Rahimdad

Wow @Wrangeld I didn't know you're a poet too. Eat your heart out Wali Mian Sheikh Peer. Better known as William Shakespeare to most.

Great share @Mohamed Seidam. Always good to see illustration to understand it better.

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

@Shehab Alawadhi no need for you to remind me of spending 4 hours with you and @Arman. I do believe that after all these years what makes a trip worth for me is the people on the trip and I like nothing more than a banter and the spirit both of you bring on the drives. But I can see the energy flow through the forum too and loving every bit of it. Continue with your drama, I will not interfere, just enjoy the show with some pop-corn sitting on my comfy sofa.

DRIVE RSVP IS CLOSED NOW Here is the final convoy list 1. Rahimdad - Pathfinder 2. Aus Alzubaidi - Wrangler JKU (Second lead) 3. Sreenath Giridharan - Fortuner 4. Thomas Varghese - Xterra 5. Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader - Pajero 6. Danish Mohammad - Pajero 7. Janarthan - Xterra (Centre Forward) 8. Sai Bhaskaran - Pajero 9. Explored Dubai - Pajero 10. Nikola Bozovic - Pajero 11. Andy_Macdxb - Pajero 12. Kaile Barrameda - Wrangler JLU 13. Nihal17 - Wrangler JKU 14. Syed Salman Raza - Wrangler TJ (Sweep) @Aus Alzubaidi @Sreenath Giridharan @Thomas Varghese @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader @Danish Mohammad @Janarthan @Sai Baskaran @Explored Dubai @Nikola Bozovic @andy_macdxb @Kaile Barrameda @Nihal17 @syed salman raza Please be on time, sharp at 6:30 AM, little early is always better. Please tune to Carnity Channel 1 Deflate your tires to as soon as you reach to the meeting point. Be inside your car - AT ALL TIMES - after the deflation. @syed salman raza having full faith in your learning curve and seeing your enthusiasm I am trusting you in the sweep position to keep an eagle eye on the convoy and keep me updated. I am very impressed with your radio communication and that too gives me confidence in you being entrusted with this task.

Hey @Shehab Alawadhi and @Arman, I heard of Drama Queens, but you guys are much better performers.

BTW, I hope everybody is aware that Christmas will be celebrated on 8 Jan 2021 this year, as Santa will be arriving on 25 Dec 2020, and will be in quarantine for 14 days. End of announcement/spoiler.

Dear @Abilash Madhavan you will need a radio programed and set as per our frequencies. Please go through the original drive post again.

Congratulations @Federico De Chirico, hope you continue to enjoy learning the art of off-roading at this new level.

@N@ved on the Calandar instead of Change RSVP it will show you leave event, just click on that.

Congratulations @Aravind Padmaraju on your promotion. Hope you continue to enjoy learning the art of off-roading at this new level.

Congratulations @Luca Bregni, continue to have fun developing and practicing your off-road skill at a Fewbie level.

@Tero Vallas I believe Prado is an All Wheel drive all the time, so on the road to give you the traction when starting off it would be 4WD and at around 40 KPH it would switch to RWD to save you on fuel economy. However in the desert we have very few times when we can go above 40 KPH so it will keep you engaged in 4WD. You will only press the difflock button when stuck and advised to do so preferably in 4 Low. Just remember t keep your traction control button pressed until you see 2 yellow lights come on and enjoy driving, together we will learn ad put in much more reliable content together on the Prado to help future owners.

@Hassan Almousa thank you for sharing the video. I get the logic behind their thinking, with cross tires in the air those are the ones spinning. By jamming the rear free tire more power goes to the wheels which are stuck close to how a difflock is supposed to work. However the vehicle for one is the old box shaped Nissan Patrol which is solid as compared to our newer rides with crumple zones, if you are tying it to your recovery point and with excessive force will you end up damaging your own vehicle? Another point is when he gets himself stuck, he is front heavy and trying to reverse it out which would never happen and only dig a hole, he never once tried showing what would happen if he drove forward. After applying his rope trick and after some digging in from the car would have recovered anyways. So I will not beleive that 100%. As the second time around when he did it to pop his tire back in he made it rear heavy and drove in front to dig a hole to stable his vehicle. Once done he used the air compressor to pop the tire back in and drove out back in reverse from a similar position as the first one with a deep hole and oil coming out of the hole without applying the method for the rope trick. I think with the age of internet, videos and viral social media there are people who show some good authentic stuff and some people who just try to ride the band wagon with their own videos. Sure we can try this stuff out with your vehicle, so have your tow strap, a tie down cable, a rated shackle, solid tow points and a disclaimer to say you are responsible for any damages caused to your vehicle and equipment in case of anything goes wrong. Oh yes, I forgot to add someone to take a video so you could start your own youtube channel.

@Alexander Alcala sadly @Gaurav bhai and I have watched one such painful death come to a camel in the desert. We cannot emphasize enough that there are living things to whom the desert is their home, we are their guests and we should not leave litter behind. As the camel is big and heavy and was struggling we could not get close enough to help it without risking injury ourselves. After the camel's struggle was over and we could get close to it, we opened the camel's mouth and guess what we found in there, a plastic water bottle that got stuck in his throat which meant he could not breath. Every year before Covid19 we used to have a desert clean-up drive, but we could only take care of a very small part of the desert and still get tonnes of trash out in just over 2 hours. My belief has always been to educate people about the dangers rather than doing a desert clean-up drive every year. I am very happy to see the media channels now picking up on this and shouting out and educating people. These people on radio and televisions are people with the power of followers, nobody knows me or tries to emulate me, but these media heros could make the difference we have been striving for all these years. Kudos to them.

Different surfaces have different effect on the many gadgets available to us in our modern cars. Remember all the people I have repeated told today's cars are learning from you as much as you are learning to drive them. We at Carnity encourage all makes and models and encourage you to try out different exercises in your cars to see what a difference each thing can make in different situations. That is why getting a refusal or a stuck means that it is learning opportunities for all of us. The video does give you a good idea, but on solid ground with cross wheels in the air, plus I am not even sure if he is keeping that TC button pressed for 10 seconds to completely switch of the TC, thus he finds out that TC is not completely off. It is only when you learn and let your car and your persistence surprise you that you can help newer member to learn and grow within this environment. I love this community and all the members who strive to learn and share, a recent trend that has really touched me is the sharing of information for specific type of vehicles which will be documented and stored in an organized manner which will help the newer members around. Thank you @Atif bhai for sharing this interesting video, maybe someday we can go out to the sands and make our own video by trying out the certain options available in your car. It will be so much more helpful for the conditions we drive in.

@Danish Mohammad welcome, I will take care to make this drive as family friendly as possible. With the weather getting better it a wonderful time to bond with the family in the wilderness of the desert.