Liwa Juniors 3.0

[AbdulRahman]

This trip was my 10th drive with the club so was lucky to make it ; this has to be the best drive i have had

The plan was to be at the meeting point at 9.15 next to the camp , a modded nissan patrol meant we had to miss an exit and had to take a long off-road route to the camp , having had the food with us we were determined to make it there as quickly as possible

[mention]Isfand[/mention] & [mention]rubikhan90[/mention] plowed through the soft sand and we made it to the camp at around 10 where we immediately started the coal and attended to the chops , time flied by where we were entertained with stories by [mention]rapailo[/mention] & [mention]thiago[/mention] and finally went to sleep at 2.30 AM

Woke up at 5 to beautiful scenery and were ready to leave on time, I immediately realized how different the dune formations are and was happy of the overall pace of the convoy , besides couple of second tries and two recoveries it was smooth sailing where enough distance was kept which helped with the overall flow , i expected [mention]Haani[/mention] & [mention]rubikhan90[/mention] to find it challlenging as they had the least number of drives but they did as good as everyone else

A big shoutout to [mention]JockJKU[/mention] & [mention]giorgio[/mention] for leading this , [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] [mention]Issa[/mention] and all the organizers who kept a close eye on us while driving

Thanks [mention]rapailo[/mention] for sharing the tips on driving a longer wheel base :). , this was the first drive where i came to understanding with my patrol and was very comfortable tackling the dunes in a new area

10+ here we come

[RubiKhan90]

My 3rd, and quite frankly the best drive Ive had so far with the club, was to baby Liwa

The adventure started off with a challenge! We were supposed to be at the meeting point by 9:15 pm , but we were taunted into a “make race” with a white Nissan Patrol. The taunting continued for a good 30 minutes causing us to miss our exit and leading us to a natural gas facility; now i think all of you can agree with the statements I make about patrols on the chat

The sign at the natural gas facility warned of toxic gas and no entry beyond this point! But that wasnt going to stop us from soaking up the toxic air and discovering a “shortcut” through the sand... like I said an adventure! We decided to move forward rather than waste time going backwards and ended up getting a little lost; but thanks to some excellent navigating by @isfand and @abdulrehman we managed to find our way to the camp

Once everyone at the camp site was present and accounted we set about to build the fire with the help of @thiagos mattress inflator. I think i speak on behalf of eveyone when I say the chops were delicious, so thank you @Kareem for the recommendation.

After the great company and a good meal it was time to hit the hay! I was exhausted and was out like a light; untill around 3 am when i woke up to some flapping. One of the sides of the tent had been ripped put of the sand; probably due to the wind. Like I mentioned earlier I was exhausted and decided to ignore the situation and went back to sleep.

I woke up the next morning to find that the tent had been fixed; and was touched that somebody in the group was kind enough to help me out even in the middle of the night! I was eager to thank whoever it was who did it but turns out no one in the group knew anything about it! This lead us to talking and Mahmoud mentioned seeing some horsemen riding around our area late at night. Now Im not one for ghost stories but I seemed to have lived through one! At least they were more “casper” than “ paranormal activity” so all is well! Thankyou to the person or entity who helped a brother out with his tent.

Now after all this I was eager to get behind the wheel and take on some new terrain. @jockjku gave us a pre drive briefing and we were off. I had some initial troubles with the tire pressure and a grill in the trunk who seemed to not want to stay there; but once those issues were sorted out I had the time of my life driving through beautiful Liwa.

Now worried forgotten i was able to really enjoy the experience! The drive took us through loose sand, bushes and plenty of technical areas. Being at the back of the convoy took me back to my school days of being the backbenchers in the classroom and having the most fun.
We took a few breaks here and there and checked up on our tire pressure through the rising temperatures through the day.

Thank you to @JockJKU & @giorgio for leading this , @Rashidjass @Daggerfall @Issa and all the organizers who made sure everyone had a great time and in a safe environment.

Now it's time I take RubiKhan for a wash.

Over n Out!

