Thomas Varghese

@Shehab Alawadhi I have driven as 2nd lead twice for @Wrangeld.

Even if they don't work as I expect in the darkness, attaching of 4 big round lights to the front or roof of the car will give it a very menacing look. The round lights just cost me 20 AED per piece and probably another 20 AED per bulb as my son didn't get time to purchase them yet. So for 160 AED the car will look like a monster with the lights attached.

I'm old school, poor and love to experiment. LED's are not my cup of tea. I like the old halogens. Round headlights with a high wattage halogen bulb. I have bought 4 of these 9 inch headlights with 100/90 watt halogen bulbs. If the experiment works out well viola I would have created a solution for the lights during night drives. If not Kalliwalli as these lights doesn't cost a fortune (everyone will be shocked to know the price). I hope these lights will pierce the darkness upto 750 meters and if so I will start sourcing them and selling them 🤣. Hopefully my alternator can take that much amperage. If not change the alternator to a high amp one which is available upto 250 amps for the XTERRA. I have seen these lights in action in my younger days and have used it in my bikes and car and they were like a sun in the darkness.

Dear @Lakshmi Narasimhan, I started to like you so much as you have the same traits as mine. Yes I had these wishes when I joined for drives and started to climb iftar bowl, super bowl, fossil rock, big red etc. As per convoy we can do the climb once but once you climb we get the urge to climb more higher and we leave the dunes like leaving a long lost love. We have to move on. After some time you will get used to it.

I'm also experimenting on additional lights. Hopefully it may work, worst it may not. I'm not much bothered about success or failure as the cost is negligible.

Can't wait for the night adventures to start. Mine starts from Friday with @Wrangeld. The only perfect excuse to tell your wife that you are out at night and driving aimlessly in the desert. Probably the family would leave us if they find out their hubby is more interested in drives than them.

@Lakshmi Narasimhan I can understand your enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. I'm like you. But what is the fun if you learn everything very fast? Very soon you will run out of things to learn as you progress through the drives at a fast pace. You should drive under all the marshals and you will learn more. Each Marshal and his style is different. There is no perfect learning. Its that you perfect your skill with experience. For that you need patience. I'm an Intermediate. Do you think I know everything? Absolutely not. Keep driving and you will slowly gain the confidence & experience. I need to drive with for eg @Gaurav which I did only one till now. With @Rahimdad, with all the marshals. DON'T TRY TO VENTURE OUT IN THE DESERT ALONE.

Totally agree with you @Niki Patel. I was on that drive and I learned one valuable lesson from Prof @Ale Vallecchi. If you are on a ridge and the car before you slows down then just exit from the ridge to a safe position instead of getting perched on the ridge which makes 2 cars stuck.

Thank you @Nivin

I always do an engine bay wash and underside wash after 2 to 3 drives depending on how many drives I'm doing in a week. Plus I clean the air filter, check all the fluids if at all they developed a leak after the severe punishments my Xterra goes through.

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi. I waitlisted here because of @Carnity rules for the 2nd drive. Once the date was shifted to RSVP for 2nd drive to Tuesday it was only fair to join @Luca Palanca Falsini as I had RSVP'd there even before I got promoted and the slot was available. I believe every marshal should be leading a full convoy irrespective of the drive status.

Thank you @Anish S

Thanks @Anvar Sadath Bekal. Will see you soon in the sands.

@Ale Vallecchi you can exclude me from the waitlist even though I wanted to join you. I have joined @Luca Palanca Falsini's friday morning fewbie plus drive as I had RSVP'd for it initially and left it for the evening / night drive with @Wrangeld. When @Gaurav announced today we can RSVP for multiple drives from Tuesday I joined him as there was slot. Will join you soon for another drive

Dear @Lorenzo Candelpergher thank you for your wishes and advices. I never give up on something if I really want it whatever be the difficulties. I may leave it after acquiring it but not before laying my hands on it. But this passion I'm not going to leave. In all my life its the 1st time I really enjoyed driving. Really enjoyed making strangers as my friends.

Hi @Luca Palanca Falsini I have RSVP'd for this drive as per new rules of @Carnity that from Tuesday we can join multiple drives. Kindly sign me out if I'm wrong.

You can put me in any position you choose. I'm ready. Wish Friday was today. This excitement waiting for being Friday is too much I'm also again at the garage to double check everything.

Thanks @Yousef Alimadadi

Thank you @Wrangeld for your kind words of appreciation. Some things was not clear to me like not jumping into situations and making them more worse. I will surely remember your advice. Thanks @Jeepie and @Niki Patel

Yes @Kalahari I waited and waited for long. I always value driving with all the members than the promotion but of course a recognition for my efforts when appreciated counts. My weekends were all boozing sessions before I got into @Carnity. I swear I haven't even thought about buying another bottle after I joined the drives. Basically I'm a driver from my childhood. The drivers in our house used to put me in their laps and give me the steering when they drove when I was 5. My father seeing he could no longer control my passion and enthusiasm sent me to a driving school to train when I was 12 so that my passion will not hurt me or others on the road. His greatest advice to me was as a driver my primary duty is to keep my passengers and others on the road safe from my antics which I follow to this day. 2nd advice was my passengers shouldn't be subjected to sudden acceleration or braking and they should feel they are floating smoothly. I'm not saying I never had accidents. I had my fair share of them when I was young whenever I disobeyed his instructions. The most important of them was never take my eyes of the road while driving. If tired or sleepy park the car on roadside and take enough rest and then continue. I have seen my friends falling off in life when they disobeyed this 1 instruction. Some got paralyzed for life, some ended up in a coffin. By the Grace of God I'm still here driving with you all. Most importantly these machines are to enhance our abilities and not to be abused. Treat them with respect and they reciprocate well.

I'm already prepared for the drive by cleaning out the air filter, checking all the fluids, checked the computer for any error codes from my garage. Already changed the stock headlight bulbs on my XTERRA to LED's and checked them out in the night and looks enough to drive in the desert at night.

Dear @Ale Vallecchi will there be space for an absolute newbie Intermediate in your convoy? If so please include me.

Thank you @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader

Thanks @Baskaran P.R

congrats @Janarthan