Sandra’s Overseas Adventure with IntoYou
Sandra and Clare met 10 years ago at Bodyshape, where Clare worked and Sandra trained. Back then, there were no kids for either of them! They’d stayed in touch over the years, but it wasn’t until we moved to Collaroy that Sandra began training in earnest. Sandra came to IntoYou’s Peru adventure in 2013.
“My name is Sandra & I am mum to 3 kids who are currently 4, 7 & 9, & I work for myself when I get the time so life is pretty crazy. My sanity comes from training 4 days a week with Into You and it sure is my happy place.
I had the amazing opportunity to take a gym hiking trip in 2013 to Peru with Clare, Debbie & Jenny and it blew me away. Having been occupied for years with 3 kids under 6 I was pretty washed out and in need for a great break. Before kids (& Hubby) I travelled a LOT far & wide for as long as my funds would let me and loved every min of it. These days life has taken a different path and when Peru was mentioned & Clare started putting all these amazing pictures of quiet, misty, remote paths of the Inca Trail on her page I summonsed up the courage to ask my hubby if I could go. To my delight he said yes without a blink and I signed up (I think he may have forgotten at the moment I asked him that we had 3 kids who were then 2,4 &6). Training was great fun with our small core group attending it all with other joining as they could along the way. From long hikes, hill runs and walks with crazy weights up Alexander St to gym training, Altitude workouts and over night camping in the blue mountains it was a great lead up but all paled to the incredible 13 days we had away.
My first highlight was the plane… “really?” you may say but yes, to be able to watch whatever movie I liked not caring which little eyes may be on my screen at any given moment it was a movie marathon from the beginning, they say getting there is half the fun, well, maybe a 1/4 on this case.
The places we stayed were clean, tidy and in great areas close to the attractions. We had amazing guides and day trips leading up to the main event, Meals were always a possible adventure, do we try guinea pig or Alpaca? All our training was put to great use with long days covering small distances as the altitude was high and we had the time to make the journey, I think we were lucky on the small group we had, we were joined by 2 Irish girls and they fitted in so well. We often watched large groups of hikers walking in line between 2 guides and thank fully our guide allowed us to travel at our own pace, between sections but he always popped up when we were wondering where he was (I think he may have known a short cut or 2!) THE highlight was the achievement of watching the sun rise of Macchu Pichu on that 4th day. It was hard and sweaty and breath taking and so worth the organizing it took to get away from home. I also pushed myself to do things that scared me (&still do) but I am so happy I have the picture with Jenny at the Inca Bridge as I wont ever be back to have it taken again.
All of our flights, transfers, day trips, bus trips & sightseeing was taken care of by our fearless leader Clare, which I will be forever thankful to for giving me the opportunity I would never have had if it not been for Into You trips.
I even came back to the same 3 kids that I left, unscathed and happy to see their (tired but happy) mum again.
Bring on the next one I say!”
Sandra is hoping to come to our Nepal adventure, and is currently negotiating with her husband who has a much better idea of what it’s like as a single parent this time around!!
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