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DRIVE REPORT It's so nice when a plan comes together.... We had a compact yet very capable convoy today, and the first part was a Pajero convoy, with @Rizwan Waheed @Syed Raza Hussain @Anvar Sadath Bekal showing us that a LWB Pajero can tackle anything and go very far in the right hands. Well done guys ! @Aravind Padmaraju was on his first Fewbie drive, and got immediately thrown into a decent paced drive, but apart from some minor refusals, you did amazing and i hope you enjoy your new deserved level ! Towards the back we had a Wrangler crew with @siddharth maheshwari @Arun Mathew @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ easily digesting the challenges thrown at them. Amazing work guys ! @Atif was our trusty sweep, and handled the recoveries superbly. We covered almost 65kms and that says alot about your skillsets ! See you guys soon in the sand again ! Enjoy the festive holidays !! https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9ypePBLO

Dear Desertnauts. Time to get ready for tomorrow's Boxing Day drive in RAK. First, as this is the first Newbie driver we take in this area, let's consider it an "exploration" drive: this means that there is the chance that we'd have to stop occasionally to check the track ahead, or re-direct to find a cleaner path. The Second Lead's job will be to follow instructions very carefully, and for the convoys to exercise some patients whenever the situations above may arise. Secondly. due to the nature of the terrain, very much rich in vegetation, with a lot of human activities by locals, and therefore with a variety of tracks that mark the area, we'll mainly follow the tracks, with some occasional venturing in untracked areas. This will not make the drive any easier: there will be dunes to cross (especially toward the drive), up and downhills to manage, and finesse driving to avoid bushes, pockets and bumps. Keep in mind that most of the driving in the world's deserts is done on sand tracks, so this won't be any less adventurous. It will give us the opportunity to enjoy the environment, the occasional animals and farms we'll pass, the stunning sabkhas will drive on, and the beautiful longitudinal dunes we'll cross. As you know, we'll drive in 2 separate convoys. They will both enter and exit in the same two places, and may drive in the proximity of each other, but will nonetheless be led separately. The other convoy (we never have # 1 and # 2) will be led by Carnity's legend @Gaurav. As the original meeting place is the only one both convoys will have to use please follow carefully the instructions below, as far as reaching it, and keeping with the right convoy (mine or Gaurav's). Please, use E311 to reach the meeting point; Pay attention to possible detours that have been operated near Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital Stay on Al Shohabadaa Road, and look for signs to The Ritz Carlton Desert Resort: follow these Once you'll reach the meeting point - a left-side turn off from the tarmac road leading to the Ritz-Carlton, onto a gravel track: MY CONVOY, LINE UP ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD (you can enter the gravel area with the first cars that will reach the location, behind me) GAURAV'S CONVOY, LINE UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. Please keep the road clear in the middle, so that local's trucks may pass. The following will be the group's breakdown, and convoy order: ALE'S CONVOY: @Federico Galbieri as Second Lead @frederic demolder at #3 @Mike Kraher in place #4 @Baskaran P.R at #5 @Federico De Chirico will be #6 @Alphin Aloor is #7 @paolo dassi will anchor the convoy at #8 @Saneesh Thomas is #9 @Bala Krishnan at #10 @Arman will be #11 @Shehab Alawadhi at #12 @Paul Zeitoun will be in place #13, and @Luca Palanca Falsini will Sweep the convoy GAURAV'S CONVOY: @Niki Patel will be Second Lead @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran at #3 @Ben84 will be #4 @varunmehndiratta is #5 @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ will take #6 @AlexPol in #7 @Hisham Masaad at #8 @Harold Roberts will take #9 @DANIEL NOGUEIRA is #10, and @Ahab Shamaa will close in the Sweep's position Please, make sure to reach the meeting point on time, and separate from the other convoy, as instructed above. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. See you tomorrow.

@Frederic thanks for managing this drive. Another well-spent active weekend in the desert thanks to you for sacrificing Christmas Day that you could have spent on a personal plan on your own. Shows your commitment and passion for this desert activity. The drive had its fair share of learning for me too as it was the first fewbie drive of the year. It helped that the number of cars and being in a sweep position provided the right amount of learning opportunities. Thanks to all who participated and supported each other in today’s drive. Special thanks to @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ for keeping me informed of places my prado had to be careful.

