Rahimdad

What a tiring week. Long hours in the office. 3pm all seems in control. 7 pm looks like I'll be out by 8pm. Bang 10 pm still in the office 11 pm meeting time. My first instinct to inform and get advise from @EmVarlet as I could not reach home, pick up my Pathfinder and reach any time before 12 midnight. With patience I got a response that they will wait for me, I was overjoyed. With a quick run home and reaching the meeting point just after 12 midnight I saw @EmVarlet waiting with @skumar83 and to my surprise @Gaurav bhai with his RR. No not Rolls Royce but his Range Rover. Same same. I had not had time for dinner so @EmVarlet shared an amazing sandwich with me which was completely healthy and filling. So time to deflate and head out with @EmVarlet in the lead for the first time for the entire trip. Understanbly nervous, but he managed to take us into some very nice area on the way to Pink Rocks, we were treated to some amazing dunes on the way and reached the play area near Pink Rocks with no fuss. Trying to touch the highest point we all made tries, undoubtedly @skumar83 Cherokee was the highest achiever. Then came a deadly combination, @Gaurav bhai with the Xterra, it seemed that it would not stop till it reached the moon and back, but to almost touch the rocks and back would be enough to earn our respect for the night. We had a quick chat to decide what we were going to do next and to my surprise we were planning to visit the Madam Ghost Town. After understanding to location the general consensus was to head to the bridge next to Big Red to cross over and head by track to Rifada and make our way from there. On the way we were ably lead by Emmanuel and our trusty Gaurav bhai through some awesome dunes. Upon reaching the shops at Badayer we took a short break to some delicious treats before heading out again. As the sun was just making it appearance we took the track to Rifada and had to negotiate some small technical and at times soft dunes where our cars just sank. Driving through the first thing to appear to us from the Ghost town was the Mosque. As we circled the area and decided to head in. We feasted our eyes on this beauty and the cameras started clicking, each getting gems from their prospective which are shared in the Gallery. Special thanks to Emmanuel for posting and leading his first drive and Gaurav bhai for being such a darling to be his co-driver and conclude such a wonderful time out with some great friends. I initially thought it would take a long time for me to post this trip report, but with a desert safari later on Friday I did not want to mix the 2 experiences. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed being on the drive. Until next time this is Rahimdad signing off.

Thanks @hAwX. Been there this Friday sunrise thanks to @EmVarlet. And @Gaurav bhai.

Wow, unbelievable. Someone advertising it with location shown as Jebel Ali, that someone feels some fool here has enough money to buy this scrap. He'd rather get a special number plate.

A drone can make anything look good. The music is also enticing. Have been to many such ghost towns/abandoned places. But the coordinates to this place would help to get there and discover a new place.

I'm in with full support.

That's not long term. Honda spare parts might be expensive but on this new a car you wouldn't need them.

For all the reasons mentioned I would not go for an Altima. Try for Honda Accord.

So the start of the drive posted a very valid point. The same area again. I've been in this area several times a year in the past 10 years and it's never been a bore. Another point that came to mind was different lead, different flavour. One thing encouraged on this drive was for anybody to come forward and lead for as long as they are comfortable. Normal start with easy level building up but with no sticks or delays. Thanks to @sertac and @skumar83 for a wonderful sweep to keep team moving throughout. In no time we were on top of Fossil Rock and down headed to Camel Rock. As we approached Camel Rock, my second lead @EmVarlet took the lead. A little struggle with using the GPS but eventually we reached Faya lead by @EmVarlet within the shortest time ever. Race to the top started and eventually we all reached the top to lay our spread. Thanks to @Asif Hussain for some wonderful prawn palau and tea, @EmVarlet for some amazing treats. After the stomach was full it was time for a nap. Woken up at sunrise for an amazing view and after packing up time for the final run. The final run was the best part of the drive. With the sun still playing cool and the breeze being just as cool made that bit of the drive brilliant. Some amazing big rolling dunes, as we played from one dune to the next. It was pretty fast paced. In between the stubs kept us slow and cautious. But the last 15 minutes saw some huge areas to race our way to the finish line. With flags off for the last part we reached the Adnoc Petrol station to inflate and head back home. Surprised to see the noodles we made in the area, but these were the best noodles I ever had. Made me realize why this area never bores me. This area has everything to play and learn at the same time. Above all what makes any drive fantastic is the participants and we were absolutely blessed for this one. Missed you @Gaurav bhai.

I had to miss it. Guys please post trip report.

The last few drives have been amazing but due to Ramadan the challenge of ending the drive on time due to Suhoor,. So I will make it nice and easy so that we can have a relaxed drive. The plan would be to start easy and slowly work on the toughness bit to make sure the learning curve does not stop. Furthermore, I would like to see who has grown in confidence and lead the convoy for a short while, details of which can be discussed during the driver's brief. When: 21 June 2018 Meeting time: 10:45 PM, convoy will move sharp at 11 PM Where: Adnoc Petrol Station Maleha Road GPSCoordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/mzb26kxzte72 Level of drive: Fewbie - Expert - Advance - All are welcome (absolute newbie and newbie as passengers only) Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance Plan: Night drive from Muhafiz to Camel Rock to Faya and further if time permits What to bring along: Loads of snacks, plenty of water - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: Open RSVP the below calendar: