Eggs in Basket Game 2013

[CAMEL]

The Meeting, camping chit chat all as usual, was amazing.....but the morning, my first egg basket game. It was Out of the world....

Thank you so much organizers, marshals and I would like to specially thank the observers. It was such a tough job to sit there in the sun and wait for the challengers.Special mention to Dimple, and the position she was sitting was making sand fly all over her. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I got disqualified, but believe me this disqualification was so much fun!!! Cant wait for the next..

[Iqsaan]

A truly awesome event ! It is no wonder that Almost4x4 is the best offroading club BY FAR !

I arrived at the meeting point at 6:40am , just in time for the briefing from Bu Salem.
The rules were simple ... At each GPS coordinate provided , the marshals had fixed a picture attached to a wooden pole . To complete the course the competitor was required to record the picture at each point , then proceed to the Finish...

I was third to set off ... while awaiting the signal from Bu Salem... I could see Mubz directly in front of me , happily digging away to free himself from the grip of MDG :011:

I reminded myself of the priorities... Drive safely and have fun ... Don't take any risks ...Don't fight gravity ... and above all avoid MDG ...
After completing two checkpoints , I began to understand the topography of this terrain ... the area comprised of a series of dunes and flat valleys laid out parallel to each other ...
The fastest way to complete this challenge would be to traverse the dunes vertically as side cresting was not an option as most of the dunes had sharp crests with even sharper drops ...but even vertical cresting was tricky as the ascends were also sharp with extremely soft sand, improving the chances of landing up crested:011:
So I chose the safest option ... travel along the flat areas and only traverse the dunes at a point were the approach was gradual... this meant travelling a further distance but prevented any damage to the vehicle and improved my chances of avoiding MDG.

This method seemed to work well and I still managed to arrive at the finish point in good time without any stucks ... greeted Nancy ...Oh NO !!! I then realised that I had forgotten checkpoint 11 ... I glanced at my watch , it was 8:05am ... Fortunately , I had plenty of time before the event ended and I decided to go back and complete the checkpoint than risk a disqualification... Reached the checkpoint to be greeted by Caprihorse and after explaining my mistake was told to 'read the instructions more carefully next time'
Evaded MDG once again and made it safely back to the finish ... where Bu Shahid , Refad and I (later joined by Anwar), pulled out our camping chairs and whiled away our time in idle chit chat waiting for the others to arrive.

I would like to thank the founders and marshals for organising this event ... I understand that setting up this challenge must have taken lots of time and effort ...FROM scouting out the terrain , planting the poles at the various checkpoints and even manning some of these checkpoints under the unforgiving sun ; TO the continuous management to ensure a successful event .
I have come out of this challenge realising how much my skills have improved and this is 100% attributable to the advice and guidance of our dedicated marshals.
I really appreciate your selfless efforts in making me a better offroader !:045:THANK YOU !!!

Thanks to Bu Shahid , Refad , Bombays , Hockey and Anwar and others for the good company.
Thanks to all the Almost family present for making this a memorable outing.

[Arminjune]

I have to say, great day. great experience.

reached the camp around 5am I guess. had small talk about this and that.

since all been said about the drive, let me tell you the long story of my journey that day:

I got stuck on 4th. and waited and diged till end of event
pretended to help Fida, so I can say I didn't make it because of him :P
the end

[Mubz]

Come on guys its a Trip report you have to talk about how your trip was but I can see everyone saying Mubz was stuck :035: ........................ hahah I am only joking

I reached the meeting point by 08:03 and found a few Family members there, after long wait we headed to the camp site, as we reached camp site Lamboo set up the mood by putting woods on fire, and then Karak came in, followed by Sandwich by Abu Jimmy, followed by Cake by Nancy, oh boy this just keeps getting better :)

So I went to my car and fixed my Flag pole and went for a good night sleep which turned out to be a cold night sleep but I loved it.

Then the Morning came which everyone was waiting for.