Dear friends Please bring your recovery gear which is a pair if soft shackle and a kinetic rope (along with a shovel, safety flag , compressor and radio). At this level you will be managing recoveries in the immediate vicinity of your car. We will use Channel 4 for for communication . Wrangler boys please bring your jeeps covered with the top, else let me know I will let you in the front on sabkhas so that you dont breathe dust. Bring your sweaters/jackets as its quite chilly in the morning. 1. @Chaitanya D- Black Xterra Xterra 2. @Kailas - Red wrangler 2nd lead 3. @Shaaz Sha- Grey wrangler 4. @Abu Muhammad White sequendra 5. @Nabil Bishara - Grey wrangler 6. @Mehmet Volga- Brown Pajero 7. @marks- Grey FJC 8. @Tero Vallas - Golden Prado 9. @Jeandre Bezuidenhout - Blue wrangler 10. @Anish S- Silver pajero 11. @Jeepie- Wrangler TJ - Sweep @Jeepie sorry I was out and added you to the convoy list . Will be great to have you on the drive. See you all tomorrow

Thank you verymuch for great assistance and guide provided by you and Marian. It was a memorable experience and inspired me to continue the journey.... thank you very much and look forward to join another newbie trip with Carnity.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The car key were hung by the front door with care, In hopes that the morning would soon would be there; The drivers were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sand and dunes danc’d in their heads, And Mama in her ‘hijab, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a short night’s nap- When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash. The moon on the sight of what could not be snow, Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below; When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a minature jeep, and and a Ford 150 Ranger, With a lovely pretty driver, so lively and wan, I knew in a moment it must be Marjan. More rapid than eagles more drivers they came, Wrangeld, Osvaldo, Camel DXB and Dodi was his name: They sprung to their cars, no fears of stucks in their ears, Drving incredibly, like they had all done it for years Then I heard them exclaim, before they drove out of sight- Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night. What an Xmas present from @Osvaldo Porto @Dodi Syahdar and @camel dxb with, as ever, incredible suppport from @Jeepie. I am going to admit, I took advvantage of you all today and we drove longer and possibly a harder route than I would have normally on an Absolute Newbie drive: but you guys were amazing. A short convoy sometimes works in our favour and that was how it worked out today. Even tough it was the frist drive, all of the new drivers learned what to do and how to control the cars so quickly that I felt no worry about making the drive more tecnical and going to areas where normally you would not take a newbie drive - because I really wanted to find some routes not churned up by all the traffic in the desert at the moment. We started our adventure by working our way to the long range dunes that you reach normally from the Lisali direction. This was more challenging because we were effectively going backwards and negotiating a little against the slip face, but everyone maanged that. From there we made our way all the way from the wonderful vantage point we found high in the dunes (where we could see "the Chimney" and the "Witches Hat") to Solar Park and the Wondeful Harry Potter Tribute - perhaps it's not officially known as that, but I am sticking to my story. At Solar Park we turned West in the direction of Bab Al Shams and drove West to avoid the consrtuction works taking place on the pylon line and then turned back North toward Last Exit and the Hamari Well. It's sometimes asked how we navigate on these drives. Do we have a map ready with the route? Are the drives al planned in advance so you know where you are going. Today, the answer for sure was, no. It was all going to depend on the ability of the of the drivers, my capability to lead a route that could be driven and @Jeepies ability to coach and help any driver that found themselves in a bit of trouble. Of course we had a few refusals along the way and the shovels came out, but nothing serious that we could not quickly handle and nothing that took away any of the massive pleasure that we had on our drive today. Thanks to all of you. Have a wonderful rest of the day and I look forward to seeing you soon in the sand.

Wish you all and your families an enjoyable drive tomorrow. And be relaxed as long as our “ Superman “ the legend @Rahimdad leading.

Thank you @Ale Vallecchiam confirming joining in the meeting point tomorrow

Hello @Mahmoud Hamzawy. You are in tomorrow's drive. Please acknowledge. You'll be joining @Gaurav's convoy. Thanks.

Hi @DANIEL NOGUEIRA. Copy that See you tomorrow.

Hi @Mahmoud Hamzawy. Nothing so far, but I will keep you posted. Thanks.

Yes @Wrangeld, I will also be having the rope, soft shackles and all MY other standard equipment...😉... Merry Xmas to you all 🎄

Congrats @Federico De Chirico! Welcome to the next level!

@Rahimdad for sure you will get more banter from @Arman and I. We loving making people laugh and makes the mood light and joyous. You will have more performances from Arman and I inshallah!

Absolutely loved driving with you @Rahimdad, Thank you for the lovely report. Especial Thanks to @Janarthan for all the support today ofcourse @Aus Alzubaidi for being the best 2nd lead and @syed salman raza for being the most helpful sweep. It's only getting better and better for me after every drive with Carnity, today's offroad skill display by Rahim bhai was like witnessing some live special effects 😀 .... Finally Thank you all today for being such a great co convoy.. see you all soon in the sand.

I learned something new about you Superman bhai, you're a poet and sweet talker. I will think twice before bringing my wife to another drive with you Thank you so much @Rahimdadfor this awesome experience. I appreciate every second of it. I can still feel the cool breeze. Seeing a Mirage of dunes along the walls at home is my curse now. Looking forward to see you again in the sand. You're anything but boring, whether it's your driving style or your humane down to earth soul. Thanks again.

Any updates which Radio channel we will be using?? @Gaurav looking forward to drive again with you after long time

Dear friends I came across this “simple” video of how the different types of differentials work . I believe understanding theses things is a paramount important for every driver especially off-roaders . Opinion of seniors in @Carnity will be highly appreciated

So I'm well known to be the most boring guy when it comes to my drives. Straight in, find my way around obstacles and straight out without any fuss. Today was the day I decided to change my image and deliberately drove towards more challenging area which Newbies can negotiate safely and this convoy was at the brunt of my change. Morning started with a bit of a confusion with another convoy nearby. After deflation and putting my flag up I went back on foot to get all our Carnity members to join me further up near the farm wall. After doing a quick attendance and radio check we found @Sai Baskaran missing. So its fair to day we turned out to be the lucky 13 on a Friday. A quick brief from @Janarthan and falling into our convoy positions announced by @syed salman raza we were on our way. I started on a fairly easy track and started deviating to the right with every little chance I had to raise the challenge. Although I felt bad in the beginning that this Newbie group had to learn the hard way, but the feedback was they were enjoying emevery moment and learning from every little to medium dune we conquered. Surely there were a few refusals, but what a positive vibe I felt through this amazing batch of off-roaders who wore their biggest smile on every challenge. Slowly but surely and with some very many helping hands we cleared one dune after the next as we came closer to Pink Rock play area. The toughest part was the last medium size dune before the Pink Rock play area dawned upon us. But a never say die attitude and some very enthusiastic members we were able to cross this obstacle also. Upon reaching the play area I was surprised to see everybody itching to try out their capabilities with everyone having atleast 2 to 3 tries, every try was better than their last. As everybody had their fill and we moved there was a request to cross the Pink Rock area which I readily agreed to. I was surprised that although at any given time we had about 3 to 4 convoys in the area which we used to come across but we were never overly bothered by any of them. Going up on Pink Rock was the smoothest in the longest of times I could recall which was also pleasant. The convoy did so well that we were all on top within no time and wonderfully placed not to cover the track and strategically placed for easy movement. So with about 30 minutes left on the clock I gave a choice of moving towards 2nd December Cafeteria or having some play time and unanimous decision was to have some more play time. As we approached some awesome dunes after descending on the back side of Pink Rock everybody was in awe of how we would approach such nice rolling dunes. So we headed in knowing that this area will be full of challenges but will help us to learn and progress to the next level. Once again everybody did an amazing team work and we kept pushing each other to improve our driving capabilities. With a very challenging recovery which meant I had to take over and demonstrate recovery plus rocking (swing/jula) technique to come out of that bowl. As we were now well past our time to exit we took just 5 minutes to reach 2nd December cafeteria where we all inflated. My satisfaction came when I saw everyone wearing their broadest of smiles and having their story books filled to tell the newer member who are waiting to join our wonderful community. From my point of view it was a tough one where we did not run into the higher kilometer count, but one where we were able to learn and improve our drive styles and push our boundaries at this level. My second lead @Aus Alzubaidi was amazing and I just felt so comfortable taking everyone deeper and through the tougher parts due to your second lead. You were amazing and your response to my every request gives me more confidence in you. While we were inflating you said some golden words that you totally trust me with the way I drive and are comfortable following me. With experience you'll feel much more confident with many more members and that is what we need at higher levels. Trust. @Sreenath Giridharan your Toyota Fortuner 2.7 liter 4 cylinder reminds me of @Jolly Abraham who has already proved me wrong as to how far the 4 cylinder Fortuner can venture in the right hands. I must say that last week I was in the impression that you still have to learn so much. But watching you through some tough terrain you managed so well that I was pleasantly surprised at your sudden growth. Although there is the gear technique which you caught on to on this drive, but I'm glad you're being much more positive and continuing your learning with a huge smile. @Thomas Varghese as we learned today your Xterra has loads of power and I'm glad you're taking good care of it. You need to trust the vehicle, improve your line and still need to pick on a few techniques, but I'm glad you bring your enthusiasm and willingness to learn on every drive. Loved having you on this drive as you missed out last week. @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader although you were a few cars behind but don't think I did not have my eyes on you. You quietly progressed in the drive with no assist fro. Anyone around, but I was very please to see you taking the right lines and applying enough throttle to pass the toughest of dunes. Lovely to have you on this drive and I would like to hear more from you. @Danish Mohammad I feel blessed to have you and your family on the drive. I understand its only a newbie drive and you need to learn further, but with your tires you need to find that sweet spot of deflation. I had the privilege to give your family some jula and drive them to higher grounds. Your ride is awesome and I'm pleased that you're ready to put in the labour to learn and grow within our structure. @Janarthan I'm so glad @Srikumar added you to support me for my drive. Without you brining the sunshine this morning my plans of destroying my boring image would have been a dream. I know you had to work hard, but I love to see you breaking into a sweat. Just can't thank you enough for all your support. @Explored Dubai another queit member who dripped in and out of the convoy without much attention. But surely I had my eyes on you as well. I'm impressed with the way you handled your ride and live your cool and calm demeanour. @Nikola Bozovic your presence with your family brought its own flavour to the drive. Instead of one I was blessed with 4 smiles from your vehicle and as you better understood the deflation options the better you performed. I loved your throttle and steering control and felt proud that with all the girls in the car you were never distracted and kept driving amazingly well. @andy_macdxb ots been some time since I last saw you. You have not lost your touch and gave me a feeling you've been practicing those awesome skills of yours. It was a pleasure to meet your missus and her one off scream kept me smiling knowing she is enjoying herself as much as you pushing your Pajero to the limits. Due to Covid19 I'm missing your wonderful stories from the past, but with the vaccines out I can't wait to hear about your adventures in a life before Carnity. @Kaile Barrameda my kabayan and car full of girl power, and today she demonstrated the girls can do everything better. Sure she has a Rubicon Limo, but it also depends on how the driver handles it. Whoever you've been following on your previous drives has taught you well. Its not many a times when I am lost for words, but your performance today justified your position in the back where you're just making every moment your own. Plus with an infectious smile, that is one infection I would like to suffer with. @Nihal17 again another quiet and quite impressive soul, who bring soul to the drive. Its never easy being in the back end of a convoy and we always tend to put better cars with better drivers in the back and you too justified your position. You were another one with the limo and I must say to managed yourself well. How can I miss out on @syed salman raza who for a second drive in a row got his F150 polished for his sweep duties, and what an amazing assistance I had having him there. He was not alone, it was wonderful having your family witness what a sweetheart you are. Perfectly kept me updated about the convoy movement and kept the convoy moving at good pace. Its lovely to see a few people with the confidence to take on important roles within the convoy and today you proved my decision was right as was my judgement for you to take on the additional responsibilities. Thank you. For those who have completed their drives at the Newbie level as per our structure can apply for their promotions. Here are some of my pics posted in the Gallery. Enjoy. https://carnity.com/gallery/category/463-newbie-tawi-nizwa-sharjah-25-dec-2020

Hi @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran. OK will do that. Thanks a lot and see you tomorrow.

RSVP is now closed @Nabil Bishara, @marks, @Tero Vallas, @Alexander Alcala see you in Wagan! As it is a short convoy, we will do the convoy numbering and decide the radio channel at meeting point.

Hi @Ale Vallecchi, is it possible to move @Bala Krishnan to Gaurav’s convoy as we are friends coming together. As we share the same inflator and stuff, it would be helpful if we both are allocated to same convoy. Thanks!

Hi @Ale Vallecchi, my Dodge was not ready, so I will drive other car, I will miss my V8... I will be in a black Fortuner .

@Ale Vallecchi Hi Ale,, any chance for tomorrow ride, kindly let me know if any of the drivers dropped am ready to join

@sri ganeshganesh looks like you're in. Thank you for the update however, @Probir MukherjeeMukherjee in future, please consider this before signing up for the second drive.

Hi Richard just back from a intense drive with @Chaitanya D will drop out of tomm so that @sri ganesh can join the drive . Merry Christmas to all

Of course its absolutely fine.

@Rahimdad I'm a proud student of CARNITY InshaAllah will try my best to come up to your expectations 😍