Full Day Fewbie Desert Drive - Yellow Truck Pilgrimage - Madinat Zayed - Abu Dhabi - 11 Jan 2025

[Looper]

Yellow Truck Season is upon us. It's an annual ritual held mostly during the winter months. I invite you to the 2024-25 edition of the famed Yellow Truck Drive. 

 My trip to the location last year:

--------------------------------------------

Yellow Truck, what is it - or should I say what was it?: Buried deep inside the Bu Hasa Desert near Madinat Zayed City, there was an abandoned water tanker truck, which due to its remote location, had become a pilgrimage for many off-roaders all over the UAE. It’s not there anymore, in 2023 soon after our drive it was taken away. Before that in 2021 someone painted the truck in national flag colours. Coming forward to early 2024 someone put another truck, yellow in colour in the same location. It is not the same truck, and frankly I don't feel connected to the new one as much as I did for the last one, because it doesn’t have the same heritage and history. But there is one and would like to go and check it out. May be my feelings towards it will change.

How did it get there? Nobody knows. Only Speculations. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. We can go there and get our own ideas.

What's the location? https://goo.gl/maps/9aiJC29bUyRFHmvJ9

Those who wish to join this drive from Dubai it's a 3+ hours to the meeting point, so ideally well rested body will enjoy this entire day drive without much fatigue, so reaching a night before and camping or sleeping in the car at meeting point would be ideal, but completely optional for everyone. Some say the pre and post drive parties are as famous as the drive itself.

-------------------------------------------

SIGNUP CHECKLIST

1. MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAR IS IN GOOD RUNNING CONDITION. Your car should have been serviced recently and all the lubes and fluids are topped up. Repairs inside the desert are going to be a difficult endeavor and are despised.
2. A full fuel tank at the meeting point and extra fuel of 20l in jerry can would be needed.
3. The spare tire should be in good working condition. If not been used recently, ensure that you take it out and check the condition properly. Please ensure that your car has the right tool to remove the tires (if needed).
4. Air compressor, proper shovel, flag, fire extinguisher, first aid kit will be mandatory.
5. Fully charged radio (tuned to all Carnity Frequencies) with spare battery / radio. If you have a car charger for your radio, please bring it along. Car charger / battery pack for your mobile.
6. The drive will start at in the morning time to be announced. Make sure that you reach and are ready to leave on time. The drive will last approximately 6 hours and of will be for upwards of 120 km in the desert. 
7. Get lots and lots of rest the previous day. Liwa will not only challenge your vehicle but your mind as well. For those who prefer camping the previous night, you can do so at the starting point as it's a nice spaced-out area. Bring some firewood incase if you wish to have a bonfire to keep you warm. Cleaning up after the bonfire is mandatory.
8. Plenty of water, approx. 5 liters per person per day. Bring along your breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. in easy to eat packaging. We shall be having breaks during the drive. Dry food, energy bar, cookies, nuts, crisp to munch while driving
9. Bring garbage bags along to carry your trash. Littering in the desert is strictly prohibited.

Please take this event seriously and understand that this terrain, due to its remoteness and size of the dunes will challenge everyone on this drive. If you decide to bring passengers, please make sure they have spent a full day already in a vehicle in the desert and are used to it. There are hardly any nearby exit tracks and rerouting might take hours, so once we are in this terrain the aim is to complete the entire drive and visit the Yellow Truck 

 

[RiadJL]

The yellow truck is gone but should be a fun drive anyway. My car is at TE for some work, should get it back this week. Will pull out early if it looks like I won't get it in time

[Looper]

@Yury this is a drive for Fewbie and above. Looks like you are yet to do any drives with Carnity and that makes you a Newbie. You are not eligible to participate in the drive. I would remove you from the drive. You need to do a few Newbie drives and then apply for promotion for Fewbie and so on. 

[Looper]

@Sviatoslav, @Mahmut, @RiadJL, @nithish468, @Glenn W, @Hani crest king, @Marek, @AlexM (updated)

@Ranjan Das, @M.Seidam

Thank you all for joining the drive.

The meeting time is 10:00 am in the morning. It takes approximately 3 hours to reach to the meeting point from Dubai, so one can start at 7:00 am in the morning so as to reach the meeting point on time. I would however recommend that you start at 6:30 am in the morning, to take into account stoppages and for fueling up etc. However, don't be late, because I am notorious for leaving people behind who do not arrive on time: @Mahesh_ can vouch for it from his firsthand experience.

Drive should end at around 4:00 pm in the afternoon, after 6 hours of driving. The drive however should be uneventful and easy, I would want us to enjoy the landscape than to do anything else in that place. We will drive for approximately 120 km in the desert and there would not be any easy tracks to get out.

As we will reach end of drive just before the sunset after a long day, I will stop at a place where camping for the night can be done, and it is a good option. I am assuming that everyone is going to start in the morning to reach to the meeting point, that means you would have driven for around 10 hours already by the time we ended the drive. I will highly recommend all take rest for a few hours at least before moving out - take a nap if you can. Camping is a good option if you wish, rest for the night and move out in the morning fresh.

I am going to put a poll do vote on it.

[Alex M]

@Looper I believe you have the wrong Alex, I hadn't signed up for this drive 😁

[Looper]

4 hours ago, Alex M said:

@Looper I believe you have the wrong Alex, I hadn't signed up for this drive 😁

Thank you @Alex M (Alex Space M)

Correct @AlexM (is Alex without Space M)

Sorry for the confusion. 😝

 

8 hours ago, Looper said:

@Yury this is a drive for Fewbie and above. Looks like you are yet to do any drives with Carnity and that makes you a Newbie. You are not eligible to participate in the drive. I would remove you from the drive. You need to do a few Newbie drives and then apply for promotion for Fewbie and so on. 

@Yury  you are back on waitlist again for the third time. I would recommend you to join Newbie drives for now. You are not eligible to join this drive. Please understand. This time I will not remove you from the drive and ask you to leave.

[M.Seidam]

Camping post drive is not a bad  idea. I am in 

[Marek]

looks like I need to drop out, parts not here yet and something tells me it wont happen by tomorrow...

[Looper]

3 hours ago, Marek said:

looks like I need to drop out, parts not here yet and something tells me it wont happen by tomorrow...

no worries. next time..

[RiadJL]

5 hours ago, Marek said:

looks like I need to drop out, parts not here yet and something tells me it wont happen by tomorrow...

same story for me 😭

 

enjoy guys. see you next time