Times are tough for raising money. Global recession and personal job insecurity are putting the dampers on many budgets.

There is still money available. Companies and individuals are still spending. advertising and marketing budgets have not disappeared. They are just more selective than before.

In times of plenty. Companies like individuals are more relaxed about their spending. NOT ANY MORE. They want to see a return. They want to see an obvious and QUANTIFIABLE BENEFIT.

Just because you think your expedition is fantastic, doesn’t mean they do. If you want the money YOu have to persuade them of the BENEFITS it will bring THEM not YOU!!

I leave you with a quote by rapper Fifty Cent….

The public is never wrong. When people don’t respond to what you do, they’re telling you something loud and clear. You’re just not listening.

What is your experience of raising sponsorship? What worked and what didn’t?

This is a new web site and I would really appreciate your help in raising awareness. If you enjoyed this article please take a moment to comment or share it on Facebook or Twitter. I would really appreciate it. Thanks

Luke Bream

P. S. If you enjoyed the article then please stay in touch. You can do this by joining our email newsletter or become a FAN on Facebook or how about subscribing to the RSS feed.

Related posts:

1. Daily News round up covering ultra marathon and trail running – FRI 27 Nov
2. CrazyJourneys Daily Bike News covering ultra, touring and endurance cycling
3. Part 4 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life
4. Young British Rower Sarah Outen sets Ocean Rowing Record
5. The Lesson from 2 expeditions seeking sponsorship to fund their next adventure

Annapurna Circuit Trek

I got to know Kate on the trek who lives in Nepal with her Nepalese hubby Amrit, and worked for VSN back then. She told me about their plan to do another trek, because her brother and his wife were visiting them from England. I got invited to do it with them, and it was going to happen in just 3 weeks time!! I was so excited. I was going to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek!!

Before my story on the most amazing trek I’ve ever done, let me tell you where our money went which we fundraised. I was lucky enough to witness our 33 orphans move to a clean, new, safe home. I was moved from my ‘home’ as well, and lived with a young couple and their son.

Once again, they lived in one room and I had my own. Only this time, they even had the kitchen in their room? With the new home, the children got a big scrubbing and some new clothes, shoes, school bags. They were over the moon.

We had a cook, and fresh vegetables and fruits every day. The children were no longer malnourished. It was all worth it at the end….working hard back in England, not going out while my friends were having the time of their life, saving every penny…I would do it again.

Kate and I were so excited. We had been to Everest Base Camp and now it was time to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek, which means a longer and more steady climb…no altitude sickness this time, please?

We had Kate’s husband as a guide, and one of the porters –who we called Elephant- from Everest Base Camp Trek was coming with us, though we were carrying our own bags this time. My bag weighed 18 kg at he start of our trek, out of that 3kg was chocolate?

It was 7.30am, 13th November 2009 (wow! Exactly 3 years ago today!) that we left Kathmandu in a little van we hired. For about two and a half hours we were stuck in traffic, and once we got the speed back, we had a flat tyre.

It got changed in no time, and we were on the top of a bus from Besi Sahar (760m;2493 feet) to Khudi (790m;2591 feet) which was one hour of hell.

We were on the roof top of the bus, legs hanging down from the side. We thought it would be fun to try to travel like locals do. If it wasn’t enough that we had to watch out for wires pulled across roads in order not be decapitated before our adventures even began, here is another one.

The roads were so bad, that the bus was constantly swinging and there was a massive drop right beneath my feet with a raging river at the bottom. I aged at least 10 years on that ride?

After the bus ride we walked to Bhulbhule (840m;2756 feet) where stayed for the night. The next day was an easy walk, which was great to get me used to my backpack.

After a night in Ghermu (1100m;3609 feet) we started the day with a steep climb. We stopped for lunch in a little village, where we picked some beans, pulled up some radish, and in about an hour we had the most delicious dhal baat in front of us. I had about three servings. The rule with dhal baat is, one can have as much as one wants. In my case, as much as there is?

The landscape was beautiful. There were papaya and banana trees, ferns, on the top of the rocky hills some palm trees. We even saw some naughty monkeys.

Before we got to Tal (1700m;5577 feet) –our destination for the day- we were stopped by the army, because they were blasting a mountain side to build a new path or road. BANG! BANG! BANG! There were some Israeli trekkers, who didn’t even blink, while Kate and I almost jumped out of our skins, and ended up giggling a lot.

