I am back from my challenge of cycling across Namibia to raise money for Save the Rhino Trust in honour of the late Mike Hearn. 10 of us rode 350km over 7 days in the blistering 45degree heat on terrain that I can only liken to builders rubble..oh, and uphill for 6 hours a day! We were woken up at 4.45am, put on our cycling shorts etc and ate breakfast so as to leave as the sun came up at 5.45am. Every 10km we stopped to rehydrate and eat energy bars so as to keep us going until around 1pm each day when it was simply too hot to continue - and trust me, by that point we were exhausted! Our challenge was tough, both mentally and physically but with blood, sweat and tears, we all completed it, finally ending up at Mike Hearn's grave. Mike was a great friend to many of my friends and he had dedicated his life to the preservation and conservation of black rhino's in Namibia which are fast becoming extinct. Namibia is one of the few African countries that work with government and locals to protect rhinos and other game from being poached by working with local communities and educating them on why it is crucial that they protect the wildlife around them. This kind of project can only be continued with funding and hence the importance of raising money and awareness. Upon the completion of our epic bike ride, we spent a day rhino tracking and after 4 hours of following rhino dung and foot prints we eventually saw a young male rhino in all its glory. The black rhino is incredibly rare, and weighs 1 tonne on average and they can charge at 30km per hour.. Needless to say you don't want to get too close, or frighten them. The trip was amazing and really made me aware of the importance of preserving wildlife and conservation projects no matter how far removed they are from our everyday lives. Please do consider donating something, however small if you can to continue the incredible work the Save the Rhino Trust does in Namibia. Pinky x