …

Crap, its pitch black now, can barely see the ground, going as slow as a … well I don't know, but bloody slow. Try to call Julie to tell her I'm still alive but I discover my phone has died completely.

Now 6.30pm and have no idea how far to go, thinking my wife will not be pleased (you'll understand if you know Julie).

Finally reach the western side of Roseville Bridge at about 7pm. Out at last! But I can't see the track up to the bridge as its so dark - have to continue on. I feel so depressed as the Bridge fades away in the darkness behind me.

Continue walking and finally get to a road … that leads to another road … that leads to another - but at last one I know, up in Roseville … finally follow the road to the bridge and across back to the car: I can charge the phone and call Julie!

Oooh - it's almost 8 and she expected me back at 5.30 … but at last the phone works and I call home. Julie answers ... we 'chat' … we 'chat' some more … and some more. I discover that:

• she has filed a missing person's report with the police
• there are aspects to my ancestry I hadn't heard of before
• only idiots … and tourists … and me … head off into the bush totally unprepared and don't tell anyone about it

Its clear … I was an idiot. Peru will be easy after this!

I've been slack ...

But now I'm a changed man! OK, I've compared myself to that Wolverine guy (happens all the time), I've claimed washboard abs (who uses washboards these days anyway? Isn't that what wives are for?), I've made out I'm exercising …

But now I am, I really am!

I am on a roll - and I don't mean the love-handle kind: I've walked 5 days in a row - covering more than 34km! Feeling good? You bet - until of course I think on the fact I have to do almost double that, and up at 4,000m rather than 40m …

But thanks to all of those fantastic people who have so generously sponsored me over the last couple of months I won't give up.

Thanks to:

Ai-Media	Denn Foley	Mark Harper	Peter Mattick
Alasdair King	Elevate Fundraising	Martin Shew	Peter Pritchard x2
Anonymous #1	Evelyn Mason	Martyn Hartley	Rinse Jan Boersma
Anonymous #2	Garlyk Ltd	Melissa Richardson	Rob McLintock
Anonymous #3	GoFundraise	Michael Shepherd	Roz Taylor
Anonymous #4	Hayden & Lea King	Moana Wood	Sharon Everson
Anonymous #5	Healthbase Pty Ltd	More Strategic	The Copy Collective
Anonymous #6	Howard Birley	Natalie Villarroel	The Prospect Shop
Anonymous #7	Ingrid Steyns	Nicole Tofler	THe Squad
Arsenio Alegre	Jan Chisholm	Palin Comms	Timothy Puddle
Chris Ragland	Lisa Humphries	Pareto Fundraising	Tristan Croucher
Dan Geaves	Lysh Hansen	Paul Roberts	Verto Ltd
David Sutton	Maria Muniz	Paula Lucey	Yvonne Keane

And of course my gorgeous family :) 

If you want to see proof, I've been logging my walks here: www.mapmyfitness.com/profile/15921375/

My New Washboard ABS!!

I know what you're already thinking. OMG Jim, looks a LOT like Hugh Jackman…….. 

Frankly I think that goes without saying…

But what I'd like you to focus on here are the abs (and not what I am about to confess) You see the training with the TSK's is going great guns. At least it was. I climbed several "mountains" aka Long Reef golf course in the past few days but due to work commitments the training has taken a little bit of a backseat. 

The good thing is my new shorts work really well. They were all a part of the new clothing package that Julie and Alena splashed out on for my birthday. They are shorts, no pants, no shorts, no pants again….. They have a zip at the thigh so I can adjust them - and funnily enough they appear to have a duel purpose, hiking shorts one minute, appropriate attire for underneath my motorcycle gear the next!!! 

One other piece of great news is that I have been carb loading. I've heard that's great for you when you're training…… I'm not sure if chips and eating out each night (for work purposes of course) is what is meant by "carb loading", but hell, I'm giving it my all. 

So my abs and I are now thrilled to be pumped up and ready to tackle the weekend ahead. Only issue is that after a long arduous trek in the wilds of Collaroy I am ready for a nap by 2pm. I'm sure that's simply due to the long work hours and has nothing whatsoever to do with my fitness levels. 

I'm hoping that despite my likeness to Hugh, I don't get mobbed. I think I'll be OK.

https://shepherdcentreperuchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/HungerfordJ

Days 2 and 3 The Quest for the Body Beautiful

Days 2 & 3

It occurred to me early on Saturday morning that perhaps as the time is looming closer, that I should be starting to get serious about my training. Up until now, my 'training' has consisted of walking Hugo and Xanthe my trusty side kicks (TSK's ) around the streets and possibly to the park in the mornings. Don't get me wrong, the TSK's love their morning walk - as do I, because (a) no one else in my family will do it, and (b) I get to listen to all my nerdy pod casts that trust me NO ONE wants to listen to in the rest of the house.

So, I came up with a plan…… It was genius. I devised a pure "Jim Hungerford" method of training…I got the backpack out (it now stinks so no one will be using that one again…), filled it full of weights - now let me explain "weights" I had to improvise here. Similar to MacGiver I searched the house for suitable "weights", fearing Julie would kill me if I stole out anything of substance, I resorted to …… yes filled hot water bottles…… OMG Im a genius. Then I found some old leg and arm weights that Julie had bought me in an earlier lifetime (funnily enough to avoid the whole "hot water bottle scenario" ) and I think I had a decent 10kg in total. How do I know this? because I guestimated - I'm as good as positive - of course it could have been 20kg, it felt like 50kg by the time I returned. Its a bit like catching fish - it just gets bigger.

Anyway, I got off track there for a second (must remember not to do that when I'm actually on the trail), so I set off with the TSK's and we walked for about 3kms…. Please restrain yourself from gasping. After taking the TSK's home I continued on my own with my MacGiver backpack and headed out again into the wilds of Collaroy. Only issue? it pissed down. So there I was, in my new trekking boots, my new shorts and my nerdy pod cast happily blaring away and I looked like a drowned rat. I fear this is a taste of things to come.

To be continued…….

https://shepherdcentreperuchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/HungerfordJ

Dodging Llama spit ...

And not just with this!

In June as well as dodging llama spit, quite possibly floods and wondering if I should have laid off the chips a little bit more.

Yes its day one of my training! as you all may know by now I'm preparing to climb the Inca trail in Machu Picchu in June.

At first I thought I would just rock up there and walk it. When Julie couldn't stop laughing at me, I started to re think that plan and figured that perhaps my training should begin around now. So bear with me as I document the trials and tribulations of my "training" with you all. Because I seriously don't want to be the one left at the end of the pack everyday……..

https://shepherdcentreperuchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/HungerfordJ