The featured image in the post isn’t a movie still from the new “Dune” movie. It was taken by me when Mrs. Hill and I hired a 4×4 Jeep and went on a two-week road tour of the Sultanate of Oman. Which leads me to the feature story….
Fortune favours the brave
There were many warnings. In the Lonely Planet guide, from the car hire company and also from the locals, NOT to drive into the desert untrained, badly equipped, and on your own – EVER. I need to explain here that Mrs. Hill and I are Yin and Yang. She is a native German working in finance and contract management in the defense industry and is naturally risk averse. Me? Well, the warning was not a warning at all, …but an invitation!
So there we were, being sensible and driving on the safe tarmac road looking longingly out of the side windows at the wonderful desert. When at a road intersection TEN pristine white 4×4 SUVs with blacked-out windows suddenly came racing past us in close formation as if they were in a CIA action movie! Who are they …and where the hell are they going? My split-second decision – follow them. Which was fine for a mile or two, even though it was hard to keep up as they were driving VERY fast. That is until…they entered a tiny local village, cut through a small gap between the ramshackle buildings (skillfully avoiding the startled goats), left the tarmac road and drove straight into the desert! At which point I stopped.
Stepping out of your comfort zone
“You are NOT seriously thinking of following them!?”
“Of course I am. Aren’t you curious where they are going?”
“No!”
“Common, I learned to drive in a 4×4 in the Army – I have off-road experience”
“That was 30 years ago.”
“Ouch!”
So with my wife as an unhappy hostage, off we ventured into the vast wilderness trying in vain to catch up with the vanishing dust trail left by the speeding motorcade ahead. “You are mad!” …(Probably she is right)
As civilisation disappeared in the rear-view mirror I was starting to have my own doubts about my recklessness. Eventually, after what seemed like an age, the dust in front cleared and we could see the convoy parked up in a neat formation in the distance. But wait! Is that a desert camp!?? So we also parked and walked right into what turned out to be the MOST AMAZING life experience. I asked for the hotel manager and requested a room, at which point he stated incredulously; “You came out here without a booking!?” He had one family-sized tent left, he told us, in the far corner of the compound that we could have for the night at 50% discount as it was empty. *I say tent. What I actually mean is a luxury apartment with a canvas roof. This was glamping in true style. Happy Days!
After a tasty Arabic meal that evening with music and dancing, we left the group and climbed up a dune in the middle of the night and just gawped at the carpet of stars. Have you ever seen the Milky Way?? I hadn’t. Growing up in London and living constantly in busy cities, the night sky is usually just a smattering of a very few bright stars. In the morning after breakfast, we set off again, hoping that it was in the right direction! There are not a lot of road signs in the desert and FORGET Google maps.
In the end, we had the most amazing unplanned experience – because we went out of our comfort zone. (At least I did voluntarily!)
Conclusion
So here I am again, racing in my (virtual) Jeep into unknown territory, hoping that that desert camp is coming up soon on the horizon. But then if I had just stayed on the road, I would not have experienced such perfect moments and made lifelong memories. And remember; Cactus is our friend, He’ll point out the way. (See below)
Thank you all to all you wonderful people that I have met along my journey thus far and for leaving me with your footprints.
Alan (Lucifer Marketing)