[Johanna]

Hi everyone,

the info that the Friday drive will be in Liwa amde my entire week. Starting the weekend with a camp away from civilzation with an nearly infinite amount of lamb chops - the best way to start a (drive) weekend.
Thanks guys for organizing chops and cooking, great job!

I slept outside next to the car on my camping bed, the moon was nearly full and bright, so no milky way this time, but a spooky light instead.
Some of the campers even had strange visions and experiences involving horses... wtfsmilie

We started our drive at 8am after coffee+breakfast and the usual briefing.
[mention]JockJKU[/mention] lead the convoy followed by [mention]giorgio[/mention]. The track was nice and smooth and the sand super soft. But the convoy did very well, only a few stucks, second tries and a destroyed bumper.
I have to appologize to [mention]Haani[/mention] who was trapped in a bowl. I was behind him, but not giving him instructions. I did not realize that I am allowed now to do so, so I just stood there and watched. Sorry man, and thanks to @Issa for guiding him out.
Close to the end point we found a tiny oasis, a few palms and a little lake, first time I see this in the wilderness without any farms around. Very beautiful in love Unfortunetly I forgot to mark that spot in my GPS oh noes

We finished on time and seems that everybody was happy thumbsup

I guess some of the drivers have 10 drives now, so get ready for the next level and dont forget to hunt your seats.

See you all next week in the sand

[Isfand]

Warning: Not everything in this post is believable but it is 100% true.
Also, the longest trip report so I am splitting it in 3 parts. Feel free to read it all or: Road Trip, Camp & Desert drive.

So as we all know the senior members surprised us with trips. Not just any trip. [mention]JockJKU[/mention] went the extra mile to give the 5-10 newbies a taste of Liwa.

Road Trip:
So been excited the whole week. It was a short week but felt long because why is Thursday so far... TT TT

Finally the day. Suitcase packed. Checked all fluids in the car, gave it a pat on the hood and away we were to the......
office..... Departure from Dubai was still 11 hours away. Met my fellow convoy members [mention]AbdulRahman[/mention] [mention]rubikhan90[/mention] and [mention]Haani[/mention] at the Emarat Jebel Ali station. Shopped for essentials and away we were. Driving in a convoy of 4 being led by the Super Safari.
First exit from the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway and we lost one of our convoy members. [mention]Haani[/mention] was on his way alone. May be for the better - may be for the worse. Keep reading and you will find out.

There were 3 of us now and we were away from the traffic. The roads opened up and the traffic eased.

We had the biggest task in our hands. Transportation of almost 10Kgs of lamb chops for 15 people that have taken a 3 hour trip without dinner.

We had to be quick but safe. The speed limit on the road turned 160 and so did we. Estimated arrival at the destination 9:30PM. It was all going to be ok but then a white Patrol Y61 shows up driving at 120 on the fast lane. Gives us no way to pass through so we go from the right.
If you own a Patrol Y61 and have never been tried to race with or heard “tha tha tha tha...” - you are kidding me OSMILEY
The guy wanted to race but i obviously did not want to and the guy unknowingly joined the convoy. Driving at the same speed as me on the right completely blocking me to go right. I slow down, he slows down...
And there we miss the exit. Estimated time of arrival now 9:45PM. 19 more minutes.
At least we did not have to take a uturn and there was an exit up ahead.

Took the exit and we were on a dark 2 way road. Not a soul. Just the 3 of us. Was it scary? Not really. Just really peaceful.
Driving and driving and i see sign boards that display “T”. That means its a dead end up ahead. How could that be possible... Google maps says there is a way up ahead. As we are driving we see sign boards that now start saying “Restricted Area”.... then “Toxic Gases in the area. Restricted Access”.
Patrols - ventilation Off, windows up and AC on. Jeep - no roof!!!!!!!! Zahran covers his face - Yes that should do.
Next sign board “ Gates Ahead”. Well thats ok right. We have used gates to enter the desert before. Those fancy gates that open up as you drive to them.
But wait these gates wont open. These are the gates to a Natural Gas station. They will never open up. What do we do?
Either we could go all the way back OR take the risk and get on the sandy path across the gates.
Again - the Lamb chops. We need to hurry up. Think think think…. Ok guys. Don’t deflate. Put your cars in 4 High and lets do it. The sand is soft even if it’s a straight path. Really soft. 3 of us are struggling but we can do it. Then somebody radios “Guys my transmission is heating up. We need to stop and deflate.”… I wont tell you who said that but Nissans don’t have a temperate gauge for the transmission.
We stop to deflate and 15psi should do for me. I instructed the same to Zahran. His car is still struggling so Abdul Rahman had the brilliant idea to push the Jeep.
Heres the video:

