OutdoorUAE - September 2011

Discover more and visit us online: www.outdooruae.com Issue 9/2011 September

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8BLOWPIPE HUNTERIn Search of the...Michael shares his Peruvian experience

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

Distributor [email protected]

Available at: Adventure HQ in Times Square Center, Go Sport store in IBN Batutta Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and Mirdiff Mall,

Al Yousef Motors at Sheikh Zayed Road.

Bags and luggage

Hip packs

Packables

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Accessories

Cookware

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3

In Print:Managing EditorDaniel Birkhofer

EditorsKim PerksLaura SnookMarilena Cilta

Graphic & DesignJames Russell

Sales & Marketing(advertisement enquiries)Tara AtkinsonTel: 04-4472701Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Published by:Outdoor UAE FZEP.O. Box 215062Dubai, U.A.E.Tel. [email protected]

Distributor:Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media CompanyP.O. Box 40401, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

Printed at:Galadari Printing & Publishing LLCP.O. Box 11243Dubai, U.A.E.

© 2011 Outdoor UAE FZEIssue 9/2011- September

The information contained is for gener-al use only. While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, how-ever 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 af-filiates 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.

© 2011 Outdoor UAE FZEReg. at Creative City Fujairah

P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and Editor in [email protected]

Marilena Cilta Management and [email protected]

James Russell Graphics and [email protected]

Our Regular Experts and Contributors

Kim Perks Copywriter and Editor

Tori Leckie Writer, runner, blogger, adventurer and adidas athlete

Kit Belen Our Fishing Pro

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

Mike Nott The 4x4 expert

John Basson Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

Pete Aldwinckle Climber and all-round adventure seeker

Tara Atkinson Sales and Marketing [email protected]

Laura Snook Business Development and [email protected]

Distributor [email protected]

Available at: Adventure HQ in Times Square Center, Go Sport store in IBN Batutta Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and Mirdiff Mall,

Al Yousef Motors at Sheikh Zayed Road.

Bags and luggage

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Packables

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Accessories

Cookware

Washgear

Security

is a very individual thing so it is hard to say anything too gen-eral about it. Of course, here at Outdoor UAE, the understand-

ing and expectations for travelling is different to that of the all-inclusive hotel tourist. Living in the UAE with many 5 Star hotels on our door step has reduced my interest in that kind of holiday to a minimum. For those tourists looking to relax on a sun-bed with all your needs taken care of, avoiding any excite-ment – a 5 Star luxury break is just the thing. However, travelling is a different experience altogether: new impressions for all your senses, educational journeys in other countries and other cultures, adventures of a lifetime which you can share with your loved ones, friends or fellow travellers - what more could you ask for? Isn’t it always the unknown that makes things so exciting? With this in mind, there is little adventure for me within the confines of a hotel. I need to break out, experience new things, and absorb them like a sponge. When I travel, I want to know what is beyond the trees, behind the mountain and on the other side of the river. I want to taste the culture, meet the people, I want the real life with all its facets - good or bad; I want to feel life and feel alive. I don’t need much when I travel; something to eat and a place to sleep (preferably good food and a clean bed and toilet). There is nothing more I enjoy than grabbing my backpack and heading off for a weekend or longer. Having the freedom to stay where I want for as long as I want, to change locations as often as I like, and only hav-ing to make decisions for the moment, is a great feeling. Unfortunately there are always a limited num-ber of vacation days each year. After several days of living out of a backpack, sleeping in guest houses, buses, trains or planes – ask me again about the amenities of a 5 Star hotel! It would not be the first time that I have booked myself into a good hotel for the last days of the holidays, where I can relax and recall the past journey before going back to real life and work. It is great to know how happy you can be with only the stuff in your backpack, recognizing that there are so many unimportant things which we collect and hang on to; so many small things we miss because we are too busy. It is easy to forget that life is about people and the moments we share and about living and loving the moment. I would love to keep this romantic feeling but the truth is in the end I’m also someone working for security, to provide a home and food for my family, worrying about all the other everyday matters. This is why it is so important to take these breaks and to live your dreams and recharge your batteries.

No matter how you travel, enjoy every moment of it. Respect the people you meet and the places you visit and you will get the rewards you deserve.

If you would like to share your travel or other outdoor experiences with us, please let us know and send us an email to: [email protected]. We would be delighted to publish your story and share it with the community.

Travelling

Daniel.

Contents

Poland - Andrew Sulimierski

Events Calendar – 6Competition and Raffle Winners – 8In Search of the Blowpipe Hunter – 10Technical Diving – 14Destination Oman – 16 Event Reviews (Speed Climb) – 19Everything Except the Horn – 20Dubai Garden Center – 22Mad Canopies – 23Slow Lane to Nowhere – 24News – 26Adventure Listings – 28Fishing Kit - 31Products – 328 Tips for Planning a Backpacking trip – 36Adventure Chicks – 40

People – 42ME4x4 – 44Tips n Tricks: Travel First Aid – 46Laura’s Location – 48Tips n Tricks: Outdoor Photography - 50Tips n Tricks: The Ultimate Backpack Packing List – 51Tips n Tricks: Moto DIY – 52

Tips n Tricks: Dive Mask Cleaning – 54Final Thought… Ecotourism – 55Directory - 56

4THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA

5

BestShots

Kenya - Sea Cat

Dar AL Hajar, Sana’a, Yemen - Dan Perry

Bali - Andrew SulimierskiKrk Island, Croatia - Sharky

6

Train Yas (cyclists and runners) [train]

What's there to see and do?

Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit - 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th of September from 7:00PM to 9:00PM, circuit length 3.13km (North Circuit)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. Clubs, friends and fami-lies; the fast, and even the not so fast, are all welcome to take part.www.yasmarinacircuit.com

*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: [email protected]

Cycle Safe[train]

Dubai, Dubai Autodrome - On every Wednesday from 6PM – 9PM The Dubai Autodrome opens for Cycling, Jogging and Roller Blading on Club Circuit under Flood Lights. In a safe controlled environment, the Dubai Autodrome offers all the family the opportunity to stay fit and healthy without the risks of training on public roads. Cyclists, roller bladders and skaters must wear a helmet.www.dubaiautodrome.com

Aloft Runs For Children ADNEC 2011[run]

Abu Dhabi, ADNEC - On 9th of September from 7:00AM TO 6:30PM at ADNEC, Khaleej Al Arabi Street This event is the first of its kind in the Middle East where runners and families can enjoy a sportive & fun day inside this fantastic cool venue. Besides being the first competition run of the season for the Abu Dhabi running community, it is a family & team fun event.www.aloftabudhabi.com/en/roadtoawareness

Adventure HQ Speed Climbing Competition 2011[climb]

Dubai, Times Square Centre – 10th of September from 2:00PM to 4:00PM Pack your adventurous spirit, tighten your harness and put your competitive drive to the test! It’s time to rise to new heights with the Adventure HQ Speed Climbing competition! Adventures HQ calls out to all thrill seekers and competitive junkies to break the record and strive to be the first to reach the summit!

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to smash the record of 9 seconds and feed your adventurous spirit? Succumb to the challenge and take part in the Adventure HQ Speed Climbing Competition for the chance to win a share of 1,000 AED worth of credit to spend in-store.

Competitors will be divided into four categories: Men, Women, Under 16, and Under 12. All harnesses, helmets and professional supervision included. Just turn up and be sure to bring closed-toe shoes and a fighting spirit.

Adventurers get your harnesses on! Check out a review of the last Speed Climb on Page 16!

For more information, contact Adventure HQ on 800 ADVENTURE or +9714 346 6824, visit the website www.adventurehq.ae

7

International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition[equestrian]

Abu Dhabi, ADNEC - 14th to 17th of September Abu Dhabi is holding the ninth session of the ADIHEX at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibi-tion Centre. The event also enjoys the support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.Visit OutdoorUAE team at stand H8-182!www.adihex.net

Wadi Adventure Multi Sport Series Race 1 Aquathlon[Aquathlon]

Al Ain, Wadi Adventure Jebel Hafeet - 23rd of September starting from 8:00AM Competition consists of 400m swim, 2.5km run 400m Swim, 2.5km Run. The swim will be held in the crystal clear lakes at the new Wadi Adventure facility in Al Ain. The runs will take place at the base of Jebel Hafeet. The race is open to individuals and teams of all standards.

Spinneys Build Up Race 2 of 4[Cycle]

Dubai, 23rd of September 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, Septem-ber 23rd, October 28th and November 25th. www.cyclechallenge.ae

Aerofit Triathlon Series Race 1[triathlon]

Dubai, Golden Tulip Bungalows - 30th of September from 6:15AM www.emiratestriathlete.com

DMX Round 1[Moto-X]

Dubai, Jebel Ali Track - 30th of September The registrations for the new season events will be opened on 2nd and 9th of September followed by the club day on 16th of September.

Join the Debris Month of ActionThroughout the month of September, Project AWARE divers around the world will mobilize to collect trash and log what they find here on the Project AWARE website. This data will go on to inform researchers of the debris issues facing the ocean. With a more accurate picture of what’s happening in our ocean, we can begin to make better decisions around waste management and the policies that affect ocean life. Dive Against Debris is designed to con-nect the actions of divers all the way up to decision makers. So the question is: are you in?

For further information visit: www.projectaware.org

[Dive]

WINvisit us at ADIHEX and win prizes!

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Competitionsand Prizes galore!

Over the last couple of months we have dived into the Underwater photogra-phy scene to dig up the most sought after photographers in the region!

Below we have four of our lucky winners!

1st Place went to: Simone Caprodossi who won a selection of Underwater Specialty Courses from Pavilion Dive Centre for his amazing Whale Shark shot!

Here he is receiving his voucher from Tara and one of the dive instructors Laurent before jetting off to Europe!

2nd Place went to: Dion Rebello for his Honeycomb moray eel shot who won a trip for 2 to the Musandam, he will be doing this over EID so we will be catching up with him to check out his photographs!

3rd Place went to: Gordon Smith, master of nudibraches and capturing the unexpected for his ‘Wreck Dive’. (A great compositional piece) He won a dive in the Dubai Mall Shark Tank. We will be there on the day. So watch this space!

And finally:

4th Place went to: Alexander Nikolaev for his ‘Diver and Lion Fish’ who received 500 AED worth of vouchers from Go Sport The Dubai Mall.

Congratulations to all those who entered, to find out more of the Gallery Images log onto www.outdooruae.com to see the talent!

1st Place - Simone Caprodossi

2nd Place - Dion Rebello 3rd Place - Gordon Smith 4th Place - Alexander Nikolaev

Meet our winners!

If you are a member of Outdoor UAE on facebook you will no doubt be receiving all the annoying notifications of all our posts! If you look closer you may be in the running to win something!

Over the month of August we have been running several small digital media competitions and campaigns to see if we could get you to like our pages, and like our posts!

So far we have over 500 members, and if you are reading this we want you to LIKE US so you can also get a chance to win amazing prizes!!! The prize give away this month featured several LightMyFire meal kits, solar panel hats, a specially hand made outdoor Rogue hat and last but not least an amazing trip for 2 to the Musandam for a 2 nights stay in the Hilton sponsored by Arabian Diver and Hilton Hotels.

We’re pleased to announce that the winners are:

Raffle Prize Winners:Trip for 2 to the Hilton Hotel + Diving with Arabian Diver Cameron Cairns Solar Cap Winners: Anne Jackson

Meal Kit winners: Johnathan Hallmark Julia Buhl Jennifer Mauerhofer

Rogue Hat Winner: Robert Greiner

Help us reach 1,000 members by next month! Like us on facebook Outdoor UAE: Publishers Page! And get a chance to win more prizes!


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Developed in conjunction with leading

research and sporting institutes durable

PWX® fabric has been engineered

to offer optimal compression

power, weight and flexibility.

DISTRIBUTED BY

SPORT IN LIFE DISTRIBUTIONAL HABTOOR SHOWROOMSNADD AL HAMAR ROAD,DUBAI, U.A.E.

TEL : +971 4 289 6001 E-MAIL : [email protected] : WWW.SPORTINLIFE.AE

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In Searchof the

Blow-pipeHunter

A dug-out boat trip down the Peruvian Amazon.

This summer, long time Dubai resident Michael Guy embarked on the trip of a lifetime to the upper reaches of the Amazon tributaries, in the jungle near Iquitos in Peru. Iquitos is apparently not only the fastest growing city in Peru, but also the largest city in the world which is not accessible by road.

The city is a heady mixture of native Peruvians in the western mold, indig-enous Indians from various tribes, out of the jungle, and tourists from all over the world, many of whom are on the Aya-huasca tourist trail, intent on plumbing the mysteries of the medicinal vine used in ceremony by the Amazonian shamans. There are also a surprising number of researchers from universities, pharma-ceutical companies, and other institutions aiming to learn as much as possible from the plant and animal life of the Amazon, before it is decimated by the encroaching threat of loggers, oil companies and the rest of the heedless march of capitalism and technology.

As a small boy on the Isle of Wight, a small island off the South coast of Eng-land where I was born, I spent much of my childhood - when not in school - on my own, in a world of my imagination. I was either climbing trees and observ-ing life

below, like a bird, or a hunter with either a home-made wooden and elastic catapault, or with a blowpipe made from the long 2 metre aluminium tubes from the old fashioned television aerials of the 50's. I would venture out into the woods near our cottage for my adventures. I became pretty handy with the blowpipe, eventually making sophisticated darts made from wood, needles for points and wound cotton to reduce airflow past the dart when blown out of the tube. These were amazingly accurate, but I dreamed always of having a REAL one, made by a native jungle hunter who used it for necessity and with a skill far beyond that of an enthusiastic boy.

Here I was in the jungle, over 50 years later. This was my chance!

I had told Andres, of Amazon Wilderness Expeditions, one of the many tour guides in Iquitos about my dream, and he said

that he would try and arrange a visit to a remote jungle village, the home of the Yagua Indians. “The Yagua still hunt with the blow-pipe.” Andres told me.

My idea was to eventually get a genuine top class blowpipe of the same quality that they would use themselves. To this end, and knowing that it would take weeks to make, I proposed to pay in advance the asking price for the blowpipe, complete with darts and accompanying dart holding quiver, poison capsule, and small container for the kapok which is used for the flights. I would let the maker and hunter have the use of it until I could return - possibly next year - to claim it.

For my part, in the end I would get an authentic quality piece which had actually been used for hunting.

A good deal on both sides, and the fulfill-ment of a boyhood dream held sacred for over 50 years!

I had previously asked Andres before leaving Iquitos what I could bring to the village as a small offering in return for their hospitality. He suggested some of the following, which would be useful:

• Knives, large and small• Salt• Sugar• Soap• Matches• Exercise books and pens for the

children

I had been down to the bustling Belen market in Iquitos the day before we were due to leave, and for a paltry few Peruvian soles, bought all these items, to which I added a machete, and a pair of pliers (bound to appeal to a man who works with his hands!), and a big bundle of Mapacho cigarettes.

Mapacho is the original wild tobacco, rich and aromatic, the smoke of which all the tribes use for ceremonial purification, as well as smoking for pleasure.

Once we had assembled the equipment and bags, we set off in one of the three-wheeled motorcarro taxis.

We duly made our way to one of the

Making the deal with Francisco the master hunter

The lakeside Village of the Yagua people

A Sloth


major ports of Iquitos 'Port des Produc-tiones'.

It was big and bustling with crowds of jos-tling people carrying all kinds of produce up and down a very steep and slippery wooden ramp down to the waiting boats on the river. This time, instead of the usu-al dug-out canoe type of vessels which are in the vast majority up and down the river, Andres led us to an aluminium boat with a covered roof, and a prominent sign saying 'Kevin!’

Kevin obviously owned quite a few of these river taxis as his name could be seen emblazoned

over several of them. A peculiar name I thought to find in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Amazon jungle.

The police came before we could set off and insisted that everyone put on the solid orange life-jackets that were stacked in racks over our heads. This turned out to be a bit of an epic squeeze as there wasn't much room to stretch out without poking your neighbour in the ear...

Once all the lifejackets were duly donned, we got going, and the driver quickly brought the boat to a planing motion with a huge spray arching out at the sides as we got up to speed. This leg of the trip was only about 35 minutes, and we eventually pulled into another small staging post with people lugging about great bunches of bananas, and others’ baggage up and down the steep muddy bank, to and fro from the dug-out boats on the river. Having pulled on the essen-tial wellington boots we were carrying, we climbed up the muddy bank. Once Andres chose one off the press of eager would-be drivers, we piled our luggage into another motorcarro, and had a 5 min-ute overland ride to Mazan to the other side where the river loops round again.

This overland short cut takes hours off what would otherwise be a very long river trip. The short ride brought us to the next loop in the river, where we re-loaded our bags onto a dugout driven by a native man and his wife and baby, and soon em-barked downstream at a good pace.

We continued East with the downstream current for at least one and a half hours. I was looking intently at the vast multitude of different species of tall trees lining the jungle banks, and slowly breathing in the whole scene along with the oxygen, and gradually breathing it out again in a carbon dioxide gift to the trees.

This slow breathing, with a gradual transition from the out to the in breath, brought me to an almost meditative state. In the boat, it was a profound way to en-joy the jungle on either bank as we slowly passed. Unfortunately, the discomfort of the wooden bench seat impinged on this

calm state and remind-ed me from time to time that my bum was get-ting sore - pulling me rudely back to standard reality!

Progress down stream was pretty swift, thanks to the current. Andres suddenly broke the silence with a shout, “Dolphin!”

I lunged for the cam-era sitting on my open bag, and scanned the river through the viewfinder. “Over there!” he yelled…

I spun round. Where was it? No matter where I pointed the damned thing, the dolphin surfaced somewhere else. It was toying with me!

Finally, I saw the pink body and diminu-tive dorsal fin curving as the animal dived again. A pink Amazon dolphin on cue!

I really didn’t expect to see one of these rare mammals, which are un-der threat of extinction thanks to modern man’s attentions. It was great to find that they are still to be seen, and curious enough to have a look at us as we passed.

We continued droning down river, and I was beginning to wonder when we would ever get there. We were passing the occasional settle-ment on the banks of the river, cows calmly plodding, children playing, somersaulting into the water from the moored dug-outs, women washing their clothes in incongruous looking plastic bowls - the only visible conces-sion to technology in an otherwise complete-ly natural setting.

Eventually, the boat turned towards what looked like a small indentation in the river bank on our left. From a distance one couldn't see that it was an inlet at all, but as we approached, it revealed itself as a very small tributary, overhung by trees and vines, like a tunnel leading - where?

We negotiated this narrow passage, with great trees on either side, their roots on the water side twisted into fantastic snak-ing bundles, washed free of mud by the river at times when the water had been higher. Blossoms of red, pink and gold dotted the foliage, and over the rattle of the outboard, I could hear the numinous voices of the jungle creatures - birds, frogs and heaven knows what else, filling the background with green and multi-coloured sound.

We rounded bend after bend, the banks only a few metres away, left and right. The occasional palm thatched wooden build-ing called ‘Tambo’ could be seen through the trees, but no village. We droned on slowly through the trees, with birds flying overhead, and the water surface rippling by feeding fish.

We rounded a final bend, and the river opened up into a huge lake! The sudden absence of trees overhead bathed us in sunlight, and the palm roofed village appeared on our right in the distance, perched high up in the sun on the grassy banks overlooking the water, it was beautiful.

A small dugout paddled by three children lay off close to our course, and they watched silently as we turned in front of

Downriver in the Dug-out Boat

A Friendly Local

>

THE FIRST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR ARABIA11

them to-wards the village on the right, the gringo in the middle of the boat wearing his Shipibo embroidered tribal head cloth, and holding his camera, the guide and his little girl with the knapsack in the shape of a teddy bear, and the driver.

The riverbanks were high - about 30 to 40 feet, and steep, with muddy steps leading upwards.

Andres called up, "Hola! Donde es Fran-cisco?"... ("Where is Francisco?")

I didn't understand the reply that was shouted down, but one of the men came down as our boat touched the banks. I was determined to learn Spanish before I came back to this country, for it wasn’t going to be my last visit.

I was very keen not to make a negative impact on the village, and behave like a demanding tourist, so I politely refused the offer from Andres to give my heavy sailing bag and shoulder bag to the man who had climbed down, and started up on my own…that was a mistake.

In my pride I had underestimated the steepness of the climb up to the village, and my progress was met by a few giggles as the overloaded gringo struggled up, having to grab tufts of grass occasionally, to stop himself toppling backwards under the weight and into the river.

The houses of the village - large tambos were set out along the top of the banks overlooking the water, set back with a wide path running along the edge.

Andres and I lugged our bags over to one of the partially finished tambos, all of which were constructed in the traditional manner: the floor raised on wooden stilts bringing the floor to somewhere between navel and chest level with ac-cess being a simple ladder in this case. The roofs were all constructed in a single pitch, the thatch being finished at the top, laid over a horizontal ridge pole.

As we arrived, about a dozen adults with their attendant children were in an adjacent tambo engaged in community work, weaving sections of roof thatching

from a particular palm, deftly weaving the palm fronds together in an overlapping system on a wooden strut. The resulting regular and beautiful pattern was very strong, and would effectively channel water away, rather than letting it penetrate.

We paid our respects, Andres chatting in Spanish and pidgin Quechua, while I stood rather awk-wardly, smiled and managed a few "bue-nos dias" greetings.

The children stared in unabashed curiosity at the gringo!

I did not at this stage take any photo-graphs, anxious not to offend.

Andres was able to establish that we would use the partially finished tambo belonging to Francisco - the hunter and master blowpipe maker who was actually the most important aspect of my quest.

I had asked permission to take some pho-tographs, and started with the children. One cheeky little boy was called Pappillo, who laughed delightedly when I picked him up and tossed him into the air and caught him - as I'd done with my own children years ago. The ice was gradually breaking for me, and I began to feel more comfortable in their presence.

Luckily for me, Francisco, the master blowpipe maker and hunter of the village soon turned up, and I was able to meet him. He is a small man and like most of his fellows in the village wore a baseball cap, T shirt and shorts, the ubiquitous dress made probably in China, and exported to rural markets all over the world. Francisco is a real loner, and did not usually occupy the tambo we were in, preferring to live in a lonely shelter in the forest, about 40 minutes paddling by dugout canoe from the village. He would spend days on end hunting in solitude before returning to the village with the spoils.

A man after my own heart!

He was obviously not very comfortable in company - es-pecially that of strangers, and made a perfunctory handshake, without wanting to make direct eye contact at this stage. Andres said that Francisco was return-ing to his jungle shelter for the evening, and would return in the morning when we could sit down and discuss my plan.

We decided to start the distri-bution of the small gifts we had brought, and Andres suggested that we offer everything to se-

lected elder women, who were the needi-est. We started with Manuela. This lady was reputed to be near 100 years old - her exact age not known. She was the only one in the village still wearing the tradi-tional dress of the Yagua on a daily basis. This consists of a short skirt, and a strange kind of garment made from coarse fibres like a soft brush, worn around the neck and just above the breasts. Manuela was sitting in a hammock, cradling a small parakeet, which was completely at ease in her hands, having been reared by her from the egg. I asked respect-fully if it was OK to photograph her and she seemed happy for me to go ahead. She was pleased with her gifts, and we promised her that on returning, we would buy some more rice for her and send it back. Her face and body were incredibly wrinkled, but her hair was still as black as her eyes. Not many teeth however!

The most sought after items were the mapacho cigarettes. These were greeted with real pleasure, and hands were eagerly dipping into the bundle, greedily taking two or three each - some kissing them gratefully before tucking them behind their ears for later. I'm guessing these were the people who would be using them ceremonially or for medicinal purposes with their shamans.

Andres heated up some rice, vegetables and palm heart for me in a neighbour-ing tambo. The palm heart was some-thing I hadn't tried before. It looked like tagliatelli but was strips of fibrous white material from the centre of a palm tree, and was tasty. The people brought out some of their treasures for sale. These would normally be taken into the nearest towns for sale as not many people make it out to the village.

Jewellery is typically made from seeds used artfully as beads, with very delicate and beautiful knotwork or fine beadwork. I took one necklace with the pendant ornament being a set of piranha jaws... I'm pretty certain that none of my female family or friends will be wearing this one but it will hang up in a display! You nev-er know though - daughter Holly might find it cool to sport it at the student's union in London!

As the light faded, everyone began to make their way back to their own tambos. By this time I was being greeted with a regular stream of "buenos noches" from

Anita - a shaman of the Shipibo tribe with a medicinal plant

We emerge out onto the lake


passers by and I felt much happier about being uninvited in their space.

I arranged my tent as best I could, and spread out a towel and a jacket to sleep on. Andres had not considered mattress-es to be a necessary item - even the roll-up variety. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable of nights. I listened to the sounds of the village preparing for sleep, and watched the flickering lights wink out one by one, as the nocturnal sounds of the jungle took over. I breathed slowly and regularly until I fell asleep, listening to the frogs chirruping and burping and quacking their chorus, letting their pro-spective mates know where they were, and warning competing suitors to mind their own business and keep off their turf for another night.

I awoke early at about 5.30 am, and set up my excellent Joos solar charger to power up the Go-Pro video camera as soon as the sunlight was established across the tambo floor. This charger made it possible to run phone, iPad, and video camera wherever I went, no matter how remote.

After a quick breakfast of eggs and banan-as, Francisco turned up, and we moved to the next tambo to hatch our plan.

Through Andres I tried to explain my feel-ing of real respect for their self sustaining lifestyle with such low impact on Mother Earth, and my conviction that so much of their valuable knowledge is being system-atically lost as 'civilization' encroaches on their domain. Francisco nodded quietly. I slowly explained my plan for the blow-pipe deal, and he was satisfied with the arrangement. I handed over the agreed sum, and thankfully he seemed happy with his new machete! I demonstrated how the pliers can be held between the feet, holding something so you then have both hands to work on it. He smiled and took them happily. Things were working out as I had hoped.

Now we took out one of his smaller blowpipes - used for close quarters work. These hunters are masters of animal mimicry, and have the skills to draw their quarry out of the trees by calling them down. Once they are ten metres or so away, it is relatively easy to pick them off with a single dart from the shorter blowpipe. Longer ones like the one I have

ordered are used for longer distances.

The hunter will prepare the darts by cutting a notch halfway through the shaft, about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch behind the point, using piranha teeth to cut the wood. The tip is dipped into natural poi-son, before firing. If the quarry should manage to brush off the dart before losing consciousness, the point will break off at the cut notch, and remain in the flesh, assuring a quick kill.

Francisco pinned a leaf up against nearby tree as a target, and demonstrated the use of the blowpipe.

He pulled a dart about 20 centimetres long from the small quiver, and tak-

ing a small pinch of fibrous cotton-like Kapok from a small pouch attached to the quiver, he twisted the dart, which snagged the kapok, winding it around the dart like a cotton bud about 3/4 of the way back from the point. This prevents air passing around the dart when it is fired and maximizes the velocity. He inserted the dart point first into the blowpipe, aimed and fired. Needless to say his hardwood dart effortlessly pierced the leaf right through the centre and buried its point surpris-ingly deep into the tree.

Now it was my turn... Francisco passed me the blowpipe. These are made, not from a hollow reed or bamboo as one might expect, but in two halves of straight - grained hardwood, with a groove cut along each of the mating faces, creat-ing the barrel. This is then smoothed painstakingly using a round rod from the Pona palm - a rock hard wood with which, using sand for abrasion is used to smooth the bore. This has to be done so well that it is totally shiny and smooth, and does not snag the kapok of the dart as it passes down the barrel slowing its progress.

The two halves of the barrel are notched every 15 centimetres or so, and bound tightly with strong fibre from another type of palm. The barrel is then wrapped tightly with strips of vine, itself fixed to the barrel with an adhesive called Brea, and finally a finishing stain.

I hefted the blowpipe as my mind went back 50 years to the woods of the Isle of Wight while aiming to blow. My first dart was seriously underpowered due to my unfamiliarity with the funnel shaped mouthpiece. The dart flew past and well below the leaf getting a smile out of Francisco. I went forward and found the dart on the ground, re-shaped the kapok to fit the barrel and tried again. Better - I hit the leaf, but not centrally enough to bury the dart in the tree. It took a couple more shots before I got the knack again, and sent the dart quivering into the tree trunk. Satisfaction!

Sadly, it was soon time to make my fare-

wells to my new friends, and head back up river.

I can't wait to come back to this village in its idyllic setting next year to collect my very own blowpipe, fashioned for me according to the ancient traditions, and used by a master hunter.

‘A real dream come true.’

As I sat in the dugout canoe, motoring back upstream towards Iquitos and ‘civi-lization’, I contemplated the threat which logging, mineral exploitation, and the oil companies pose to this wonderful land, and the conservation of the traditional medicinal and spiritual wisdom of its people. It seems that over 80 percent of the mineral rights for this part of Peru has already been sold, allowing the buyers the right to dig and pollute largely unhin-dered wherever they want. Thankfully for all of us concerned with maintaining the forest, ‘the lungs of the world’ in working order, and conserving the estimated 5,000 (many still undocu-mented) species of plant and animal life per hectare of forest, there are agencies working against the tide to establish a degree of protection, and to assist the indigenous people in maintaining their traditions, while managing a healthy inevitable integration into the western world. One such noble effort fostering indigenous initiatives is being made by the NGO Allianza Arkana.

Anyone interested in helping the cause even in the smallest of ways would do well to check out their website at: alianzaarkana.org

Contact details: Expeditions:Andres A Peña Guerra,Amazon Wilderness Expeditions S.R.L.,Calle Nauta No. 303,Iquitos,Peru.

Email: [email protected] in support of the Amazon and it’s indigenous people and their traditions:Allianza Arkana - alianzaarkana.org

Michael.

The Yagua village

Travel Info:Emirates Airline flies to Sao Paulo

and from there I recommend LAN -

www.lan.com to fly on to Lima and

Iquitos.

Hotels: La Casa Morey is a con-

verted Rubber Baron’s mansion,

good location and very pleasant at

US $75-90 per night.

Hotel Ambassador is also in a

decent location, clean and basic at

US$ 30 - 40 per night.


Technical Diving

Interest in Technical Diving in the UAE is rising fast. Once the domain of a few pioneers, the improvement and availability of equipment, and the presence of skilled instructors in the UAE now means that UAE divers are diving deeper than ever.

At DSDC the technical wing of the club used to consist of four or five friends who had been doing technical diving quietly on their own out of the limelight for many years. In 2011 that all changed and the DSDC group is a strong 20 number divers and rising quickly. A further estimate beyond DSDC would be that there are 30 or so other UAE divers carrying out technical diving in their own clubs and diving establishments.

So what is this technical diving, what does it entail, who can do it, is there a down side and perhaps above all – why here in the UAE.

Firstly and importantly it is not deep com-mercial diving where you go and live on the seabed or in pressurised vessels for months at a time – those divers, typically working in the oil industry are doing something com-pletely different altogether.

The answers to my questions come from all angles and some times it is hard to get a nar-row definition to shorten the reply. To try to do that as simply as possible divers can look at the PADI TECH courses as a starting point (they train about a million divers a year so cant be ignored!). PADI define that anything below 40 metres depth is now being classed as ‘technical diving’.

On this narrow definition many current scuba divers will then reply “that’s me then!” And the reply would have to be “Umm, yes, but not quite!” The thing about technical diving is that 40 metres is just the starting point and a very low one at that, in quick steps to 60, 90, 120, 200 and now close to 300 metres depth your realise that techni-cal diving has rather a broad width of depth definition.

Perhaps then an easier definition would be that technical diving involves both deeper diving and on top an increasingly complex arrangement of gases that the diver breathes, depending on the depth they are diving to. The technical element occurs both in the equipment being used and how to handle it underwater to prevent problems, along with what does that gas do to your body and what do you do to make sure it does not have a dangerous affect.

in the UAE

Article Writer Angus Carlisle pre-breathes to activate the chemical scrubber in a

rebreather before another technical dive.

“That’s it then”, I hear you say, I’ve know all that and again the answer would be “Umm, yes but not quite!” The difficulty then be-comes rather like the mountaineer who falls off during their ascent, there are issues that the technical diver has to face that have the ability, like the mountaineer, to cause them to fall of their own diving mountain. Careful and steady progressive experience becomes a vital component of this branch of scuba diving.

So can you do technical diving, the answer is yes of course (unless you have a PFO

which is a different matter for another day) all you need to do is have a suitable amount of regular scuba diving experience plus an aptitude and get on with the extra training required. Possibly it would be a good idea to have saved a few dollars for all that extra equipment you are going to have to buy.

What’s more you can now do both Open Circuit and Rebreather Technical Train-ing right here in the UAE courtesy of both Coastal Technical Divers and DSDC. Carry-ing out your training and diving in the warm waters of the Arabian and Oman Gulfs. No more of that travelling to far away places to freeze in cold dark waters to get the next bit of training needed.

The training available in the UAE, as any-where else in the World is to a maximum depth limit of 120 metres (the current deep-est wreck in the UAE we know about is at about 115m), At 120m the training agencies disappear, possibly quite sensibly, and to go deeper you enter a world of exploration and advancement with other across the Worlds diving network.

Technical diving in the UAE up to now has been very much lead by DSDC’s Bill Lee-man who has a 2 decade history of open circuit deep air, deep trimix and rebreather diving behind him. Bill is a very active diver who plumbs the depths of the UAE most weekends. Bill is now joined by Glenn Campbell of Coastal Technical Divers who many years ago had a diving job in the Ca-nadian Navy, moved to deep and long cave diving in Africa and the Americas before coming to teach under the IANTD banner in the UAE. These two are, however, not alone as Emirati diver Ali Fikree offers the GUE path in open circuit technical diving, this being an alternative to the IANTD training route. The recent fundamental difference for all of us in 2011 is that Glenn is a full time instructor and has trained no less than 12 Technical Rebreather divers in the first half of 2011.

You need friends – carrying just over 100kg of diving equipment a diver receives assistance to get off the

boat and into the water.another technical dive.


Final Checks – 115metres is a long way down and a long way back for technical divers –

everything needs to be just right.

All of this sounds rather grand, exciting and for many - very enticing. Is it for you? The people who are typically turning up to do technical diver training are reasonably experienced recreational scuba divers who are perhaps getting a little bored with their current activities. They hear about technical diving, see a few videos, maybe try it out (Rebreather try outs are very popular) and relish the new challenges and demands that are presented in front of them.

There are some draw backs – here is mine. Divers put the kit on and try to stand up to

get in the water. It’s a bit of a sur-prise to many when they strap on a twinset and a couple or more stage tanks and find what an 80kg+ load is like (lets say that friends are very useful at this point). More alarming for them is that that they are about to jump in the water and wondering if they are going sink straight to the bottom,

faster that the Titanic (thankfully you don’t). The shear weight of the equipment at the surface presents interesting challenges yet once underwater we are back to the aptitude issues of coping with the risks involved should they manifest themselves on any particular dive – and mark my word – they do - frequently.

In technical scuba diving terms the UAE is blessed with a number of things that the rest of the world sort of struggles with, particu-larly if you have the additional advantage of living in the UAE. I have commented in my EDA magazine articles on the convenience

of UAE diving, bed to dive in under a hour – unless you are on holiday it is very difficult to find that elsewhere.

The warm water, the low cost of fuel for the boats transporting you and all your equip-ment, and (in most places) the small tidal range making deep diving possible at any state of the tide are other UAE advantages. Yet what really makes the UAE are the dive locations. In the Arabian Gulf we have an abundance of wrecks in the 20-30 metre range for training plus, in the northern gulf, the Energy Determination in the 30 to 85 metre range and on the east coast so far (as Bill is looking for more) the Inchcape Wrecks (up to 30m), the Ines (72m), the Anita (94m) and U533 (at a considerable 115m).

What’s the next step? I suggest that the best method to find out more is to come and talk to the current bunch of UAE technical divers. You can turn up at DSDC on a Monday or Wednesday evening to have a natter with them (map on the web site), or you can call Glenn at CTD on 0508966707 – don’t forget he cant answer if he is underwater!

Angus Carlisle.

16

Windsurf Wave Safari - August 2011What does Middle East wind-surfing conjure up in your minds, probably very little as we read this article sitting in our air-conditioned house, with blistering temperatures outside? Well, the reality is that right on our doorstep, we have some of the finest, in fact World Class, windsurfing conditions. I’m referring to Oman, with its unique Arabian traditions and kindhearted people. To sum this up, and I’m sure some of you readers will agree with me – Oman can be considered as the real ‘Arabia’ that we read about in our school geography lessons all those years back.

However Oman’s best kept secret is that during the Northern hemisphere summer months, when the rest of Arabia is swelter-ing, the Indian Ocean coast has a relatively refreshing climate in the mid to high 20’s. The coastline has typically blue skies, crystal clear waters and a rich abundance of marine life, along with some dramatic coastline and Omani traditions that have not changed in centuries. What is Oman’s secret? It’s the strong seasonal Khareef monsoon southerly winds that blow up the coast that turn this otherwise hot, dusty

and inhospitable desolate landscape into an adventure playground for hardcore water-sport enthusiasts. Nature’s weather patterns have blessed us by allowing these monsoon winds to catch the edge of Oman’s Eastern coastline. These strong winds combine with swells that originate several thousand Km’s away and pound into isolated point break reefs, provide the recipe for a unique setting for one of na-ture’s finest ocean water-sport play arenas. OK, let’s begin my story.

1st Day of Ramadan - August 2011I’d Just come in from an early morning kayak paddling session with some of the guys. Hey, a great way to celebrate the first day of Ramadan! Quick brekkie combined with my routine daily iPAD check for emails and a casual glance at this week’s Oman weather forecast before I head to the office. Hang on here…. this can’t be right as I stare dazed at the screen? The Windguru forecast (www.windguru.cz) for the Oman Indian ocean coast was showing 3 stars (which is super windy) for the next 9 days…. This forecast can’t be right surely? OK, Giles – calm down. Let’s take a minute here and check two other metrological forecasts. Yup, I’m right as I re-confirm that not only is the wind blow-ing 30+ knots SSW direction, but the swell is going to be big, peaking to 3.7m with 11 second wave periods from Friday onwards..

Wow!! – Readers, this powerful fusion of wind, direction and swell does not synthe-size that often, especially on a weekend! To summarize, this meant that we were lined up for some excellent windsurfing wave conditions for the complete next week. I smiled, grabbed my laptop, mug of coffee and headed to the office.

En route to Jebel Ali – I’m stuck on a SZR (Sheikh Zayed Road) traffic jam (yes, it was an accident on the first day of Ramadan). I immediately rang Rob, summarized to him the weather stats with the same level of excitement that my daughter had when we first took her to Wild Wadi. “Rob, trust me mate- these windsurf conditions don’t stack up like this very often – you need to get some time off!” Rob, an experienced Scottish wave sailor, had never previously sailed the point-break I had in mind, but had heard me go on about it relentlessly one time at the Barasti bar. He was skepti-cal, as we both got duped last season, where whichever beach or even country I turned up at the wind died! I even dragged 50kg’s of windsurf gear last year to Sri Lanka for some windsurf wave action at Aragum Bay, only to get duped by the wind gods. My reputation, with stories of ‘sup-posed’ classic Oman hardcore windsurf wave-sailing conditions, was starting to ebb away at me, and I was starting to gain notoriety around town as the guy not to do

17

trips with. I was jinxed !!!

Anyway, I had successfully convinced Rob to make the wind-safari trip – and we’d agreed to depart Dubai super early Friday morning and meet en-route to Oman. The next 48 hours was spent organizing a myriad array of windsurf kit, food, ice and cold beer. I’d just received by courier the previous day a new smaller size Ezzy Wave Panther sail – and with the pre-dicted strong wind forecast this sail was going to be required big time. Next job – book some leave from work, set the out of office email replies, feed the cat, pack the 4WD and fuel up. Oh yes, nearly forgot the telephoto lens & GoPro.It’s early Friday morning, and while most of Dubai was sleeping off their Thursday night fun, we head off on our 700Km journey to another land. Six hours later we had travelled out of the UAE Hatta border, into Oman and along the picturesque coast to Sur. Next stop would be the Indian Ocean. We had driven through scorching outside temperatures peaking at

around 50°C around Muscat. Now, as we drove closer to the coast, my car temperature dial starting

rapidly falling 35°C…31…26. Half an hour later, I engage the 4WD, and we pull up onto the point break headland, and I’m suddenly speechless…

As I look down on to the water in front of the point break, what lay ahead of us was a crystal blue ocean, textbook waves forming and peaking out back on the

outer reef, spray being thrown off the back of the clean waves and uninterrupted 3m swell lines travelling what must be 300m left across the beach. All this combined with a strong 25+ Knot cross shore wind. Rob’s Jeep suddenly screeched to a grinding halt alongside me and we looked at each other through the window and smiled knowing that the conditions had all come together as I was raving about three days ago. The inter-net weather forecast prediction algorithms had computed correctly. I have travelled this coastline in the search for classic wave-sail-ing conditions over the last six

years, and today was un-mistakenly going to be classic.

A race to the water.We park up below the headland, to get whatever reprise we can from the howling wind and sand being blasted into our faces. We throw the camping gear behind a small dune, I pull my JP wave board out of the car, and start to rig my 4.2m Ezzy sail. Today will be windsurfing in World Class conditions – period.

The 2 hour session on the water lived up to expectations. We shared the spot with a few kiter friends and three other wave-sailors I’ve known from Masirah over the years. Rob sussed out the wave line up well considering he had never sailed this break before, and was pulling off some great cutbacks. The evening session produced some classic and memorable sailing. We both headed upwind to the outer reef up at the point, and lined up some good size swells out back. Windsurfing in waves requires patience, pre-cise timing and being able to read the swell lines accurately. One mistake when riding big waves can be costly (as I found out with a fractured rib recently and broken mast on Masirah Island). However, today it seemed that the lines of swell jacking up from out back were un-relentless. As the evening sun-set approached, the wind had dropped

off slightly and the tide turned in our favour. The swell got bigger and cleaner. I do a variety of action sports, but there is not one single sport that gives me the adrenalin rush of riding down a sheer vertical 12 ft wall of water that forms like a rolled out velvet carpet in front of you. Every maneuver is lightning fast, no time to hesitate, as you hit the bottom of the wave, look to the right and see a massive wall

of water perfectly formed high up above you feathering at the top - as though it is say-ing “ I dare you to meet me up here” . So, in a split second without hesitating, I carve my board hard, drop the rig down, push the rail hard and BANG –I meet the vertical wave at the peak, smack it hard with the nose of my board and as we kiss, I drive the board and rig back down the wave again. I repeat this same down the line maneuver time and time again until I’m 300M downwind and close to shore. I see Rob on occasions hit-ting the wave set in front of me, he and his rig virtually disappearing as he makes these slashing bottom turns. Windsurfing in waves is simply the best sport when it all comes together, and I honestly feel privileged to experience this feeling.

Out on the main break, it’s not possible to take photos from the beach, so I head out again with my GoPro camera (www.gopro.com). All windsurf photos taken in this article were taken of the final smaller wave section of the break, closer into shore. As dusk falls and the wind begins to reduce, we head back to the beach – fully content with the session.

Some of the guys are collecting wood for the fire, and after I lay board on the beach, next stop is to reach into the cool box and pull that can pull.

Saturday’s session starts early. A group of us had woken early as the wind had started to howl, and we were back on the water by mid morning. After some coffee & muesli, I popped a 600mg Brufen to help me last what is likely going to be another mammoth session. The upper body fatigue from a fully powered up wave-sailing session requires some good fitness levels, especially when you’re unhooked and riding down what must be 300m sections. Our Oman Ramadan wave session will remain engrained in my mind forever, and the spot truly proved itself as having World Class conditions. I’ve been windsurfing for

“One mistake when riding big waves can be costly”

>

Windsurfing is ideally a lifestyle sport, not just a hobby. Although this is hard to maintain living in Dubai with family and a demanding job – there is a lasting passion. Most of my life decisions have been carved out through this great sport (including emigrating to W. Australia, my Australian wife, child and home).The older I get, the more I feel I want to put something back into this great sport for the wider community. We need to motivate kids and those ‘40 something’ adults who used to windsurf back in the hey-day and gave up because of work, family commitments etc.

Dubai and UAE is an ideal place to learn windsurfing, especially for kids. Our sport is safe, unique, challenging and very much alive and I want you to share these same experiences.

If you would like to learn more about windsurfing locally and meet our community, then please contact us at www.windsurf-arabia.com or email [email protected]

Giles.

Oman Hazards on and off the Beach• Out of control Kite-surfers…

• The odd sand viper which visits during the evening BBQ session!

• Turtles

• Crazy local fishermen screaming up the beach in the utes.

• Running out of ice…Aghhhh!

over 25 years, and been fortunate enough to sail many of the prime spots around the World. To sum-marize, there are only around a dozen or so World Class wave sailing spots, and I feel privileged to have sailed our local spot that came up to par. As the season draws to a close once again, we contemplate the next destination, whether it be Yemen, Tiree, Baja or NW Australia. Stay tuned.

Speed ClimbAdventure HQ

Adventure HQ hosted their Speed Climbing event again

on August the 6th and was eager to gather as many competitors

as possible for a chance to win 1,000 Dhs to spend in-store, by

beating the record of 9 seconds to scale one of the impressive

and challenging walls. This brought together quite the crowd and an almost endless flow of

entrants, including children who were eager to test their experienced or

otherwise climbing abilities.

Competitors were divided into four categories: Men, Women, Under 16,

and Under 12. All harnesses, helmets and professional supervision was

included. You just had to turn up and be sure to not forget closed-toe shoes

and a fighting spirit!

I had eventually fared my fitness in order to try and beat the 9 seconds

record, and having no experience on a climbing wall, I was (I’ll be honest)

quite nervous! There was the pressure of the spectators and also the fate of

potential embarrassment. But I tried my best, getting a time of around 17

seconds. If I can make that time for a first try then anyone can! I’ll be at the

next event for sure to improve on that time.

Here are the results:

Men’s Tomas Jzurek (00:10 seconds)

Women’s Janelle Holt (00:17 seconds)

Under 16 Liam Peters (00:18 seconds)

Dian Wright (00:18 seconds)

Edward Lesnikcu (00:18 seconds)

Under 12 Patrick Watts (00:24 seconds)

The next speed climb will be on the 10th of September, 2pm-4pm, at Times

Square, so be sure to join and compete, and see the OutdoorUAE team

competing! Watch the Facebook group for details - www.facebook.com/adventure-

hqme and the website - www.adventurehq.ae

James.

Another ‘first’ for me as I try to bring back my monkey-like tendencies of yesteryear – climbing.


20

Covering a crazy distance of 50,000 km whilst exploring 39 amaz-ing countries, Tamin Lee-Connolly has set her goals on volunteering with OLPC (One laptop per child) organisa-tion to help deliver laptops, training, and internet access to school and increase chances of continued higher education to those that don’t have it.

As Tamin continues her journey through Africa, Outdoor UAE will be helping to document parts of her Travel Diary; more can be found out on her blog or to get started right now, simply read on.

Pemba at last - 26/07/2011 What a disaster the border was. Even after being warned by friends and family we still had money stolen from us as well as being fined 1km into Mozambique. Not a good start to the trip. I blame it on a penny I picked up off the ground earlier in the day. I thought picking up a penny was meant to give you good luck? Well it gave me the worst luck ever. Out the window it went.

Due to all our hassles we were running out of time and night fall was near. We had heard about a place called Tan’n Biki on Macaneta Island, 33km north of Maputo. Convinced we could make it we called and informed the owner Lester. He gave us clear directions and then met us at the car ferry so

we could follow him to the campsite.

I would really like to emphasize what a nice guy Lester and his team were. In the morn-ing he checked through my vehicle and chatted away about all precautions we must take on our travels.

Next stop Ponte Zavora, about 75km before Inhambane. Again we arrived at night fall... we have got to stop this. It was our first night of setting the whole campsite up. Enthusias-tically we were up at 6am and ready to go.

In Inhambane we tried to sort out the internet connections and be able to com-municate with the outside world. A success, finally someone who spoke English and got us all sorted.

An easy day of driving with roads all in good condition we made it to Morrungula camp at 3.30pm. What a joy, we set up camp which is now only taking about 20 minutes and then off to the beach for a stroll, to watch the sunset. What a great campsite with clean bathrooms and grass lawns. The staffs were very friendly with constant smiles on their faces. This has been the general attitude of Mozambicans we have met; obviously besides our first encounter at the border.

Waking up at first break of day light, Justine and I went for our run along the hard sand, what a change from the soft sand at Tan’n Biki. So fresh and rearing to go we packed up and headed for the tourist town Vilan-

culos. Jeroen, ahead as usual, called to give us the destination for lunch at the Veranda Restaurant. A little sand track was a minor challenge compared to what happened next.

After lunch Jeroens‘s GPS recom-mended we take a deep sand track to Inhassaro where we decided we would rest for the night. Seeing as it was still early in the day and we only had to travel 60km, we opted for the more adventurous route. As we begun our journey the GPS was actually right and the sand was very deep and Jeroen was pushing his bike through the sand

rather than riding. His first fall of the trip was on this little stretch. Low and behold, the sand didn‘t calm down or become more compacted but instead got worse and worse. Jeroen‘s first fall turned into several more. The poor guy had to strip his bike down of any extra weight and dig him-self out. We decided to rather turn around and backtrack the 5km we had already accomplished rather than battling through another 50km of the torturous road for the KTM motorbike. However, I was impressed with Maggie (my zooped up Land Cruiser) for gliding through the sand without tyre deflation.

After reaching Vilanculos again and now heading to Inhassorro on a more sensible potholed tarred highway EN1, we reached Inhassoro at 4.30pm and followed the first sign - Estella de Mananisse campsite. Wel-comed by the owner Henry who showed us around his newly developed lodge and campsite, he showed us our spot next to our own ablution block with hot water and then pointed us in the direction of the bar across the road.

We met a group of people here and I asked for any advice of where to stay further up north. Not much information was known but was a great night with many laughs and Andrew (a cattle farmer) was highly entertaining.

A late start, we eventually got ourselves on the road at 10:00AM. We headed to Gorongosa National Park to go and see some wildlife. However, when we reached the National Park at 5pm, it was already too dark and they would not allow the motor-

Everything except

the Horn by Tamin-Lee Connolly

One funky chick, one maxed out Land Cruiser, 12 months, 39 Countries and 5,000 laptops

Pointers: • Stick to all road rules, you will get

pulled over by police at some stage or another

• Give yourself 2 hours leeway for each destination.

• Make sure you have a map book as GPS not 100% correct

bike in. Luckily there was a private campsite just down the road. It‘s a very interesting set up Piet and his wife have with their four children. His son Sakkie had started the campsite but is still awaiting paper work and authorization to advertise legally. You can stay there and contribute a donation.

In the morning we got chatting and he informed me of a school just down the road which has the XO laptops and what a shame that no one has ever given them training, etc.

So I was off on my first mission follow-ing Piets directions into the bush. Down a seriously tiny little track, about 20km later, we headed straight into the school. I met up with Frank who showed me around his vegetable patch that he was very proud of. With broken English he understood what my goal was and he explained that the main problem was that they couldn‘t charge the laptops. Yes, they have two massive solar panels but only one in-verter that charges four laptops at a time. The school has 50 laptops and can‘t use them interactively in class due to this problem. So are the laptops being used to their full potential? So far, from the Soweto project in Kliptown and my first project in Mozambique, I am not happy with what I am seeing.

Back on track and on our way to Nicuadala, we discovered that there is nowhere to stay. Eventually after Jeroen searched and Justine and I not finding anything, we asked a lady in a shop where we could stay. She was very happy to show us to the courtyard behind the shop. It was our first night staying in a random open space and not in a campsite. They were so friendly and helpful and made us feel very comfortable. No one in the vil-lage hassled us in any way.

In the morning we continued to head further north to Nampula. On the way we passed through some old colonial towns with inter-esting architecture before hitting a dirt track. It was not in the best condition and our thoughts were all the same; will we make Nampula tonight? We did and in good time too, because the dirt track ended after 30km onto a brand new high-way. What a pleasure driving on a nice new road.

Here is where we met our first other over-landers. Ven and Anita have been travel-ling from England- what chilled out down to earth folks. Ven gave me all his tracks and even a program he designed to access Google maps offline. What a legend!!!

We woke up bright and early and I just wanted to get going, so no run yet again for Justine and I. I barked orders to Jeroen and Justine to get their bums in gear so we could get to Pemba nice and early. We arrived just after 2pm and enjoyed some sun and cold beers. Hooray!!! My first goal of getting here has finally been achieved.

Last leg of Mozambique Pemba to Malawi was interesting. Against everyone‘s advise that we met at Pemba Dive and Bush Camp, I still decided that I wanted to take the challenging route. I am very stub-born and I didn't want to have to

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travel the same road that we had already been on.

So the road began on a beautiful tar road, then a big dust road with road works on, which then came to an end and thus began the ‘crazy road’ -more like an African track! I had so much fun on this road, battling through thick soft sand, to muddy patches and crossing log bridges. Anyone with a 4x4 and some off road experience will succeed on this road.

We finally arrived after 7 hours at Marrupa and stayed at a Mozambican‘s campsite. I would like to make a note that this campsite was on a slope so no flat land for the camp-ers.

Bright an early Justine bellowed for us to get up and going, she had had enough as we did not sleep very well with the roosters cackling all night.

On our way towards the Malawian border we stopped off for lunch in Lichinga where we met three game rangers who work on a hunting concession farm. They made a call and got us a bed to sleep in at Mandimba (Mozambican & Malawian border town). We stayed with a couple, Papa Joe and Anita. They have been through a hard time but things are looking good and Joe just got a job so we celebrated with them. We wish nothing but the best for these two and are very grateful for their hospitality and support.

The next morning it was through the border easily, with no hassles and no charge for a visa. “

For more information on Tamin’s journey & donations visit: www.everythingexceptthehorn.com

Tamin.

22

The Dubai Garden Center: A modern con-cept of retailing.

“Last week I bought a big box of chocolates and was looking forward to eating them when I arrived home... When I opened the box I was quite disappointed, as it seemed half empty...” - I am sure you know this kind of experience; one where you don’t get what is prom-ised. I think it’s a stupid approach by most retailers, as customers like you and me are not dumb and know when they are being cheated. Only satisfied customers will come back...

In contrast you’re probably wondering what you can expect from The Garden Center? Well to begin with it is certainly none of the above! As the title reminds us; you can obvi-ously find plants, garden furniture and tools here, however The Dubai Garden Center also promises much more. Following the concept of a ‘shopping experience for the whole family’ the center focuses on what is most important for any retail store - cus-tomer satisfaction!

Located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai and soon opening in Abu Dhabi, the Garden Center caters for all of your garden needs. With a huge variety of plants and pots for indoor, balcony or the garden you will also get a consultancy how to satisfy your green-ery e.g. a treatment of organic fertilizer to let your garden bloom in this coming outdoor season.

To enjoy and relax in your private oasis you are offered much more than the standards you find anywhere else. You will also stumble across the best quality teak furniture you can get, a new line of well designed and comfortable furniture made of recycled fishing boats from Bali, a mix of old train track planks worked with a modern stainless

steel finish… No doubt if you look for quality and style you will find it here. (Taking note of my little confession on the side – I’m and espresso ad-dict and the espresso at RAW coffee is amazing)

Most men will most probably spend a majority of their time in the BBQ section with American, Austra-lian and South African brands, or venture into the lure shop for their next fishing trip at the indoor fishing store Ocean Active. With the RAW coffee shop directly next to it, this may also be an incentive to sit down and talk about ‘the biggest’ catch and where to fish next time, even planning a fishing trip abroad.

Women will most likely be in the garden section, plan-ning and working out to improve the beauty of their garden or homes, this can become a pick and mix situation; combining plants with the right type of pots. If it’s not you or your wife busy pottering around The Garden Center, your children will head straight to the aquariums to stare at the colorful fish inside. Protected by a layer of glass from the close-by fishing store the aquariums are a great alternative to a TV.

If you get hungry after exploring The Dubai Garden Center, you will also find something mouth watering here. They offer organic products and soon an organic vegetable market starting from 17th September every Saturday. If you can’t wait until your home, why not try the daily and regular dishes at the in-store café. This is a popular stomping ground for healthy business lunches in a conservatory style garden environment (you may have not even noticed it as it’s tucked away). This hidden gem provides good food at great value and therefore filled with people during lunch break.

Last but not least, if you are worried about how to get your purchase home or who will install it – all the service and installation is generously provided by The Garden Center.

More than just a name on a sign board

Dubai Garden Centre

Also all landscaping needs can be arranged by the Garden Center through their mother company Desert Group. Even extensions of your house with winter-gardens (this term will apply for Europe, however here it would be more suitable to call them summer-gar-dens) made in UK are available from Swift Rooms.

The Dubai Garden Center certainly doesn’t disappoint and has a lot to offer, much more than you would expect. It’s also great that apart from the concept of a ‘shopping experience’ for the whole family (with top services and quality), the Garden Center is also implementing sustainable ideas like organic food, and uses recycled materials for very modern and high-class furniture. Also worth mentioning, there is also the indoor bookstore with second hand books lining up in a sustainable and caring philosophy section waiting for you to read.

Not only this but you can pick up your latest issue from Outdoor UAE here, where we fo-cus on all these topics and many more, not to mention how great The Garden Centre is!

A 100% Satisfied Daniel!

23

CanopiesMAD Canopies are an ever-growing tent company that provide a service in the Middle East - tents and canopies that go up in less than 15 minutes that can also be fully branded with your design applied. MAD Canopies only supply the highest quality tents, searching the globe for the best material and construction to provide you with a way of branding that can be used in all scenarios. One of the simplest and best sellers for MAD Canopies is the ‘Kenux Instant Canopy’. Made from heavy-duty powder coated steel to ensure durability and strength, with 500D Polyester walls and roof, the Kenux Instant Canopies are UV proof, fire retardant and long lasting. Not only are they built tough, as well asfully brandable, the ease of putting them up never fails to impress. Blink and you will miss it. A short series of pulling the structure open and then extending legs and clicking into place is all you need to do; it does all of the hard work for you. These tents are incomparable to anything else in the market, and have literally stood the test of time! Duncan.

Mad

Today is the 24th of August. I’ve been on the road for 22 days already, after I nearly missed the boat in Sharjah. I would have had time already to go to Belgium and back. However speed is not the goal. I’ve covered 4,000km (I rely now on my GPS only as the trip metre died 8 days ago) and I am still in Iran.

Yesterday I came back from the autonomous republic of Naxcivan. They don't have many tourists down there so I was lucky enough to get a meeting with the minister of tour-ism. That is not the first time that I’ve been invited by a minister into his of-fice, but it’s the first time I went in flip-flops :-) Back at the border, everybody knew me by now and it was "Mister Patrice" all over the place, after giv-ing me a hard time

on the way in.

My plan now is to spend a few days around the lake of Urumyeh before I head to Iraqi Kurdistan. Yesterday I saw a huge white plain bordering the lake. It was a crust of salt, hard like concrete. I drove on it for a few kilo-metres and decided to set up camp there. Nice sun, no wind, not a sound

at all; great pictures and the perfect spot for the camp.

However at sunset strong winds started to blow from the North-West. For the third time in this zone (of a few hundred square kilometres), I had no choice other than to pack everything in the car and seek refuge in the tent. I reckon it was some of the strongest winds I’ve ever experienced, blowing probably at more than 80km/h. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much. I was impressed that the tent was still standing in the morn-ing. The guys at Eezi Awn know their stuff when it comes to make something strong!Today I stopped after only 20km yet was in a totally different landscape. Let me set the scene of the place I am writing from:

Imagine a beach of white sand, except that it looks like fresh snow and it is salt. The water is pink like grapefruit juice. In front of

me there are a few rocky islands. Behind me a cliff and further away a small village. Not a sound except for a few birds. I am sitting in my easy chair under the awning and the temperature is a nice 30 degrees.

After an hour "swim" in water as salty as the Dead Sea, I ate half a chilled watermelon for lunch and was ready to write this article and few posts for my blog.

Every day seems to bring something new or better. In 22 days, and covering 4,000km, I have been from zero to 2,787m high, I’ve experienced temperatures ranging from 8 to 54 degrees, I’ve driven through rock deserts, canyons, high and fertile plains, hills, moun-

tains, ... I’ve

been invited to share lunch with the nomads under their tent, I’ve shared an Iftar meal with a whole village in the mosque, I’ve slept in a dried mud house, I’ve woken up with Kalach-nikovs looking me straight in the eyes. God only knows what’s in store for me next. But one thing is sure, I wouldn’t have seen a quarter of the things I’ve seen if I hadn’t had such a good 4x4!

The car is doing pretty well. I lost the pulley of the power steering in a mountain pass, luckily without any further damage. I had it repaired in Shiraz really cheaply.

Also following an unexpectedly big jump, I bent the rear axle when landing. One ton of payload does not forgive you this kind of mistake. I stopped in Esfahan to have it repaired, at 600AED, you can call that a bar-gain. Although cities are not on my itinerary, they are the only places where you can get these kind of issues fixed properly. The biggest annoyance is the water tank that has leaked from day 2. A welding at the bottom was not strong enough and broke.

I tried to repair it with epoxy but it was

SLOW LANETO NOWHERE

We catch up on Partrice’s whereabouts as he travels in his Land Rover


not strong enough. I don't plan to have it repaired again before I reached Belgium as I have to empty the whole trunk to remove it.

I can find food, petrol and phone cards on the road or in villages, so there is no need to enter cities. A downside for you is that I have yet to find an internet café to send pictures. I can send and receive emails with my phone but I am not authorized to attach pictures...

I will have to go to a city soon as I need my brakes checked. They are a bit weak and slow to respond.

So keep on checking my blog for the latest pictures and stories: www.slowlanetonowhere.blogspot.com

At this pace, I don't know when I will reach Europe. However, that’s not important; I am enjoying every moment and every view.

I’ll keep you posted!

Patrice.

Some of our adventures• ExploreBorneo;thelastofthefourre-

mainingrainforestsintheworld.• EverestBaseCampTrek,oneofthemost

breathtakingtreksonEarth• ThrillingNepal;hike,cycle,raftand

explore• EastAfricanDreams;comfortableandchallengingSafariadventuresthatarenot

forthefainthearted• ClimbKilimanjaro,anachievablebigchal-

lengethattakesyoutotheroofofAfrica

ReadmoreaboutWHOweare,WHEREwego,ourSUSTAINABILITYandour“PAY BACK”promiseon

rahhalah.com

Tel +9714 4472166

WhenArabsruledoneofthelargeststretchesoflandintheoldworld,they

travelledandexploredlandsthatwereonlyknowntotheirnativeinhabitants.Travelling

wasawayoflifetomany.Itinvolvedcourage,ayearningtolearnandastrongwilltoeducate.Asdecadespassed,thosewhocrossedalltheseborderswereknownasRahhalahs,atermthattranslatestoEnglishasthosewhoarealwaysonthemovetoexplore.WeatRahhalah,haveasolidcommitmenttorevivethespiritofouroldRahhalahsandapromisetopursuetheiradventuresandendeavoursina

sustainablemanner.

Wewanttoenticeyoutoliveyourdreamadventure.ComeandjoinusexploretheworldandbecomeaRahhalahyourself.

On the move to explore

26

International online vote on a logo for hu-man rights – the top ten designs have been cho sen and voting for the best one runs until 17 September! 15,375 logo suggestions from over 190 countries – that is the result of the submission phase of the global online competition “A Logo for Hu-man Rights.” Since the initiative started on 3 May, people from all over the world have participated in the logo competition, the largest of its kind so far. They sent in sugges-tions and rated the ideas of others. The 10 finalists chosen by the jury are now online and the voting to choose the best one has started! From 27 August to 17 September 2011, people can vote for their fa-vourites at www.humanrightslogo.net. All people worldwide are en-couraged to participate by choosing their favourite logo. This would put the original idea of the competition into practice: the creation of a hu-man rights logo by the people for the people.

The winning logo will be presented on 23 September 2011 in New York alongside the meet ing of the United Nations General Assembly. The presentation will be broadcast worldwide via internet.

Nearly everybody knows that a heart symbolizes love and a dove means peace. But what is the sym-bol for human rights? The answer is that there is none. There are 6.8 bil-lion people living on this planet. All of them have human rights – and yet we still have no way of overcoming language barriers to communicate this universal bond symbolically. We want to fill this gap and make a peaceful contribution to strengthen-ing human rights with the “Logo for Human Rights” initiative.

Show Must Go On

Bahrain Boat Show organizers and Economic Development Board bring the boating arena back to Bahrain. The show will take place between 23rd and 26th of Novem-ber 2011.

Bahrain Economic Development Board joined in partnership with Knotika for this event helt at Amwaj Marina Amwaj Island, Bahrain.An archipelago of 33 islands, Bah-rain has the national geography and climate to make boating the first choice leisure activity for the boat lovers and families alike.

First ever cross coun-try survey reveals eco-nomic and sporting im-pact of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

A recent survey of the ADDC 2011 reveals that the media value of the event to the UAE was over AED 6 million from sports channel Eurosport with an estimated 47 million people worldwide had the opportunity to see the event and a total of over 23 million people able to read about the event in print media worldwide.

The ADDC Competitor Survey was undertaken on behalf of the Institute of Sport Research of the UAE by Dr. Hassan from the University of Ulster in the UK, one of the world’s most acclaimed researchers in major events including motorsport and took place at the 21st edition of the ADDC, a round of FIA World Cup and FIM Cross Country World Cup.Dr. Hassan commented “Histori-cally both World class motorsport events and Middle East Sport have been under researched and I hope that this report will help stimulate more research in both areas which can enrich both the sports con-cerned and academic knowledge”

Starting grid for Dun-lop 24H Dubai shapes up as more and more teams enter

With less than five month to go be-fore the seventh running of the Dun-lop 24H Dubai gets underway at the Dubai Autodrome (January 12 till 14th, 2012), the starting grid shapes up as more and more teams are en-tering the first international endur-ance race of the new year for GTs, touring cars and 24H Specials. “We have already received entries from 66 teams, so more than two thirds of the grid are filled”, says Gerrie Willems on behalf of Dutch agency CREVENTIC, organisers and promot-ers of the Dunlop 24H Dubai, in co-operation with the DNRT.

The 2011 race winners, German team Need for Speed-Schubert, have already entered two BMW Z4 cars while the rest of the preliminary en-try list shows a nice mix of big and powerful sports cars like Porsche 911, Corvette, Audi R8, Lamborghi-ni LP600, Dodge Viper, Aston Martin Vantage and Ferrari 458, silhouette cars like Gomez Competition, Solu-tion F and Renault Mégane Trophy machines, touring cars with diesel and petrol engines (predominantly

BMW, but also Volkswagen and SEAT) and several entries in the A2 class like the ever-popular Renault Clio and Hondas Integra and S2000.www.cyclechallenge.ae

Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Working with Partners to Help Phase out Plastic Bags

Following the success of the launch of its ‘Make UAE Plastic-Bag Free’ campaign, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) worked again with its partners this Ramadan to raise awareness of the harmful ef-fects of plastic bags and to encour-age people to use reusable bags instead. Major retailers - Carrefour, Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society, Lulu Hypermarket, Spinneys and Abela –were holding a ‘Plastic Bag-Free Weekend,’ which was distributed to shoppers canvas jute bags and leaflets promoting sustain-able alternatives, in addition to organizing exciting giveaways. A competition on Emirate’s FM (95.8) Sabah Al Noor show is outlined the negative impacts of plastic bag use on our environment and our biodiversity. Throughout Ramadan, listeners had a chance to win AED18,000 worth of vouchers, courtesy of EAD’s retail partners. In 2009, the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water issued a Ministerial Decision to implement a program to reduce the use of plastic bags and ban the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in coordination with the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology. In February 2011, EAD

with the support of the UAE Minis-try of Environment and Water and in partnership with the Center for Waste Management – Abu Dhabi, launched a ‘Make UAE Plastic Bag-Free!’ campaign and weekend to encourage the community to switch from plastic to reusable bags. The initiative is in support of the govern-ment’s initiative to phase out the use of plastic bags in the UAE by 2013. Plastic is harmful to our environ-ment throughout its lifecycle. It uses up non-renewable sources of energy, such as oil and then once used, most end up in a landfill. Since plastic is not degradable, it ends up sitting in landfills (where it is largely disposed) for hundreds of years. Once it eventually does start to break down, toxic substances leak in to the soil and underground water sources causing a further hazard. Plastic bags become litter and find

their way into our sea, streets and deserts. Half the camel deaths each year in the UAE are due to camels ingesting plastic bags, according to a study carried out by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water. Floating plastic bags also pose a threat to sea turtles and other biodiversity when they mistakenly swallow them for food.

New PWX Collection across the GCC

2XU, Australia’s leading high performance sports apparel brand and Official Compression Supplier to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), has unveiled an impressive new Compression collection, PWX, in time for winter 2011.

An exciting evolution of the already successful 2XU Compression range, 2XU’s PWX entails a premium col-lection of upgraded Compression fabrics engineered to offer optimal power, weight and flexibility in perfect equilibrium depending on the wearer’s needs.

To facilitate more informed garment choices from customers, 2XU’s PWX Compression collection comes with an intelligent way-finding system which systematically categorizes all garments. To ease the decision making process, three clear product categories are offered; PERFORM, XFORM and REFRESH, which focus on ‘active use’ or ‘recovery’.

PWX Compression PERFORM garments are engineered for active use, XFORM are appropriate for both active and recovery purposes, while REFRESH apparel is ideal for athletes with particularly high performance recovery demands.

Thanks to its relentless commitment to engineering world-class garments from fabrics which deliver tangible benefits to the wearer, 2XU sets the benchmark in high performance compression. Ongoing testing, research and consultation with pro-fessional sporting bodies is integral to the brand’s winning formula.Already the exclusive partner of elite teams and sporting bodies across the globe including the Aus-tralian Institute of Sport, Victorian Institute of Sport, Triathlon Australia, international triathlon powerhouse Team TBB, England’s RFL team, Swimming Australia, Triathlon Australia and partner to the global

27

Ironman series of events, 2XU is one of the most revered engineers of Compression apparel.

The new 2XU PWX Compression Collection can now be found lead-ing sports stores across the GCC including Go Sport, Adventure HQ, Intersport and online at sportsouq.ae. Prices vary to item. 100 – 600aed.

2XU (“Two Times You”) was launched in January 2005, and is driven by a relentless company mission to advance human per-formance through the develop-ment of world-leading athletic garments. In its first year, 2XU graced the skin of multiple World Champion athletes and has since formed powerful alliances and key partnerships with World Champions across the globe in numerous sports

udingTriathlon,Cycling, Swimming, Netball, ALF, Soccer, NRL and Running. 2XU is also the exclusive Official Compression Supplier to the Australian Institute of Sport. Founded and based in Melbourne,

Australia; 2XU is fast becoming the most technical sports brand in the world. Designed and tested in consultation with industry experts, all garments employ intelligent physiological design, cutting edge performance fabrics and construc-tion. The premium Australian brand is now stocked in multiple countries around the world.

New Racing Season Approved

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority, has approved the fixtures list for the 2011/2012 racing seasons at Jebel Ali Racecourse, Abu Dhabi Eques-trian Club, Meydan Racecourse and Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club. This season of racing in the United Arab Emirates will increase a total of three days from 50 to 53, with two additional fixtures at Sharjah and one at Meydan. Over the past two seasons UAE racing has added a total of seven fixtures. Last year four fixtures were added to increase the total number from 46 in 2009/2010 to 50 for the 2010/2011 season. The racing season will once again begin at Jebel Ali as the opening meeting is Friday, November 4,

2011 with 11 fixtures to be offered. The Jebel Ali season will conclude on March 23, 2012. The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club will begin their season on Sunday, No-vember 6, 2011 and continue until closing day, March 18, 2012 with a total of 15 scheduled fixtures. Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club will feature six fixtures with the opening scheduled for Saturday, November 12, 2011 and the end of the season on February 18, 2012. Meydan Racecourse will open for their third season on Thurs-day, November 10, 2011 with a total of five fixtures to be offered during November and December. Special afternoon post times will be scheduled for November 25 and December 23 with racing to begin at 3:00 pm. New Year’s Eve, December 31, will also feature an afternoon start with racing to begin at 4:30 pm. In addition, Meydan will hold five race fixtures through January, February and March. . The Dubai International Racing Carnival, first held in 2004, has been renamed and will now serve as the Dubai World Cup Carnival (DWC Carnival), a change that will further align the prestigious racing to the famed Dubai World Cup. Although offering a new name, this will mark the ninth season for the carnival that

will begin on Thursday, January 5, 2012. A total of 10 meetings will be held during the Dubai World Cup Carnival with an early post time schedule of 3:00 pm. on two Friday dates, January 20 and February 3. The start of the DWC Carnival will be teamed in the coming season with the 3rd Meydan Masters Jockey Challenge series. The competition will be held two days, January 5-6 and will feature challenge races each day. This season will also see Super Thursday moved to the weekend and now serve as Super Saturday. The event will be scheduled on March 10 with an early post time of 4:30 pm and will conclude the Dubai World Cup Carnival season. Super Saturday is a significant showcase and major prep event for the highly anticipated Dubai World Cup that will be held three weeks later. The closing day of the UAE season will also serve as the highlight of the 21 meetings to be held at Meydan and will feature the 17th running of the US$26.25 million Dubai World Cup, Saturday, March 31. This eight race card begins with an Arabian race, the Dubai Kahayla Classis sponsored by Emaar, and concludes with the US$10 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airlines, the world’s richest thoroughbred race.

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Rahhalah

Rahhalah Explorers – On the move to explore

Outbound Adventure Travel Location: Shatha Tower # 2711 Dubai Media City,

Tel : +9714 4472166 , Email: [email protected]: www.rahhalah.com We are a company of Rahhalah ourselves. We have explored deserts, mountains, valleys, rivers

and seas. We slept in tents and under open skies, experienced scorching heat and bitter cold,

connected with faraway people, trekked, backpacked, horse- back rode, climbed, snorkelled,

rafted, para- glided, cycled and skied in more than 100 destinations worldwide. The unforget-

table and fulfilling experiences made us want to share this with you. You will have to trust us

when we say that this kind of adventurous travel is a life changing experience!

Rahhalah appeals to the adventurous spirit which exists in us all, but followed only by few,

helping us live the dream in a sustainable manner. We want to entice you to follow your

dream and your sense of adventure. Come and join us explore the world and become a Rah-

halah yourself.

Some of our adventures: Thrilling Nepal; hike, cycle, raft and explore

Sept. 1st - SOLD OUT, Sept. 23rd - (few spots left), Oct. 7th & 21st, Nov. 4th & 25th, Dec.

9th, & 23rd - (still open for booking)

Explore Borneo; the last of the four remaining rain forests in the world

Sept. 16th - (few spots left), Oct. 7th & Nov. 4th – (still open for booking)

Everest Base Camp Trek; one of the most breathtaking treks on earth

April 2011 TBA – booking ongoing

East African Dreams; comfortable and challenging Safari adventures that are not for the

fainthearted Trips every month available Climb Kilimanjaro, an achievable big challenge that takes you to the roof of Africa

Sept.12th - (SOLD OUT), Oct. 17th & Nov. 14th - (available), Dec. 12th - (few spots left)

Read more about WHO we are, WHERE we go, our SUSTAINABILITY and our “PAY BACK”

promise on rahhalah.com

Gulf for Good Location: www.gulf4good.org Telephone: +9714-368-0222 Email:[email protected] Web: Facebook: “GULF FOR GOOD – Main Group”

GIVING KIDS A CHANCE AROUND THE WORLD If you want to do something new and exciting, challenge yourself and help others, then look no

further than UAE-based Gulf for Good (G4G). In 10 years of operation (under the patronage of

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum), G4G has organised 34 exciting adventure

challenges worldwide, bringing Gulf nationals and residents together and inspiring them to do

something unusual. Over 700 participants have raised nearly 7 million dirhams, which have

been donated to handpicked children’s charities in the region where the challenges are held. The

children’s charities receiving the funds benefit enormously, but taking part in the challenge often

turns out to be a life changing experience for many participants. Packages:Moderate to extreme these packages and involve hiking, cycling, kayaking, camel trekking, bam-

boo rafting or a combination of these, so there’s something for everyone! The costs involved are

based on actual trip costs (flights, accommodation, food, guides, etc) plus the charity donation.

G4G provides support for your sponsorship raising and training, as well as heaps of other advice.

Trips: Charity Challenges 2011:Everest Base Camp Challenge, Nepal: 14-28 OctoberCycle the Seven Emirates, UAE: 28 November – 2 December Dates for Booking 2012: Dead Cities of Syria Challenge, Syria: 20-27 AprilThe Wild Wall Challenge, China: 18-26 MayTrek to the Roof of Africa, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: 6-14 JulyTransylvanian Trek, Romania: 17-24 AugustThe Road to Mandalay, Burma/Myanmar: 26 October – 3 November

Registration is now open for all of the above challenges, but be quick … registration closes as soon as we have 25 people signed up!

Gulf for Good

29

Wild GuanabanaWild Guanabana

Telephone: +9714 442 2946E-mail: [email protected]: www.wildguanabana.com Wild Guanabana is not your ordinary travel company – it’s daring, different and green. The company, recently launched in the UAE, offers a fresh take on adventure and non-traditional travel by providing highly personalized, life-changing travel experiences from

the jungles of Costa Rica to the mountains of Nepal. Wild Guanabana’s journeys provide an opportunity to disconnect from routine and everyday life and share an experience of self-discovery and personal empowerment. The

experienced Wild Guanabana team organises safe and fun journeys that also offer mean-

ingful emotional connections with fellow travellers and the destinations and cultures they encounter.

Upcoming Signature Journeys Scheduled departure date for the following journeys is 4 November 2011. Thailand: Step Into HeavenPrices: 8 days – US $1,500, 14 days – US $2,450 Tanzania: Libya does KilimanjaroPrices: 8 days – US $2,650

Nepal: The Footsteps of Hillary & TenzingPrices: 14 days – US $2,400Costa Rica: Adrenaline Addicts Anonymous Prices: 9 days – US $2,100, 14 days – US $3,200

The Pavilion Dive Centre

Location: The Jumeirah beach Hotel

Telephone: +97144068828

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.thepaviliondivecentre

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 Bubble-

maker 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.

Facilities:• 5 Star Hotel Facilities

• 2 large swimming pools

• Onsite Classrooms• Onsite Marina• 2 Dive Boats• Free WI FI• SCUBAPRO – Retail Store

• Nitrox• Complimentary of hotel facilities

Dive Packages and Rates Dubai Diving trips are available from Tuesday to Saturday with packages starting from 200

AED. Musandam dive trips are available on Fridays and are subject to availability. All inclusive

packages start from 500 AED.

Special Offers for September

Buy any 5 PADI Specialty Courses for only 3,000 AED.

Get a FREE PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course when you purchase a PADI

Open Water or Advanced Open Water Course.

All courses must be purchased during September and completed within 6 months.

Pavilion

Adven

ture

Listings

Gap Adventures

Outbound Adventure Travel Name of Company: Gap Adventures

Location: Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.

Telephone: 009714 4045859 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gapadventures.com

Note: Contact us to avail your special discount

before booking. Gap Adventures is a world leader in the

adventure travel industry offering small group

adventures on all seven continents and beyond

to more than 100,000 global travellers annually.

The award-winning trips embrace authentic

accommodation and local transportation and

bring you face to face with the world’s most

fascinating cultures, customs and awe-inspiring

natural wildlife.

This focus on culture, nature and active travel,

are ideal for those with a sense of adventure

– people who want to leave the beaten path

and authentically immerse themselves in a

local culture or environment to experience the

real world in a sustainable manner. One of the

founding principles of Gap Adventures was a

desire to ‘do the right thing’ by promoting envi-

ronmental, social and economic sustainability

through travel. To achieve this, Gap Adventures

has established the Planeterra Foundation, as a

way the company and its passengers can give

back to the communities visited.

Our Top 20 adventures - Gap adventures

www.gapadventures.com/trips/top-20-adven-

tures/Nathan Root

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

Visit us at

Meet the OutdoorUAE team at stand H8-182

WINvisit us at ADIHEX and win prizes!

Just

BendAroundthe

With the summer fast coming to a close, I am counting the days to cooler weather and hot fishing.

This summer has been unusually busy for me. With a few of my friends out of town, it was pretty much only Kelvin and I fishing in and around Dubai whenever

we could. I've been keeping myself behind the desk that these one day trips we made when our weekend coincided, seemed like we were on vacation - a respite from the agony of Cabin Fever.

Last year, I had more time in the summer and enjoyed a few memorable trips with friends. I was looking forward for a repeat of it this year, but as they say, we can't have it all.

I am looking forward to this winter's fishing. Stalking the flats for some nice fish, the chilly mornings and the smell of hot coffee wafting out of the thermos...even if it's just instant coffee, it's little luxuries like these that make a great time even greater.

I'm missing friends this year. Leng had to go home to Singapore to attend to some things, Samat is busy with work, Luca is in Qatar, Richie in shuttling between the UK and Italy, Anas is flying around a lot, while Kelvin and I don't have matching weekends.

My solution was to get my gear ready for the coming winter's fishing season. My rods and reels are set and ready, just waiting for the battle cries to start! Flies are lined up and set nicely on the fly boxes, like little soldiers in formation, armed and ready. When pandemonium breaks loose, these are tools I will be relying on.

This coming winter for me is going to be predominantly a season for the fly rod. The more time I spend away from it, the more I get addicted. Fly fishing for me is very per-sonal. You tie the flies you use, your casting will not be as far as your cast on a spinning rod or a bait casting rod and most of the fish you catch are not going to be more than 40 feet away from you. At times, you see the fly crawling at the bottom and a fish behind it...

I cannot wait for winter. The boys are going to be back and we can fish as a group where most of our stories really start and end.

Winter is just around the bend...are you ready?

Till the next tide,

Kit.

An ideal place for me would be somewhere no one else is.

We always have something to look forward to. The wait, is part of the journey.

Kelvin had a guest as well

Dreaming of a vacation - if only work wasn’t in the way

Friends often make the trip, this is one of mine - Leng Chua

I could use another one of these trips we had in the past


32

Some of the best outdoor products available in the UAE

Black Diamond - Storm Head Lamp Price: 250AED Available at: Adventure HQ in mango and matte black colours The fully waterproof Black Diamond Storm offers up 100 lumens of illumination for bright, reliable light in the worst conditions. In addition to versatile proximity, distance and strobe modes, the Storm’s 2 red LEDs preserve night vision and activate without cycling through white mode. A lock mode has also been included to stop ac-cidental battery drain when the lamp is stored in your pack.

• 1 TriplePower LED, 2 SinglePower White LEDs and 2 SinglePower red LEDs emit 100 lumens (max power)• Red night vision mode activates without cycling through white mode• Sleek low-profile design uses 4 AAA batteries• Settings include full strength in proximity and distance modes, dimming, strobe, red night vision and lock

mode• Three-level power meter shows remaining battery life for 3 seconds after switching on headlamp• Protected against water immersion down to 1 m (3.3 ft) for 30 minutes (IPX 7)

[explore]

Polar RCX5 - Training Watch Price: 1,450AED Available at: Go Sport (The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta and Mirdif City Center), Adventure HQ, Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Intersport and online at www.sports-ouq.ae. Polar, the market leader and pioneer in heart rate training technology, is launching just the product multisport and triathlon athletes have been waiting for – the Polar RCX5 training computer. This is a cutting-edge product ideal for endurance sports, with some exciting new features to coach you in planning, training and analyzing your performance in detail.

[run]

Adventurer Opti SteriPEN UV Water Purifier Price: 525AED Available at: Picnico SteriPEN products use ultraviolet (UV) light technology to purify water, destroying more than 99.9 percent of bacteria, viruses and protozoan cysts such as giardia and cryptosporidia. The smallest, lightest SteriPEN®, uses a revolutionary optical eye to sense the water. The patent-pending technology ensures safe use and provides purifica-tion in even the coldest of waters. The new optical sensor doubles as a convenient LED flashlight. It’s a great backup light when camping or taking a night-time walk to refill your water bottle.

Also available with a solar charging case that includes a double-cell rechargeable bat-tery and provides secure storage for the purifier. More info: www.steripen.com

[purify]

33

Landyachtz - Drop Carve 36 Long Board Price: 995AED Available at: Adventure HQ Symmetry is a beautiful thing, with no front or back this is a downhill board that loves to free-ride. The Drop Carve 36 is stable enough to charge down a mountain pass and nimble enough to dodge pedestri-ans on the sidewalk. This is a board that can truly do it all. Features include:

• Drop mounted to provide a more stable ride and making it easier to push and foot-break• Symmetrical design giving the board no front or back.• Bold “W” concave which locks your feet to the board and keeps them comfortable for long rides• 9 plies of Canadian Maple making the board stiff and durable

[skate]

Cool box 24 L Price: 285AED Available at: Go Sport Ibn Battuta, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre Designed to keep the contents approx. 20°C below the outside temperature this coolbox is indispensable for picnics or camping trips. The cool box will work happily in your car or out on the campsite. Volume: 24 ltr. Size: 40 x 33 x 44 cm Weight: App. 5.2 kg Cooling and heating function For 230v and 12 Volts Cool: 18 - 25 °C below outside temperature Warm: 50 - 60 °C

[cool]

OCEAN Australia Sunglasses Price: 200AED

Available at:: Adventure HQ (Times Square Center)

Design engineered for extreme sports action and adventure Durable and affordable 100% UV protection (filters out 100% of all UVA, UVB

and UVC). Protection is built into the lens material so it can’t scratch off and leave your dilated pupils exposed to a UV leak. Ocean Hydrophobic world-class optical

technology performs three critical functions: It prevents moisture buildup, so rain and perspiration won’t leave streaks and

sheens that can compromise your vision. It repels oils, making it easier to keep lenses clean.

It prevents dirt, dust and other particles from clinging to the lens.

[Sun]

34

Diving should always be fun, and if it serves a good purpose, such as help-ing the underwater environment, all the better. With this in mind, Al Boom Diving arranged clean up dives in Al Aqah on Saturday, 13th August.

Coral reef is the nursery of the ocean where juvenile fish have shelter, which is what makes reef so important to the ocean ecology. A few years ago, Al Boom Diving together with Le Meridien Al Aqah and partners placed an artificial Reef ball site just off the hotel beach, in an effort towards creating a new reef site. This site has been left to mature and is not used as a dive site, except for check-up dives held once every six months – and that is what we set out to do on Saturday, 13th August.

Armed with trash bags and gloves kindly provided by the Emirates Diving Association, divers headed out to start our clean-up day, starting with the Reefball site, Le Meridien Reef. Sitting at 10m, the reef comprises 50 artificial reef structures.

Sadly, some garbage was found on the site, some bit of old fishing net and small pieces of garbage. But a good team effort from all of the divers took care of that quickly. Jacks, Arabian angel-fish and lobsters looked

on with interest at the diver-fish hard at work cleaning their home.

Most dive sites actually don’t have any garbage on them which is good news for the local environment and says a lot for the environmental aware-ness of UAE divers in general. The old saying of ‘take only photos, leave only bubbles’ seems to be followed by divers in the UAE.

On to the second site, Dibba Rock, that was mostly clean. The clean-up crew did collect some small bits of garbage – plastic bags and bottles and even a lost snorkel!

Diving with a common goal certainly turned a boat load of strangers in good dive buddies by the end of the day and we headed to the Gonu Bar at Le Meri-dien Al Aqah for a well-deserved lunch.

To join the clean-up fun, follow Al Boom Diving on Facebook to learn all of the latest news.

Al Boom Diving runs daily dive trips from Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah. Email [email protected] for more information.

in Al AqahClean-up dives

36

For Planning Your First Back-packing Trip Abroad

some useful hints and tips on how to prepare for your backpacking trip

Backpacking does not mean you have to sleep in a tent and waive your comfort. Backpacking generally gives you the freedom to choose on site what you want. Backpacking gives you access to locations regular tour operators aren’t offering, which means they are often more remote and therefore not overcrowded, and if you’re lucky in their untouched natural state. It is the traveller’s duty to act responsibly and keep such sites that way. Backpack-ing can be done on your own as there are many people following similar routes, staying in places of varying comfort levels, sharing an adventurous outlook on their travels. The same applies to the budget. Depending on where you go backpacking, trips can be ridiculously expensive. My definition of backpacking would be Traveling with a maximum of mobility and flexibility.

Of course if you don’t like to travel into the great unknown you should check your route, transportation, and accommodations beforehand. It’s up to you how meticulously you plan the details. Depending on where you go it is sometimes hard to pre-book transportation and accommodation and in most cases it is also much more expensive to do so beforehand. This is especially true of less developed countries. Check your travel guides or online forums when planning your trip.

Journey is the reward – If you simply want to have the quickest and reliable con-nection from A to B, backpacking may not be for you. If you are open to the world, to people and new experiences you will love it. You are never too young or too old to start backpacking. The UAE is a unique location with two world class airlines (Emirates and Ethiad) and two major international travel hubs with Abu Dhabi and Dubai Airport, so your will

always be able to find a flight to suit your needs. If the price matters to you more than comfort, there a many affordable inten-tional airlines as well as some local budget airlines such as Air Arabia and FlyDubai.

Here are some tips to follow for your first (or number X) backpacking trip:

Planning your Travel The best way to break travel plans is to make them in the first place! You will most likely meet people

along the way or see things that make you want to change your itinerary entirely. All you really need to know about your travel plans is which country you’d like to visit and when. Everything else can be seen as a bonus, but good preparation gives you more time to enjoy the journey, allowing for the flexibility to make adjustments or major changes. If time is a factor it is best to put together a proper plan outlining what you

want to do in your valuable time. Howev-er, don’t go into too much detail, and

try to leave some things to change to keep the spirit of freedom

and backpacking.

When: Check the best time of year to travel

to your chosen destination. It is essential to find out about the local tem-

peratures and weather condi-

tions. If you want to enjoy the beach but

travel in the middle of the rainy season you will not enjoy

your journey much. The climate is also the most important thing for deciding what

to pack, which we will look into later. The other ‘when’ component is the season of the year with regards to celebrations, holidays and other festivals. You might find you get stuck in one place until the event is over – this may not be a bad thing; if you’re lucky it can turn out as the surprise and highlight of the whole trip. Budget: If you are travelling on a certain budget which will apply to most of us, it is essential to check local prices for all your needs in advance. Travelling in Sri Lanka, for example, will be much cheaper than in Switzerland. With a little research you’ll know what costs to expect. This will help you fix a realistic budget and might allow you to book a longer trip. It will also save money because you are familiar with local prices and will be able to spot the differ-ence between a good deal and a rip-off. In countries where negotiating and bargaining is common you may well get ripped off for something like a taxi ride because you have no idea of the real local price.

Political climate: Always check on the current political situation of the country you are travelling to. As long as the airports are open, you can travel wherever you want, but I still understand that travelling should not put you in danger. Check media reports and recommendations from your embassy to be sure a country is safe. You should not travel in a conflict or war zone but should also not worry too much… e.g. you might find many governments warning you not to travel to Iran, but just check out the article from Patrice who has just travelled through Iran and find out what a positive and great experience it was. In the end the decision is yours only.

8 Tips

1.

37

Language: Honestly, this has never been an issue for me. I’ve been to so many countries where I couldn’t even speak one word in the local language, yet I always got what I needed and reached where I wanted to go. If verbal conversation doesn’t succeed, use your hands, legs or your whole body to explain – it might not always lead quickly to the desired result but it leads somewhere and in most cases is very entertaining for all those involved. The most important thing which applies all over the world is a smile and a kind and friendly approach – the same will be returned. Sources of information: The most popular and useful guide books are the Lonely Planet books which are published in pocket sizes; easy to carry and full of all the information you need. There are some things you should be aware of and check. Inflation and development applies all over the world so be sure to have the latest version of a guide book. The other thing with the Lonely Planet guide books is that they are very popular, so their recommended accommodation or places to visit may be overcrowded and/or overpriced. Also these books only give recommendations, so bear in mind there are other good places to stay and to visit which might be not mentioned. Use the books as a helping tool or guideline but do not be limited to their suggestions. There are also many websites with reviews of trips and hotels etc. Just search the web for your destination and you will find plenty of useful information. As usual with online research, just make sure you use a trustworthy source. Nowadays people sometimes forget that the easiest way to gather information is to speak to other people such as friends or fellow travellers. This will always be the best way to get individual and reliable information. Last but not least, read the current, past and following issues of OutdoorUAE magazine – either the printed or the online version – you will find a lot of info for trips or articles about trips which you can follow. Company: Another aspect to consider is whether you are planning to travel alone or with someone else or even in a group. The easiest and best way to travel is in a couple which makes it easy to get transportation e.g. sharing a taxi and accommodation. If the group exceeds four people you should consider this in your planning as it might require more effort in advance to ensure group transportation and group accommo-dation. Certainly it will be worth the effort because travelling with a group of friends will ensure there is plenty of fun. If you want to be super independent, you also can travel alone but especially as women you should take more care where you go and avoid travelling at night. Some destinations will be absolutely fine for lone travellers, but for other places it may not be recommended to travel alone as women based on local traditions, culture and religion.

Passport and Visa You need to have a passport which is valid for a minimum of 3-6 months to enter any

other country. If you are not sure, check the expiry date of your passport before travelling. Also check the entry and visa regulations for the country you are travelling to. You may need to apply for the visa beforehand, however, some visas are granted on arrival. If you have done your homework and planned your journey properly (step 1) you will know what to do.

Travel Preparation Physical condition: First of all, make sure you are healthy enough for your planned trip.

If it involves a lot of hiking or walking with a backpack you should be fit enough to do so. Also you should consider climate changes and prepare yourself accordingly. However, you don’t need to be an athlete to go backpacking – usually you only need to carry your backpack for a couple of minutes e.g. out of the airport to the next transporta-tion.

Vaccinations: The second thing is to check early enough if any vaccinations are recommended for the region you are travelling to. Don’t wait too long to make an appointment! Sometimes, as in the case of the hepatitis shots, you have to wait 30 days between injections and then another 30 days for it to have an effect. Vaccinations generally have to be paid from your own pocket but you should not economise where your health is concerned. The good thing about vaccinations is that they usually last for a long time, sometimes even a lifetime. Travel insurance: One more health and safety aspect of travelling is travel insurance. Insuring your valuables when you are backpacking doesn’t make that much sense – policies are expensive and if you keep an eye on your stuff and if you don’t act too naively you should be fine. Try to keep your valuables like money or cameras hidden and protected. In some regions you need to take

more care than in others. More important is health insurance! You might travel to countries which are less developed, with lower standards of hygiene, different climates and unusual food. This is all stress to your body and makes the risk of an infection or disease higher than at home. We have a saying: “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” No-one wants to think about getting sick or having an accident while travelling but you have to consider it. Check insurance policies which suit your destination. Again, different locations will require different measures. If, for example, you are going to the Himalayas (including normal hikes in Nepal… not talking about peaks) it would be advisable to take out insurance which covers a helicopter rescue which is the only option of quick help there. When travelling in developed countries and cities a simple insurance policy which just covers medical expenses will do. Of course you can always pay directly which might cost you a fortune in the case of an emergency – investing a little money in insurance will be a smart move. Most travel insurance offers full coverage for health and valuables and often covers as

refunds for cancelled trips as well. Just be sure that all activities you are planning to do are covered – e.g. diving, climbing… Document Copies: Make copies of all important documents like flight tickets (if required, as often you can check in just using your passport number), credit cards, travellers checks, passport, visas, vaccination records and whatever else will be of importance. Keep one set of copies with you or your travel buddies in case you lose one of the originals. If possible, reduce the size of the originals and print them double-sided. Leave the other set of copies at home with a trustworthy person. Also provide this person with the

whole itinerary for your journey. Cash: Check how to get access to cash in the countries you are travelling to. If there are no ATMs likely to be available, check that you can pay by credit card or cheques. Always have some cash in the local currency or of a popular currency like US dollars with you in case of emergencies. Dollars are easy to change worldwide and most people accept

these… even if you have to make a bad deal in

converting to local currency. The cash has saved me already several times: I got lost in a market in Bangkok before my flight and had spent almost all my local currency, the

2.

3.

>

38

only way to catch the flight was to pay the taxi in USD. I’m sure I paid ten times the regular price but caught my flight at the last minute. It is best to keep some cash in your wallet and some separately with the backup copies.

Find a flight Finding a flight from the UAE is very easy. I don’t think there is any location in the world

you cannot reach. With so many UAE based airlines, you even have the advantage of frequent and direct flights to hundreds of destinations… enough for travelling for a lifetime. Check the official website of the airlines: Air Arabia - