Chrome parts for your car

Home. Showered. Clean. Bowels finally evacuated. Car in one piece. Survived.

Apologies for the lack of ‘real time’ updates from camping. I felt rude getting my Mac out whilst everyone else was doing campy-type things, like building fires and marinating meat.

Let’s rewind.

Yesterday morning I packed as much as I thought I needed and more for this one-night camping trip. Tent, camp bed, head torch, two lamps, two sleeping bags, warm clothing, a cooler box full of drinks, snacks, meat, two barbecues, tow ropes, small table, two chairs, knives, forks, plates, cups, camera equipment, laptop, loo roll… I even bought a 12v car kettle!

I met my friends at the Dragon Mart petrol station on the Hatta Road. Steve was driving his Land Rover, Caroline and Tara were in the Nissan Pathfinder and Chris was in his Tomb Raider Jeep Wrangler, roof off, head presumably layered in factor 40. We all filled-up and we were on our way.

We followed the Hatta Road practically all the way to Hatta itself, stopping-off for firewood along the way. I can’t tell you how nervous and excited I was to get the Hummer on to the sand and see if it actually performed or sank up to it’s axles. The car certainly has a lot of ground clearance and is fully-equipped with all manner of buttons that apparently make it drive on anything. That doesn’t mean I could drive it on anything.

Shortly after the route E55 turnoff to Al Madam, we left the main road and took a right turn onto a gravel track. We traced a route along a security fence on our right, which is apparently a border to a small enclave of Oman. After a while the surface changed from gravel to soft, deep orange sand. We deflated our tyres using automatic tyre-deflator gadgets provided by the boys (which I will obviously be buying as soon as I get a chance) and continued our journey, with me following the girls and bringing up the rear.

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