If you see the video above you will realize that this will never work! So we deflate some more and off we were.
Google Maps - Satellite mode. Theres a route to the road but too many tracks. Which one to take? Well finally we made it… got on the road and started inflating.
The campers are becoming furious. We need to be quick. 36 minutes to go. Fingers crossed guys. I hope we don’t have to take the uturn. A sigh of relief as there was indeed no fence and we were at the petrol station. Quick guys. Lets fill up. And we do exactly that. Enter the GPS coordinates to the camp and that’s another 20 minutes. On to the hard gravel road driving fast and there comes a PM from the one and only [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] . “Where are you Guys”

Now when you look at this you know shit is going down. Zahran on the radio “Guys jock is calling me”
We are close. I hope the chops are OK. I hope we can do this.
Take the exit on to the sand. Radio: “Guys do we deflate”… I reply nope no time. 4H engaged. 1st Gear. Engine screams… and we were doing it. Had to be fast and have enough momentum. 1 more delay or stuck and we are doomed. The campers will become angry… may be somebody will have to be sacrificed. May day may day… “guys do not get stuck”…..
And……
We reached the camp!

The Camp:
Complete silence. I am like “Hello people”…. No response. Zahran says “sorry for being late”…. No response…
This is not normal. Quick lets light up the coal. We set up the grill and the coal was getting ready. The chops looked good. The grill was hot and goes the first batch on the grill.
Its starting to smell nice… its going to be ok… first batch ready.. And mounir shows up. Takes the chops and goes and sits on his seat. I think to myself “hmmm I thought he will share it with all”… ok no problem. 2nd batch ready… mounir shows up… I think to myself “hmmm may be now he will share it with the others”…. Nope.. Everybody in the camp started noticing so they all lined up next to the grill… one by one the chops were filling up the angry campers. The Happiness index started going up. We could hear them laughing. Phew…. Defused!!!
The last few batches of the chops and Mounir shows up again…. Ok now we gotta be direct with him… jokes aside he was hungry. Its ok.. Nobody complained… everybody had their fair share and nobody slept hungry.
Now some people left and some stayed in front of the fire. I was one of them that stayed.
If you want anything boring to sound funny. Please contact [mention]rapailo[/mention] !!! We were talking about Cranes. Yes construction cranes and it was still hilarious. Thank You Rade. You made our night.
Away we went to the tents. I decided that I will sleep in my car. Plus leather seats, phone charger, netflix… ok may be I still don’t understand camping.
Peaceful sleep. Zahran wakes me up next day. Isfand u awake? Yes I am. Lets get rolling.
Isfand: How was your sleep Zahran?
Zahran: Good good… somebody fixed the tent at night. It was on my face. May be Abdul Rahman did it.
Isfand: ohh ok cool. Nice of them

We move to the fire. It was still lit.
Isfand: Abdul Rahman did you fix the tent?
Abdul Rahman: nope. Apparently my brother saw people outside with horses….

Oooookkkkkkkk!!! Its still a mystery! We don’t know what happened but we will keep it for another camp night to discuss.

