Almost4x4

It's been a long time since I wanted to write this. For me, personally, Salalah was one of my top 5 trips around the world. Around the world. Yes. For me, any trip with my car has a higher priority when it comes to rating. I love driving, and I have been driving since the age of 13 (yes, it was illegal, but then again, I was in India).

I wasn't sure about joining the trip when it was posted since I did not have the required 10 drives for it. @alshamsi_m asked me to keep my hopes high and book the hotel in case I was able to join, as it's peak season in Salalah, so most hotels fill up really quickly. I booked a hotel that was close to the meeting point every day. I later had to change the hotel since the place I booked was more than the budget of the trip since my car had to go for a major service before the drive (cost me around 6800 AED to fix the car). We'll talk about that later ..haha.

Other than Shamsi and @virginiasz , I didn't know a single person who would be showing up.

Okay, the Salalah excitement is something else altogether. Let me explain. You know that feeling when you have 18 hours to drive, crossing borders, eating snacks and chips on the way. For me that really hits different. I have been to Salalah previously 3 times before, so I'm used to the 18-hour harsh drive that's brutal if you are not a car person. Somehow when you plan for Salalah, you already know if you are someone who enjoys driving or someone who just likes cars. Both are completely different, and Salalah will test you to your limits.

We left home close to 1PM, if I remember correctly, and the plan was to meet at the petrol station after the Al Ain Border at 4PM sharp. At 3:55, I met Shami and Virginia along with @Minhaj and @hidayathshaik at the station and was surprised to learn that there would be just 3 cars in the convoy. There were many who couldn't make it.



This was one of our stops for fuel. The weather slightly improved as we were on the road. The traffic was as expected. Shamsi, leading the convoy, ensured that we were all safe, as every overtake coming (single carriageway) would be announced most of the time so everyone was alert and aware. We did a stop at Haima and decided to stay over the night, as it's the safest way to reach it. Night driving isn't recommended for many reasons, as you guys are well aware. We reached Haima at around 700 km, and we checked in at a motel sometime around 10:30pm after dinner. We drove that day for about 10 hours if I'm correct.



At around 7:30 in the morning we got back to the decided meeting point at Haima and started out on the 4.5-hour drive to Salalah. It was around 600 km left to the destination. We were so glad we got fresh. Nothing like starting the day with a 600 km drive with your tummy full.

The next 4 hours, we didn't even know how time went. By the time I looked at the watch we were already greeted by this view. Yes, that's fog!



After a few kms of climbing, we could start seeing the never-ending greenery around us. I really can't explain what I felt seeing it; nothing can justify that moment in time.





This was our first stop. Haha, talk about the perfect place for a photoshoot. The ground was extremely slippery, so I did not try this. Didn't want to fall off the cliff even before reaching the destination. After this Shamsi decided that we are starting our 7-day trip with a surprise day 0 plan, and we straight away went offroading to a location that I again cannot explain over text or pictures.



This location alone was worth all the kms we drove. Salalah ROI was instant. Even before day 1.

We made tea and had some snacks, all while it was drizzling and windy at the top of this place, with us looking down on the vast ocean below us, covered in cloud. We also lit up some cigars. WHAT A DAY!







After this Shamsi introduced us to Restaurant No. 9, and we had some yummy food (much needed), checked into the hotel, and had a good night's sleep.



And this was just day 1.

Stay tuned for day 2, as this post will be updated in the coming days.

Love, Sid.

Day #1

Day 1 was probably the best day. The excitement was off the roof. Even though we did explore a bit around Salalah on day 0, I knew that there was some serious off-roading to do. It had been continuously raining since the day before. I reached the meeting point at 7:51. 8am was our cutoff to move. The meeting point had a great chai place. @Minhaj arrived shortly after me.

The one great thing about Salalah is that you are literally travelling with people, and you are bound to make friendships that last for a long time. That's the best part of a road trip. More than the off-roading, more than anything, the people who drove together ended up being part of a new family. I'm trying to express this in the most non-cringe way possible but to date, I cherish the people I met there @Minhaj and @Germain @alshamsi_m @virginiasz @hidayathshaik ..



As we all arrived, Shamsi gave the usual brief , which included the places we will be going, the route, how long it's going to take, and the precautions. So well professionally managed when I think about it now. Signs of a true leader.

This is one of the places we went first. It was a small climb, and we walked till we reached the pools. This was man-made but very well done so that it can be used as a swimming pool.



The Gang!



Then after that, it was time to do some off-roading. YAAY. This was the shape of the cars after sometime. Mud and dirt everywhere.

Then we hiked 2.8kms to a private pool area where we got to swim for a full hour and half. Shamsi showed us his diving skills. I don't swim simply because I didn't know how to swim in something other than a pool, also because my brain is wired to prioritise survival over fun. lol. I think it was the same for @Minhaj . I think that's were we both connected and realized we had some things in common.




You don't get to see @alshamsi_m this way very often. Deep thoughts.





The off-roading continued and ended where we could see the shipwreck that happened. You can get an idea of the terrain we drive through to get there below. I think it was the first shipwreck that I saw in my entire life. It can probably never be recovered due to its tricky location and will be there for the next 50 years or so, and then it'll probably start breaking down due to the salt water. That was such an interesting place for me. We made some tea and some snacks and enjoyed the breeze and the view.



Little did we know the day wasn't over. Shamsi had other plans

The way we climbed down from there was outright insane. None of the cars had grip including Shamsi's car. We are climbing down literally on mud that feels like ICE. There is a nice video but that's private and only for the members of the club to see. You have to come to Salalah to experience that for yourself.

The whole idea of me writing this is for more people to try out this yearly trip. Trust me it's worth every second. We all have one life. What are you waiting for

We had dinner at Restraunt no 9 and then headed back to the room. Yummy yummy dinner.

Shamsi suggested we all wash our cars since they were really dirty. That turned out to be a blessing for me, as my sway bar end links were damaged and had to be replaced. After washing, it was very apparent.

That was day 1. Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow.

Love,
Sid

Welcome to Day #2 of the Salalah adventure. Oh boy. Salalah is always an unexpected adventure, and if you read my last post, you would know that my end links were damaged during the climb down from the slippery hill.

I informed this to @alshamsi_m and he shared the location of the garage to fix it. I was hoping I could fix it and join the group, but since it was heavy fog that day, Shamsi requested me to stay back and not join them. The visibility was hardly 10m.



As you can see in the image, my sway bar was touching the arm and it had to be replaced since it was worn out. One thing interesting I learned is that Pajero parts are easy to find. The guy just got the OEM part in less than 30 mins. Many don't like Pajero's at Almost (Don't ask me how I know) but such instances where parts are available even in a supermarket makes me feel good that I own one.

Something else happened. Remember the trek that we did the day before? Apparently me and @Minhaj got bitten by some alien mosquitos. I was badly bitten on the arm and legs. How bad?

See for yourself.
Not NSFW, you can see hahaha



Yup, it was bad. These mosquitos were something else altogether. I'm from India, so I'm not a stranger to mosquito bites, but these little devils were something else. As of today, I still have a few marks left and @Minhaj has them still.

Next year we are on a mission to kill all of them permanently. Minhaj will probably be carrying a flamethrower and suited in an Iron Man suit.

Well, nothing much happened on day #2 as my car had issues. I got to catch up on some pending work and called it a day at the hotel.

See you tomorrow for day #3.

<3