Rachael Thomas: Trekking along The Great Wall of China

The support of members of the RNA has always been unwavering and when I took on the challenge of trekking along parts of the Great Wall of China to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation, that support from fellow members was the same.

I completed my challenge in October and myself and my fellow twenty-seven trekkers raised over £52,000 for the cause, so thanks to everyone for your support, be that through sponsorship or sharing my endeavours to raise awareness.

The five days' trekking had its unique challenges for me. I was not too happy with heights, but ‘infinity steps’ were something else! Talking of steps, I encountered thousands of them along the wall, from never ending steps I had to clamber up to tiny little ones, which made my legs ache.

Most days we were off the beaten track on what we quickly named the ‘wild wall’ and hardly ever saw anyone else. We all agreed this was much nicer than the tourist parts which are easily accessible from Beijing and thronging with people – even in the rain!

The group also had a day in Beijing where we went on a jam-packed tour starting at The Temple of Heaven, with its peaceful park where all the locals go each day to do everything from exercise to hold knitting and chess clubs. Then onto the Pearl Market for a bit of bartering for souvenirs before going to Tiananmen Square and finally The Forbidden City.

Well done, Rachael for this fantastic achievement!

*****

Rachael's latest novel is Valdez's Bartered Bride (Convenient Christmas Brides, Book 1):

Genealogist Lydia Carter-Wilson is horrified by the debts her father has run up in her name. Then magnate Raul Valdez approaches her with an outrageous proposition. If she helps him claim his inheritance, he’ll pay off her debts and save her tarnished reputation. But there’s a catch. If she fails, she will marry Raul on Christmas Eve!

No matter their instant and electrifying attraction, Lydia knows Raul’s proposal amounts to blackmail. Yet faced with an impossible choice – risking ruin or becoming Raul’s bartered bride – Lydia finds she cannot resist her desire to make a deal with the dark-hearted billionaire…!

About Rachael:

I love to contrast my daily life working on the farm with writing romances, which are set in locations all around the world and take my characters on an emotional and passionate journey.

Website

Facebook

Twitter