Desert Drive:
Jock told us all our positions in the convoy and away we were. Honestly it was a very elaborate briefing. Jock was on his knees. Nope not what you are thinking. Hes already married.
He used the sand as his drawing board. Told us where Abu Dhabi was and where Hameem is and where the camp is and how are we going to drive. Like I am not going to lie.. This was literally navigation for dummies. If any of you in the convoy did not understand what it was.. You were not listening!!!
And so the cars started taking position and we started moving. Drove for barely 5 minutes and boom cars started getting stuck. Something is wrong. The sand is too soft! Or did the air pressure magically increase by a few psi.
We found the culprit. It was the air pressure. But how did it increase from 10psi to 14psi in 5 minutes. Was it….. The men on the horses????????
Away we moved. Couple of issues here and there but nothing serious.
You know what this drive was?? This drive was a 5 star buffet in a Restaurant.
You had the starter, the main course, the soft drink and the dessert too….
So in the context of the desert. It was small dunes, the big dunes, the stucks, and the wide open patches.
We ended our drive at 12 noon. 4 hours of bliss. I handed Jock and Mrs Jock a chocolate each for the job well done.
Thank You Jock! It was a weekend well spent. A great track… my 10th drive with Almost was all worth it. One of the best drives so far!
Thank you to everybody. [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and all the others in the convoy.

[Scorpio]

Wow! This is where my Liwa love started 2 years back! This trip reminded me of the time when I was a newbie and got the opportunity to be part of the first Liwa Junior - my first ever Liwa trip. I remember [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] had said that this is the first time newbies are brought to Liwa - previously only Inters and above were allowed to join Liwa trips. Then, the Liwa Junior Reloaded and now Liwa Junior 3.0 - so many beautiful memories.

Liwa trips are always special and memorable. This time, meeting [mention]rapailo[/mention] in the sand on the way to the camp was the start of the fun grin. When I reached the camp with [mention]Rashidjass[/mention], it was buzzing and getting ready for the lamb chops treat :). Great hospitality by [mention]Zahran[/mention], [mention]Isfand[/mention], @James and the company – loved it, thanks much guys thumbsup! The night was full with moon light and it was cold – the minimum temperature I noticed was 16°C.

Thank you Bu Salem for visiting us at the breakfast – you never forget our coffee dose Psmiley. We had the briefing by @Jock who took the attendance and the advised the convoy order. Jock led the convoy and I was assigned to sweep; @Daggerfall and Rashidjass were floating around us. The terrain chosen to drive on had very soft sand and had technical areas in between that doubled the fun arr. - great lead by Jock, I must say thumbsup. We had some second tries and stucks and couple of times the convoy was stopped to adjust the tire pressures to cope with the soft sand. Great experience to do the technical drive in non-other than Liwa.

It was nearly noon when we reached to the exit point where the drive ended. Everyone performed well - well done guys, keep coming and keep learning yuush.

See you soon in the sand.

Cheers 8-)

[rapailo]

One more amazing experience with Almost 4x4. I have been in this are before and I remember it by incredibly soft send. Actually I believe it is not even send it is more like dust.

I left the road toward camp. I was thinking to my self do whatever you want just don't stop. As you will sleep away from camp. On my way I met [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] & [mention]Scorpio[/mention] . There was i slight discrepancy in opinions where the camp is. And naturally I decided to follow the marshal. Than [mention]Scorpio[/mention] made a good video of me and [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] performing a night rescue.

In any case somehow we reached the camp. A lot of well known faces but also some people I met first time like [mention]Isfand[/mention] , [mention]AbdulRahman[/mention] and [mention]thiago[/mention] . One more thing. I do not know for how long people believed we will be camping but there was like 3 animals of food there. What can be called The Silence of The Lamb. After a good night chat we decided it is time to go to tents.

I found very nice spot and slept like a baby. Best feeling ever when you wake up and you see fire is already/still burning.

After a short introduction [mention]JockJKU[/mention] gave duties and positions to all driver s and we started.

Area was in some places very similar to Eggs Basket with small dunes and soft sand but we handled it much better than what I expected. My unmodified FJ actually did quite well. It is a huge change compared to pajero in any case.

We ended the drive before 12 which makes me think we all did well.

I hope we will soon meet again on the sand.

[JockJKU]

Morning All!

Personally, i had a great weekend, a camp in Baby Liwa, followed by what i believe was an interesting route with a very mixed terrain and style!

The camp was great, as always and has been covered in great detail, but as a summary the company was great, the food (leftover by [mention]AMounir[/mention] once he was eventually full) for the rest of us was great and the weather was perfect!!!!