We reached the starting point where Bu Salem mentioned the rules of the Games ( the criminal plan made by All the Marshals last week was finally coming to action :)

I was 2nd to leave just before I left Bu Salim Said ( Mubz make your own tracks and dont follow others) and I said yess boss, I moved on and i think it was 45M from the start line that I head Bu Salim on the radio, saying Hello guys we have our first victim Paparazzi's please!!! next thing I know I have front right tyre in the air :) so I started to dig and dig and dig but you can not clear out sand after spending about 30-45 minutes Khatib came to rescue me and thats where I realized strap rope is not recommended for anything, so Marshals had to change and Lamboo came to rescue me, well he set me free from the love of MDG and I moved on, Going round and round in circles trying to find an easy ground for me, I found Point 2 before point 1, I was like no probs lets take point 2 first and then will head to point 1,

Next thing MDG reminded me of a great saying ( If you love someone set it free if it comes back to you its yours) Although Lamboo set me free from MDG's love she found me again and was holding me so tight that I could not get out so I Baby Monster was sitting on its belly with 4 wheels in the air :) after trying for 30 minutes to rescue myself I was dehydrated so decided to cool myself in the car and watch the show, since I was on a higher ground I could see pretty much everyone, Next thing I see A78anwar passed by but not long and he was stuck at point 1, I could see Baher on point 2 ( stuck) I saw many cars passing by taking pictures and leaving :)

then after long time God listened to my prayers and Ismail came for help, he rescued me and took my nervous passenger with him, next thing you know I felt like it was race against time as I could hear bu salim on the radio that its time to pick up all the points, I was trying to beat Marshals and get to the points, I did point 1,3,4,5,6,7,10 in matter of 10 minutes but then I found myself in the arms of MDG again :) and had to call for rescue, thanks to Pwood and Mezaaj they came to rescue me and then Mezaaj lead me to the final point through easy route, as I reached there Nancy shouted are you quitting ? I said no, then Chief said race is still on as Armin is still missing, so I head back to complete the missing point 8 and 9, since I was going from end point so I found point 9 before 8, but by the time I reached point 8 Marshalls had already taken it :( so I was disqualified.

but this is not over yet, finding my way from point 8 to finish line was a mission as I was trying to find easy ground and not to get stuck AGAIN!!!! so kept my calm and reached the end point it was simply awesome to see everyone welcoming me ( I was 2nd to start and 2nd last to reach)

and then had awesome Ceremony and then back to pavilion.

In short, one of the best days of my life ( will never forget it) and definitely best day out in the dessert with my 2nd Family

I was disqualified but it was worth every inch that I spend in the dessert and in the arms of beloved MDG ( not by choice).

Special thanks to Chief for thinking about this event and keeping Newbies into it as well

Special thanks to bu salim, khatib, zico, lamboo, Abu Jimmy, mezaaj, ismail, Nancy for making it special for me :)

Sorry Melfi I forgot to mention you earlier:

Special Thanks to Melfi for making sure I join the Race and not to be disqualified before the challenge even begins . by providing me the Basic ingredient ( Sat Nav)

And last but not the least Special thanks to eveyone who was there at the event ( 35 cars in total) Without you guys this was not possible.

Thank you everyone and I love you All.

See you in sand soon .............. hope not in the arms of MDG :)

[zarir]

Well the day was meant to be quite boring for me as I wasn’t supposed to join this drive due to some prior commitments. However things opened up a bit for me and a last minute PM request was sent to Bu Salem and Caprihorse. And thanks to the large heart that they have, I had the gpx file in my inbox within minutes. :045::045:

Reached the meeting point just as the 1^st car was being flagged off. Within minutes saw Mubz stuck there for what seemed to be eternity. Finally saw him move only to see him and Anwar both stuck again at Waypoint 1. Now that got me thinking and worried, that if there are so many stucks even before WP1, how in the world will I ever drive past 16 odd WPs without getting stuck. :012: :012: To add to that having never have done a solo drive only added to the panic and my own cold feet syndrome. But then if you don’t attempt these things under the supervision of these excellent marshals then when will you !!!

