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Scenic drive to natural lake - onroad + off-road - 24 Feb 2017


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Thanks @Mujtaba for your kind words.

Thanks @Gaurav bhai for the short write up and some awesome pics which somehow gives me a feel that this route will be repeated again in near future, as being there is much more awesome than just having a feel of it through the photographs.

Now I would like to thank all participants for being on time and allowing us that extra half an hour set up the camp and than head out to prayers, I think this is what allowed us to get the best spot in the area. As we started from the meeting point and headed to the Zakher area traffic was smooth and the weather was amazing. Since we reached the point where we were supposed to pray half an hour earlier than expected we decided to head out to the lake and settle in before heading back for prayers. As we arrived we saw one of the Gazebos free and set up camp there, by this time we had a couple of stucks but Mujtaba and myself left for our Friday prayers leaving Gaurav with the task of getting everyone to the spot. On returning from our Friday prayers we saw that Gaurav bhai had cleared all but one vehicle, this was our very own front wheel Ford Escape. Thankfully Govind had figured out how to disable the traction and we were able to deflate it to about 15 PSI and get it out of the sand, get it back in again and reach the Gazebo without much trouble.

At this point I sighted my favorite Gazebo which seemed to be not occupied at that time, so Gaurav Bhai and myself headed out with the Ford Escape to see if we could get the front wheel drive to that point, this would also ensure that the rest of the vehicles would be able to make it. Thankfully the Escape was very torque friendly and helped us make our way to my favorite spots with zero stuck. The smiles on our faces was from ear to ear and as Gaurav Bhai headed back to the previous spot to fetch the rest, Govind was amazed at what his vehicle could do and we started a discussion as to how I was able to manage his vehicle to that point. This in my opinion was the best move we made, as not only we got my favorite spot, but it was away from the crowd and we were hardly bothered by the noise and the dust being thrown around by people pulling stunts in the distance. The lake was looking as amazing as ever and the weather just took a turn for the better with cloud cover that made the stay more pleasant. Out came the food and drinks and we were all starving by than, which made the food all that more delicious. I narrated the story of the lake as to how it came about as we had our lunch and everybody was in further appreciation of the lake. With many unverified stories flying around on the internet about the lake, some very nervous well-wishers had inquired about the safety of the venue. Rest assured it was all fun and there was nothing to worry about, however that could have been one of the reasons why people after 8 years have kept away from this place.

As soon as we had finished our lunch the announcement was made as to who would join us for the off-road part. Knowing the terrain and the amount of experience required to drive through such dune formations, warning was given. This resulted in us having 3 cars and a lot of space for the interested parties. As Gaurav, bhai, Mujtaba and myself got our vehicles ready to hit the dunes, the passengers looked around to see which ride they would prefer to experience this amazing part of our trip. With cars loaded we took off with me in the lead and Gaurav Bhai at the sweep, which meant that Mujtaba was nestled right in between 20 years of off-road experience. I must admit that Mujtaba did well and having seen him on almost every drive, this was the widest smile I had ever seen. Mujtaba had requested me time and again to increase the level of the drive, he had finally got what he was looking for.

The area was so challenging that we hardly had time to stop and we just kept flying from one dune to the next and tried almost every trick in the book to have uninterrupted fun. After about an hour of flying across the dunes we headed back and reached safely, at this point the passengers had enjoyed thoroughly not knowing that the drivers had their hearts in their mouths at some point. With the experience of the team we had managed to fly through some really technical area without any injury to self, vehicles or confidence. At this point Mujtaba had to head back and Gaurav Bhai and myself had to head back in with a much younger crowd, the children on the trip.

Second, round was just as thrilling as the first and we took a slightly different route which took us across a camel farm. As we completed the track, the children had a lot of fun, but wanted to go back to the camels before we headed back out. This was an excellent idea, as soon as we stopped one camel after the other started approaching us and before we knew there were a dozen camels breathing down our necks. We stayed for a while and let the children and adults enjoy these moments with the Ship of the Desert. As we returned to our base, Gaurav bhai felt the camels had come close to us due to the fact that they were hungry and we would have some food for them, than a brilliant idea from him to take the left-overs and feed the camels. So in with the food and the children and off we went to the camels again. As soon as we reached the camels and started laying down the feast for them, they started to eat which means Gaurav bhai had hit the nail on the head, he had got it right, they were hungry. We had some awesome time and some funny moments as the camels who ate the chicken tikka masala or the butter chicken came up looking like they had applied lipstick, while the one having the yogurt reminded us of little kids having yogurt and came up looking like the had a white mustache. Back to base and time to head out, Gaurav Bhai drove out the VW Tiguan and on return I drove out the Escape and we were all able to head back out to the road and the closest pump to fill in our tires as we said our never ending good byes and headed on our way back home. What an amazing trip, with some awesome people and pleasant weather. I would like to thank each and every participant for making this trip a wonderful one to remember for a long time to come.

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Your videos speak a thousand words and more. They always take me back to the amazing times shared and it is absolute relief to know that we can just click on the link and relive the moment whenever we want. Thank you @Gaurav Bhai for all your hard work.

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Awesome click by Sadia, she is very creative and have good eye for detail. Above all, she is very brave to shoot such selfie video with a smile.

Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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