The drive started a little after 8, and had a mix of terrain and styles! Some technical, some safari, some climbs to crest, and some flatter stuff thrown in there as well, and we finished a few minutes before 12.

The convoy did great and handled the level very well, so thanks for making it a pleasure!!!

Thanks to [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] , [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and all of the Inters for supporting!!

Until next time...

Jock

[giorgio]

Liwa Juniors 3.0

Usually the excitement for the drives starts on Thursday upon announcing the meeting point but during last week the marshal's decided to throw us a curved ball and announce a schedule change with all weekend drives moving to Liwa.
That was enough to set the Telegram chat on fire with hundreds of messages. Instantly following the announcement the preparations for the weekend started.

Arrangements for food, tools, gas tanks, tends, mattresses, pressure to the garages to complete any pending works, you name it everything was there. The chat was going crazy until Thursday afternoon when the members started driving to the meeting point. If we were to be kids (which we are) the local drives are like going to the playground close to the house but going to Liwa is like vacation in Disneyland.

Unfortunately for me I was not able to joint the event from the camp evening as it was Thanks Giving weekend and i had a party arranged for 70 people and there was not way out of it (been the cook i had to be there) so i stayed on the side lines during the week watching the chat with a sad face. Someone like my wife will say "its ok you will at least go to the drive" but we all know that it is never the same.

So when finally the silly party came to an end around 1 am i went to prepared my gear and went to bed. As I was sleeping i felt like i had enough sleep and I woke up. To my surprise it was only 3 am, but I could not wait any longer I got ready and i drove to my meeting point where i was supposed to meet [mention]Issa[/mention] and waited for his arrival.

The drive to the camp was fast and easy. Thanks to [mention]JockJKU[/mention] detail instructions we got to the camp with no complications or delays. We both joint the Almost family around the fire and we enjoy the beautiful morning with tea and coffee.

After [mention]JockJKU[/mention] took the attendance and assigned the cars in the convoy order we said good bye to [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] and [mention]Booy[/mention] ( which they had to go in a different direction for scooting) and we started the drive.

I was second lead to [mention]JockJKU[/mention] with the rest of intermediates spread between the newbies and [mention]Scorpio[/mention] taken over the sweeping task.

The convoy was set up in a way that every two newbies there was an intermediate placed. That was a great advantage for the new drivers because they can observe and mimic the moves of the intermediates and understand how to approach the upcoming obstacles.

The drive started on a moderate speed and we all understand very quick that the sand was way different than the one back home. It looked wet and hard but that was not the case . The reality was that as you were driving all of a sadden you will hit a patch of sand that was as soft as quick sand thirsty to suck you and your beloved car straight down and lock you there.

The radio communication was overall above average with all drivers announcing their moves and giving clearance for the next driver to follow. Of course been liwa the majority of us we faced the usual problems: second tries, stucks, etc.

My share on this was a nice bogged down. As I was following [mention]JockJKU[/mention] and the drive was going smooth i decided to have a smoke and that was it. A soft patch of sand found me unprepared to down swift to the first gear and voila.

[mention]Issa[/mention] run to my rescue (thank you buddy) but as i came out of the mess we fall in to a bigger problem. The viking rope went around the wheel and it got tangled up with my front right break line and ABS sensor.
It took us a good 15 min. of trying to get the rope unstuck with no luck. The decision was made to cut the rope. As i was going to get my knife [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] comes and says nope no need to cut it. After few minutes the rope was out safe and sound ( 500 aed stayed in my pocket) and we all set off again to enjoy the rest of the drive. The damage that i suffered from this was a bended recovery point and a cut wire of my ABS both are fixed now)

Over all the drive was a very well designed route very challenging especially for the stock cars. The organizer had arranged a challenging drive with drops climbs and a lot of EIB style area that put all of us on our toes. . Been a second lead i could see that the lead car was picking not the easy way out for the convoy but rather he was focusing to take us through obstacles challenging enough but safe for the weakest link (as we had some selective 5- along with us). The speed was fluctuating up and down from fast to slow based on the comments that were transmitted via the radio and we end up finishing the drive on time and we no losses although a 20% in Liwa is always acceptable.