Laid down a few mental ground rules for myself, primary being safety first and everything else was secondary. Wasn’t bothered about getting stuck as that is a part of our game. And off I went on being given the green light by Bu Salem. A few minutes later I reached my 1^st waypoint only to realize that it was WP3. Was happy that I made it safely on my very first solo leg. Now that gave me a slight boost of confidence. Headed off to tackle WP1 and WP2. Then once again found myself off sequence reaching WP5 before WP4 and then again WP8 before WP6 and WP7. Soon realised that as I was trying to take the wider smoother approach around dunes, I was slightly digressing and hitting other out of sequence WPs. I wasn’t too bother about that as in my mind I was not competing with the clock but more with my own inner fears of driving solo. Met up with Kashmir and Paul on a couple of WPs but I had to keep backtracking to fill in my missing blanks.

Finally reached WP11 and greeted Capri with a big smile. By now, confidence was no longer a concern. But then with confidence also comes a bit of carelessness, which is not allowed in this sport. Missed seeing a nice small nasty ditch and boom straight into it I went. I think I was more shaken up than the ride. Stopped to compose myself and to survey for any visible leaks below and a quick peak under the hood. All seemed fine, thankfully. Completed the next few WPs meeting up with the dedicated lone volunteers who were braving the sun and sand only so we could enjoy ourselves. Thank you very much Nancy, Dimple, Sandskull, Abu Jimmy, and Caprihorse. :045: :045:

Finally completed the full track and was super elated with myself, grinning from ear to ear. :triumphant: :triumphant: So much so that I even forgot to report immediately to Nancy at the end. Eventually did so a few minutes later when the blood rush subsided. A quick photo session, prize distribution, chit chat and inflation before bidding adios to all.

All in all a super event. Hats off to the marshals, sweep, founders and volunteers for planning and executing this. The safety net which you guys provided us for this game was really commendable. Thanks guys for a fun filled Friday morning.

Realised how easy and different it is to simply drive in a convoy merely following the car ahead as compared to trying to carve your own safe track across the entire route. Its amazing how the marshals lead the convoy safely week after week. :applause: :applause:

[Mazaaj]

As always Eggs basket game means fun..but Almost4x4 supprised us this time with the new area..I enjoyed driving there but for somehow I felt bad for leaving stuck people alone with MDG..but rules are rules

Anyway I wasnt in rush and I wasted some of the time in work related calls, smoking and taking pics of the signs as I had no pen :030: so I didnt expect to win.

The funny thing that the night before I had a dream of drinking champaign but I totally forgot it bcuz I woke on a call from work at 4am :055: so when I saw the gifts and the Champaign I was like..hmmm..there's a broken bell ringing in my mind..once I remembered I heard bu salim calling my name "will the real Mazaaj please stand up..I repeat will the real Mazaaj please stand up" :008:

Congrats to the winners and the rest of the team since everyone did a real good job

Thank you Almost4x4 management for the great (free of charge) fun, support, help and gifts

Thank you brothers and sisters for being part of Almost4x4 family

Thank you me for being me :011::030::035::032:

[Arminjune]

let me share my first time experience in real self recovery.

as any situation, you will never learn, until you fall for it, or you go thru it.

in simple drives, we all learned how to get pop outs fixed, we learned how to get people out of trouble. because most of us went thru it at least once. and we learned how to avoid it better when we figured out what we did wrong. and once we figured out our cars limits and settings. what angle to go. what pressure to use. what tools to carry.

now self recovery, for me was something new, and believe me I learnt a lot from it. and to a point I was glad it happen and didn't feel bad or sad or disappointed at all. was glad it happen among almosters, than alone or with inexperienced people. while I was digging, I kept learning where to dig that is effective, how much to press on gas, and turning wheel. and how much digging I need to do. figured it would be nice to let the car cool down and the tiers specially in my situation where I sank too deep. and most importantly, learned that it is important to carry enough water for emergency.

