Back To Infinity

User avatar
Fat Rabbit
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:22 pm

Christiaan wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:59 am
Me and @rapailo drove back together and kept talking on the radios to stay awake.
With @rapailo and his humour around, it is difficult to fall asleep thumbsup
Where the road ends, the enjoyment begins..
With Natalie, a 2-door beige Nissan Patrol Safari
User avatar
Fat Rabbit
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:22 pm

Sorry for the long post. A Liwa experience cannot be encapsulated in two sentences in love

Wow, Liwa! A dream come true. My first experience of a place I had heard so much about. Thank you marshals, crew, advanced and intermediate drivers for making this drive such a wonderful and safe experience. The dunes were the size of buildings and scaling down from them was fun and scary both at the same time.

I set out to Liwa after work on Thursday, picking up a buddy on the way. Upon reaching the first off-road exit point at night, I was fortunate to meet @Petr who had also just arrived. After deflating, I just followed him blindly without a worry in the world. His off-road lights lit up the path for miles cool . Soon we were at the campsite, again my first camping experience with Almost4x4.

When @alshamsi_m said guys time to sleep, everyone dispersed far away and I was wondering what just happened. I camped relatively close to the campfire and realised why everyone dispersed to far off places. There was chatter around the fire until the wee hours of the morning have a nice day . I followed @Phoenix advice and slept under the stars… wow, never seen so many stars before. Thanks @Phoenix .

I was in the first convoy lead by @Barish with second lead as @Mahmoodyasin and @Issa as sweep. We were honoured to have BOTH @alshamsi_m and @Rashidjass as floaters. I think I inaugurated the first convoy’s drive as the first vehicle to get stuck in soft sand shortly after we started the drive. This was the sand that @alshamsi_m referred to as soft sand and you wont even know it. I was a bit afraid when @alshamsi_m told me over the radio this will be a hard pull and I embraced myself for a jerk or something… but the Viking rope makes even the hardest of pulls so smooth. I think I got stuck because of a split second loss in concentration.

@Barish and @alshamsi_m told us during the briefing that Liwa gives the mirage that the dune surface is flat and you’ll think you don’t need to accelerate. Wow they were so right and experiencing that first hand was spooky. On a few dunes, I had to turn down due to loss of momentum and not shifting down to first gear because it felt that that ground was flat. Wow.

On the first couple of steep descends, @Barish told us on the radio there was a balcony so be careful. I had never heard the term balcony during a desert drive before. And then I saw it. Wow, such a good descriptive term and what enjoyment going down from a balcony. Only in Liwa! thumbsup

Got to see the brilliant handiwork of @rapailo and @Christiaan fixing a leaking radiator hose after taking clips from Samer’s spare hose.

I think we drove way past the 120 km mark because I exhausted my full petrol tank as well as 2 x 20L jerry cans. I had to borrow a 10L jerry can from @Barish, who reassured me “don’t worry we have lots more extra fuel if you need it”. That was truly reassuring. Thank you @Barish.

At the end, it was an amazing experience, amazing drive and with amazing people. I would never do this drive with anyone else. Thank you everyone who participated in this drive. A truly memorable experience. in love

And yes, I finally saw the famed yellow truck.. yaaayyy. thumbsup
Where the road ends, the enjoyment begins..
With Natalie, a 2-door beige Nissan Patrol Safari
User avatar
osman
Intermediate
Intermediate
Posts: 121
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:22 pm
Location: Dubai Marina
Has thanked: 139 times
Been thanked: 239 times

Hi All,

This was another great drive with even greater people!

I usually end-up working late in most of the Thursdays but for the last week, I managed to leave a bit early but still not as much as I wished. I left home after four but still could not get there early enough to enjoy the sunset. I hope I can do for the next trip.

I did not check the map in detail for reaching the camp to see how much I make use of the existing tracks before I started to drive. Driving after WP2, I followed one track which started to divert a lot and then I decided to go back WP2 and drive on a straight line to reach WP3. It was plain sand and straightforward at the beginning but then it started to look a bit tricky but really enjoyable night drive. Later on @rapailo said the Google Maps can bring you up to 200m close to the camp site using these tracks!! Good to know. But If I did that, it would have taken the fun side of the night drive so I was happy to be somehow ignorant.

I was the 6th person around the small fire circle when arrived, then we got the circle bigger and bigger with multiple conversations, then the night called-off before midnight. I woke-up in the morning in a wet tent that was infecting the sleeping bag and mattress that happen to touch the walls of the tent. The heavy fog before the sunrise not only made the tent wet but also delayed the start time by half an hour and gave a nice(!) wake-up call from Abu Dhabi police for the ones who like morning sleeps.