The next day was so much fun. We had lots of uphill, and at one point our way was blocked by donkeys, so a villager told us to take a different path. We ended up where we supposed to anyway, but we were walking along a river, and we had to rock climb a little, and use a dodgy bamboo ladder instead of just a boring path.

It was lovely to enjoy the peace and quiet of our lovely lodge in Danakyu (2300m;7546 feet) until some guys turned up and made so much noise all night. Annoying.

After the usual Tibetan bread for breakfast, we set off to Chame (2670m;8760 feet). We had a very steep start, but not a very long day, so we had the pleasure of playing card for hours and hours in the afternoon and after dinner.

The next day was very easy. We stayed in Lower Pisang (3200m;10498 feet) in a very nice teahouse. We had hot water. While on the Everest Base Camp trek I would go for days without showering, and even then it would be freezing cold, here most of the lodges had hot water. Luxury.

We did an acclimatization trek to Upper Pisang to a Buddhist Monastery. It was so cold, we ran all the way down to our lodge. It was colder on this trek than any time on the Everest one.

The next day was once again an easy walk with breathtaking views, and as we were arriving to a village, a lovely lady brought out some freshly baked chocolate croissants on a tray. Tea time it was. They were the best croissants I’ve ever had!

In the afternoon we got to Manang (3540m;11614 feet) where we found more bakeries with more delicious snacks. We spent two nights here and did an acclimatization trek to the ‘100 rupees Lama’ who lives in a cave and gives blessings for safe trekking if one gives him 100 Rupees.

In the evening we went for a lecture on altitude sickness, which was very interesting. I went back to give some donations, and had a hot chocolate and a nice chat with a volunteer doctor from Norway.
We had a very short walk to our next stop in Gunsang (3900m;12795 feet), so me and a couple went for a walk. We saw some Tibetan prayer flags on a hill, so our goal was to reach that. Two hours up-up-up the hill. Slowly, but we made it.

On the way down I was going much faster then the couple, so I sat on a big flat rock and I was taking in the beautiful view that surrounded me. Majestic mountains, birds flying.. I had the most amazing experience. For a moment there was no wind, no sound. Total silence. I felt one with everything and felt like I was all alone. I can’t describe it, but it was one of the most precious moments in my life.

The next day we stayed in Letdar (4200m;13780 feet). It was freezing, but our lodge had the best Chinese blankets ever, so we didn’t feel the cold at night. We ate like horses at this stage. After each meal we would have a Snickers bar with no guilt whatsoever?

Our last night before the pass was in Thorung Phedi (4450m;14600 feet). It was so windy, I thought the lodge would take off and some guys were chatting for a long time, so I didn’t have a good night.
We had breakfast at 5.15am and left for our toughest day yet around 6am.

20 minutes after we left I stopped to have a sip of my drink, and to my surprise it turned into slush. That’s how cold it was! The first 1 hour and 10 minutes was steep uphill till upper base camp, where we had tea and met Kate, who was going to the top on pony back. I went to the toilet, and it felt like I was skating on poo and pee. Yuck!

We had such a good weather. It was a beautiful sunny day, no wind. Perfect. It was more and more difficult to breathe as we were getting to the top, and my heart was pounding so much. The last half an hour was so hard. I had to stop after every 10 steps and catch my breath, and felt dizzy from time to time and our speed was extremely slow, but we made it over the Thorung La Pass (5416m;17770 feet).

The way down was the icing on the cake! It was steep-steep down hill for 5 hours. Not a tea house in sight, nothing. It was like walking on the Moon.

It was tough. I was exhausted. We stopped for a bowl of soup after 5 hours. I was dead at this point. I remember sitting down and crashing on the table, while my soup was prepared. The soup put some life back into us, and we made our way to Muktinath (3760m;12336 feet).

After our well deserved breakfast, we went to Muktinath Temple. It’s the second most important Hindu pilgrim destination. I washed my head with the 108 ice cold holy water, which gave me the ticket to heaven (that’s what so special about the place!?)

We also visited a Buddhist Temple which holds the ‘eternal flame’. It was a lovely place. Took us 2 hours to walk to Kagbeni (2800m;9186 feet). The way there was like walking on the Moon. I was imagining some giant spider-like creatures crawling out of the weird shaped rocks. Sci-fi live?

I took a walk in the village. I was taken by it’s old, medieval streets, buildings. Chickens, cows, all sort of animals wandering around the streets while dirty, smiley children played with bones and strings alongside them. I loved that place!

