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On this darkest of nights, let the brightness of our lights (and there's lot of them across our convoys ) shine bright into our lives! Team @Carnity - here's wishing you, your loved ones and our community of caring members with a year full of joy, luck, virgin sands, cavernous bowls, glorious sunrises, soulful sunsets, and shimmering night drives Last evening I attended a beautiful twilight drive led by @Chaitanya D & @M.Seidam, and my passenger commented on just how polite and respectful the radio comms and convoy was. She was in awe of the civility with which this group moved, and the safety we put as paramount. @Ashok chaturvedi then brought out some delicious mithai (sweets) to add a beautiful punctuation to the moment. What stood out to me - and my passenger - was the wide beaming smiles everywhere. And that's the making of each and every one of you. Individually, we are just drivers and enthusiasts. Together, we're a force On this beautiful day, I wish nothing but to see you all out on the sands again soon. And for those in the forums, may we continue to cross paths so I get to hear of your experiences and your wisdom. Collectively, it enriches Carnity to be what it is. HAPPY DIWALI!

Wonderful post @munkybizness ! I totally agree with you. I joined the club about three years back, and came across the most humble and polite people i have ever met. Their genuine friendship and support made me come back every week and looking forward to meeting new community members. Perhaps we are not the fastest or craziest performance offroad club, but we can proudly say that with 45+ nationalities we are a part of a tightknit family where everyone looks out for each other, and a place where people from all walks of life and enjoy their weekly desert trips together with us. When we look at potential new supporting members, advisors, and new leaders, we look at their attitude, humbleness, teamplayer attitude, and genuine interpersonal skillset, and these things together form what we call the Carnity DNA. Happy Diwali to all my friends and desertnauts !

Fantastic midweek drive, thank you @Chaitanya D for arranging and leading the night time section, and congratulations to @M.Seidam on a perfect lead for the first part of the drive! As @Hisham Masaad mentioned, there were no ropes or shovels all day which is a rare occurrence and just goes to show how well the convoy drove even in the dark, great going especially the new Fewbies! @JAISROCK @Gregory @Bernard Kalaani @Mohamad Anwer @munkybizness @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil @Rawad @Ashok chaturvedi @Niki @Hisham Masaad great to drive with you all. See you soon 🌵 PS - Some pics in the gallery 📷

Was a privilege to be on @M.Seidam official first lead! You did superb, from the route to communication - inspired confidence in all of us and we would never have thought this is a first for you! @Chaitanya D watchful and calming, @Hisham Masaad @Russ quiet and supportive - what a wonderful weekday escape! special call out to @JAISROCK who only a few hours early moved to fewbie and as a first drive under this level of challenge plus night drive was brilliant! @Gregory as the second-second lead throughout - kudos for a flawless drive. Was a pleasure to be in a convoy with @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil @munkybizness@Bernard Kalaani@Rawad@Mohamad Anwer (the prettiest car in Carnity) and a special thanks to @Ashok chaturvedi for the Diwali treats! Enjoy your weekend drives and see you soon

When we see leaders' names like @Chaitanya D, @M.Seidam, @Hisham Masaad, @Nikiand @Russ, we know we're in good hands, and are going to have a good drive, separate to what the desert decides to throw at us! Yesterday we had some of everything - light, dark, smooth dunes, ridge-riding, technical etc. Not forgetting all those camel trains we successfully dodged at the start. Well done @JAISROCK for the first Fewbie. Appreciate the sweets @Ashok chaturvedi, and @Bernard Kalaani for rescuing my flag (the bracket broke off) Until the next time...

It was my first Fewbie drive and I must say this is really different level😄. Fantastic teamwork from our leads Doc @Chaitanya D & Doc @M.Seidam. I appreciate the short briefing for us (newly Fewbie 😁) on ridge crossing, that was really helpful. Overall, it was a very good experience and I learned a lot! Good to hear feedback from the whole team. Nice to have a break for prayer and small Diwali treats sharing. Thanks @Ashok chaturvedi! Great to meeting new friends and chat a bit. Until next time! BIG CHEERS TO ALL OF YOU!👏

