Source: Kent News
Being dropped into the middle of the Amazon jungle, home to some of the most dangerous species of wildlife in the world, would be most people's idea of a nightmare.And as for trekking thousands of metres above sea level with risk of altitude sickness and exhaustion - most would get straight back on a plane to the UK.
But for Paul Stannard, managing director of Archant KOS Media, the publisher of this newspaper, it is all part of his Peruvian adventure which will see him and seven others trekking the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, to raise money for two of Kent's charities.
Mr Stannard, 46, has funded the trip himself so every penny raised will go to Dave Lee's Happy Holidays, a charity sending sick and deprived children on holiday, and Demelza House, a children's hospice in Sittingbourne providing end of life care.
Speaking ahead of his trip, Mr Stannard said 10 days of hardship was nothing compared to what these youngsters had to cope with.
"Whatever challenges I face can't be compared to what those poor kids are going through," he said.
"I wanted to do something big to get a lot of support for these charities.
"We've raised money for Kent children through the KOS Media Christmas appeal, but this year I wanted to do something bigger. I've seen what Dave Lee and Demelza do. I feel it's the least I can do to give something back."
The trip will see Mr Stannard swapping his suit and tie for a pair of khaki shorts to tackle the Inca Trail before being airlifted to the middle of the Amazon rainforest, where he will stay for four days.
"First of all we're flying into Spain - there are no direct flights to where we're going - then we fly to Lima in Peru and on to the Amazon jungle to a place called Cuzco, which is like a backpackers' paradise," he said.
"We go there for a day to acclimatise and then we join a group and climb the Inca Trail and see Machu Picchu."
While two of his group will then fly home, Mr Stannard and the braver members will stay on to be airlifted into the middle of the jungle.
"We'll spend four days living with the local wildlife, like anaconda and tarantulas, and travel by foot and in carved wooden canoes. There are piranhas and electric eels with 5,000 volts in the Amazon. We're doing this the real way - not the tourist way."
Jaguars and poison dart frogs are just some of the other species Mr Stannard and his group could come face-to-face with as well as tackling intense weather conditions, with temperatures dropping to below freezing at night and extreme heat during the day.
But Mr Stannard said he is looking forward to the challenge.
"I've been doing a lot of walking and cycling to prepare, although you can't do anything to prepare for altitude sickness."
Mr Stannard is aiming to raise £10,000.
To make a donation to Dave Lee's Happy Holidays go to www.justgiving.com/Paul-Stannard and for Demelza House go to www.justgiving.com/Paul-Stannard0.
People wishing to send in donations can make cheques payable to Dave Lee's Happy Holidays or Demelza House Children's Hospice and send them to Kerry Head at KOS Media Ltd, Apple Barn, Hythe Road, Smeeth, Ashford TN25 6SS.