There was a special stupa in this village which had some paintings inside it. If one stands inside and sees the paintings, one shall be released from all sins. Of course I did it, so I did a good job today. I made sure I’m going to heaven without any sins?

The next day we had a very windy walk through a valley to Marpha (2670m;) This place is known for it’s apple. We did have a lovely apple juice, apple pie and saw lots and lots of apples getting dried on the roof tops.

We were getting close to the end of our journey. We passed through many more of lovely villages, enjoyed more dhal baat and I didn’t want the adventure to end.

But like everything, this amazing trek had to come to an end too.
Took me a while to adjust to the busy streets of Kathmandu, the noise but it was sure nice to wash my hair after three weeks?

I had some really nice pictures from this trek, but I have moved around a lot in the past few years and somehow I managed to lose them. I learned to live with this one too?

I had a month left in Nepal, and it was great. I went to Chitwan National Park in the south of Nepal for a long weekend, where I rode an elephant, I went for a jungle walk and saw some rhinos and managed to scare the hell out of some people. I copied the trek guide and climbed up on a tree, so I could see the rhino better. Everyone was so cautious and quiet. “It’s coming!” I said really loud. You should’ve seen people’s faces! It was so funny!

I felt a bit bad after my guide told us how he got attacked by a rhino, and he showed his scar, which was massive. I probably scared him to death. But he got me back by telling us his rhino attack story while we were walking through the jungle?

I met some really crazy, interesting, fun people while volunteering and with some of them I’m still in touch. Going to Nepal has definitely changed my life, the way I think, the way I act. I would go back and do it all over a gain 100 times.

I spent two weeks in Thailand, 10 days in Mayanmar (Burma) and 4 days in Oman before my return to England. I had fun, but it was nice to be back.

Then I checked my e-mails. “Come home. Mum passed away.” Said the massage from my brother.We just don’t know when it’s our time to go….

Live here, live now.

To follow up on this inspirational volunteer story please connect with Viktoria Barna on Facebook

Credits for the images in this article about voluntary work in Nepal and getting fit for trekking in the Himalayas belong to Viktoria Barna. To view more of Viktoria’s images visit everest base camp | orphanage | annapurna circuit trek

Please support CrazyJourneys.com by taking a moment to comment on this inspirational volunteer story and also tweet or share it. Help Luke to spread the word. The buttons are below:

Related posts:

1. Part 3 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life
2. Part 2 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life
3. Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life
4. Daily News round up covering ultra marathon and trail running – FRI 27 Nov
5. CrazyJourneys Daily Bike News covering ultra, touring and endurance cycling

Today’s highlights include another British attempt on the round the world cycling record and a detailed account of the effectiveness of performance drug use from an amateur cyclists perspective.

1. I struggled to pick just one post to recommend from Russell’s fantastic blog. He is an artist cycling around the world, his writing is powerful and poignant. So here are 2 choices, both are unusual and thought provoking What we fear makes us ill and pedal by pedal an intimate goodbye
2. British cyclists are on a roll with “around the world cycling records” from LCC. First came Mark Beaumont 194 days, next James Bowthorpe 175 days. The record is now under threat again by Julian Sayarer a 23-year-old London cycle courier averaging a massive 112 miles per day, which would bring him home in 160 days. These photos show him at start then after 10,000 miles !! Check Julian’s website out This is not for Charity



3. “If you were stranded on a desert island what’s the one thing you’d want with you” question, and his response was “Walmart”. This classic line is taken from a great article on Tao of Cycling titled Banter Check it out.
4. Some lovely poetry on a cycling theme from Words-a-day. The bored reflections of a bored soul in a boring world.
5. You know that you are an Ultra Cyclist when? Taken from an article on Ultra Running on the same theme!
   • You tell your significant other you’ll ride there and would she please bring your change of clothes (for Thanksgiving Dinner)
   • You do centuries for speed work
   • Every deep thought and every great idea came to you while you were on the bike
   • Your closet is full of cycling gear and you can’t find “any” street clothes to wear
   • When you call your vacations- bikations.
   • When taking the long way home from work involves lights, and at least 1,500 portable calories
   • When you look at a Recommend Daily Allowances and scoff
   • When you look at “servings per container” and divide by two to achieve a more accurate number.
6. Race Around Ireland have set the dates for the 2010 race which is 1350 mile (2200km) non-stop cycle race sanctioned by the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association. Race open to solo riders and teams.
7. Training for endurance based events like triathlon, marathons and cycling requires a great deal of planning ,experience and knowledge. This excellent endurance nutrition video lists in order of importance the nutritional factors starting with water, electrolytes, carbs and Branch Chain Amino Acid’s ( BCAA’s), probably endurance nutrition best kept secret.
8. Are you intimidated to race your bike, scared of the pain or embarrassment of being dropped. You are not alone. MellowVelo share your feelings and have a lovely post The intent to race
9. So you want to get leaner, faster, stronger and not bulk up? This is the most informative article I have read on drugs in sport. It is a detailed and personal account of taking them, the effects and performance benefits they bring to endurance athletes and cyclists. It’s long but well worth the read. Please note it is NOT a moral article, nor too a discussion of the ethics but a scientific study of performance gains from an amateurs perspective. Endurance cycling drug use
10. Thanks to Running to Stand Still for the cool cycling picture used in the title of this article

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Related posts:

1. Daily News round up covering ultra marathon and trail running – FRI 27 Nov
2. Daily Bike News Roundup covering ultra, touring and endurance cycling
3. Young British Rower Sarah Outen sets Ocean Rowing Record
4. Part 4 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life
5. 50 Cent can teach you everything you need to know about raising expedition sponsorship dollars

Today’s highlights include Lisa Tamati 2200km run across the length of New Zealand and an endurance psychology article focusing on “coping with pain”.

1. Ultramarathon running legend Dean Karnazes offers a fantastic list of tips and techniques for training and running ultra distance events.
2. Lisa Tamati New Zealand’s elite ultra marathon runner, is running the length of New Zealand. Covering approximately 2,200km in 33 days or the equivalent of 52 marathons she’s due to finish on 2 December 2009
3. Chris Tokarz was the female winner of the 2009 Rockledge Rumble 50 km trail run and is interviewed about her training and ultra marathon race strategy
4. Steph has completed 22 marathons so far in her quest to be the youngest female to run a full marathon in all 50 states.
5. Quotes from Ultra marathon runner It’s a long list but some real gems in here
6. Endurance Psychology An excellent article about managing and coping with pain in endurance racing including detailed training strategies.
7. Fantastic list of 50 Endurance Blogs including sections on training and analyses, endurance, speed, nutrition and strength training.
8. 6 great lessons from the running trail Jon Berghoff uses a running analogy in this excellent article on business strategy
9. Top female endurance athlete Jen Segger describes the fine line between triumph and addiction as she bares all in this honest and thought provoking interview.
10. Inspirational running story Len Ruth weighed close to 222 lbs before taking up running. He lost 80lbs and ended up running ultra distance marathons and even took part in a 24 hour race.

Please Share on Facebook or Retweet

If you write a running blog and have written a interesting or unusual post that you would like featured in this daily roundup of marathon and ultra endurance running news then please Contact Luke

Related posts:

1. CrazyJourneys Daily Bike News covering ultra, touring and endurance cycling
2. Young British Rower Sarah Outen sets Ocean Rowing Record
3. An ultra marathon running world record on the GR20 mountain trail
4. Part 4 Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal gave me an amazing new start in life
5. 50 Cent can teach you everything you need to know about raising expedition sponsorship dollars

Ocean Rowing is one of toughest of all ultra endurance sports. There being little feeling of progress or changing landscape. With that in mind Sarah’s achievement is remarkable.

I love her spirit and enthusiasm. Watching her on video, you feel every emotion of the journey with her. The hardship and pain, the joy and exhilaration.

The video also captures the fear and loneliness that I imagine are never far below the surface on such a voyage. Sarah was only 23 when she set out and i think it makes her achievements all the more special. I find it hard to imagine at 23 having the strength, tenacity, bravery, grit and passion that she demonstrated day after day to complete her row.

A fantastic ocean rowing movie

The BBC have also featured Sarah in a great short film which you can view at BBC Ocean Rowing Video

Some opinions by CrazyJourney community “Are ocean rowers inspirational or barking mad !!!”

Both! One of my “bucket list” items is to kayak to Skellig Michael some day…saw it on Sunrise Earth..love at first sight. Lori Faris-Huffer

For more information on this inspirational female rower and her epic ocean rowing record please visit SarahOuten.co.uk

Credits for the images used in this article and film about ocean rowing solo across the Indian Ocean belong to Sarah Outen

Please support CrazyJourneys.com by taking a moment to comment on this rowing video about an inspirational female athlete setting a new ocean rowing record and also tweet or share it.