Congratulations @M.Seidam for the successful partial lead, it was amazing. I can also congratulate the convoy for a shovel and rope free drive, you completed the drive without the need of any effort, even over the radio, we were hardly hearing any comment. @Chaitanya D pleasure meeting you again, and thank you for arranging this weekday drive, preparing for the weekend ones. @JAISROCK @Gregory @Bernard Kalaani @Mohamad Anwer @munkybizness @Rawad @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil @Ashok chaturvedi @Niki pleasure meeting you, and thank you @Russfor the support, yes the guys didn’t allow you to show what can you offer, but I am you are always ready to 👍👍

Lesilie Drive , sec time leading What can I say ?! .. leading is entirely different world .it’s beautiful amazing enjoyable and has no match no matter what I continue to describe the feeling however it comes along with great responsibility to make it safe and doable for the drive level and drivers experience and this what makes it so unique … this is my second time leading and it’s long way to go much more to learn and refine in the leadership. today I really enjoyed the afternoon with an amazing friends whom I could sense their passion for the sand so thank you for helping me leading the first part of this quest . Sincere thanks and gratitude to Dr.Chaitanya @Chaitanya not only for today’s drive and for being in position second in the first part of the trip watching my back .but for all the good times we spent learning and sharing this passion from the day i stepped in the desert with him as a passenger. You are truly a leader of excellence and a dear friend. @Hisham Masaad I can’t wait really to be part of your coming lead inshallah . Your presence is always a joy to any drive . Thanks for the beautiful day 🙏 @Russ we drove before and today I was privileged to have you in the sweep taking care of all of us. Thank you 🙏 @Niki it’s my second drive with you and it’s really pleasure to have you in any drive . 🙏 @Gregory so nice to meet you again you were flawless today well done 👍 @JAISROCK you have done more than great considering it’s your first fewbie. Well done and keep it up.👍 @munkybizness, @Bernard Kalaani @Mohamad Anwer It’s a pleasure to have you guys in a row within less than a week , let me know about which flavour you prefer the “ pink to red “ or “ Leslie “ 😅 @Rawad great to see you once more I guess last time was with Richard in solar park 🔁 . you did definitely great today . @Alain Canivet-Abikhalili am not sure if we drove before but you sounded so familiar as if we drove many times together , or is it the passion 😊 @Ashok chaturvedi it has been for a while since the “top of big red “ . It was a pleasure today having you among us ✌️ Thanks for the sweets , so generous. And happy Dewali 😉 unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to take many pictures as usual nor I recorded the every drive RELIVE ( I am in the leading era now 😜) , nevertheless few snapshots from some nice crisscross practice I kept in the gallery 😄 thank you guys once more for the wonderful evening and see you soon ( probably in Quadra , my backyard and favourite family play area ) cheers 🙏✌️ Mohamed

Thank you @M.Seidamand @Chaitanya Dfor both your leads today. It was a much needed escape and a warmup for the weekend ahead Kudos to the support super stars @Nikiand @Russ and the amazing @Hisham Masaad For all the fewbies today, you drove brilliantly. Keep it up👍👍

Hi Warren i took over this drive from Richard for this time. Below point is the place we call Mahafiz Tree Shade. https://goo.gl/maps/er5HSQXDVhyefgwe9 Dear All; Please see below for the convoy numbering. We will be using Carnity Channel 1 as radio. 1 Sertac Expert Xterra Lead 2 Shaaz Sha Advisor Xterra 2nd Lead 3 Warren Flay Fewbie Plus Pajero SWB 4 S Jacob Fewbie Plus Pajero SWB 5 Charbel Fewbie Plus Xterra 6 Gilbert Khalil Fewbie Plus FJ Cruiser 7 Alain Canivet-Abikhalil Intermediate Wrangler JLU CF 8 Tareck Fewbie Plus Patrol Y62 9 Pacific Intermediate Wrangler JK 10 Werno Fewbie Plus Wrangler JK 11 Thomas Varghese Intermediate Xterra 12 Matt.T Intermediate Wrangler JK Sweep

Dear All @Carnity, wish you and your loved ones a very happy and prosperous Diwali.

