If I’d known what I was going through, maybe I’d do something different. Thank God that neither my friends nor my permanent co-pilot (my mother) were with me on this trip. And thank you to the Arab military for having the patience to remain in the shadows until I have left their territory.
So, my first 20 km on the Tropic of Cancer in UAE. From the Saudi border to the east through the desert.
My plan was to come to Al Hamra in the evening, refuel the car, set up camp in the desert, sit by the fire, and with the first rays of the sun to take the route. Everything was going perfectly until I started looking for a place to camp.
Everywhere I tried to lead my Husky, everywhere we came across sand cut by the tracks of cars. Such a highway in the desert. Searching we reached the village and … huge sign: “Forbidden to take pictures, to shoot videos, to use mobile… Military zone!” Turn 180 degrees and quickly go away from here.
Probably fatigue from the 400 km of driving, the bustle of the past day, and the night calm of the desert covered me at the same time. Somehow, I easily gave up the planned program of a sleepover in a comfortable tent by the fire. I parked Husky 50m off the road and fell asleep in the driver’s seat.
I woke up with the sunrise. A cup of hot coffee and ready to go! Stop… Oh no! The pressure sensor showed that one of my tires lost 6 psi during the night. It’s amazing how JEEP manages to advertise the car as a tough SUV and at the same time sell it with such weak tires. Okay, there are two options: I inflate the tire and see how quickly it loses the atmosphere or put a spare. In any case, it is dangerous to go on the route in solo mode with this tires.
