Frederic

Another one for the books! Considering that LIWA is a yearly pilgrimage for many of us, i'd been going through my plans and routes for the last couple of weeks. Fortunately, for everyone who signed up, and amongst a few of you who have joined me over the last couple of years on this trip, knew what to expect, and i think the entire convoy delivered If camaraderie, laughs, stucks, and an evening around the bonfire was your thing, you were blessed these past two days. We started around 8AM at the Khanoor starting point, which immediately throws some challenges as the first couple of dunes are technical, and perhaps even a bit intimidating if you are venturing in LIWA for the first time. But with some shoveling we were quickly over the first dune range and onto the sabkha, where @Beide Worku started to notice that the 4WD was not fully engaging. Even after trying a few different methods, the Ford just did not feel like it today. An absolute bummer, but so glad you joined us for the camping in the evening. I hope it's an easy fix. Around that same time @DP1011 decided to take some refuge into a bushy pocket and lost his license plate in there somewhere. Several people searched but nobody found it, until Asif bhai watched the sky, listened to the wind, and struck once with his shovel into the sand and struck gold! (well, the license plate 😅). The comic tone was set immediately, and we had a good laugh, but the time kept ticking and we were more than 1 hour into the drive and hardly crossed 1 dune range 🤣 We all got back into our cars and found a really good rhythm for the next few hours, with minimal stucks or refusals. We found a good spot to have lunch and enjoyed the marvelous weather: Of course, as was expected, some areas were treacherous and technical, and even though i usually keep a very close watch on my GPS, this time i was 100% reassured that i had an extremely capable convoy behind me, so i could let my hair down a bit (figure of speech) and just zip through some of the most beautiful spotless dunes i've ever seen. We reached the camp site around 5:30pm after about 8hrs of off-roading. @Beide Worku was taking a beauty sleep, and our friends @Sam Selim@Looper@GauravSoni joined us for a nice evening around the fire. The next morning, we packed up and went to stretch our legs a bit at Moreeb. This part is a symbolical and meaningful end to a wonderful weekend, where friendship bonds are formed, and likeminded souls can enjoy each other's company. A very respectable 90kms covered in 8,5hours. Wikiloc | Trails of the World A heartfelt THANK YOU for everyone who joined. I am looking for many more adventures in LIWA ! Check out the drive gallery for some photos and looking forward to see more!

You will see, once we arrive everything will settle down 😁. See you all in the morning guys! - Get some early sleep and make sure you are fully fueled once you reach the starting point. - Bring your jerrycan and ensure it's strapped safely. Even if not needed in the end, it's a good precaution. - If you have any space left, please bring some firewood so we can make a nice bonfire together. - We will use Channel 4: 446.081Mhz.

Maybe... not sure 🤫

DRAFT CONVOY LIST

You forgot belly dancers....

Dear @Myrko, @Giacomo@Glenn W@Alphin Aloor@Carl Stanley@Beide Worku@AlexM@nithish468@_Herman_@Amr A@Asif Hussain@Srikumar@DP1011 It looks we are having a very similar RSVP as last year Fantastic to see you all back and there is no doubt it will be another great day out in some of the world's biggest dunes. Our plan will be to stay high in the dunes wherever we can and taking in the magnificent sights. The camping spot will be the same as last year, as i was approached by some Carnity friends that they will join us at the campsite, which is fantastic. We can perhaps even hope they will light the fire by the time we arrive @Sam Selim etc.. Camp location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BDBhzraCmssUwPQGA Convoy list will follow in a couple of days. Stay tuned !

What a fantastic idea @Emanuel!