OutdoorUAE - August 2011 by OutdoorUAE

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE BORDER OF OMAN

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Issue 8/2011 August

Cover Picture: Simone Caprodossi ‘Whale snorkel’ – Qatar Winner of the Photo Competition

In Print:

Managing Editor Daniel Birkhofer Editors Kim Perks Laura Snook Marilena Cilta Graphic & Design James Russell Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tara Atkinson Tel: 04-4472701 Mobile: 055 9398915 tara@outdooruae.com Published by: Outdoor UAE FZE P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-4472701 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor: Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, ABU DHABI, U.A.E. Printed at: Galadari Printing & Publishing LLC P.O. Box 11243 Dubai, U.A.E. © 2011 Outdoor UAE FZE Issue 8/2011- August The information contained is for general use only. While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine. All contents are under copyrights and may not be reproduced in any kind without written permission.

Getting Active and Giving Back Getting involved in an activity which, is fairly exciting interesting or dangerous is something I’ve often done. From quad biking to fire spinning, to sky diving, I’m becoming more aware that like most hobbies I may try or pick up there is a slightly addictive quality to them, and more often than not I have to stop myself from getting too involved.

The only reason I don’t dive – it sounds silly (I don’t think I should tell you this you may laugh) and no it’s not because I can’t swim… It’s because I think I may feel trapped, and if there was no means of escape, being underwater and not being able to breathe is the worst fear. However, I know that once I get over this irrational fear there will be another one, which I may have to add to the addictive activity list! Watch this space! (Read Gina’s article on how she overcomes her fears of diving on page 36!) With the holy month of Ramadan having started we can also see this time of year for being active and giving back. There are lots of charities you can get involved with and activities centred on well being and community. It is great to see, that so many of our readers and contributors are already very active in raising awareness and supporting different projects in different ways. Combining you own personal goals and demands with doing something good is a great modern way of support. You will find during Ramadan many ways how to support people in need, even if it is donation boxes in the malls where you just drop of some cans of food or items you don’t use any more or if you just donate some money. We would also like to encourage you to support some of the projects mentioned in this issue of OutdoorUAE Magazine see pages: p5 Gulf For Good, p15 Because I Am A Girl, p31 ABC Children’s Aid Uganda and p53 The Right to Live… If you check out these articles you will see ways how your adventure can help others. Get out and get involved, do something for others during the month of Ramadan and don’t stop doing it after. Wishing you all Ramadan Kareem! Tara.

Daniel Birkhofer

Founder and Editor in Chief daniel@outdooruae.com

Kim Perks

James Russell

Graphics and Photography james@outdooruae.com

Laura Snook

Copywriter and Editor

PR and Editor laura@outdooruae.com

Marilena Cilta

Tara Atkinson

Management and Administration marry@outdooruae.com

Sales and Marketing tara@outdooruae.com

Our Regular Experts and Contributors

Tori Leckie

Ian Ganderton

Kit Belen

Pete Aldwinckle

Mike Nott

John Basson

Writer, runner, blogger, adventurer and adidas athlete

Our Fishing Pro

Kayaker, climber, mountainbiker and snowboarder. Enthusiastic jack of all trades, master of none.

Climber and all-round adventure seeker

Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

The 4x4 expert

Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

Events Schedule - 5 Dive Photo Competition – 8 We reveal the winners and some great shots! Outdoor2011 - 10 Pete checks out an exhibition in Germany Products -16 Mirfa – 18 James investigates watersports in the Western Region Dive Centre Listings – 20 Adventure Chicks - 24 Tori tackles Singapore Gobi March 2011 - 30 Wouter shows us a good run ME 4x4 Part 6 - 34 Into the Blue... – 36 Gina challenges diving in Malaysia Misht! - 40 Toby takes on Jebel Misht Home by Harley - 44 Barry shows us the best way to get home People – 50 We meet our competition winner Simone and Kathleen Laura’s Location - 58 Directory - 60 4

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

2nd place winning photograph: Dion Rebello - Honeycomb Moray Eel. See page 8 to see full competition results and details!

What to se 's there e and do?

[train]

Train Yas Every Tuesday, from 6pm to 9pm Whether you’re a runner, cyclist or simply taking a sunset stroll with the family, ‘Train Yas’ welcomes participants of all levels and speeds to get on the track. The weekly ‘Train Yas’ evenings are free entry for all. Clubs, friends and families; the fast, and even the not so fast, are all welcome to take part. www.yasmarinacircuit.com

[climb]

Adventure HQ Speed Climb August 6, 1pm - 4pm Following the success of the inaugural speed climb contest join it again at Adventure HQ for the second Speed Climb event on Saturday 6th August. Come down to the store and complete the Climbing Pinnacle in the fastest time for the chance to win a share of 1,000AED worth of Adventure Cash to spend in the store. All harnesses, helmets and professional supervision are included, just turn up making sure you bring closed toe shoes and a fighting spirit to climb and win. Weight restrictions: Minimum weight for participation 25kgs, maximum weight for participation 125kgs. www.adventurehq.com

[dive]

Al Boom Diving CleanUp Dive Saturday 13th August Al Boom Diving will be running clean-up dives at Al Aqah. Certified divers are welcome to come along for two dives, one on the artificial reef and one on Dibba Rock. Cleanup bags and gloves will be provided. Two dives are just 280 Dhs with all kit, and divers can enjoy 20% discount at the Gonu Bar after the dives. For more information contact: +97143422993 abdiving@emirates.net.ae

[cycle]

Cycle the Seven Emirates November 28 – December 2, 2011 Covering territory in all seven Emirates of the UAE, this cycling challenge will be an amazing adventure that will take you past towering peaks, vast expanses of colorful dessert, meandering wadis, stunning coastlines and remote settlements, culminating in a triumphant in Dubai on the UAE’S 40th anniversary. Cycling around 400km in 5 days, both on and off road, staying in tents and barasti huts off the beaten track and visiting the charity will allow you a unique insight into the UAE. Training rides for this event are held from 15th July to 26th August in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. For more information visit www.gulf4good.org

[cycle]

Spinneys Build Up Race 1 of 4 26th August 2011 6am In addition to the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, the organizers decided to have a number of build-up rides, which will give cyclists a chance to put in some great training and gauge their progress ahead of the event. These will take place on: August 26th, September 23rd, October 28th and November 25th. www.cyclechallenge.ae *All images are either our own, sourced from event websites or supplied with permission *You can find more events and detailed information online at www.outdoorUAE.com *Please send information about events to: events@outdooruae.com

[equestrian]

International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition Abu Dhabi is holding the ninth session of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (-ADIHEX- Abu Dhabi 2011) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on September 14th -17th , 2011.The Exhibition also enjoys the support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s session witnessed the participation of 589 exhibitors from thirty-nine countries, boasting a total exhibiting area of 29,000 sq metres. The Exhibition attracted more than 100,000 visitors. Since its launch, ADIHEX has witnessed staggering growth and gained huge popularity and a distinguished position. This reputation has been earned thanks to its endless efforts to support and encourage the protection and safeguarding of the heritage, traditions and values of the UAE. Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Director of ADIHEX and Director of Communications at ADACH, announced the start of registration for the various competitions taking place at the annual Exhibition, noting that the deadline for local applications will be on August 30th while international applicants have until September 12th to register. The unique competitions of ADIHEX had enjoyed a wide international publicity during the past sessions for their bid to preserve heritage and traditions while promoting methods that protect the environment and apply the principle of â&#x20AC;&#x153;sustainable huntingâ&#x20AC;?. In addition to these competitions, the programme for events accompanying the Exhibition will include many varied traditional and cultural events, which are expected to attract tens of thousands of interested visitors and advocates of traditional sports. The painting and photography contests come as part of the keenness to preserve the local heritage, familiarize people with the sports of fathers and forefathers, and to contribute to the history of wildlife and the desert environment. They are also intended to shed light on the prestigious position of falcons and horses in the UAE, and familiarize the generations with the cultural, civil, and environmental heritage of their fathers and forefathers as well as the importance of preserving it. Unique competitions, organised by the Emirates Falconers Club, include a contest on the most beautiful and largest mixed-bred falcons (breeding in captivity) of three types: wild Gyr, Shaheen Gyr and male Gyr. These contests aim to promote sustainable hunting by encouraging falconers to use mixed-bred falcons, a method that proved to be useful in safeguarding wild birds and protecting them from being hunted. This contest has gained a great worldwide fame, attracted several breeding farms of falcons in the Gulf region and the World, and won the appreciation of regional and international bodies concerned with the safeguarding of heritage and protection of environment. www.adihex.net

speed climb

Adventure HQ - Calling all speed climbers!

On Saturday the 2nd of July from 1.00pm Adventure HQ held the 1st speed climbing competition, bringing together those with adventurous spirit, competitive drive and a need for vertical speed!

The competition encouraged those to race to new heights and enter the pinnacle record books! The day saw over 71 participants rise up to the challenge with over 100 spectators cheering from the ground to the first floor! Competing for a share of 1,000 AED worth of Adventure HQ credit to spend in store, they were all racing against the clock to achieve the fastest time! With 4 main categories; Men’s, Women’s, Under 16’s and Under 12’s, the Men’s went to Milan Dlabal with an astounding 9 second’s flat! The Women’s went to Prerna Aswani with 22 seconds. The Under 16’s was tied between Liam Peters and Vaughn O’Mcara at 15 seconds. Finally the Under 12’s went to Zachary Mason climbed up the pinnacle in an amazing 18 seconds – not far behind the Under 16 counterparts! Overall it was a great afternoon, lot’s of atmosphere as the crowds gathered to cheer the participants onwards and upwards. If you missed your chance to get involved with the speed climb competition and you think you have what it takes- sign up on the Adventure HQ speed climbing fan page on face book, log onto their website or call 800ADVENTURE to get a chance to enter the competition win some great prizes. The next speed-climbing event will take place on Saturday, 6 August 2011. 7:30pm – 9:30pm. (Free) www.facebook.com/adventurehqme www.adventurehq.ae All harnesses, helmets and professional supervision included. Just turn up and be sure to bring closed-toe shoes and a fighting spirit. Weight restrictions: Minimum weight for participation 25kgs, maximum weight for participation 125kgs. Terms & conditions apply.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Photo Competition! Underwater Photography, making a splash in the UAE.. It has to be noted that over the

last few years an underwater photography scene has really started to take shape, this maybe because professional equipment is now more accessible and affordable, clubs and groups are open to those who want to share, discuss, learn and push boundaries, in addition to research and recording for conservation which has increased dramatically in and around the Middle East. We can only predict that all these factors may start to add up and influence or even nurture talent for those based in the UAE and possibly even inspire young divers.

Living in the UAE you can often see it as being a central location where you can hop on a flight to diving hot-spots or even venture up to the east coast where your bound to find all sorts of marine life and colourful environments to shoot. We thought it was an interesting idea to run our own Underwater Photography Competition to see what great photos we could find in our own back yard! The idea for the winning photograph featuring on the front cover took shape after thinking of ways to promote the underwater dive scene after the winners of the competition had been announced. When we look for a cover shot, it has to have composition, emo-

tion and be able to inspire and connect with the reader, and most importantly make you feel like you want to jump right in. We were also looking for submissions to fill in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place and best shots. We were lucky enough to get Pavilion Dive Centre, Al Boom Diving, Nomad Ocean Adventures and GoSports - Dubai Mall involved with the competition and supply prizes to all of our lucky winners:

1st Place- Underwater Specialty Courses provided by Pavilion Dive Centre (+cover photo)

2nd Place- Dive Trip for 2 to Musandam

provided by Nomad Ocean Adventures (+contents photo)

3rd Place- A Shark Dive in The Dubai Mall Aquarium provided by Al Boom Diving

4th Place- 500 AED worth of vouchers from Go sport The Dubai Mall

Later in the month we will also be announcing the winner for Go Sports The Dubai Mall Gallery Wall; where you will be able to see one of these lucky shots displayed for 2-3 months above the marine section- keep your eyes peeled! Overall the competition proved a success, we

1st Place - see cover! Simone Caprodossi ‘Whale snorkel’ Qatar 2nd Place - see contents page! Dion Rebello ‘Honeycomb Moray Eel’ Musandam 3rd Place Gordon Smith ‘Wreck Dive’ Gulf of Aqaba 4th Place Alexander Nikolaev Diver and Lion Fish Octopus Rock, Musandam 8

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

had over 60 individual entries in the space of 3 weeks and with the help and support of EDA, Pavilion Dive Centre, Atlantis Dive Centre, Al Boom Diving we were able to really push this competition out there and uncover the hidden talent! In the end we felt the cover page had to be an image that not only fits what we were looking for but which also stood out from the rest. Simone’s shot of the whale shark ticked all the boxes and literally took our breath away. He shot this gem in Qatar on a dive expedition. 2nd Place was a close contender and went to Dion Rebello, with his magnificent Honeycomb Moray Eel, with a pattern of nature. 3rd and 4th places went to Gordon Smith and Alexander Nikolaev respectively. Gordon’s shot was definitely a cover contender, and Alexander’s shot showed the true technical aspects of underwater photography. And for the rest of the shots which we had trouble deciding on, these can be seen to the right of the page.

Runners Up/Best Shots

Jed Belgaroui ‘Red coral garden’ Dibba/Khasab

Awni Hafedh ‘Crab’ Khorfakan, Dibba Alistair McGregor Gulf Blenny (Ecsensius Pulcher) Ras Sanuut Musandam

David Thiesset Nudibranch: Chromodorididae Hypselodoris Dollfusi Inchcape II wreck on the east coast THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Marc Anthony Viloria Hard Corals Aqaba, Jordan

Alexander Nikolaev Box Fish

John Hager Turtle

Shadi Al-Zaiem ‘The sharp look of death’ Damniyat Island - Oman

Stephen Manthorpe Squid

Alain Le Quellec Water Gymtonic

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Experience pure spiritual alchemy at Banyan Tree Al Wadi

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• A night for two at Al Rimal or Beachfront Pool Villas • One complimentary hour for two at Hydrotherapy Spa (Rainforest Experience) • Lunch or dinner at Al Waha Restaurant (Desert Resort) or Sands Restaurant (Beach Club) • Free-ﬂowing mini bar • 30% discount on selected spa treatments • Complimentary children’s access to Kids’ Club

For reservations please contact +971 206 7777 or reservations-alwadi@banyantree.com * Terms: AED 1,395 per villa, per night for two, or for two adults and two children under 9 years old. For 10 to 16 year olds staying with parents, the additional supplement is AED 300 per child, per night. All rates are subject to 10% service charge. Valid from 1 August to 30 August 2011. Other terms and conditions apply. Cancellation Policy: 24 hours prior notice will be requested to avoid 100% late cancellation charges.

Out Door 2011

The Leading Trade Fair

The success of the OutDoor 2011 exhibition in Friedrichshaven Germany

has generated a lot of buzz in the international outdoor industry. The green trend continues to grow, as more and more people discover the pleasures of the great outdoors so no wonder that the 18th edition of the trade show set records across the board, with 21,520 visitors (trade only) and 1012 media representatives from around the world coming together with 890 exhibitors. The annual European Outdoor show at Friedrichshafen is the largest trade only show focused on outdoor and adventure activity equipment. As the commercial and technical director of Global Climbing it provides me a great opportunity to meet up with our brand partners, see new 2012 product, and do some socialising with the great and good of the outdoor equipment manufacturing industry. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show, my third and (with more rain than previous ones) was slightly different to previous ones. While there were the usual displays, massive product announcements and advertising superlatives with every new product launch, the background focus was very much on logistics, manufacturing environmental impact, quality assurance, commodity costs and

improving Asian manufacturing working conditions. Potentially pretty dull, but very important subjects that were made easier to address in the very social atmosphere that is generated at Outdoor. Progressive enhancement of stand refreshments occurred from lunchtime onwards and the climbing village became the event social centre from late afternoon. With thirty odd meetings over four days with our international partners I had little opportunity to see everything on display and I will leave others to give overviews and focus on what I saw and feel is newsworthy. For people going out to play outdoor games and independently travel, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the toys that are important. Things that caught my eye and could be of interest for outdoor enthusiasts: Any eight person tent that can be correctly put up in ten minutes by an eight year old is worth reporting. The Vango Airbeam is such a tent and with 16 models covering two to eight sleeping capacity, this is going to be a game changer for the car camper that wants a quality tent with great features. For the climbers, the Black Diamond Magnetron carabineers is truly sweet and will be re-defining screwgates from next July.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

I am not big into fashion BUT, down at the Buff® stand there was an item that really caught my eye. The Infinity Lyocell Buff® is a very stylish and versatile product that is probably a must have for any women that has ever wanted/needed to cover up a bit, put another layer on before going into the mall or just have something glamorous and functional when they come off the beach... After a turbulent year, Lowe Alpine apparel will be available again in 2013 with a smaller but very functional range; great news for serious adventurers where function, quality and value for money is important. It was also great to see Silva and Thermarest winning awards for innovation as well as Buff’s® funding partnership with European Outdoor Conservation Association. Expected trends for the next year includes the continuing consumer migration to quality as more people learn that buying cheap and forgetting quality is a false economy plus the potential relocation of manufacturing out of China back to Europe by some brands. And finally, if you accept refreshment that is served in a label less clear plastic bottle from a Russian colleague, it is going to hurt your head the following day.

Pete Aldwinckle.

Atlantis Dive Centre

Zainab Clean Up Early in June a huge fishing net managed to engulf itself around the Zainab. Like a giant net curtain it covered the wreck from the wheelhouse to the propeller and from top to bottom. Something needed to be done, otherwise the Zainab was going to become like the Dara, a wreck permantley covered in fishing nets. So the SOS went out and we got a great response from everyone. So a big thanks to: Captain Ali, Paul, Mark, Shaun, Chantel, Lucy, Enrique, Gavin, Leo & William. Who volunteered their time and did an amazing job. Working in support of Project Aware we also have been able to send the data from the clean up to them. Saturday 23rd morning the guys all meet up at the Atlantis Dive Centre. After the EANX tanks were analyzed, kit loaded we headed out for what was to become a wonderful day, both rewarding and also what a laugh we all had. After the dive brief, mission not so impossible was accepted and we all descended down. To be honest on looking at the net I thought no way will we get it all done in two dives. But the guys were straight in and 35 minutes later… wow you can see the wheelhouse and the nets were on their way to the surface. After many laughs, lunch and Gavin’s wife’s chocolate brownies, we headed down to finish the job off. Working behind the wheelhouse to the propeller. As we headed up for our safety stop it was a joy to be able to look down on the wreck and see it back in its magnificent state. So again a huge thanks to everyone who volunteered. If you would like to see clean up in action please go to www.projectaware.org/diver/jason-sockett or YOU TUBE Atlantis Dive Centre Next Clean up is on the 24th September so we would love to hear from you.

The Box Appeal 2011 aims to help 10,000 people across the region The Box Appeal formerly known as the ShoeBox Appeal has been re-branded for 2011 as the charity campaign aims to help more people than ever before. The initiative – taking place from 15th of August to the 15th of September – is run by Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels in the Middle East. Held in conjunction with the Red Crescent, the campaign aims to provide labourers across the UAE with essential every day necessities. Now in its 4th year, this is the first time that all Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotel in the UAE will take part. In addition they will be joined by Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels in Oman, Egypt and Bahrain. Overall 10 hotels will take part; with the

“I had pretty low expectations before this race, especially as I was still carrying the flu and I much prefer warmer race conditions than those we had this week. My main aim was to add to my Hawaii points tally so I can work on getting qualifying over with,” said Al-Sultan, who is backed by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).

neering travel website, responsibletravel.com. “It will be thrust into the spotlight as a remarkable place to visit, and all eyes will be watching to see how it is being conserved for future generations. I encourage the UAE to embrace this responsibility and benefit from a huge opportunity for responsible tourism in the country to flourish, with Al Ain at the forefront”. Francis will spotlight current consumer trends in travel related to responsible tourism when he joins an international line-up of speakers at the second World Green Tourism conference taking place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from December 5-7. “For the UAE, as in other countries in the Middle East, if there is a real desire from organisations, tourism providers and opinion formers, a lot can be achieved,” said Francis.

Abu Dhabi’s Al-Sultan Powers To European Ironman Victory

seven hotels in the UAE aiming to collect 10,000 boxes between them. The Box Appeal asks people to give back to those who need it most by filling a small box with a list of everyday items, such as toothpaste, t-shirt, a cap and shaving cream. To take part all participants have to do is pick up a box from any Radisson Blu or Park Inn Hotel in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah fill with the list of items and return to the hotel.

Al Ain included on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team’s enigmatic captain, Faris Al-Sultan, stormed to a dominating win at the Frankfurter Sparkasse European Ironman Championship to earn automatic qualification into the sport’s pinnacle competition – the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, this October. Racing in unfavourable wet and windy conditions, Germany’s AlSultan - the 2005 Ironman World Champion – turned back the clock to record the fastest bike split of the day. Al-Sultan then powered to victory with an impressive closing marathon run to finish in 8h13m50s – six and half minutes ahead of fellow countrymen, Jan Raphael and Michael Göhner, who rounded out an all-German podium on home soil.

Used to training in the UAE capital’s warm desert winds, Al-Sultan – widely regarded as one of the world’s leading triathlon cyclists – pushed through the cold to emerge second in the opening swim leg. On his speciality bike section, AlSultan opened up a solid lead over the chasing pack and entered the lung-bursting marathon run with a comfortable cushion. Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team, created by ADTA to further the emirate’s performance athletics’ credentials globally, will compete in more than 30 top international events this season, including the Ironman and 70.3 series, and the World Championships.

Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2012 To Be Staged Over Uae National Day Weekend! Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has confirmed that Al Ain Aerobatic Show – the Oasis City’s annual aerobatics display, will next year be held over the December UAE National Day weekend – moving from its traditional January schedule. The 2012 event – the 10th in the annual series will take place from Friday 30 November to Sunday 2 December 2012 at Al Ain International Airport. “This new schedule, which includes the Friday/Saturday weekend and the December 2 Sunday public holiday will give UAE residents and international visitors the chance to travel to Al Ain for a long weekend break taking in the show and the other attractions in this city which has just been inscribed as a UNESCO Heritage Site for its rich archaeological and historic treasures,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, ADTA.

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge

Abu Dhabi, 21 July, 2011: The inclusion of Al Ain – Abu Dhabi emirate’s second city and its heritage heartland – on the UNESCO World Heritage List represents a huge opportunity for responsible tourism in the UAE to flourish, with the country’s ‘Oasis City’ at the forefront, an industry expert says. “As the first UAE site to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, a great responsibility comes with having what is now recognised as one of the world’s greatest and most important cultural treasures”, said Justin Francis, co-founder of the pio-

Organisers announced that December 16 will see the staging of the second Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge. Last year’s event saw

hundreds of cyclists taking to the tarmac for the 92km race that took in some of Dubai’s iconic landmarks before finishing at the Dubai Autodrome. The children also got in on the action, with a 10km family ride around the track at the Autodrome. “Last year’s inaugural Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge was a great success with close to 500 cyclists taking part,” said race director Stewart Howison. “The concept of the event is based on the mass participation races such as the Cape Argus in South Africa which attracts over 30,000 riders each year – 2600 of them international entrants and the remainder amateur cyclists. “In addition to the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge itself, we will have a number of build-up rides, which will give cyclists a chance to put in some great training and gauge their progress ahead of the event. These will take place on: August 26, September 23, October 28 and November 25. The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is open to amateurs and professionals of all ages. For more information on the race, log on to: www.cyclechallenge.ae

The Final Showdown for Red Bull Car Park Drift 2011 Beirut, 23rd July. In front of thousands of motorsports fans gathered at the Forum of Beirut yards, Saudi Said Al Mouri was crowned “Middle East King of Drift”, winning the finals of Red Bull Car Park Drift hosted by the Lebanese capital under the patronage of the Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Faysal Karameh, and in collaboration with the Automobile and Touring Club of Lebanon (ATCL). The Lebanese Firas Khaddaj ranked 2nd, and Garo Haroutunian 3rd. Said Al Mouri won on his Chevrolet Lumina collecting the highest score after highly challenging performances that proved pilots were very well prepared both technically and mentally, to compete for the regional title of Red Bull Car Park Drift. Performance was at its utmost in the final competition where engine roaring and tire friction on the track ground especially designed by speed race champion Abdo Feghali. Each pilot showed his own drifting style and designed his car appearance to attract the crowd’s attention and appeal to the judges. Therefore, excited crowds cheered the candidates during all phases of the competition.

Making a

Difference in

The Spirit of

Adventure “Because I Am A Girl” is a campaign (BIAAG) with a mission to actively raise awareness and more support for various development initiatives for girls around the World. Plan International was established in 1937 and is one of the world’s leading development organizations specifically focused on children. Plan supports more then 10 million children and families. Because I am a girl is Plan’s long term development programme in support of various development initiatives for girls around the world that will last until 2015. Because I am a Girl is Plan’s International’s global campaign to rally and promote girl’s rights. It aims to lift out of poverty millions of girls who face double discrimination because of their gender and age leaving them at the bottom of the social ladder. BIAAG aims to stop the inequality and maltreatment that is preventing girls in developing countries from reaching their potential. Plan’s 2009 report shows that countries with the lowest number of girls in education lie at the bottom of the human development tables.

The Issues & Facts: • • • •

•

• •

More than 100 million girls are involved in child labour Over 60 million girls do not attend primary school Girls are 3 times more likely to suffer from malnutriton than boys Women’s wages are well spent – women reinvest 90% of their income back into the household whereas men reinvest 30-40% If women’s labour force participation had increased at the same rate as education during the 1990’s in the Middle East & North Africa, the average household income would have increased by 25% If the ratio of female to male workers in India increased by just 10% the country’s GDP would increase by 8%. If girls are healthy, educated and empowered they will grow up to realize their full potential and help their children. Communities and nations grow and prosper.

How you can get involved with Plan International/ BIAAG • • • •

Child Sponsorship Project Sponsorship Fundraising Events Cause Related Marketing

For the above contact Wendy Tsui, Director of Marketing & Communications on wendy. tsui@pplan.org. Website: www.BecauseIamaGirl.org.hk

How you can get involved: Mountain High, offers adventure challenges, retreats and personal leadership programmes for women, has set up the following adventures to actively raise awareness and support for BIAAG. The new partnership is a perfect match as both organizations share the same values in offering long-term commitment to communities to raise awareness of the challenges that girls face in developing countries.

Himalayan Retreat in Pokhara, Nepal 1520th September ( Hiking , paragliding & personal development workshops ) Jumolhari Trek in Bhutan 4-13th November ( 9 day wilderness trek , altitude range 2500 – 4520m ) Arctic Challenge March 1-9th 2012 (3 day dog sledding expedition, ice caving, snowmobile safari and chasing the Northern lights in the pristine wilderness of Svalbard. Celebrating International Women’s day at 78 degrees north on the 8th March)

Together we can create a brighter future for thousands of girls and children around the globe. So, get into action and be the difference to make a difference! For details on the above please visit: www.mountainhighme.com Or call Julie Tel: +971 50 6595536 Dubai/+852 93144526 Hong Kong

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

ducts available in the UAE

pro Some of the best outdoor [dive]

Cressi Eyes Evo Diving Mask

Price: 330AED Available at: Go Sport Ibn Battuta, Mall of the Emirates & Mirdif City Centre. Not only has this new High Seal silicone been chosen, with its exceptional softness and comfort, but the entire design of the skirt has followed new rules which allow a point of contact between the mask and the face that has a very open angle. The raked lenses(Cressi patent), are quite small and are brought as close to the pupils as possible, so that the already extraordinary visibility of the Matrix is increased by 25%. www.cressi.it

[back]

Vango Sprint 3 Backpack

Price: 165AED Available at: Adventure HQ (Times Square Center), Phone: 04 346 6824 3L pack with 2L hydration bladder included. Airmesh back system and mesh harness makes this pack convenient to carry in hot climates. Compact pack ideal for racers, sport enthusiasts and mountain runners or just when you are travelling. www.vango.co.uk

[dive]

Aqua Lung Titan LX Octopus

Price: 1,725AED Available at: Adventure HQ (Times Square Center), Phone: 04 346 6824 Aqua Lung introduced the world to Scuba diving more than 60 years ago and is the worldwide leader in SCUBA diving equipment. Aqua Lung regulators offer divers great performance at a great price without sacrificing quality. The Legend regulators are amongst the finest recreational scuba diving regulators on the market today. The Aqua Lung Titan LX Octopus is a pneumatically balanced second stage regulator with a highvisibility yellow cover ring and 39â&#x20AC;? yellow hose. www.aqualung.com

[chair]

Kwila Delux Deck Chair

Price: 399AED Available at: Dubai garden Centre, Phone: 04 340 0006 With the addition of arms and an improved seating position this folding lounger is ideal for pool and deck areas or a quiet place in the garden. Made in New Zealand and from Kwila Wood, the chairs are now on sale for 50% discount and can be found on display at The Garden Centre

[sun]

Waiting For The Sun Sunglasses

Price: 750AED Available at: Beach Hut, JBR Walk, Phone: 04 424319 Waiting For The Sun are a French sunglasses brand making sunglasses from natural Bamboo and Teawood. Pictured are the 24.6g style in Vintage wood finish, they come in Natural and Black wood finish also. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re handmade from Teawood with high grade Carl Zeiss lenses with a UV 100% rating.

+971 4 325 3595 17

Water Sports inMirfa

After a quiet water sports escape? Head out to Mirfa – a small but calm area within the vast western region of the UAE. For residents of Abu Dhabi, it’s just a simple straight drive along the coast, for about 160 km. It may be quite the trek from Dubai but it is well worth the change of scenery.

In this case, we had made the trip from Dubai. I was warmly greeted by Mr. Ragab Khattab at the Mirfa Hotel, the Assistant General Manager for both the Mirfa and Liwa hotels. He was eager for me to meet the owner of the water sports club that is in partnership with the hotel, so he briskly brought me to the water front where I met Tameem and his friend. They were just preparing some of the water sports equipment that included Jet Skis, Kayaks, Speed boats, together with banana boats, Knee boards and wakeboards. Tameem owns and runs The Western Marine Sports Club; a new company that aims to bring out the best in water sports facilities and activites within the western region.

Facts

e implies, is a • Mirfa, which its nam coastal city of excellence Dhabi • 160kms West of Abu ai Dub from e driv r hou • 2.5 • Population: 15,000 st islands in • Center point for mo ng Al Gabbah western region, includi Mwareh, Island, Islalah, Allafah, nah and Abu Mbrez, Jenanah, Abu Tee Abyadh number of visi• Attracts an increasing that connects tors as it is on the road bia to Qatar and Saudi Ara el start from • Rates at the Mirfa Hot Offer) an mad (Ra /349 AED

The Mirfa Hotel has teamed up with The Western Marine Sports Club in order to create a destination resort where families and the like can enjoy a quiet escape. Due to the huge potential and backing for the Western Region, the City of Mirfa, Mirfa Hotel and the Marine Club, these partnerships aim to nestle into the Western Vision 2030, a vast plan for initiatives and projects that will be expected to form within the unprecedented development for the area, in the coming years. I was introduced to a number of activities while at the marine club, including Banana Boats, Knee-boarding and Wakeboarding. Tameem revealed himself as a humble and experienced sportsman, while he introduced his plans for the Marine Club, and what he envisioned. He also mentioned how important the Al Gharbia Watersports Festival is; an extremely popular event that is held every April in the Western Region. The Mirfa Hotel was built in 2003, within

the island of Mirfa City, 160 kms along the coast, towards the Western Region of the UAE. The hotel boasts 114 rooms, including an extension that will be completed before the month of August 2011. There are a number of packages, including certain Ramadan offers and Iftar celebrations at the hotel. This also includes the water sports club access, along with very reasonable room rates. Overall, the stay was magnificent and I felt very welcome. The hotel and facilities attract a great number of guests, and the facilities make it even more of an attraction. Further developments and changes are due to improve the already well known hotel,

which are just steps towards making the Mirfa and Liwa hotels a national and international brand. Be sure to book your quiet weekend away with plenty of outdoor activities to get involved with! Feel free to log onto www.mirfahotel.com or call 02-883 3030 for enquiries. James.

2011 Models just arrived ! NEW

MOD

2011 MODEL JET SKI 800 SX-R 30,000 AED

NEWDEL

www.libertykawasaki.com ABU DHABI 02 508 4500 AL AIN 03 722 2926 DUBAI 04 341 9341 SHARJAH 06 533 1777 RAS AL KHAIMAH 07 235 6100

2011 MODEL JET SKI ULTRA 300X 58,000AED

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2009 MODEL JET SKI ULTRA 260X 45,000AED (LIMITED NUMBERS)

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Dive Listings

Nomad Ocean Adventures Name of Dive Centre: Nomad Ocean Adventures Location: Dibah, Oman Musandam Telephone: +97150 8853238/+9682 6836069 E-mail: chris@discovernomad.com Web: www.discovernomad.com We are a PADI resort established in Dibah since 2004, we offer packages for musandam trips with acommodation and full boad as well as packages with all our courses with acommodation and full board as well. We are also the only dive center to offer free nitrox to all certified divers as well as a free nitrox course and certification to persons doing an open water course or advance course. All our trips and courses are in the Musandam and we do our best to ensure the best service possible. • Pools available • Free wifi • Chill out ares under a/c where we serve our awesome meal in the mama’s nomad tradition!! • 15 rooms with a/c • Deep speciality, nitrox speciality, night diver speciality, Peak Perfomance speciality and all courses are inclusive of meals and acomodation • ADI RESORT dive center Dive Packages and Rates 1 night accomodation with full board 2 dives tanks and weight 580AED per person 2 days of diving 2 dives a day tanks and weight with full board and 1 night accomodation is 900AED per person 2 days of diving and 2 nights acomodation with full board is 1100AED per person Full gear rental 120AED per day and per person Special Offers (offer valid till september 2011) Elearning open water course is 1800AED with 2 nights acomodation all dives in musandam and nitrox course and certification ( 5 pool dives and 4 sea dives over 2 days) Elearning Advance course is 1700AED with 2 nights accomodation, deep and navigation adventures plus 3 more adventures of youre choice+ nitrox course and certification Deep, peak performance buoyancy, drift and nitrox peciality with 1 night accomodation and 2 days of diving and full board 1300AED

Al Boom Diving Name of Dive Center: Al Boom Diving Location: Al Wasl Rd, Le Meridien Al Aqah; Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa; Dubai Aquarium and Golden Tulip Resort Dibba Telephone: 04-342-2993 Email: abdiving@emirates.net.ae Description of the Dive Center Al Boom Diving has PADI 5 Star IDC Centres in Dubai. Our main training hub at our Aquacentre on Al Wasl Rd; at the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo in the Dubai Mall and in the Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa. In Fujairah, you will find us at Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort and in Dibba Musandam at the Golden Tulip Beach Resort Ladies only classes are available with Al Boom Diving at the Dubai Ladies Club. We offer all PADI courses from beginner to instructor level with a professional team of PADI Instructors and two PADI Course Directors on staff - speaking a variety of languages. Daily diving with transport, opt to dive and stay, with accommodation at our partner hotels. • • •

Pools available: Al Wasl Rd; Le Meridien Al Aqah and the Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Retail : Aqualung, Apeks and Cressi, Amphibious Outfitters, Trident dive accessories, Innovative Scuba Concepts and more. You will also find our dive gear at top sports retail stores: Go Sport, Intersport and Adventure HQ. Specialty Courses: All PADI Specialty courses (with the exception of perhaps Ice Diver!) and the Dubai Aquarium Specialty Course. Al Boom Diving has PADI 5 Star IDC Centres at all locations

Dive Trips: Daily diving is available at Le Meridien Al Aqah and in the Musandam by speedboat. Every Friday and on demand we run a dhow trip in the Musandam. Beach dives are available at the Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa and at Al Wasl Rd. PADI courses are available in classroom or eLearning format and can be done at the dive centre closest to you, although Al Wasl Rd remains our main training hub Night dives every Wednesday evening at Al Wasl Rd, and at other locations on demand with min 4 divers. Social: Monthly diver socials are arranged Dive Packages and Rates Two tank dive at Al Aqah with full kit: 300 Dhs Two tank dive in the Musandam (Leema area) with full kit: 350 Dhs PADI Open Water Course (eLearning): 1,800 Dhs PADI Advanced Open Water Course (eLearning with one shark dive): 1,855 Dhs Special Offers Valid until 31 Aug for signup: PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (eLearning): 1,500 Dhs PADi Rescue Diver (eLearning) and EFR bundle: 2,550 Dhs

Arabian Diver

Name of Dive Centre: Arabian Diver Location: Hilton resort and spa Telephone: 07 - 2226628 E-mail: adel@arabiandiver.com The Dive Center is located in the Hilton Beach Resort directly on the beach. Fully air-conditioned, with a user friendly classroom facility for students to make the most of the diving knowledge. Our Marine Biologist dive instructor takes you well beyond the normal learning curve. Bathrooms with showers, changing rooms also located in the Dive Center. Pools available 2 fresh water pool and 1 salt water pool Facilities 1.5 km of pristine private beach, 5 different restaurants to choose from, 9 treatment room Spa Facilities available Retail Fully equipped dive center with all major scuba brands for resale Different areas Complete Watersports Facility with jet ski rental, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and all non motorized activities Boats: 1x25 Meter Luxury Schooner, 2x10 meter Gulf Craft Speedboats, 1x8 meter speedboat all fully equipped for diving Specialty Courses All PADI specialty courses are available Star PADI etc... 5* resort status and Boat Status Dive Packages and Rates Dive Packages can be found on our website at www.arabiandiver.com Special Offers Take a PADI open water diving course from Arabian Diver and enjoy a 2-night stay at the Al Hamra Hotel for AED 2160 (Value AED 4160) – School and Leisure in one!

Atlantis Name of Dive Center: The Atlantis Dive Centre Location: The Atlantis Hotel, The Palm Jumeirah Telephone: +971 4 426 3000 Email: reception@atlantisdivecentre.com An accredited 5 Star PADI Instructor Development Dive Resort, PADI TEC REC and National Geographic Centre, Atlantis Dive Centre offers an unbeatable learning environment for both new and experienced divers. Our facility includes: • Two purpose built salt water training pools • Two spacious classrooms which overlooks the pool area • Comfortable changing rooms • Retail facilities • 2 Custom Dive Boats

GO PRO! with PADI and Atlantis Dive Centre As a PADI 5 star IDDR Dive Resort we offer all levels of PADI Courses from Experience programs up to Instructor Development Courses. Our training programs are designed for divers of all experience levels with customs packages including skipper training and Specialty Instructor courses. • 100% Pass Rate in the PADI Instructors Exam • Part time and Full Time IDC’s • Mock IE’s and MORE! Become an Atlantis Dive Centre Club Member and receive discounts on Dive Trips and invitations to special events!

Dive Listings

Our purpose built salt water training pools allow student divers to practice equalizing techniques and master buoyancy in a controlled environment before going into the ocean! It also features a covered training platform at 1.2 metres which allows divers to practice wreck penetration techniques in a safe environment with perfect visibility. The specialty pool is 3.5 metres deep and contains a mini submarine – the Shamal – which divers of all levels can explore, and is ideal for those wishing to master their underwater photography.

Dive Listings

Pavillion

Name of Dive Centre: The Pavilion Dive Centre Location: The Jumeirah beach Hotel Telephone: 04 4068828 E-mail: Divecentre@Jumeirah.com The Pavilion Dive Centre is the first and only PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre in the Middle East. Located in the luxurious grounds of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, you are guaranteed professional quality service. The PDC specializes in PADI Courses starting with kids as young as 8 years old in the Bubblemaker and SEAL Team programs. The most popular PADI Certification is the Open Water Course which starts everyday of the week and is fun and quick to complete. Following the Open Water Course The PDC offers continued education in the form of Advanced Open Water, Rescue and a wide range of Specialty Courses. As a PADI Career Development Centre the PDC transform recreational divers into PADI Professionals by means of the PADI Divemaster and PADI Instructor Development Courses. For non divers who are eager to try diving to see what all the fuss is about, PADI Discover Scuba Diving is available to everyone most days of the week and will have you diving in shallow water off the beach in just a few minutes. A wide range of SCUBAPRO diving equipment and diving accessories are on sale at the PDC including PDC branded diving apparel. All PDC guests have complimentary use of pools and beaches on the day of their diving activity and the newly refurbished sports & leisure shower and changing facilities. Dive Packages and Rates Dubai 2 Dives with full equipment 2 Dives with tanks and weights

400 AED 300 AED

Musandam Inc Transfer, Breakfast & Lunch 2 Dives with full equipment 600 AED 2 Dives with tanks and weights 500 AED Snorkellers 400 AED Special Offers In August get 50% off 5 PADI specialty courses. PADI Wreck Diver PADI Deep Diver PADI Night Diver PADI Enriched Air Diver PADI Peak performance Buoyancy

SLOW LANE

TO NOWHERE

When you read this article, I hope

to be in Iran already. Preparation is going as smoothly as possible but took far longer than expected. Some things are not so easy and straightforward in Dubai.

The only company that operates ferries between UAE and Iran moved 3 weeks ago without giving an address or their new phone numbers. It would not have been a problem if they had a web-site... I managed to track them down this morning; they are now in a container-like building at the far end of Sharjah port where the road gives way to a dirt track, just two guys in a little office with no company name on the door. Pretty dodgy...but at least I know where to buy my ticket now. So one more admin problem solved with the car insurance for Europe, the travel insurance, the international documents of the car and the visa for Iran. I just need the visa for Azerbaijan and I am good to go. In regards to the car and the equipment, the Defender has now reached the 2000km

mark with no breakdown or sign of weakness. So far so good! I just need to complete my list of tools and my list from the pharmacy, buy a few more things, but nothing that cannot be found in Dubai. I am also waiting for a new remote for the winch, shipped from the US. No point in taking such a heavy and expensive piece of equipment if I cannot operate it when I need it. I will spent the next few days to load the car and try to fit everything in. Another challenge!! As I could only get a 3-month visa for Iran, the plan is now to go Iran-Naxcivan-Iran-IrakTurkey, and if all goes to plan I will re-apply for a visa once in Belgium, otherwise I will have to rush to get back to the Iranian border by mid-October and rushing is not really the philosophy of this trip. But enough talk about the preparation, next month my article will be sent from the wild with trip stories and more pictures. I still hope to reach Bandar Abbas before the end of the month. I would prefer to avoid spending 5-6 hours to clear the customs on the first day of Ramadan, but I honestly think that is wishful thinking when I sum up all the small tasks I still have to do.

My blog is now ready. The main criterion for the title has obviously been the availability of names left on Blogspot. But it still reflects quite well my desire to travel slowly to remote places. You can follow me on: http://slowlanetonowhere.blogspot.com/ and you are welcome to drop me a line on slowlanetonowhere@ gmail.com Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep you posted! Patrice. THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Adventure Chick runs Singapore’s Sundowner

Adventure Chicks When Adventure Chick Tori consulted with the Outdoor

UAE team this month regarding what to cover for this column, he passed on his warmest congrats post my last big running race and suggested I write about it.

‘But it was in Singapore’ were my initial thoughts but then swiftly decided it was actually pretty UAE-applicable. By the time you get to the start line after all, the hardest work is often behind you and in preparing for this race, my hard work was carried out here, in Dubai, just as Summer was welcoming us with its oven-like temperatures. The race was called the Sundowner and was a 100km distance in and around Singapore … ‘you’re mad’ my dad had said when I told him I had entered, a mere six weeks before the race, having done no long distance training and because Singapore’s location, sitting right on the equator, means that the humidity during the Summer months is pretty relentless. The truth is, my little sister was turning 30 on the same weekend and my entire family would be in Singapore to party with her so Adventure Chick, never one to miss out on an opportunity to multi-task, thought the race would be the perfect warm up to the family festivities and fun in the sun. But back to Dubai for the point of this spiel. Dubai seems to have an extraordinary number of very high achieving athletes. The running, cycling and triathlon scenes alone are most impressive. I’m sure there are a number of reasons that have contributed to this but one, I think, is the temperatures in which we train.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

In an audio book I cam currently listening to (which btw is highly amusing) called The Elements of Effort by John Jerome, he talks about how you need to put the body under stress to push it to the next level … to improve. And here, when we brave the summer temperatures and train outdoors, we most certainly are putting our bodies under stress. They need to fast adapt to the heat and humidity … and they need to become very efficient cooling systems to stop us from overheating. I think this, in turn, makes us fare very well when we put our work to good use and compete, here in the UAE or further afield. From a personal point of view, always one to defy convention and having turned my back on ever following any sort of train-

ing plan, doing any arduous interval training and even wearing a watch whilst I run, I have still found that I fare very well. I turn up at races, whether in Europe or Asia and observe time and time again at a certain point in the event, other competitors starting to fade whilst I just continue plodding along like Forrest Gump. The heat bothers me little, my breathing runs like clockwork and provided I have no injuries, it’s only my short attention span that stands between me and the finish line. In fact, I seem to get stronger as the event goes on. Am I wonderwoman? Have I special endurance powers? No … I put it simply down to training here in Dubai. Another big observation I would make about my training here is the distances I did. I simply don’t have the desire or the patience to run long in training. Even when meeting girlfriends en route and stopping regularly for tempting treats, I reach a point after a few hours when I’m itching to be doing something else. As a result, my longest training run for this event was around 42k. If that. My strategy of little and often clearly worked though as I never felt fatigued or fed up in the run up to the race and then never really hit a wall during the race. As for the event itself, starting at 6pm in the heart of downtown Singapore overlooking the iconic Marina

Sands Hotel, around 1,000 runners in total, 100 or so of those chicks, lined up at the start line. Running through the night, 50km out and 50km back, the aim is to finish before sunrise. It’s difficult to commentate with any degree of excitement about a long distance run … being through the night, there wasn’t even any scenery to enjoy. But I ran for 12 hours and 37 minutes, listened to two books, played lots of great cheesy tunes, sang occasionally, chatted to anyone who would listen and kept myself entertained the entire distance. And at around 6.30am, I crossed the finish line and hailed a cab so I could hurry back to the Shangri-La for breakfast and poolside giggles with my sisters, parents, nieces and nephew. The icing on the cake was that I placed second in my category so a nice wad of prize money and a huge paperweight of a trophy were handed over as reward for my efforts. So thank you Dubai, thank you UAE or should I say ‘outdoor UAE’ for giving us the harsh training conditions that make competing elsewhere a bit of a breeze! Love Tori x

Writer, runner, blogger & adidas athlete PS. Please visit my website www.fitchicksandfastwomen.com for more rambles on all things health, fitness and wellness-related PPS. My email address is tori@ fitchicksandfastwomen.com for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions … or just to say hello!

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

N(athan)epal With a strike on in the city

alese experience Nathan Root shares his own Nep

of Kathmandu, my friend and coadventurer Meg and I spent our first day lazing around in the beautiful picturesque cafes and streets around Boudha Nath, an ancient temple on the out skirts of Kathmandu. The following day, we set off for our destination: the beautiful and tranquil lakeside town of Pokhara, 198kms west of Kathmandu. This is usually the base of operations for people who want to trek the Annapurna circuit and on a clear day the view of the surrounding mountains from the town is breathtaking. With a much more relaxed and peaceful atmosphere than Kathmandu, Pokhara is a wonderful place to prepare or repair for the huge number of treks available in the area. If trekking isn’t exciting enough for you there is a huge range of adrenaline sports from rafting the Kaligandaki to Paragliding over the lake and beautiful Pokhara.

Nathan at Mohare Danda

With time a factor, the next day we arrived at the local bus stop to catch a bus to the town of Beni, a four hour journey away. Here we would meet our trekking guide Chitra Pun and then take a four hour jeep ride to the hill Village of Nangi where we would start our trek. Like all bus rides in Nepal it is usually better not to look out of the front window at the impending hairpin bends or buses coming head on, flashing lights and beeping horns. Instead, become mesmerized with the scenery outside - just don’t look down. Hanging on to something doesn’t go a miss either as some of the pot holes bounced us clear off our seats into the air!! After shaking off the bus ride we jumped into a jeep to take us up the mountain to our start point. Something that struck us both was the sheer toughness of the people of Nepal. As soon as you leave the big cities you start to see men carrying

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

colourful prayer flags

everything from sacks of concrete to wardrobes using only ropes with all of the weight resting on their heads and necks. The further from the cities, the bigger the loads seem to be and the more diverse the people carrying them. Our eyes were popping out of our heads when we saw old ladies who looked about 70 carrying massive baskets of crops up an incline which left us breathless just looking at it! With 14 people the cramped jeep ride shook our frail bodies like a Motley Crue Concert. While the Nepali people rested their eyes we hung on for dear life. The jeep service is the only alternative to making the 7 hour hike up from Beni. This new ‘road’ and I use that word extremely loosely, is a life-line for the many communities it connects. The views were like nothing we had ever seen but this ride was not for the weak spirited as many of the roads were on sheer drop offs to the valley below. Once again I found myself desperately trying to push another vehicle up a hill, with the engine roaring and the goat (which we realized was strapped to the roof) crying what I can only imagine to be wails of supportiveness we managed to defy the Nepali terrain once again! After a day of travel we finally fell out of the jeep at our destination. If we found sitting in vehicles this hard, let’s just say a slight feeling of trepidation was swelling about how hard it would

a child watches a locally produced documentary

be to walk this country. Our doubts lasted for about 30 seconds while we got our packs from the jeep and then turned around. What we saw was almost indescribable; in front of us was one of the most beautiful vistas I had ever seen (up to that point). As the burning sun started to illuminate the clouds over the mountains we could do nothing but stand there dumbfounded. This pose of neck out, jaw slightly slack and arms hanging by my sides was to be a repeated often during this trek. We sat down and

push!!! - scenes from the start of the trek

some of the volunteers of the village came out to meet us and take some photos. In the weeks before Meg had arrived I had been lucky enough to meet a volunteer from this village and he told me about the trekking route that they were opening next season. This was a fantastic route because not only was it not yet open to the public, but it was entirely run and of benefit to the communities that hosted them as opposed to the trekking companies back in Kathmandu. The next morning we were off, acting as guinea pigs for the new route. Our first stop was Mohare Danda. We had been told that the guides could do this trip in around 3 hours with a 30+kg load on their head so how hard could it be? The answer…. very hard. Seven hours later we stumbled into camp. At this height our untrained lungs were feeling the burn of the air beginning to thin. Once again the views as the clouds opened up and closed were like something you only saw in dreams, or a Lord of the Rings movie. We spent an extra day here just sitting in the food hut looking out over the world. One of the most incredible sights of my life met me as I walked back to the lodge from the kitchen that night as the stars alone illuminated the mountains around us; it was truly spectacular. With Meg’s feet in pretty bad shape after the first day we limped down to Swantha, our next stop. Down in the valley below we spent the night in the new lodge built for the new route and enjoyed some more Nepali hospitality from the owner. The view from our window the following morning was akin to something Microsoft might have as a desktop screen saver. With this magnificent backdrop, Meg and I parted company, as I was heading up to 3,600m to a yak farm on the doorstep to Annurpurna South and she to Powda, an easier 3 hour trek as her feet were now becoming a real problem for her. The trek back up to altitude was hard, and as we reached 3,400m we walked straight into a rain cloud. This didn’t help, but as luck would have it my super guide Chitra told me we were close - close

view from khopra with some tasty yak porridge

enough to make a mad dash for the huts before we froze in the rain. Within around 15 minutes we almost ran into the side of the kitchen hut as it loomed out of the mist. We’d made it! The yak farm of Khopra promises sights of the legendary Yaks of the Himalayas together with some of the best views of the ranges for miles around. The only problem was that I could barely see my hand in front of my face. I hoped and prayed that the clouds would lift, even for a second. With tantalizing glimpses for the next few hours finally the clouds started to open up. I thought I was prepared for what I was about to see but honestly I don’t think anyone can ready themselves for something so magnificent or awe inspiring. This was the magic of the Himalayas. Later on and as more cloud moved in, 150 yaks and their new born calves came down from grazing on the mountains. I had previously decided to get my picture taken whilst sitting on one, but soon changed my mind after hearing how incredibly aggressive they can be. After seeing the size of the yaks and the fact that a quarter were fighting as they came down the mountain I stayed well away with my zoom lens in hand! The next morning I heard footsteps running down the hall of the lodge and my guide shouting my name. I knew it, the dreams were true and the yaks were over running the camp! It turns out this was not the case. The only reason for this sudden awakening was that the clouds had lifted. I dived out of bed into my warmest clothes and took off at a sprint to the door only to be stopped in my tracks seconds later. In front of me was the most impressive sight I have ever seen. It was incredible. The cobalt blue sky pierced by the fiery peaks of the mountains reflecting the first of the morning light and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. I stood still for a few minutes before I even remembered I had a camera in my hand. I stood outside for almost 3 hours watching the view and the clouds slowly form around me and the mountains. I almost got frost bite but I just couldn’t go indoors. I sat and ate fresh yak milk porridge and savoured the moment. All too soon we were making the long trek down to meet Meg in the hillside town of Powda. Much of the track down was in great condition and even had slate steps! Chitra told me that when someone close dies many people honour their memory by creating something on the mountain, from steps and water springs, to beautiful rest stops for others to benefit from. I found this very touching and selfless, a trait many of the people of the mountains have in abundance. We met Meg and unfortunately she could barely walk so we decided to make a beeline for the nearest road. I packed her bag into mine and we set off. We

the guide

aimed to finish in the natural hot springs but seeing as the outside temp at low altitude was over 32C I was happy to by pass this for my partner in crime. Three hours later we reached the only road for miles around. Two more hours and we were on the bus, and I do mean on. As the inside of the bus was completely packed, we opted to ride on the roof as the air-con and leg room is much better. If you’re into adrenaline sports then this is a must do for any thrill seeker. Personally I find it much more comfortable. We chugged along the mighty Kaligandaki and two quite thrilling and surprisingly eventful hours later, were back at Beni. Here we said our sad farewells to our fantastic guide and then headed for some serious rest, relaxation and comfort food in Pokhara.

A lifelong dream had been realized and as one of the first handful of people ever to do that trek we felt incredibly lucky. The Himalayas were everything and so much more than I had imagined and those moments will stay with me for as long as I live, as long as I don’t bump into any rogue yaks! With flights starting from around AED 750 for a return to Kathmandu via Fly Dubai, this dream is very achievable. To find more about the Annapurna–Dhaulagiri Community Trail email chitra@himanchal.org for quotes and availability. To read more about my time in Nepal feel free to visit www.alternateroots.wordpress.com We couldn’t fit in all of Nathan’s ph otos so hit the blo g to see more!

steps - ‘gifts’ left by the departed

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Desert Sports

Diving Club

For just under 30 years Desert Sports Diving Club (“DSDC” to most of us) has been a focal point of recreational sports diving in the UAE. A 140 strong members only scuba diving club for those living in the UAE, the clubs activities spread across the whole spectrum of scuba diving in the UAE. The recent double page spread in the ‘National’ Newspaper, on the deep technical diving activities of DSDC (diving to 120 metres to the wreck of U533 on trimix and rebreathers), has caught the eye of many divers who are thinking to extend their diving capabilities. The additional DSDC articles appearing in the Emirates Diving Association quarterly magazine on wreck diving in Dubai are also catching the imagination of divers who would like to take the next step in that direction. All of which is possible at DSDC. Today’s question is – “is this for you”? DSDC is branch 1339 of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) and approximately half of the members are BSAC trained and certified. BSAC members can take advantage of the courses that are put on at the club by the member instructors. The other half of DSDC members are typically PADI, NAUI Trimix Technical Diver and Instructor Bill Leeman carries out final rebreather checks before a 72-metre dive on the Wreck of the Ines

Mark Parsey Enters the Water on a DSDC Dhow trip to Lima Rock – If you like big fish its Whale Shark Season on the Musandam.

Wreck Diving Anyone? – a rough divers sketch of the Zainab, one of many ships lying on the bottom of the Arabian Gulf.

and CMAS trained and depending on their personal preferences continue their training with commercial outfits or undertake the relevant BSAC cross over course. DSDC is a sports club owned by its members, operating on a not-for-profit basis. Each year the Members appoint a small committee from within to administer its affairs, there are no Employees. DSDC strengths are numerous, its access to low cost resources, boats, compressors, gas mixing facilities, safety equipment, instructors, club house and class room are all complemented by a very strong social element and constant diving throughout the year. Because DSDC has no employees membership also entails everyone helping to run the club, be that boat and equipment maintenance, administration, dive trips and the social events. There are numerous jobs to do and pairs of hands are always needed. DSDC members gather at the club house on Monday and Wednesday evenings to arrange the next diving trip(s), fill gas cylinders, undertake class room training, socialise and look at the photo and video efforts of members on the big screen at the club. DSDC operates two boats on the west coast (Dubai based) and one on the east coast (Fujeriah) as well as hiring boats and dhows on the Musandam on 3 weekends out of 4. Members also organise club holidays, long-weekend trips and expeditions. The only thing that stops DSDC diving is the wind and rough seas. With the breadth of

diving at DSDC and in the UAE there is something for everyone with informal interest groups on nearly every aspect of scuba diving. Within DSDC there are Photographers, Videographers, Experts on the Marine Environment . DSDC has divers skilled in Wrecks, Fast Currents, use of Rebreathers, Open Circuit Trimix, Nitrox, DPV’s. Among the members there are qualified (diving) Boat Handlers, Emergency O2 administrators, Gas Blenders and Diving Instructors all the way up to Instructor-Instructors. One of the most common questions asked by new members is “what can I do at DSDC”. As you will see from the above the answer is probably ‘everything’. With new members DSDC is very quick to assess where your current skill set is and guide you towards the most applicable area of club diving and from where you can develop further. Due to safety considerations, the benefits of time underwater and that it is free for members, 95% of members are Nitrox qualified. New members will quickly find themselves guided towards getting this qualification.

DSDC Training Officer Chris Head exits the wreck of the Neptune

Sea Horses in the UAE – If you take your time and dive slowly you will find them.

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NOW 12,000 AED Due to the quality of the DSDC diving activities there are many members from Abu Dhabi and other Emirates, however, DSDC does not advertise its presence instead relying on word of mouth and reputation. While members may bring their own guests diving with them the club is too busy with it’s own activities to cater for non members and holiday makers. If you would like to know more about DSDC and diving in the UAE why not visit the club website where there is a huge amount of interesting information. www. desertsportsdivingclub.net. And finally, what about you, could you, should you come scuba diving in the UAE. We acknowledge that for some scuba diving is just not right and you will know in your own mind that it is not for you before you even put a toe in the water. For others, it is simply a case of a diving instructor getting you to put you head below the surface, with a regulator in your mouth and a whole new world opens up in front of you. A world that you can explore and you don’t need to wait for delightful pictures a magazine to show you what its like.

KLX250SF SUPER MOTO! SUPER COMMUTER!

Once you are trained its then up to you, for some scuba diving remains firmly in the holiday pastime or occasional weekend category, while for others, well you can’t get them out of the water! In the UAE it is worth noting how convenient it is to undertake scuba diving, with the warm seas of the Gulf on our door step and variety of marine life there is to see. It’s Whale Shark Season on the Musandam at the moment and weekly we are encountering these huge giants of the seas – why don’t you? We look forward to seeing you underwater.

Angus Carlisle.

TEL: +971 4 3419341

Marching into

the history books! Gobi March 2011

It all started when I signed up

for the 250km footrace, a magical mix of 6 marathons in 7 days, the full course was off road and I had to carry a pack full of food and equipment. I promised friends to share the ‘WHY’ question. So what was my reasoning behind the trip? Because I can. I know, it sounds clichéd. There are those out there who would want to but can’t. Those who should but don’t know yet. And there is a group who talks about it but never sign up, always finding an excuse to not enter. I belonged to the last group for a while and had to shift mind-set from should-do to have-done. This givesme strength. I’m after the hidden experience. Besides the physical challenge, which will hurt, it’s about the uplifting mental thought process. To the outside world such a race might be considered a mad undertaking. Once inside the race bubble it is all-relative and makes perfect sense. Shared. Everyone is equal, in it with the same goal – to cross the finish line. What thoughts will cross your mind when you are out in the wild in the middle of the night? Let me bounce the ball back to you. What will move you? I’ve had two concerns that kept me busy. Firstly, the distance is going to be more painful than anticipated and secondly, I’ll get addicted to it…Charity. I’m running the race

has done 70 marathons and 50 ultras. There were also quite a few cancer survivors, in addition to a large group of novices and the inexperienced so there were many great conversations to be had out there. “Find your own pace from the start” is a valuable lesson learned from shooting at previous races. No one wins a race on day 1. After the 1st stage of the race I came in at a shocking 23rd place, way better than anticipated. The course started ok: on a dirt track leading us parallel to the Tian Shan Mountains, beautiful snow-capped peaks at 5,400 plus meters - very inviting to summit. Running slowly uphill towards checkpoint 2, from there the course took off skywards. We must have gained over 1,000 meters in elevation up and down. Runners’ consensus was that Day 1 had a tough start, harder than expected. I felt strong pretty much most of the time. It was HOT, but Dubai training certainly helped to maintain the pace. We had an overnight weather change with night temperatures dropping to 5° Celsius and complete white out conditions in the morning. Race organizers kept on delaying the start in the hope that the mountain course would clear up to start Day 2. Outside was shivering cold so we all stayed in our tents and sleeping bags waiting for the new race start time. I managed to sleep ok during this time, although when camping with 200 people there is lots of noise so I woke up a few times. My legs however, still felt better than expected. I can recall a similar experience recovering from a training run up and down Wadi Bih with my legs killing the next day. Thanks to Lisa’s great advice I added Arnika

by Wouter Kingma

We were climbing some serious dunes; stunning views that reminded me of Liwa and I took little over 2 hours to finish the dunes. After that it was a long hot 28k slog to camp. The medical tent at the checkpoints where busy; many struggled this day. Few got pulled out, others exited voluntarily and it was very hot. For safety reasons we had to buddy up for the last 7km stretch to camp. I finished off the day with Joe, where we had little conversations. The Camp was at -87 metres; the Turpan Bassin is the second lowest place on the planet, both pretty cool and hot. My goal for the day was to finish in good condition and in good spirit, hoping this would last when starting the long stage on the 5th Day. Mission accomplished. The Long March… was a long, long, long 15 hours! What made it so hard? To start, we entered the 80 km with already 150km under our belts, rough camp life and minimal food. Pacing yourself is so important, especially considering the heat; I believe we reached the 50° Celsius marks. Managing the heat is crucial. You have to look after yourself, taking in the bars/gels/powders and the warm water at CP’s. It tastes disgusting but crucial to keep going. Another hard part is to keep the pace. From the start I set in a fast speed walk and pretty much kept this up for the first 35km; at times I was just as fast as some slow runners. Together with Paul we kept a great peace towards the end, hard but it worked. Wow… what a race! Crossing the finish line felt like heaven on earth. It was awesome, such a spectacular setting for a finish, in a Buddhist village with a strong Silk Route history. The whole last 14km trail which ran

“Racing brings life back to the basics. Eat – Sleep – Survive” in support of a great charity - ABC Children’s Aid Uganda. My criteria for a notable charity are that our money ends up on the dinner plates for those in real need. With a few days before the race and long preparations my pack came down to 10.5 kgs, 6.5 kgs of that was food with a total of 19,000 calories. That’s 50% more than what and average male should be eating but far from what I expected to be burning daily. Why not bring more food? More food is more weight and I was desperately trying to keep my pack under the 10 kgs. Any heavier and it gets really uncomfortable when running. It’s a juggling and scaling act. On the Pre-race Day there were 150 competing, all ready to finish on the 2nd of July. There was such a unique mix of people...a pastor, a father with his 2 sons, full time mums, a few entrepreneurs, army boys, a former Ozzie national rower, a pro-boxer, mountaineers who have done 7 summits, students, and my tent mate Jeahong who

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Gel to my pack, for a much needed leg rub at the end of the day, and it worked… On the second day by noon finally we were off and they reduced the distance and we ran straight to CP 3, then CP 4 with finally, camp Kazak - flat, short and sweet. It started raining towards the end of the run, and I wasn’t used to running in 13° Celsius. Brrr! As you can imagine the cold weather road runners excelled at this stage... Day 3 started with a wild run down the Daheyan Canyon. “No overtaking for the first part” was the message so tried to keep up with the fast boys to avoid being stuck behind the slow, down-hillers. Once down in the riverbed the heroes took off. On the next stage, we were gifted with overcast skies on the first 10km of high dunes, with even a little drizzle. We’ve had such weird weather in the Gobi. The fast boys gunned into the high dunes with the others too, followed in their footsteps. I felt very rough so took an easy start.

through the Flaming Mountains was done on endorphins, being on a high and realizing how incredibly privileged I was to be doing this race. Yes, the last day felt so good. In physical terms, how did I feel? I can describe it best as a Wiener Schnitzel....felt like cooked meat in a crust of sand, red dust and salt. Some might have had a wash-up from their drinking water supply during the day before rest day but last night’s crazy sandstorm evened everyone out again. I started the Gobi March strong, physically and mentally. I paced myself every day. Running when it felt like the right thing to do and walking when running didn’t go. I never started the day over-doing it on the first legs yet still going out fast; otherwise the day would last forever. So many valuable people have supported me in getting to the finish: my lovely wife Kiki, my family & friends, Tent Grasshoppers and in particular Chris, Richard and Marcello , also the Audi people who made a serious donation towards ABC Children’s Aid Uganda and provided the

valuable PR support in spreading the message throughout the Middle East PR network. I’m so thankful for their help, energy and enthusiasm. Finally, a true thank you goes out to the many contributors who supported the ABC Children Aid in Uganda.

About The Gobi March

Gobi March, part of a series of four desert races, has been named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the world. For more information about four deserts please visit www.4deserts.com

ABC Children’s Aid Uganda

The Comprehensive College of Kitetikka, located close to the Ugandan capital Kampala, has recently successfully acquired ‘A’ level status. Their new status has led to an enormous increase in student enrolment, and has outstretched their current student facilities. The particular project I’m raising money for is the construction and outfitting of their library allowing thousands of children access to an incredibly valuable source of education and knowledge. They only need US$15,600 to complete their library facilities. ABC Children’s Aid Uganda is the charity related to this project and they have a 20-year track record in educating kids in the Northern and Central regions of Uganda. For me that is a comforting message knowing that all the funds will ends up where it’s really needed. Please note that my Gobi Race has been 100% self-funded so all charity donations will be going straight into the library project.

Would you like to make a donation? Please check my blog site which has a fully automated donation system. http:// wouterkingma.blogspot.com/

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Methods

Madness

I walked around the shallow flats, gingerly lifting my feet so I don’t make a

slushing sound. The water was only inches deep and with my inability to cast a decent distance with a flyrod, I knew I was at a disadvantage. The wind behind me didn’t help as it wasn’t just one of those gentle breeze days and there is no rule that states the best time for man to fish would be the best time for the weather to cooperate. We always make do, and we never learn. Scanning the skinny water for some fish wasn’t new to me, only the method was. It wasn’t long before I found a cut in the sandy flat that held some fish. There was some current coming in from the deeper water a few meters in front of the cut - it was a textbook scenario, the fish are facing the current and not just for the dose of freshly oxygenated water, they were waiting for food to be washed towards them.

In these situations, no matter how “pro” you think you are and no matter how many times you’ve done it, you revert to your 7 year old self, to keep up with the theme (without knowing it) I did a half-witted back cast and felt like I swallowed a desert lizard as I felt the flyline making an absolute mess behind me...Kit, welcome to fly fishing. The fish I was stalking jolted and the point of the tail that was sticking above the surface seemed like it was waving goodbye...or sending me an explicit hand signal. The next thing I did was make all of my friends come running towards me, as they thought the noise I was making was because of a massive hookup. I shook my head and asked myself how on earth I got myself into this madness. The day started the night before. I decided that if I was to learn this fly fishing thing, I

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wouldn’t take anything but a fly rod and reel with me. That night, I thought to myself, I am going to catch fish...no seriously...I would.

be tied in advance so we don’t waste time in the water, the hooks sharpened, a selection of lures and or flies chosen for the water condition, the bait, the kayak, the sinkers, the tackle box, water, food...it is endless. This is our routine...no, this is our ritual. After a few years of doing this, I have come to the realization that we, anglers/fishermen, are strange creatures. The fishing trip starts the night before. The preparation is an integral part of the trip. Taking the trash out or washing the dishes is not part of the preparation. We are the only ones that stay up the whole night so we can “wake up” early to be at the spot by first light. It’s not just that; we have to be the first ones there so we can take the best spot.

As most “nights before a trip” go, I was over zealous, confident and bullet proof. There is nothing you could ever say to dampen my enthusiasm. Not even a 17-knot wind forecast. I don’t know if this makes sense to you, but if you follow this column it means you go fishing. Our days start the night before, which is the time we prepare for our trips. Right after work and in the week-ends, we do what we have to do. Our rods and reels need to be checked and loaded into the car, the leaders need to

It doesnt matter how it looks to you, what matters is how it looks to fish

we look for it, and we live for it. We always have great stories of the fish we caught and even more epic tales of the ones that got away. After catching the fish, the most prized item we walk away with isn’t even the fish, it’s the picture we have with it!

No matter how expensive your gear may be, you will be after the same fish

When tying flies, or choosing lures, it doesn’t really occur to us that no matter how weird the thing is at the end of the line, it’s really not our choice. What’s important is what it looks like to the fish. They have to be convinced that it’s something edible. If we don’t catch anything, it really isn’t our fault. The fish were simply...not biting. We live by one motto; the fish will always be caught on the next cast. You can’t argue with that, that’s why there is always “the fish that bit on the last cast”. We walk along the beach looking at the water. Girls may think this is romantic, what they don’t know is; we’re looking for the drop off. We buy the most expensive equipment we can afford, but we are chasing the same fish. It is a rule that the farther you go or the deeper the water, the expected fish... are bigger. AND, it’s just not the actual fishing gear, for fly tiers, we buy the best vise and tools we can get, but we also know that this doesn’t really guarantee us more, or bigger fish.

Amidst all of these, we don’t make bonds of friendship stronger, we create the bonds of brotherhood. We look forward to another trip, even if this past trip was one of the most miserable in recent memory. We don’t count the size of the fish by weight, but by the company we share and would always wish for the same group to fish together once more in the future. Fishing is probably one of the most unselfish sport there is...no matter how strange our behaviors at times may be, we share that with others and they - our brothers, accept it.

Image 1:We get something like hair from a deer’s rear-end and make it a part an effective fishing lure

You buy the best things you can afford, but you know that doesn’t guarantee you fish

My fishing group has accepted me for the way I am. I could not be any more of myself when I’m with them. Despite how weird and how unconventional l am...They still find it strange that I don’t eat fish though and I bet you find it strange now as well. There’s nothing to it, it’s just part of all this madness. Till the next tide change, Kit.

The next cast will catch a fish

For fly tiers, anything that comes in strands is fair game. If we can tie it on a hook, we will; especially if it’s shiny. That’s why we buy a lot of Christmas decoration. We tie jigs and flies using hair from dead animals and make them part of a very effective fly or lure. Here’s an example – a buck tail jig (see image 1). You know where it comes from, but never really think about which part of the animal it comes from. Behind all of this is the chase. We love it,

Any piece of water would do, just as long as you think there’s fish in it.

The place could be anywhere, any time.

When you do get lucky, the picture is your most prized trophy

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Part 6

MIKE NOTT BRINGS YOU HIS SERIALISATION OF THE ULTIMATE OFF-ROAD GUIDE Part 6: ACCIDENT PROCEDURES You must be conscious of the possibility of accidents happening during your trip and what measures you can take to extricate yourself and your group in such an eventuality. Accidents fall in to two categories: medical and vehicular. A key factor to the successful outcome of any accident, that requires external assistance, is communications.

Communications Within the UAE it is generally possible to obtain a mobile phone signal, even in the depths of the Liwa, Al Maghrib and Al Humra. In any accident, requiring external emergency assistance, you should, in the first instance, call 999. This will connect you with the emergency services and, depending on the nature of the accident, an appropriate response will be made (if it is a minor vehicle accident, you may be left to drive out on your own and be told to report to the nearest police station. If it is a serious medical problem, the casualty may be lifted out by an emergency response helicopter). In the Oman the situation is markedly different. You are unlikely to have a mobile phone signal in the depths of the Omani Empty Quarter or the Wahiba. You may wish to consider taking a satellite phone for such trips and know how to contact the Omani emergency services. Where a mobile phone signal is obtainable you should call 999 to notify the Omani emergency services. In any eventuality, you will need to be able to give your location (description and GPS co-ordinates) and the nature of the accident. In undertaking the most remote trips you need to be aware of the risks of accidents and the likelihood that you will not be rescued or provided with any assistance. You must be self-reliant and resourceful enough to extricate yourself.

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB).

PLBs are more usually found amongst the personal survival equipment of pilots and mariners. However they are more frequently being used by people on land. If you chose to obtain a PLB you should ensure that it is a 406MHz transmitter and that it has an inbuilt GPS. Each PLB has a unique identifier code, which can be registered with an official government rescue agency and allows them to identify PLB the holder/user. To register your PLB you will need to call the UAE SAR organisation (800 UAESAR) and they will log you and your PLB’s details. The UAE has a receiving station for PLB transmissions and an established search and rescue service. When activated by the user, the PLB will transmit a distress signal with the personal identifier code and the GPS location, which will be picked up by the local user terminal. In effect, the PLB will alert the search

Author and broken CV

and rescue services and be able to tell them exactly where you are located and who you are (if registered). If you do have one you should know that they are not to be used lightly. They should only be used in life threatening situations where your only possible means of survival is to be rescued by government funded rescue agencies. If you can dial 999, do not use your PLB.

Vehicle Breakdowns. Whilst vehicle breakdowns are not considered to be ‘accidents’ per se, they have the potential to be life threatening if you cannot repair the vehicle and extricate yourself. The possibility of an irreparable vehicle breakdown is one of the best reasons not to travel alone. If the vehicle cannot be repaired in situ, there are three options available to you. Firstly, you can attempt to do a self-recovery within your group. If the vehicle can still roll on its wheels this will mean towing the vehicle. Towing a vehicle off-road, and particularly in complex dunes, is

Breakdown

hugely difficult and puts enormous stresses on both vehicles involved and may result in further damage or breakdown of the towing vehicle. A decision to tow must take into account the distance to the nearest possible escape route (usually at least a prepared track but, preferably, a macadamised track or tarmac road), the type of terrain to be crossed and the potential damage to the recovering vehicle. Once you reach your intended escape route you can either continue the tow-out or call for a recovery vehicle.

• Make sure that you drink regularly, even if you are not feeling thirsty. In order to avoid stomach problems try not to drink in large gulps but take frequent sips and be aware that dehydration normally happens before you actually start to feel thirsty. If your urine is dark, you need to drink more water but you should avoid water that is too cold because

Secondly, if the vehicle is unable to be towed or the tow would be too difficult, you can call for a specialist recovery vehicle from one of the reputable off-road recovery companies. Both options described above apply to the routes in the UAE. In Oman the situation is significantly more difficult. Within the Oman, due to the nature and scope of the terrain of the routes described in the upcoming guidebook, you will have to be self-sufficient. In the event of a breakdown you may be on your own and a long way from help, and towing a rolling vehicle may be your only viable option. The likelihood of recovering a non-rolling vehicle breakdown in the Empty Quarter, for example, is slim, though not impossible. It will require ingenuity, initiative and a the willingness to put time and effort into finding someone willing to lift your vehicle out or willing to come and repair it in situ. Your third and last course of action, if all else fails, and if travelling with other vehicles, is to abandon the stricken vehicle for recovery at a later date. In remote areas this is not as risky as it sounds due to the limited traffic flow. If you are sufficiently far away from established tracks and built-up areas, there is little chance that anyone will discover the vehicle for quite some time, so it will be relatively secure.

Stay in the shade

it may cause stomach cramps. Similarly, you should eat regularly, even when not feeling hungry, to avoid becoming weak through lack of nutritional energy. Drink and eat little and often. • Clothing should be light and loose fitting and it is strongly suggested that you wear a hat or head-covering, particularly in direct sunlight. If you can, try and stay in the shade as much as possible.

DESERT SAFETY & SURVIVAL

• During recoveries or vehicle maintenance and repair, you should wear some form of work glove. Metal objects and surfaces can be particularly hot. • The particular vices of alcohol and smoking are really unsuited to desert conditions. Both encourage dehydration and lessen the effects of any acclimatisation you may have gained.

Heat Illnesses.

Heat Illnesses occur in several ways, such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke as well as sunburn. All are caused by too much exposure to the sun, a lack of water and too little bodily salt. It is important that you are able to recognise the symptoms in yourself as well as in others and you should also know the correct treatment for heat illnesses and what the preventative measures are.

Drink often

To be able to survive for long periods in the desert is something you may be faced with on any of the trips in this guidebook. There are better and more detailed books on this subject and some recommendations are made in the guidebook. What follows here are some basic tips and techniques that you should be aware of. Acclimatization. Even though you may be living and working in the region, the majority of the users of the guidebook will live in air conditioned houses or apartments, drive air conditioned cars and work in air conditioned workplaces. Unless you work outdoors for the majority of the year it is unlikely that you will be fully acclimatized to the rigours of the region’s climate between May and October. You must bear this in mind when venturing off-road, at these times of year in particular. Even outside the May – October period, temperatures in the region can exceed 40 degrees Celsius and be debilitating for the even the best prepared. When you do drive off-road you may wish to help yourself a little by driving with your windows down and with the air conditioning switched off (this also keeps you ‘in touch’ with what is happening to your vehicle as you drive). Even without full acclimatization you should be able to withstand the severe heat in this region provided that you take cognisance of the following guidelines:

First Aid. It is incumbent on any trip organiser to ensure that there is at least one person in the group who has an up-to-date knowledge of First Aid. The aim of First Aid is simply to save life; beyond this you are delving into the realms of more specialised knowledge and potentially life-threatening rather than life-saving treatment. First Aid courses are available through many providers in the region on a group or individual basis. Photo Credits: Alfred Wild, Colin Campbell, Shaun Ellis, Gordon Smith, Joanna Thornton and Author.

A non-mover

Into the

Jetty Mabul Island

Blue... The pathway of a non-swimmer to an underwater experience of a lifetime

After a long working day nothing

could be more interesting than going to an underwater photography exhibition which was held by Emirates Diving Association (EDA). I’ve always loved photography.

You may be surprised to know, that I don’t know how to dive, and I can’t even swim. This can be very embarrassing for someone my age and having grown up in Romania, in a city with a big river and many lakes. I always thought the underwater world is a world I could only dream of and would never find myself experiencing. I had an odd opinion, where humanity did not belong

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with underwater life. Making the step into diving was a huge barrier for me along with the fear of the unknown. But seeing all these amazing photographs of another beautiful and astonishing world made me curious. I met with Jason from Atlantis Dive Centre Dubai but naturally he asked: Are you diving as well? And there it was again, this embarrassing moment, but I had to be honest and answer straight away, “Unfortunately I don’t know how to swim!” He promptly replied with, “Well, you don’t have to.” That was surprising for me and made me even more curious. I don’t think he realized how his answer affected me, as his quick and short reply gave me the impression, that diving might be within easy reach for me. I guess he never expected me, ever to show up and take his answer seriously. My better half must have recognized my thoughts and told me a few days later about an invitation for a dive trip to Malaysia. Luring me Beach Sipadan Island

with some more photos of paradise islands and world famous dive sites I let my curiosity and motivation grow. I’m also not sure if he really expected me to take the bait. If you want to come on this trip, you need to get you dive certificate and write about your experience. Not only do I have to face my fears, I have to share my embarrassing secrets, in an article where I talk about my complete inexperience with diving. A few days later I showed up at Atlantis Dive Center...and had met up with Jason and informed him that I was ready to go for a diving course. He recommended me a discover Scuba experience before starting the course. But I made my decision – I guess Daniel and Jason were surprised. After the 2hrs introduction I was 100% convinced that I was going to do the Open Water Course to be a certified diver and be ready to go to Malaysia. I had no trouble using all the equipment and breathing out of a tank – which I heard is the biggest problem for most beginners. But Jason was not 100% honest with his first answer – you need to know how to swim or at least know how to float! My dive instructor Jodie Bush (a special thanks goes out to her for being an amazing

Dive Briefing with Eljer

girl and great support) took me through the 300 meters test where Jodie had to swim with me just so I wouldn’t be afraid of sinking; I believe I wasn’t so bad in the end and had succeeded. Honestly, if you are not a good swimmer the fins help a lot. The next challenge was floating for 10 minutes. That’s what I called a “miracle of Jodie”, who asked me to think of riding a bike and to forget I am in the water...believe it or not I floated for the next 10 minutes having a nice conversation with Jodie and not realizing that I was floating...and since then I have been able to say, I can now swim. Some days and some dives later, with the help of the amazing team from Atlantis Dive Center, I was a certified diver, looking forward to an experience of a lifetime...and here starts the real adventure into the Blue. I have a bad habit of getting bored easily. The coastline of the UAE is for sure not one of the most amazing dive sites in the world and everybody recommends the East Coast. I was going to Malaysia/Borneo, and the feedback I got from experienced divers was that this is not a place to learn diving... if you have been there you don’t want to dive anywhere else again. This seemed to be an insurance not to get bored. Seeing the sandy beaches and the rich marine life that I’d seen in photos from Sipadan Island, you could convince even a non-swimmer (doesn’t apply to me anymore) to go for at least a sun bathe and an amazing snorkeling experience (a lot of non-divers go snorkeling wearing a life jacket).

Mabul. Crystal clear water, Palm trees, blue sky with some fluffy clouds – honestly, my expectations were exceeded.

and other scary creatures. When our dive guide Eljer gave the sign to dive, there was no other choice.

After our first dive briefing and lunch it was time for an orientation dive. I was still amazed by the beauty of the island and the sea but it could not hide my doubts and nerves, that I may end up be attacked by a shark! The sea was a little bit wavy this day and currents made it difficult to stay with the group. Our dive guide put together the buddy teams, so he would go with Amir from Malaysia Tourism who was in the same position as me – he just finished is OWD course. I was with Daniel but we agreed to stick to the dive guide not only for of safety, but more about this later. Apart from all my fears, I was honestly most afraid of spoiling the experience of the other advanced divers and to become a burden for them. It was wavy, but I could see lots of corals and on the edge of the reef the drop into the dark blue. As many dives in the region, this was also a wall dive along the edge of the reef. To don’t allow myself to think too much about my doubts, so I focused on my equipment check and I was one of the first to jump into the water. The water didn’t have the temperature of a bathtub but I was too excited to notice how cold it was (the water is 25-29°C what will be considered by most people still as warm). I was still afraid of not floating and swallowing water because of the waves, and the only option to get away from the waves was to go down. I mentioned already a lot of my fears and doubts but I can now add one more: I get very afraid when I can’t make out what is beneath me. I had my open water dive here in Dubai before but I knew there is nothing big in the water and the bottom was not deeper than 15m. Here it was, the Chinese Sea famous for an enormous variety in marine life and also sharks

There are no words to explain the surprise when I entered this new world. I dived into a completely new and different world with so many corals with all the colors, shapes and corals that were more than 100 years old. Diving deeper into the blue and being surrounded by small colorful fishes was fantastic. I know i might bore experienced divers with my impressions and not being able to outline names and unique species only found here, but for me it was breath taking (don’t take

So here we go, 1 month later I found myself on an airplane on the way to Malaysia. It was a mix of excitement and doubt, as I was still a beginner and had only three open water dives – but there was no way back...or maybe there was. Our first flight connection with Brunei Air offered us a stop-over to the capital of Brunei. Our 8hrs stop-over was just enough to make a short city tour and a quick visit to traditional Asian life on the water. The water village which if you are not use to the real life of Asia, could be a bit strange knowing that there are around 20,000 people, really living in these houses and having a police station, schools and even a fire station all build on stilts above the water. The same day we caught our next plane to Kota Kinabalu. The next morning we were on a plane again to Tawau then one hour by bus to the shore of Semporna and finally 30 minutes by boat to our paradise island of

Mating Turtles

School of Jack Fish

it serious – I was still breathing and my equipment worked well). I have to admit, I completely forgot I was 18 meters below the surface and there was no more room for fears and doubts. The 45 minutes of our first visit to this world flew by in seconds. It was an amazing experience and i was infected with the addiction to go back into the blue. As soon as I got back on a boat, I was looking forward to the next dive. I couldn’t stop talking about the dive and questioned everyone with ridiculous questions like, did you see this fish, and did you see the turtle... obviously we dived in a group and Eljer was pointing out obvious and hidden things to everyone. I was unable to hide my fears before but now I was unable to hide my excitement. It was also a nice experience to see, that diving is about sharing moments and impressions underwater and I felt, that my fellow divers welcomed me in their community. It’s one of the greatest things in this world if you can share moments with people even though they were strangers to me on the first day. The second dive was also in Mabul at the house reef of Borneo Divers Resort where you can directly dive off the jetty. The reef wasn’t that deep - only 16m.There I saw people snorkeling with life jackets and I had to think back to myself that 2 months ago, I was one of them and never imagined I would be here today, just finishing my second dive. The house reef became a regular dive spot for the 4th or 5th dive a day. But I was so tired after the dives that my brain was overloaded with pictures and impressions, so I couldn’t do the night dives. I need to save some other experiences for the future! THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

As a beginner, I’m still not perfect in buoyancy and I may sometimes seem like an octopus, trying to keep my position or to point out something out. I had accidentally knocked the rebreather out of my guide’s mouth on a dive! He took it well though, and we laughed it off. This highlighted the importance of paying attention to your buddy and the surroundings. As mentioned, some corals were very old and fragile, so if you hit them while diving you can easily break them. After some amazing dives you get more confident with the team, the sites, water and everything around it and especially with yourself. Knowing a bit more of this world, it isn’t as scary as you might think, so you quickly learn to appreciate and love it. And it’s like this for so many things in life – things we don’t know about can The days were loaded with experiences and I had a total of 16 dives. Most of them were at different dive sites which were all within an hour’s boat ride. It was really incredible that each and every dive site was different with artificial reefs, coral gardens, dive sites with high density of nudibranches, turtles and sharks...

scare us. The highlights of the trip were the dives at Sipadan island which is considered as one of the best dive sites in the world. After a few years, all resorts on the island were moved off to the other island (also Borneo Divers have had their resort their before) and Sipadan was declared as a protected marine resort. Only with permission, you are allowed to dive, to ensure and preserve the unique life at Sipadan. Clement Lee, the owner of Borneo Divers has been diving at Sipadan for more than 30 years. He told us he was happy to move off the island for the sake of protecting it and he could also tell us that this move has shown already a positive effect on the marine life around the island. We were lucky, that Clement joined our group for all the dives and shared so many interesting and amazing stories with us. Check out his facebook page (borneo divers) to see the hundreds of pictures that he has taken in the area.

Image 1: Spot the fish in this picture!

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

Sipadan is a dream imagine that your buddy is indicating to look in a direction and all of a sudden you are in the middle of a school of hundreds of jack fish or barracudas. Honestly

Tuan, Gina, Maadil and Clement

I was afraid, being stuck between all the fishes, with everybody enjoying it and there was me, unable to move, so I kept close to my buddy. With more dives you get confident and dare more and I mentioned before my fear of sharks but there is no need for it (Hollywood did a good job in scaring me!). So i wanted to face my fears and get closer to a shark, but while I was down there, the shark turned and headed straight towards me. Like a little duck I stopped and let my buddy take the lead again, keeping very, very close to him. Of course he was watching me and was looking out for my reaction. I felt the shark might think I was his lunch, but luckily I was quick witted and was able to put a much better lunch deal for the shark, and that took the form of Daniel. Well at that moment I just wanted to jump out of the water. Last day, last dive, and our air tanks were running low and Madil our guide for most of the dives, gave the sign to go to the surface but suddenly changed his mind, as he pointed towards a turtle heading straight to another one. He knew what was going to happen, as it was mating season for turtles and we were lucky enough to be able to watch this rare event. Later back on the boat, Simone (who did all the underwater photographs in this article) asked me: Do you know how lucky you are? I’ve been diving for eight years and was always waiting for a moment like this. I know how lucky I was to meet all these people who made it possible for me to face my fears and succeed in all of this. As a reward, I have all these great memories, impressions and more confidence to try new things even if they seem hard to achieve. Special thanks go to Jody for traingin me, and thanks to Tuan and Malaysia Tourism for letting me join this trip. Last but not least, I would like to thank Madeel our dive guide for most of the dives, in taking the time to look after me, and giving me so much good advice. I think the whole group was also grateful for Madeel in spotting and pointing out the hidden secrets of the underwater world. Especially for me, it was sometimes hard to recognize what he was pointing at even if it was in front of my

nose, not knowing what i was looking for. Try and find the fish in this picture! (image 1, bottom left) My article may seem like another story to people who have not experienced diving in Malaysia but for those who have, they will understand exactly how I feel about it, and would definitely go back there. I’m so happy to have done this adventure and weeks after it, I still dream of the underwater world. I hope I could encourage some of you to try diving or any other activity; it will not be a failure if you don’t succeed but it will be a failure not having tried it at least.

Gina Vaduva. Facts: How to get there: All major Airlines have connections to Malaysia/Kuala Lumpur. From there you can take a direct flight to Semporna. Alternatively you can fly with Air Brunei via Brunei, then with Malaysian Airlines to Kito Kinabalu and Semporna. Borneo Divers will organize the bus and boat transfer to the island. Where to stay: Borneo Dive Resort offers all you need for a great dive holiday. The rooms are in small villas with AC. The rooms are simple but clean. Price per night is about Dhs 600. Incl. 4 boat dives, unlimited dives at jetty and full board. Full set of equipment can be rented in the resort for about Dhs120 per day/per person

Gina and a turtle at Sipadan

www.borneodivers.info

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Misht! By Toby Foord-Kelcey

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

“We’re walking downhill, Mike!” Our efforts to negotiate the maze of small wadis that guard access to Jebel Misht’s south face was not going well. The moon had set and the sun was yet to rise, and with only the dim arc of our head-torches, it became apparent that we had somehow walked up one ridge, turned 180°, and begun descending another. “I learned tracking at our Kentucky farm when I was a kid”, Mike had assured me; his skills were supposed to be guiding us back up a complicated path we had researched hurriedly the previous afternoon. Our objective lurked somewhere above us: Misht’s 1100m French Route. We had brought no bivouac gear and so committed ourselves to a single day ascent. We really needed to start the roped climbing by first light. There are two roads from the UAE to Muscat. Most people take the coast road, past Sohar and Barka. The more scenic alternative is the back road, crossing the border at Meyzad then passing to the north of the Hajar mountains to Nizwa, where the road cuts back to the coast. Though imposing, the mountain silhouettes seen from the road are not particularly dramatic: mostly whaleback ridges with indistinct summits. There is one clear exception. Just beyond the lonely desert town of Ibri, an isolated peak rises above the horizon in a sharp triangle; like a classic child’s drawing of a mountain. This is Jebel Misht. For any true climber it’s a compelling objective. The north side of Misht is tilted at a continuous moderate angle and offers a straightforward, if repetitive, 4-5 hike to the summit. The only complication is a rock band near the top which has to be carefully bypassed. The south side, however, is very different. Its rock face is a kilometer high and several wide with another 700m of steep screes underneath. It is thought to be the tallest cliff in the Arabian Peninsula and isn’t small on a global scale; for example, Yosemite’s famed El Capitan is the same size (though admittedly steeper). The first ascent, by a French team in 1979, took a month, using fixed ropes and seige tactics. The second ascent in 1993 took three days. Since then other routes have been taken and the original French route has had a few

ascents, but the face remains a daunting proposition. Mike and I eventually reached the cliff base at 8am, two hours later than planned. We decided to continue anyway. The next challenge was finding the correct start. At that time (2006) the only information was a text-only account of the second ascent. No one else we knew had done the climb. The 1993 team followed rope remnants from the 1979 ascent, but these had almost all vanished. Our mistakes were compounding. In my mind, Mike was in substantial deficit. Not only had his “tracking” failed us but the previous day he had left Dubai hours late, and gotten lost in Al Ain, before we had even met. But from then on I became the weak link. Error one was to start in the wrong place, turning what should have been a single 60m pitch into three meandering short ones. Error two was stopping half-way through the correct second pitch, confused by finding bolts that the description said should be at its end. The next pitch was described as a horizontal rightwards traverse graded “Severe” in the quaint British grading system; which translates as fairly trivial. Mike led this. After twenty metres of poorly-protected vertical climbing he yelled back “If that was a Severe, I am giving up climbing”. The guidance for the next pitch – my lead – was barely scrambling. But we were clearly not in the right place. The rock was steep and featureless. The hardest move still haunts me: a long reach up from tiny fragile edges with a 20m fall in prospect. But beyond that the climbing eased and I spied ancient pitons on a ledge well over to the left. We were back on route, but it was noon and continuing would guarantee a night on the face. We abseiled off; abandoning gear and dignity. A year later I returned with

a visiting British friend, Dan. The lessons learned were ruthlessly applied. We arrived a full day in advance, drove up a different wadi that took us nearer to the face and found a line of cairns that marked a clear trail through the screes. We began climbing at dawn and reached Mike and I’s previous high-point by 9am; in three pitches rather than the previous year’s six. The easier but spectacular middle section, mostly a sharp ridge, was tackled in simul-climbing style, moving together with 30m of rope between us for hundred of metres. We reverted to conventional climbing for the final 300m headwall, topping out at 3pm. Friends met us on the summit from the other side with cigars and drinks. We were back in the valley on the north side by dusk. A fantastic experience but oddly my first effort with Mike is more prominent in my memory. Sometimes failure is richer than success. The French Route on Misht is rightfully the best-known climb in Arabia. Weighing in around “E3” on the British grading system, and requiring good experience in multipitch climbing, it’s not an objective for everybody. But for those who are able, I recommend it highly. With careful planning an ascent is possible within a weekend out of Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Toby.

Toby Foord-Kelcey is the author of “UAE Rock Climbing”, the first printed guidebook to UAE and Musandam climbing. A guide to the French Route on Jebel Misht is linked from the blog at www.redarmadapublishing.com 41

Fish at

Rompin Get out and beat the heat, and catch some great fish while you’re at it

We slowly

drifted closer. We were all watching the bird circling the area where moments before we saw a splash. “Wait. Wait!” the captain called. “Get ready” came the next command (not that I needed that) I felt a shiver of anticipation go down my spine. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and double-checked that the bailer arm on the reel was open. “Wait” came the command again. We were scanning the water and watching the circling bird. Slowly we drifted closer. We were about 30m from the circling bird, suddenly it dipped down and as the captain shouted “Now” I saw the shape!

more “Wait, waaaaaaiiiitttttt” commands followed. The line started peeling off faster and faster! “Now!!” shouted the captain. I did not need a second invitation! I closed the bailer arm and the sound of the screaming drag broke the silence! The 20 pound braided line kept disappearing at an alarming rate and the drag on my Shimano Stradic 4000 was screaming! The fastest fish species in the ocean was heading away from us at a great speed. About a hundred and fifty meters behind us, the water opened and a beautiful sailfish started its aerialdisplay! A sight you’ll never forget.

Dark at first, then a brownish copper colour, up it came! I made the cast and send out a live bait tied to a 4/0 Circle hook. Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, the Sailfish all of a sudden “lit ” up. As the fish flipped up the most amazing blue and silver spots appeared on it. The baitfish panicked and I could feel the jerks on the line.

It is August in Kuala Rompin Malaysia, Sailfish Season, meanwhile back in the UAE there are guys complaining about the heat and the humidity and aimlessly walking around in shopping malls.

I watched the sailfish turn and suddenly the jerks stopped as the “sailie” took the bait! The bailer arm was still open and the line started peeling of the reel. “Wait, Wait” came another command. This was the crucial stage, “let it swallow the bait” and

HOT, HOT, EXTRA HOT with a side order of humidity on the menu! The fishing gear is gathering dust because it is just too hot or humid to fish. If you are a fly tier this is a good time to stock the fly box for next season.

It is that frustrating and annoying time of year for us fisher folk in the Middle East!

This is also a great time to do maintenance and repairs on tackle, so you’ll be ready for the new season. Go through the lure box and get rid of the old rusty hooks and stock up for the season ahead. But that gets boring so why not get out and explore? If you have plans to escape the heat, let me tell you more about a little spot of the Malaysian Coast called Kuala Rompin, great people, great food and oh yes, the sailfish!

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

From the first moment you drive into the tiny village of Kuala Rompin you know you are in Sailfish country. A large signboard welcoming you to Kuala Rompin greets visitors with a huge picture of a very happy angler holding a sailfish. If this does not get the heart rate up, I would recommend a visit to your doctor. Kuala Rompin is situated on the banks of the Rompin River on the South East coast of Malaysia about a 2 ½ hour drive from Singapore and around 5 ½ hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. This area of the South China Sea, becomes alive with Sailfish from August through to April, with October being the best month. The Rompin River serves as a great access to the ocean and makes for a smooth ride and easy launch. The thing I enjoy the most about Rompin is that it is off the beaten track, it is not next to a major city, and there are no five star hotels. Accommodation is cheap, simple and clean and the food is great. Oh yes and the Sailfish! Life in Rompin is a relaxed affair and a typical morning starts with a lengthy breakfast and coffee next to the marina, where discussions are about fish and fishing. You get introduced and welcomed to the family, not a hurried affair. If you are the type who keeps checking your watch, you better leave it at home. I was given the assurance “Relax

For all your

DIVING NEEDS!

the sailfish will wait for you” The local skippers are very good and the boats are perfect for up to 4 anglers. The preferred way to catch the “Sails” is with live bait on small circle hooks. Catch and release is best practiced to avoid the circle hooks make releasing too easily. But we did have some fish following light plastics; surface lures and flies as well. Later in the season (around October) the competition for food increases and chances improve for catching Sailfish on artificial lures. We visited Rompin last year toward the end of July beginning of August and landed 12 out of the 16 fish hooked in 4 days of fishing. The fishing was great fun, and we used light tackles, only 20 pound braids and 4000 and 5000 size Shimano reels on Shimano Aero Cast Rods. It was still early in the season so the fish were not huge but in great numbers. This was evident when we had a triple hook up with sailfish all over the place! Pandemonium! Take care however we did hook one fish estimated around the 40kg mark that we just could not get to the boat in time to prevent the sailfish bill cutting through the leader. The price you pay for fishing too light. Evenings are spent either back at the restaurant next to the marina or in one of the great little

local restaurants in town. The food is a mix of Malaysian and Chinese food and mostly fresh seafood. I was amazed to find leftover baitfish we did not use during the day on the menu at night. (Delicious) So after that first night I always made sure we had good supply of extra bait. Just in case! It’s tough being a baitfish, you are either eaten by sailfish or hungry angler. The weather in Malaysia is always great and temperatures are in the high twenties to low thirties with occasional rain showers. So instead of aimlessly walking around malls and complaining about the heat and humidity why not get out and explore a new fishing destination, Kuala Rompin Malaysia. You will not be disappointed! AJ!

P.O. Box: 32945 Abu Dhabi, U.A.E Tel. No: 02 6710017 Fax No: 02 6710177

info@gulfmarinesports.com

www.gulfmarinesports.com

HOME BY HARLEY When Dubai HOG chapter member, Barry Gray was given the chance of a ride of a lifetime through Iran, Turkey and Europe and home to UK he grabbed it. In the cold light of day, offering to accompany a friend who told me he was planning a solo motorcycle ride from Dubai to London at the end of his contract did cause me some concerns not least because of the intended route through Iran and especially as political tensions in the Middle East began to get decidedly messy. But how could anyone not want to ride a Harley through remote places and across international borders? I was lucky enough in 2008 to do a longish ride of about 2,000 miles in North America with a couple of friends from the Dubai HOG chapter. We rented Road Kings in Seattle and rode over the Cascade Mountains to Montana, through Wyoming and Yellowstone Park, looping back to Seattle via Idaho and Oregan. It was this trip that sowed the seed for another ‘ride of a lifetime’. Subject to getting the visas and extensive paperwork in place for Iran, which needed a police report for us, confirming we were upright citizens, and a Carnet de Passage for the bikes which required a substantial returnable deposit, we set our departure date for mid-April which we estimated would give us fair weather all the way. How wrong this turned out to be!

Leaving Tabriz, next stop Turkey

We carefully researched the first half of our intended route, especially the Iranian element in quite a lot of detail, and were fortunate to get good advice from a couple of riders who had made the trip previously. The guys at the Harley Davidson dealership in Dubai also gave my 2006 Heritage Softail a comprehensive service and check over and as backup, I made a list of HD dealers along our planned route in case of emergencies. I also changed the V&H Long Shot exhaust system and had the stock pipes re-fitted so that I wouldn’t upset any vigilant traffic policemen once we reached Europe. Concerned about security, I also fitted locks to the pannier bags and bought the biggest and heaviest HD security chain imaginable. On 12 April we left the United Arab Emirates by overnight ferry to Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas, arriving at about 10am. It took most of the day to get ourselves and the bikes through the various immigration, customs and police checks and were pleased we had prebooked a hotel in the town to give us a clear start the next morning.

A pristine bike, prior to setting off from Safa Park, Dubai

We planned an easy ride through Iran taking a couple of rest days to visit some of the fascinating World Heritage sites, Iran has twelve of them, and visiting what we had been told were

the most interesting and attractive cities. Shiraz and Esfahan proved to be exactly this and extremely cosmopolitan; very different from the perception generated by western news reports. A major highlight of both the trip and our time in Iran was a day trip to Persepolis a 3,000 year old site of three palaces which have a fascinating history and are wonderfully preserved. Roads throughout Iran were generally good and some of them really excellent biking roads with everything you can imagine: good surface, long downhill curves, short S bends, hills and even tunnels! And not much traffic. I found myself smiling happily to myself while chasing friend Neil around the bends and up over the hills. Superb. Motorcycles in Iran are restricted to a maximum of 250cc, and most are smaller. So, wherever we stopped for fuel or a break, we were surrounded by guys interested to see the bikes. I only had to ask a passing driver for directions to a hotel and they would lead us around town in exchange for having their photos taken with the Harley. By the time we left Iran we had covered over 2,500Kms (1,600 miles) over 10 days and met a lot of very welcoming and hospitable people. Things changed as we moved into Turkey. The weather turned bitterly cold with snow, sleet and rain and our planned route on the E80 was to take us through the mountains, often above the snow line. So, we diverted to the coast road alongside the Black Sea where it was warmer. The roads were also dreadful, often pot-holed by winter ice and sometimes totally without an asphalted

surface. The cost of fuel also tripled in price to the most expensive of the trip at the equivalent of US$3.00 per litre. But, on the upside, we could now get a ‘beverage’ at the end of our day’s ride! We took a rest day in Sinop beside the Black Sea, a small, trendy holiday town with a number of bars and restaurants and a small fishing port and found a nice hotel right on the harbour. As we moved north towards Istanbul and the crossing to Greece, the countryside started changing to being more synonymous with Europe although we were still in Asia - predominantly green fields with some yellow rape seed in blossom and pine trees covering the hills. Being on UK passports, our crossing into Greece and the EU was very straightforward with hardly a second look at the motorcycles and this proved to the case at all other borders thereafter. We were now on a dash to the UK as we both had commitments we needed to get back for. We crossed Greece, east to west via Thessaloniki in 10 hours heading for the ferry port of Igoumenitsa. We arrived at around 5pm and bought tickets for the overnight ferry to Arcona in Italy scheduled to depart at 11pm, so had about 5 hours to kill. As it had been raining much of the way we were drenched and aiming to dry out found a nice bar on the seafront where we could park the bikes under cover and get out of our wet weather gear. We met Vangelis a local biker, Costa his cousin along with a bar maid, Angela and spent several pleasant hours drinking beer, telling stories and whiling away the time before the ferry: A very pleasant evening. The overnight ferry to Italy was straightforward and it was nice not to have to get up at the crack of dawn and start riding! We docked at Ancona at around 2pm having gained an hour when we put our clocks back to central European time. With an overnight stop in Parma, we rode through Italy in two days via Piacenza and Turin taking in the beautiful Italian Alps with Mont Blanc as a backdrop. We missed the turning for the St Bernard pass and found ourselves instead at the 7-mile long Mont Blanc tunnel into France. At last the weather had started to warm up and it was truly the first day we both felt warm since leaving southern Iran, although there was still a little rain to contend with. We rode for a couple of hours into France before finding accommodation in the town of Annecy, from where we estimated we could make it to Calais for the ferry in about two days. This proved to be the case and riding via Dijon and Rheims in sunshine and largely on pleasant secondary roads to avoid toll fees, we made it to the channel ferry and the end of a 19 day and 5,000 mile, trouble-free ride of a lifetime. Until the next one that is. A full, day-by-day report of the ride can be seen at bike2britain.blogspot.com

Sharjah (UAE) to Bandar Abbas, Iran

Bandar Abbas to Darab (370Km)

Darab to Shiraz (270Km)

Shiraz to Esfarhan (508Km)

Esfarhan to Hamadan (509Km)

Hamadan to Tabriz (625Km)

Tabriz to Dugbeizit, Turkey (330Km) Dugbeizit to Erzurum (280K) Erzurum to Gireson (444Km)

Gireson to Sinop (393Km)

Sinop to Bartin (494Km)

Bartin to Ipsala (698Km)

Ipsala to Igounemitsa, Greece (715km)

Ferry: Igounemitsa to Ancona, Italy

Ancona to Parma (250Km) Parma to Annecy, France (586Km) Annecy to Soissons (641Km)

Soissons to Calais and home (350Km)

FOX GLACIER ICE CLIMBING An icy experience on New Zealands famous glacier

by Matthias Nock

The deep blue ice cracks be-

neath our crampons as we set our feet on the mighty Fox Glacier. Equipped with ice axe, rope, helmet and climbing harness we make our way on the hard and icy surface. Around us a slowly moving stream of ice framed by lush rainforest – an almost absurd seeming scenery, typical for New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud. Our goal for today was to experience ice climbing for the first time.

Fox Glacier, with its terminal face only 300 meters above sea level and within easy walking distance from the village, is one of the most accessible glaciers in the world. This geographic location makes it a well established destination for tourists offering lots of different activities. The glacier is fed by different alpine glaciers and reaches 13 km down the valley towards the remote and wild coastline. According to sampling over the last 30 years, the glacier is advancing down the valley a few inches every day. A little later we are climbing over small A little later we were climbing over small cracks and crests slowly moving further up the glaciers surface. Luckily we were guided by my brother Volker, used to spending most of his time in the Kiwi outdoors and therefore making it unnecessary for us to book on a guided tour.

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

After a good hour on the glacier we spotted a nice wall of ice ending in an easy accessible plateau – the perfect place for us to try ice climbing. A few minutes later Volker had set up a top rope and we get ready for our first climb. After triple checking the attachment of rope to climbing harness I dug ice axes and crampons into the icy wall. In the so-called ‘front pointing technique’ legs are kicked to engage the front points of the crampons in the ice and the ice axes or ice tools are swung into the ice above the head. This movement is performed first with both arms, one after another followed by both legs one after another. The stability and the grip provided by ice tools and crampons is enormous and taking a rest in the middle of the wall while standing on toes only feels strange for a short while. After another 20 meters of digging axes and crampons into the blue ice I reached the plateau with a smile all over my face. One thing is clear – my brother’s job as belayer will take a little longer today...

Name: Fox G lacier, Westlan d Tai Poutini New Zealand National Park, Duration: 1 day Difficulty: M edium Best time to travel: all ye ar around Start: Fox Gla cier 43°27’5 2’’S 170°1’4 Accomodati ’’E on: Fox Glaci er village offe variety of acco rs a great modation from backpackers decent hotels . to Prices: depen ding on activi ty • Ice climbin g: 8-9 hours 778.00 - 822 • Glacier wal .00 AED pp k: 4-7 hours 314.00 -505 • Heli hike: 4 .0 0 AED pp hours NZ$ 12 67.00 AED pp Information and booking : Alpine Guides Fox Glacier Lt d t/a Fox Gla Address: Sta cier Guiding te Highway 6 , Fox Glacier, Phone: +64 3 N ew 751 0825 Zealand Fax: +64 3 7 51 0857 Email: info@ foxguides.co. nz www.foxguid es.co.nz Fox Glacier In formation Cen tre Address: 39 Sullivan Road , Fox Glacier, Zealand Westland, New Phone: +64 3 751 0044 Fox Glacier V illage is locate d at the West the south isla Coast of nd of New Zea land 400 km Christchurch b . Christchurc y car from h is approach airlines like E ed by major mirates.