Also I always feel sooooooo good when Marshals and advance come and with surprising face they ask me what happen. compare to when I first joined all I got from them was "don't worry, you will learn" it feels that they believe in me, and my progress. we are all in learning process, from small to experienced drivers. also some advanced drivers, no need to say there name like sarookh :P jokes when I get stuck. when a high profile and expert dose that to you, basically they are saying you are good driver. lets get him when he gets stuck. tough luck. lough love. of course we are offroaders, we don't expect kisses and hugs and shoulder to cry :P

Also glad it happen because last EB I didn't get stuck and I got a good record for my level of experience. it gave me a big ego and confidence that I thought it was nothing. now I know, it was great deal of drives. and I better respect madam ghost.

over all
Thanks Marshales and all for this amazing trip.

oh wait, to make you all feel better, you were not all the first who got stuck. I got stuck at 5am in what I like to call it tricky spot, while self exploring around camp. walk to camp site bare foot, till I noticed I could have been kissed by madam spider.

[Big Red]

Ladies and Gents,

What a cracking day :).

It was a long day for me waking up at 4 am Thursday morning flying in from London waiting for my brother to collect my gps. Then drive to get to the camp.

PHew ... finally made it and accidentally crashed a marshal meeting. OOps sorry fellas.

Regardless a hop skip and a jump away were the rest of the gang and that god forsaken creature which Abu Jimmy has a picture of. HOWLY MOWLY. had a quick chit chat and went to sleep.

Although i slept with ac running i didnt get much sleep as i was excited for my first EBG ..... Awwww Yeahh.

[video=youtube;wVbA26ewme8][/video]

This is my stint from start to finish. As you can see there were a few unnecessary loops. As for driving safely yes i did most of the way although i think i might have done something as you can see around the 17:00 mark .. :(

But its part of the game and the risk we take. It was super cool and awesome fun. I hope to be part of more of these games.

Thank you to all our marshals, time keepers, volounteers and friends who came. I feel it would have been interesting seeing Sarookh compete in the nissan :) lol

Shukran everybody

[Melfi]

And I missed it. Again. :012:

And Mubz - you are welcome :028:

[Bomolin]

What to say about the ¨Egg game 2013¨... Many people got egg for breakfast in all styles, sunny side, scrabble egg, boil egg all minutes, even i could say real Spanish Omellete was cooked, tasted and share!! :011: Really no words to see how people are spending their free time (Marshals) to bring to others a memorable experience, as we said in Hotel industry..."is not about facilities, is all about experience" and that´s all what your are bringing chiefs and marshals, thanks for the experience once again
The trip started with a night in the camp and unexpected call from Iskander...there is a Camel spider grooming around...make sure you close your tend...spider was big as Abu Jimmy pictures, and after that we are taking into consideration to sleep in the Jeep! In Spite of 1.89 cm of myself..

Trip started with a brief briefing...where Bu Salem explained why kids and wife y/o Gf o/y Mamacitas was not allow in the convoy. After proper explanation she suppose to be one of the observers, it was allow to be a co-driver and self recovery tool herself...:015:

Fortunately trip when very smoooooth, flooring around dessert as a real marshall without ¨a bunch of inexperience newbies behind me¨ to guide, always trying to get the smoothest way, really enjoy and getting closer to the feeling the leader is having when the whole group is been leaded.
The only disadvantages was not able to know the timing we did , in spite of not getting stuck, and unexpected sign where out of the box thinking was needed ( guys is not enough we try to do not get stuck in spite of bunch of cars stucks after each dune, first time using GPS and having a co-drivier saying I need to go to higher dunes to be the first one??..$6¨"gvdfr%=?"·%"!!!!! Please next time i need a volunteer to take her in his car, i do not wanna brake my car yet! :012: after all we need to uncover an ´Emarat Petrol bag Sign´to discover an Alien...:022:otherwise disqualified! heheh just joking!

It was a trip full of challenge, passion and real discovery of the passion that some of you guys we see you have for the dunes, it is something we understand trip by trip and is a feeling which is easy to be delegated and to create of this group a big family as it is.

PD: I try do not mentioned him...as many people tried but is very difficult because thanks to him we learned where we should not go...as the beginning of the trip was very very challenge...i do not wanna mentioned him...but I also do not wanna finish the post without thanking him to bring the first light into the way.... Thanks MubZ!!!!!:027::027:

My Co-driver wanna a try Solo Night Drive...i do not know how long i could contain her...please Marshal..!!:012::012::012: Really considering to get a Labrador as Observer...