I was in @Scorpio's convoy at the 4th position. We started at 9AM and finished 4:30PM covering 135Km, moving time 4 hours and 13 minutes with the average speed of 32Km/hr. Scorpio delivered very clean drive with a very smooth flow. I guess our job for the guys at front was much easy as we get to drive on nearly untouched sand and we were messing up the sand for the friends who drive at the back of the convoy and giving them hard time. From time to time I could not stop thinking when the hell did we climb that much since we were driving one steep drop after another then yet another drop. I think this is one of the reasons everyone loves Liwa!

To close with the credits, I like thank to @Barish for organising the trip and @Scorpio for leading the convoy and @Booy, @presa, @SINGH, @Abu Odai, @Mabubaker, @Johanna, @Petr for all the support and valuable advices. I also like to extend my "personal" thanks to @Abu Odai and @Petr for pumping up my tires after I found out the hose was broken and the tip how to get a new one. I paid a visit to @Abu Jimmy the next day to get that specially made heavy duty hose and I am looking forward to use it in the next drive. Till then, drive safe.
Warning: Sand is addictive... and also the sea salt.
User avatar
presa
Marshal
Marshal
Posts: 370
Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:52 pm
Has thanked: 563 times
Been thanked: 256 times

Hi!

Much was already told about it!

I was floating around with @Scorpio convoy and had great time!!

Everybody performed greatly, KUDOS for you guys!! The intermediates did an amazing job of keeping the convoy safe and sound.

At the end some of our drivers were a bit tired and jumped into some ditches and bumps, but no harm, aside from bumpers and front grill thumbsup

Myself had fun founding some ditches and tried to move some dunes, but they were stronger than my bumper LOL!!

I thank to our Marshals by making this trip available, specially for @Barish , @Scorpio , @Booy , @Rashidjass and our founder @alshamsi_m for making this possible!

And for the ones that are not posting the trip report, I will ask THE Admin to put a 1-day delay on next trip for them :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
User avatar
Rathica
Crew
Crew
Posts: 49
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:16 pm
Location: Dubai
Has thanked: 38 times
Been thanked: 97 times

Liwa was such an amazing experience ❤️ @barish provided an incredible slead; so many chances to practice high descents, side slops, bowl rides and so much more 👍🏼
The sand was so different - hard to soft to hard to soft. I had to think before stopping to follow the queue to the descent - car always pointing down to avoid getting stuck - and at times I pulled up alongside Rafelo to get on a hard surface - I bet he thought I was trying to steal his place in the convoy 🙈
The marathon drive was also cool - really put our ability to focus through its paces.
Straight Cresting was always a mind challenge for me but I had so many chances to practice - under the watchful eyes of @baris, @Rashidjass and @alshamsi_m that the height didn't scare me anymore.
Had a terrifying moment when the car switched off towards the bottom oF a short dune but luckily managed to get the car under control.
The post sunset ride to the finish was an adrenalin rush🚙💨💨💨 and I was sad to see that the drive had come to an end.
I met some fantastic 10+ Almosters and I'm looking forward to driving with all of you again.❤️
I give this trip Full GOLD Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Join me drawing in the sand
👑Dauntless 🚙💨
mquadros
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:33 am

As I first timer Liwa and first timer almost 4x4 camper I had a lot of excitement and anxiety. I did not plan to join the trip as I spend the weeks in Abu Dhabi while my family stays in Dubai but when I realized my wife would be traveling during the weekend I jumped and managed to get a waiting list slot.

The organizers and marshals kindly opened an second convoy and I was able to join. Driving to the camp was fun and quicker as I started from Abu Dhabi. Driving at 160 KM /hour was interesting until I found Rajdass and @Scorpio in the road and decided to follow them.

Reached the camp around 930pm and a bit tired after a busy week. Enjoyed the chatting around the fire and likewise the idea to retreat for sleep when @Shamsi suggested we should sleep ( I think around 1130-1200).

The tent was settled nicely but I probably stayed too close to the camp. I was probably too anxious/excited for the drive and struggled to fall asleep but I finally made it. I woke up around 3Am and was shocked with the amazing beautiful stars/sky when I left the tent for a "technical break".

In the morning I could realize I missed a few hours of sleep but the highlight was the success in closing/folding my tent in one or two minutes.

After a nice and socially strong breakfast we hit the trail. I was in convoy number 2 led by Scorpio and it was clear it would be a remarkable drive.

I was feeling really tired and with a small headache and not driving to the best of my skills. After one or two hours and some nice tips/corrections from marshals things started to come together and my drive became much more pleasant. Our group was very smooth and I do not recall any newbie being recovered or getting stucked. The beauty of the dunes was incredible and I was so amazed about the color of the sand in some of stretches (sometimes red and in the end pink).

I think we finished ahead of time and that was an achievement. I added another 3 hours and around 8PM I reached my house in Dubai very happy but and also very tired.