Frankly @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, from the time we met on a master class with Richard & Pierre and the way you have progressed- awesome my dear. Well done

Drive RSVP is now closed. Convoy order below. Please go through the tutorial videos and make sure your cars front and rear tow hooks are in order. Hope all of you also have the required gear for the Fewbie level drives. See you all tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM and we will be using Carnity Radio channel 2. 1 Brette JGC Lead 2 @Hisham Masaad FJ 2nd Lead 3 @Mohamad Anwer LC SWB 4 @Alexander Holodny Montero Sport 5 @eldose baby LX 6 @Alphin Aloor X CF 7 @Peter Hager Wrangler Rubicon 8 @Rsjiv Samuel FJ 9 @MMansoor Y62 10 @Naim Aoun Wrangler 11 @TT_Dubai LC Sweep

Sorry @Niki 😞 I mixed you up with @Russ! However, and for the record, the engine on my car is the same as yours and I love all FJs. And thank you again for your complement. With time, I will know everyone properly Regards, Mohamad

@Mohamad Anwer you just gave me the finest Diwali present by upgrading me to a Raptor!!! …. I drive the humble black FJ hiding at the back

Thank you @Niki I also loved your monster Rapter!! See you soon again hopefully! Regards, Migamas

Happy Diwali dear friends and families!

Diwali a festival of triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil, of hope over despair and of knowledge over ignorance. I wish all my friends and families @Carnity a very happy and prosperous Diwali. May the light of the diyas fill your home with happiness and success.

DRIVE REPORT Dear Desert Wanderers, The first drive of the season where my windows were down from start to end! What a beautiful feeling.. We started a bit later than planned at 6:22pm, because of the late arrivals of @Thomas Varghese and @MMansoor due to heavy traffic. To my surprise, my main off-roading headlights were not working properly (a loose contact somewhere), which casted some doubts on how relaxed the drive was going to be, as limited visibility implied more focus.. My doubts were wrong, as it all went smoothly and beautifully. We roamed around on the West side of Pink Rock for a little while to warm up the convoy and get everyone accustomed to the night driving experience, which always takes a bit of time and was, for some, really the 1st time. As usual the initial stint is also a test drive to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the convoy, so after the 1st quiet 20 mins I pushed a bit here and there to see who may get in trouble. We had a few refusals and reattempts, but nothing major, all nicely self-recovered with the occasional guidance of @Danish Mohammad. As we were approaching 7pm, we made our way back to Pink Rock, which we climbed to the top. The ascent to the pass is always an epic experience, no matter how often it is done. Yesterday, however, was definitely the most difficult night climb I happened to lead so far, as it was a pitch black evening with no moon light, so I had to climb relying entirely on my GPS track and then guide the convoy to the top by holding my torch light on so that drivers could have a target to aim at in the distance while climbing up in the dark. Quite an experience! As we were planning a proper stop pretty soon, we didn't indulge much at the top, so we made our way down on the east side of Pink Rock, and quickly climbed to its south edge, then stopped where the sharp rocky edge offers a 360° panoramic view of the surroundings. As planned, we reached our camping point approx 1h after our departure, and set up our bonfire. There was a nice breeze blowing, a beautiful view of the rock and of the surrounding landscape, with the horizon outlined by the lights of the roads outside the desert, a reminder of the civilized world far away, in stark contrast with the untamed nature of the place we stood at. Having a break around the bonfire, with some quiet music in the background (it was a piano concert by Ludovico Einaudi, for those who are curious), chatting about past off-roading adventures, was a really nice relaxing moment.. Exactly what I was hoping for the evening. After approx 1h, at 8:15pm, we put off the fire, wrapped up the remains, and made our move south, aiming at Big Red. What followed was a beautiful, uninterrupted, very fluid stint, during which we were blessed with a convoluted, but yet gentle ride, flowing around the fat ridges and the large bowls that the terrain south of Pink Rock offered. With minimal refusals and reattempts, we covered a significant distance and progressively approached our final destination. As we reached Big Red with a few minutes still left to spend, we tried an attempt to climb to the top: we didn't quite reach it, but didn't get far from it. On the way down, however, we had our only stuck of the day, with @MMansoor crested at a tricky criss-crossing: I had promised him, around the fire, that I'd get him stuck somewhere soon.. And I kept my word.. 😂😂 As I didn't want to delay our exit, the recovery was performed by winching the Y62 down from the crest, the fastest solution to the stuck. Five minutes later, by 9:58pm, we were out on the tarmac on E44 at Badayer. Everyone in the convoy did well yesterday night: @Thomas Varghese was a reliable 2nd lead, careful and responsive at all times, ready to reroute when required. A great entertainer as well around the fire! @Waqas Parvezat his 1st Fewbie drive with Carnity, followed without much hesitation. His past off-roading experience was very clearly visible. @Vaibhav handled is Jeep Wrangler very well, overcoming very quickly and very fast the initial hesitation in driving at night time at Fewbie level. His 2nd part of the drive, after being energized around the bonfire, was excellent. @MMansoor was roaring around with his beast very well. A couple of refusals that required a bit of help rerouting, especially in the beginning, otherwise a great drive! @Tareck at the back, with the 2nd Y62, did well everywhere. I couldn't see much, but I don't remember his name being mentioned on the radio for any problem. @Danish Mohammad had a lot to do last night, giving precious instructions to those who were having refusals and having some trouble himself from time to time (including a flat tire due to a probable minor pop-out, where the tyre went back in place after deflating): the sand was already churned up for me at the front, it must have been sand soup for him at the back. Well done! Overall we covered 38.7km in net 1h 55' moving time, which makes a brilliant 17.3km/h moving speed for a night drive. Except for our 1h bonfire break, we were on hold for only 19', which tells quite a good story about how the convoy performed last night. Congrats to all and thanks to @Thomas Varghese and @Danish Mohammad for their support. See.you soon again in the sand.