K E R T OZ to

Part 2

Australia, the land of Vegemite, boomerangs and the final destination on our

overland trip. We had planned to drive through Pakistan, India, China and into Southeast Asia, and then on to Oz. However, due to visa issues and a fire under our car we diverted to the UAE and from there shipped our Land Rover to Malaysia. After three months in Asia driving around Thailand, Laos and Malaysia it was time to pack the car into another container, wave it goodbye and send it off to Fremantle, which is on the west coast of Australia near the city of Perth. We arrived in Perth ahead of the car and as soon as we landed and checked into our hostel it became apparent that Australia was going to cost us a lot of money. Due to the weakness of the British pound and the strength of the Aussie dollar we were going to be lucky to stay within the $100 a day budget we had set ourselves- even our ‘cheap’ hostel was around $90 a night, something a poor English Land Rover owner can ill afford to pay for the three weeks that we were waiting for the car. So we checked out after a day or two and waited for the car to arrive in the comfort of a room we rented off a Singaporean student who was looking to make a little extra cash by letting a bedroom in her flat. The car arrived about two weeks later and after a long and agonizing wait to see if it would be let in the by the country’s rather strict quarantine inspection chaps, we went along to the dock to pick her up. Unfortunately she looked in a sad and sorry state, as

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

in order to get the car into the container in Bangkok the shipper had to let the front tires down to reduce the car’s height and scrape it under the roof of the container. The front tires were totally flat and had to be pumped up before we could go anywhere but luckily the battery wasn’t flat and we managed to pump them up with our onboard air compressor and get the car started without too much fuss. And that was it, within a matter of minutes we were driving our car on the other side of the world, heading out of Perth for a trip around the entire coast line, ending up back at Perth in six months time. Well that was the plan, but that plan had changed within a week. The reason? because Australia is big, very big, much bigger than either of us had thought, in fact it’s massive. The distances between petrol stations, let alone villages or towns can be hundreds of kilometers and we were simply not prepared for the long drives, largely because anything more than four hours in a Land Rover leads to semi-permanent deafness and heat exhaustion. We

by Simon and Megan

put in our first destination and our GPS informed us that it would take seven hours to get there! Umm maybe we would have to have a little re-think… To drive all the way round Australia would mean driving pretty much every day, which would also mean we would miss experiencing Australia and would only see it from the window of a car, something we did not want. Not to mention the cost of the fuel, which alarmingly was around the $1.50 mark a litre, so a new plan was quickly drawn up, and like all good plans it was drawn up on the back of napkin at a motorway service station just south of Perth. We would drive south from Perth, along the south coast to the east coast, then up the east coast to the most northern point on the continent, Cape York. From there we would head back south to Brisbane and ship the car home, back to the UK in August so I could start work again. So with the new plan agreed upon we set off on a 12,000 mile road trip along beaches, up mountains, through rainforests, over

more sedate pace. Fraser Island, just north of Brisbane is the largest sand island in the world and a 4x4 mecca. You have to catch a ferry across to the island, where there are no surfaced roads and you’re able drive on the beach and on the forest tracks as much as your heart desires. We spent a good couple of days doing some proper off roading, and after the lessons we learnt in the deserts just outside Dubai we managed to avoid getting stuck, a rather major achievement and one that I’m quite proud of. We camped on the beach and were awoken each morning by the sound of the waves and breakfast was taken at the water’s edge. Not a bad way to start the day.

deserts and dodged traffic in big cities. Australia sure does have a lot to offer the overlander; so many different landscapes to explore. It has taken around four months to drive form Perth to Cape York and of course I can’t do all we have seen and visited justice in this article but the following is a whistle stop recap of our travels around this mighty continent. Perth has the reputation of the most isolated city in the world and after driving only 50kms from the centre we could well believe that. It just ends, there’s nothing, just a few road houses, the occasional farm and a random kangaroo or two. However, we enjoyed this feeling of isolation and after the madness of SE Asia it was a bit of a relief. The beaches in this part of the world are simply stunning, all along the entire south coast they were empty, mile upon mile of awesome sand, totally deserted. Not very many people live down here as the vast majority of the population live on the east coast, so all this lovely coast is totally undeveloped and a haven for those seeking a get away from it all. We loved it. The road from west to east crosses a vast area of nothingness known as the Nullabor plain. There is very little water here so not a lot grows and there is even less wildlife and vegetation than south of Perth, but due to some crazy weather at the beginning of the year the Nullabor has seen a lot of rain and this has resulted in the vast plains turning green, not at all like the dry, arid desert we were expecting. It takes a good four days to cross the Nullabor, stopping only to sleep in the campsites at petrol stations and to top up fuel. It is also home to Australia’s longest stretch of straight road, and at 146.6 kms it seems to go on forever. I have never been so desperate to see a corner in my life! Out of the Nullabor and we took a couple of weeks to make it to Adelaide and back to proper civilization, stopping off to look at one of the many highlights of this trip, the Flinders Ranges. It was here that we learnt just how friendly the Aussies are. We were contacted by a lovely couple through our blog, who invited us to come and stay for a couple of

days on their vineyard. After camping for three weeks it was a welcome change and great to sleep on a proper bed again. In fact, all the way around Australia we have had generous offers to stay with people, people we have never met before. It’s strange to us coming from London, where no one seems to smile or say hello, but people throughout the rest of the world are frequently incredibly friendly. After a couple days in Adelaide spent resting and trying to trap a mouse that had been hitching a lift and eating our food we pushed on towards Melbourne, Melbourne and the cold. We realized that we would be driving around Australia in winter but we didn’t realize just how cold it would be; it got down to three degrees one night! It didn’t stop us from enjoying the scenery in the southeast of Oz, which again is amazing. The Great Ocean Road runs along the coast towards Melbourne and is a great tourist draw due to the picturesque rock formations just off the coast. We spent a couple of wintry wet nights in Melbourne and then headed ever onward towards the capital, Canberra. This is a purpose built city in the middle of nowhere purely for the purpose of government. It’s well laid out and although many of the buildings are offices or government related it had some awesome museums and very interesting guided tours around the new and old parliament houses.

From Fraser Island we hugged the coast and finally entered the tropics. The need for jeans and long sleeve tops was finally banished and the shorts and t-shirts dusted off and put on. This was reef country and we stopped off at some of the sea side towns along the coast to sunbathe and do some snorkelling on the Great Barrie Reef. It took about a month of pottering before we finally entered the Cape York peninsular, and you know that you have as the tarmac finishes! Nothing but mile upon mile of dusty, corrugated road awaits you. I can’t stress how bad some of the sections of this road are, from water crossings that are around a meter deep on a good day to corrugations that make the car shake and rattle for miles on end. After a very long but enjoyable week we reached the tip of Cape York and the road finished. It had taken its toll on the car (there is currently a lot of gaffer tape and cable ties holding bits of the car together and the list of bits that broke or shook loose is very nearly in double figures) but as we walked to the furthest point you could before getting wet or requiring a visa for Papua New Guinea we wished we had more time and more money to keep our travels going. Any step back towards the car would be a step closer to going home and the world of work, Saturdays in Ikea, and bumper to bumper traffic on the ring road around London. It’s going to a bit of a shock to the system after a whole year of traveling… but first we have to get back to Brisbane to get the car ready to ship home, and I’m sure we can find time to have a few adventures in the three weeks it’s going to take us to get there! You can find out more at www.trektooz.com

Sydney came and went very quickly, luckily we had friends there which was great, as it meant another free place to stay for a couple of nights and some great home cooked meals. Sydney to Brisbane was a bit of blur due to the cold weather, so it was a case of drive, camp, drive until the weather got warmer! In Brisbane it finally did and after once again staying with some friends we headed northward at a THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

PEOPLE

Name: Simone Caprodossi

Activity: Diver and Underwater Photographer

Nationality: Italian How long have you been in the U.A.E. and why did you come here? 4 Years. I am a manager in a large multinational company, I came on an 2 year expat assignment from Europe … and am still here…

What’s your passion? I love photography and travelling. Since I live in Dubai this has turned into underwater photography and diving all over from Middle East to the Far East.

What’s your favourite spot/route? The Damanyiat Islands in Oman, north of Muscat, are my favourite diving spot driving distance from Dubai, beautiful and still unspoilt coral reefs teeming with fish life and with still few divers. Don’t miss the Aquarium dive site.

What do you recommend our readers? Go out on a Musandam dhow

weekend liveaboard. This is my second favourite for diving, only couple of hours drive away to Dibba and in one hour out at sea phone and internet stops working. Just gorgeous nature and 7 dives in 2 days to go. It is an amazing trip also for non divers as the landscapes are breathtaking… and if you tell them in advance you can get your PADI certification on board with a bit of pre-studying! scaprodossiphoto.com

Our Com Diving pet itio Photo winn n cove r er!

Name: Kathleen Russell, from Al Mahara Diving Center

Activity: Scuba Diving, Kayaking, underwater videoing

Nationality: Canadian

some of the mangrove areas in Abu Dhabi and sharing with them the natural beauty and why we need to protect our marine environment. As we kayaked I learned a few more species of birds in Abu Dhabi aside from flamingos, cormorants, herons, egrets and terns.

What’s your favourite spot/route?

Lately, we’ve been trying to get people to sign the Project Aware Protect the Shark petition to ban shark hunting in the UAE. And we will be welcoming the Project Aware ambassador “Finley” to the UAE. Finley and his buddy Fin are on a mission to spread the word that sharks need our protection before it’s too late. The ambassadors are traveling the globe to spread their messages and we are looking forward to welcoming Finley to the UAE as he makes his way from Koh Tao, Thailand.

What have you been up to in the last couple of months? Being part

I ‘m also starting a fun underwater adventure called dive caching like geocaching but we make it for divers and snorkelers.

What’s your passion? Teaching people to scuba dive, and sharing the beautiful underwater environment with others.

Underwater diving in the coral areas like Al Dhabiyah in Abu Dhabi. We’re exploring further west and there’s some amazing diving sites to share. Kayaking in the Eastern mangroves and around Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

of the Emirates Diving Association Abu Dhabi Committee Coordinator, we conducted Reef Check Training for divers who wanted to participate in the international Reef Check program to monitor and report the health of the coral and marine life in this area. We will continue to conduct reef check on a monthly basis with trained Reef Check divers. I went to Puntacana in Dominican Republic last month for two weeks to attend the PADI Course Director Training. This was an incredible experience to be trained by the top trainers of PADI Worldwide and to meet other candidates from all around the world. It was definitely a moment we say “a significant emotional experience.” As a PADI Course Director I would love to train more scuba instructors in this region including Arabic female instructors. Also taking groups of paddlers through

What do you recommend our readers? Go and explore (where

permitted) and get to know your natural environment in the UAE. There’s desert, mangroves, sea and mountain environments to experience. Try a new sport to get yourself into this amazing environment and learn about the flora and fauna so you will appreciate them more and share it with a friend or two. But always remember safety is first so stay hydrated and get proper training before seeking out new adventures.

'The Right to Climb’ A charitable journey to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro

By Sarah Moussa

It is difficult to write about a journey which sparked a new beginning in my life. It all began one ordinary day when I was checking Facebook and found a cause on my wall titled - ‘The Right to Climb’. I clicked on the link out of curiosity and read about a climbing trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The expedition was being run to raise awareness and funds for the Right To Live Association (RTLA) – a mental disability charity in Egypt. Each climber was expected to raise over US $3,000 for RTLA as part of their commitment to the journey. I was fascinated by the concept, but I didn’t think I had the courage to join a climbing trip let alone climb the highest mountain in Africa. I wasn’t fit enough for the climb either, having only joined the gym two weeks before. A million questions were going through my mind. How can I train for a trip like that? How will my body react to the altitude? Will I be able to raise enough money for RTLA? These questions continued to haunt me, but strangely day by day I found myself getting closer and closer to signing up. A week or two later, I found myself having lunch with a friend who coincidentally turned out to be handling the PR of the cause! I poured out all my thoughts and fears about the climb to her. After hours of sharing information about the trip and how to prepare for such a journey, I finally made up my mind – taking this life-changing experience was my next target in life! My friend sent me all the details for the trip the next day. And two days later, I went to pay the deposit and rent the gear. That night I went home and told my parents that

I was going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for the mentally disabled in Egypt. I still remember their reaction and the look on their faces, but I had decided to take the risk and accept the challenges that were to come - good or bad. I immediately started training intensively with a personal trainer at my gym. Fortunately, the travel company did not only organize the trip but they also shared with us guidelines, based on a three-month program, for how to prepare physically and mentally for this trip. In addition, every climber had to go through a fitness test and attend a session on nutrition. I subsequently changed my diet and also starting talking to friends, family and colleagues about the cause and RTLA in order to collect donations. My friends all told me I was crazy to assume that three months of training was enough to climb a mountain, but I didn’t let anyone’s comments or reactions impact my decision. The worst part of my preparations was all the vaccinations I had to take as well as having to train during the month of Ramadan. I kept reminding myself though that I was doing it for a good cause. On the day I reached my target donation and delivered it to the travel company I was very proud. I had been able to accomplish the first challenge, which greatly encouraged me for the next challenge - climbing the mountain. The day of

our departure finally arrived on September 10, 2010. All 26 climbers met at Cairo airport to travel to Tanzania on a life-changing journey. On our first day in Tanzania we did some sightseeing and attended a briefing session on what to expect in regards to the daily route, altitude sickness, weather, as well as what to do in case of emergencies and so on. The next morning, we were all dressed and ready to go. We headed to the Machame Gate registration point where we met all of our porters and guides and prepared to start our journey! Starting out there was an atmosphere of excitement, curiosity and also fear, which remained throughout the next seven days. I wasn’t used to carrying a backpack and walking with hiking poles, but the guides were great and advised us to walk “pole pole”, which means slowly slowly. We took breathing breaks as well as breaks to drink water, go to the toilet or just rest for a few minutes. Every day we woke up at 6am in the morning and had either coffee or tea in our tents before getting dressed and packing. After breakfast we would collect our water and start the route of the day. Lunch was served either at the camp or at a break destination. Dinner was always served at the camp. Eating properly was mandatory and the guides repeatedly told us “no food, no summit.” Every evening after dinner a guide briefed us on the next day’s route, the climate, the altitude and what to expect. Daily we climbed a minimum of approximately five hours. As we ascended the mountain, the temperature dropped gradually. Sometimes it was so cold that even when I wore many layers of clothing I still couldn’t sleep. However, the team spirit was great. All 26 climbers were supportive and

motivated each other, which I believe was crucial for us all to be able to reach the summit. Sharing laughter, fears, tears, jokes and occasionally medication, we grew closer to one another day by day. There were definitely times when I felt weak and drained of energy, but I would always remind myself of why I was here and who I was reaching the summit for. Catching a glimpse of the camp at the end of each day was always such a fantastic rush of energy for me. I would feel a great sense of accomplishment and it always made me wonder how it would feel when I finally reached the summit. The entire climb was an amazing experience, but the summit day was a whole other experience. The night before summit day, Omar Samra, the founder of the travel company Wild Guanabana held a special briefing session. He praised the great effort we had made so far and urged us to always remember the cause we were climbing for. I started the summit climb at 10.45 at night. It was freezing cold and I hadn’t eaten properly for the past three days. I was wearing so many clothes that I was worried I would not be able to control my balance. And the only light I had was the torch on my head. Walking in the night for almost eight hours was the most difficult part of the whole journey, but reaching the top of the mountain was by far the most rewarding. On the summit climb, whenever I stopped for a break I would start to feel my toes and fingertips freezing. Many times I was scared I would not be able to keep going. The closer I got to the summit, the less oxygen I received. My water was half frozen, but I still had to drink. Almost 2 hours before the final stage of the climb, I collapsed. I refused to move. I couldn’t feel my legs, I couldn’t breathe and I almost started crying. I was convinced I couldn’t push myself any further. I knew that if I stopped I would regret it my whole

life, but I felt that my body wasn’t functioning anymore. At that very moment, as I was sitting in despair, I saw a man climbing on past me. I noticed he only had one leg. I sat there and watched him defy his disability and keep pressing on. Before I realized it I was picking myself up and starting to climb again. To this day I still don’t know where I got the energy from, but I was inspired! The instant I reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and saw the sign saying ‘Uhuru Peak’ I started crying. It was a feeling I can’t possibly describe but one I wish everyone could experience for themselves. ‘The Right To Climb’ journey was a lifechanging experience in so many ways. I was pushed to my limits physically, mentally and emotionally. I enjoyed embracing nature every day of the journey and marveling at the beauty of God’s creation. The expedition was a chance for everyone to rethink their life; to appreciate certain aspects and feelings that they may have been taking for granted and to revaluate their values and priorities. I became friends with a group of strangers sharing the same cause and every single one of us reached our goal. Experiencing such support and encouragement through the biggest challenge of my life was truly unforgettable. The whole journey was really the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life!

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For more information about this and other journeys please visit: www.wildguanabana.com This year’s journey will take place over Eid Al Fitr (31st August to 7th September) and will be personally guided by Omar Samra. For more information on The Right To Live Association please visit: www.righttolivecairo.org