Want to thank this amazing group of people who produce such an unique and impressive experience. The camaraderie and friendship is difficult to explain. The marshals and organizers in particular deserve extra credit for leading us in such a kind way.

Mquadros
User avatar
Issa
Advance
Advance
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:15 pm
Location: Dubai
Been thanked: 1 time

Good morning almosters
Back to infinity, Back to MAJESTIC LIWA.
Started moving from Dubai around 7:30 pm on Thursday, met with @Mabubaker at the meeting point where we both deflated and moved to the camp spot, had some fun chitchatting until it was time to sleep under the moon or as we call the 1 million stars hotel.
Wokeup in the morning feeling in the middle of nowhere due to dense fog, and the drive was rescheduled to 9 am.
@Barish did the briefing, and the drivers were split into 2 convoys one was led by @Barish , and the other was led by @Scorpio , I was a floating sweeper in @Barish convoy with @Mahmoodyasin as second lead, @Rashidjass , and @alshamsi_m as floating, along with @rapailo , and @jose as support.
We started moving in the very soft sand, the track was amazing and the drive went smooth until we observed @ammarXterra car overheating, well! With the engineers on track, @rapailo and @Christian the issue was fixed in no time, then with @alshamsi_m we escorted the car into the tarmac, and we got back into track to complete the drive with 120km driven in the majestic LIWA

All in all the drive went good, drivers did a good job, and we all had fun with the taste of LIWA Tricks.

To be continued in the hot wings report.

Until the next time, Stay Safe.
User avatar
Barish
Marshal
Marshal
Posts: 212
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:54 am
Has thanked: 18 times
Been thanked: 50 times

What a weekend full of Liwa!

- Sunset
- Mountainous Dunes
- Infinite Sand
- Pretty Madinat Zayed town
- Lonely highway
- Stars accompanying you
- Patrol Stations welcoming you as if you are visiting them to break their boring life..

I should admit that we all missed the camp fire, woid smell, chat around the fire snd the coffee sips.

Happy to see all drivers from last night or the morning were ready on time for the Liwa drive. Nice breakfast chat and then the briefing was done. We did a short warm up in a rechnical area and then reached the mid to big size dunes experiencing mid and long arches and some straight crests.

Liwa is a place where you should also test the response of the area besides the drivers response. We pushed more to adrenaline while the convoy responded very well and more while Liwa responded us well. We succeded to finish 144kms by the end of the day with how many numbers of drops, balconies and arches and small site crests we did which i really can not remember and would like to thank all drivers in the convoy who really showed and demonstrated that they really wanted to achive the same.

I would like to thank to @alshamsi_m giving me the opportunity to organize this drive in beautiful planet Liwa. Special thanks to @Mahmoodyasin for amazing 2nd lead which leading car always needs in such drives and terrains. Thanks to @Issa and @rapailo and @jose for sweep, support and recoveries and @alshamsi_m and @Rashidjass for being the eyes on my convoy to keep safe and secure.

Always remember to improve your momentum when you chg your gear. Otherwise Liwa might catch you..!

See you on the sand.

Barish
User avatar
Mahmoodyasin
Advance
Advance
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2018 4:12 pm
Has thanked: 305 times
Been thanked: 144 times

Thanks Barish
It was a pleasure driving behind you. Thanks for keeping trust in me.



Barish wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 1:44 pm What a weekend full of Liwa!

- Sunset
- Mountainous Dunes
- Infinite Sand
- Pretty Madinat Zayed town
- Lonely highway
- Stars accompanying you
- Patrol Stations welcoming you as if you are visiting them to break their boring life..

I should admit that we all missed the camp fire, woid smell, chat around the fire snd the coffee sips.

Happy to see all drivers from last night or the morning were ready on time for the Liwa drive. Nice breakfast chat and then the briefing was done. We did a short warm up in a rechnical area and then reached the mid to big size dunes experiencing mid and long arches and some straight crests.

Liwa is a place where you should also test the response of the area besides the drivers response. We pushed more to adrenaline while the convoy responded very well and more while Liwa responded us well. We succeded to finish 144kms by the end of the day with how many numbers of drops, balconies and arches and small site crests we did which i really can not remember and would like to thank all drivers in the convoy who really showed and demonstrated that they really wanted to achive the same.

I would like to thank to @alshamsi_m giving me the opportunity to organize this drive in beautiful planet Liwa. Special thanks to @Mahmoodyasin for amazing 2nd lead which leading car always needs in such drives and terrains. Thanks to @Issa and @rapailo and @jose for sweep, support and recoveries and @alshamsi_m and @Rashidjass for being the eyes on my convoy to keep safe and secure.

Always remember to improve your momentum when you chg your gear. Otherwise Liwa might catch you..!

See you on the sand.

Barish
Post Reply