I would like to congratulate [mention]AMounir[/mention] and [mention]James[/mention] pulling out this challenge with stock cars. They did not shy of punishing their cars, and they both walked away with their heads up and their bombers bruised up.


Great event great drive well organized and managed. Thank you all participants rescue team Marshalls and lead for the great drive.

See you soon. Drive safe.

[Daggerfall]

Hi Almosters,

The weekend started with a very nice camp night with fellow Almosters. When I reached to the camp the first thing I noticed that the circle around the fire was very small XD It shows the weather was cold already. you're kidding, right

And where was that meat festival that was promised to us wtfsmilie ?? I remember I saw a photo on the way, shared on telegram showing that the meat delivery already entered the sand even before I left the tarmac. So I was worried about the mea....sorry our fellow members and I texted to them grin . It looks like they took a wrong track but they came safe and sound after a while and the grills started smoking . So always read the instructions and information in the PMs carefully and be prepared before you start the trip. It is always confusing and harder to follow the right track at night!

Thanks to all the night chefs, all the food was great and I had hard time to sleep with that full stomach brigade.baka-wolf.com

After a beautiful Almost camp morning we started rolling. The track picked by [mention]JockJKU[/mention] was great for the level. We enjoyed all the beauty of Liwa desert and had fun.

Thanks to all organized participated and supported this drive.

See you next time!

[Loca]

Dear Almosters,

I was desperate for drives and when at the beginning of last week I found the posting of a Liwa drive for newbies I couldn't believe my eyes. For all the rest of the week my mind was focussed on that goal and it was big help to keep far the stress coming from my job. Definitely driving in the Desert is my stress pain reliever. I just had to buy a jerrycan for my thirsty Pajero and car was ready (or at least I thought she was).
Due to job schedule I couldn't make the camping but no worries on Thursday at 10.00pm I said "good night" to Wife and Son and I went to sleep, dreaming on the drive.

Friday 3.45am I was up and jumping as a frog. At 4.30am I went down to the Garage, I turned the key and ... nothing. Turned again and ... nothing. Again and again and ... NOTHING !! I did run back upstairs I took the keys of Wife's FIAT 500 to jump start the Pajero. Back down in the Garage, time was flying and in the impetus of starting the FIAT I didn't wait the time needed for the hydraulic pumps to put the clutch on pressure and .. sh..t also the FIAT was stuck with gears not engaging. Desperate I went back to my Pajero and I said "please, don't do this to me. Not today". Believe it or not, I turned the key and the car did start. Thank you darling (the Pajero) I'll love you for long time.

Due to the adrenaline the drive to the Camp was quick, I can barely remember. I felt like a grain of sand in the middle of the universe when at sun rise I found myself driving alone on the sand track after I left the paved road but all the coordinates provided by [mention]JockJKU[/mention] were extremely accurate and I found the Camp very easily.

The guys at the camp were warming up with coffees and teas. Although still sleepy they were all very warm in the way they welcomed me. I felt like being back home with [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] giving advises, coordinating the jokes and directing camp cleaning. It was nice to meet everybody again and sadly I heard [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] and [mention]Booy[/mention] were on a different schedule.

Many drivers before me described the feeling of the drive and the variety of dunes and landscapes. For me it was an amazing drive, one of the best I had in my life, where I furtherly improved feeling and connection with my Pajero. I focussed on keeping the right distance and tried to stay far from being captured by the soft sand. During the drive many times I had the feeling the wheels were literally trapped by the sand. I think many of us experienced the same as we all kept on checking the tires pressure.

[mention]JockJKU[/mention] did GREAT lead. He and [mention]giorgio[/mention] managed to keep perfect pace with the right combination of fun and safety. All the Drivers did very good and we had no issues or long stops. [mention]Rashidjass[/mention], [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and [mention]Issa[/mention] did take very good care of us and provided many useful hints on where to put our wheels in the more challenging spots


Looking forward to achieve my (first) 10 drives with Almost

stay tuned ;)