Thomas Varghese

@Wrangeld The CF @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil

Yellow Truck getting a fresh coat of UAE flag colors on its tank.

A fabulous view of the dunes

Thank you @Wrangeld for showing us the YELLOW TRUCK

The setting of the Il Te' nel Deserto

congrats @Anoop Nair

What I expect to see tomorrow.

I wish you will exit at Ganthoot so that I can proceed to Liwa from there. This drive will give me a chance to test the effect of the additional load of 40kg petrol which is already filled up in the jerry cans and fastened to the boot hooks by belt straps and the strength of the straps to hold the cans in place.

Congratulations @Hisham Masaad. Its not a surprise for me as I knew you will be EXPERT one day and that day has finally come. Couldn't join any of the drives under your lead but will do so soon.

especially with an additional 40kg load with the petrol in the cans. I already filled up the cans are is ready.

Done

Dear @Wrangeld you are spot on in this observation. My daughter lives very near to this area (Ghayathi) and I sometimes drive to see her. As you have suggested its not humanly possible to wake up in the middle of the night, drive almost for 3 1/2 hours to reach that meeting place, deflate, put up the flag and be driving another 8 hours in the desert which is one of the harshest environments and then drive all the way back. This is a recipe for unsafe driving half asleep at the steering wheel. As you have recommended I strongly suggest no one does this daredevilry before the drive or after the drive. Some may think half an hour or an hour nap is enough but its not. Even after the drive I don't recommend anyone driving back immediately without taking enough rest. Once you leave Mussaffah section of the highway towards the meeting point the speeds increase to 160km/hr with unexpected crosswinds blowing from the vast sabka on either side of the road. I even suggest the convoy should move back to Dubai together after the drive as it will be much safer to be driving with friends rather than speeding alone in that highway dead tired. For anyone who wants to have the luxury of a cozy bed and a good room, the room rents at nearby resorts start at 1800 AED per day. By the way whenever I drive to see my daughter and son in law I see most of this desert and have to control my urge to drop that plan and deflate to jump into those beautiful desert dunes and explore. Thanks @Carnity club for the opportunity to do the exploration with like minded friends.

You can disregard me from the waitlist as I found a spot on another drive.

As @Wrangeld has expressed his willingness to add me to his drive you can disregard my WL request. In case you need me to support you in your drive then I can and will join your drive.

No. I will go to Ghayathi, drop my wife at our daughter's house, take some much needed rest at night for the next day drive and start back to the Liwa meeting point by around 6 am and join for the IM drive. Finally wife made the decision. I can have my fun in the desert and she can spend time with our daughter. My daughter's house and the meeting point is only an hour's drive. All depends on if you will exit at Ganthoot as described.

@varunmehndiratta I recently bought an Ikon brand 25 liter cooler powered by the cigarette lighter. It doesn't make ice but definitely keeps the water and the juices chilled. 159 dirhams from Lulu.

Prof @Ale Vallecchi couldn't wait for your advice. I joined for the drive. Your description is too tempting to resist joining the adventure. See you at Qudra on 30th.

In 2 minds - whether to RSVP for this drive, complete it and proceed from the exit point all the way to LIWA for the IM drive with @Gaurav or just take it easy and head to LIWA at midnight and conserve energy for the next day drive. Seriously look forward for @Ale Vallecchi's advice on this dilemma. Point 1. I don't want to miss the classes from the Professor. Point 2. I'm not a middle aged man with bundles of free flowing energy. I'm afraid I'm going to lose my sleep tonight over this dilemma. 😥

Congrats @Lorenzo Candelpergher for the promotion to Marshal. Couldn't congratulate you earlier as my subscription ended in July and I renewed back only in Oct. Really liked your offroading journey tale. Just saw this thread now. Always appreciated your drives and have joined whenever I could. Regarding your unfortunate experience of nose hitting of the Y62, I believe I saw it happen as I was the 2nd lead as best as I could remember. Sand was flying everywhere and I was afraid the car front was crumpled up and was not drivable out of the desert. I remember you had taken the hit without battling an eyelid and just kept driving with the help of duct tapes holding on the front bumper. If it was my car I would have had a heart attack on the spot. I have always appreciated your lead and choice of path and most importantly the pace. I think I was there when you brought out the new wrangler and had your 1st lead in that car. But the best drives you lead were in the Y62.