Dear @Jamil Abou Assali @qaiser ijaz @Alex Raptor @Rouaj @Monney Singh @takeshi sobue @Belal Aldaour @Imteeaz Goolamhossen @Ferl Brown@Felix Obst @Joseph Sebastian Pre-drive details below: 1- Please be on time and bring all your passion for off-roading and pull as much as you can of yourself out of bed.. trust me you will need all of it. 2- Be at the meeting point by 7:00am (or before) and be ready to move max by 7:20am (deflated, flag erected, 4H on, radio on and set, airbags/traction/abs all set....) 3- Please ensure your programable radio is on, fully charged and set to Channel 2 (446,031) 4- Briefing will be done on on the sand before we start moving 5- Please be prepared for a demanding drive which you will require your undivided attention. Bringing passengers is ok provided they will not be a cause for distraction and don't have known motion sickness or fear of heights. 6- Please ensure everything in the car is tied down and no moving objects 7- Please check all oils, tow hooks, and ensure no hanging parts below the chassis. 8- please ensure you come with a full tank (as much as possible) in addition to all necessary gear for this drive level specially your safety flag (NO FLAG = NO DRIVE) 9- Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/jtZXG4XXN56exRBU6 10- Convoy order

Stop stealing my compliments @Niki, disgraceful!! 🤣

Couple more boring additions I wanted to add. Had a chance to replace stock exhaust with new OEM. It was the only thing with rust on the car but it's nice and shiny now. New prop shafts, new engine and transmount. Few bushing here and there. The worst job was roof supports. Found some rattles and decided to remove headliner. All 3 cross supports seam sealer had hardened and broken up. Leaving roof and supports metal to metal. Decided to finally go to the rental shop and do that part myself. Turned out well but not fun. Up next will be timing belt kit ,water pump and radiator flush before the SC goes on in January. It seems I just got back to Dubai and I'm leaving again for Christmas holiday.

Hello @Harshad Ashraf, I am also using the 70mai A500, with front and back cameras. This is probably at the lower end of the budget spectrum, approx 300 AED only You wan watch a sample here The camera records in 1080p, but i reduced to 720p to upload. Disadvantage is that it records videos of 3min durations only,, so you will have to stitch them together with a video editor.

I am using 70mai one, and happy with it.

@Looper and @Sunil Mathew have done significant research and advised many of us on options. Budget plays a part and there are ranges that span all. I have chosen the Garmin cameras however I don’t use them for recording drives, more as a traditional dashcam. Am very happy with them and highly recommend https://www.garmin.ae/product-category/automotive/cameras-automotive/

@Shaaz Sha I am moving to support Richard in the morning AD drive - sorry for missing out on your lead but will definitely be singing up for your drives in the future! have a great drive all

@Lorenzo Candelpergher Thank you for the beautiful drive last night, it was a good refresher in the weekday. Especially the bonfire and the conversations we all had. Got to interact with all the off roaders. The second part of the drive was extremely exciting. It was a little fast, had some crossing and climbed few dunes. @Thomas Varghese Thanks for your second lead and support and @Danish Mohammadthanks for your support as sweep and helping me out during my stuck situation 🙂. @Lorenzo Candelpergher finally got me stuck after the bonfire 😝🤣 thanks for winching me out 🙂 Hope to see you all soon

We did once... It was with @Chaitanya D at pink rock 🤗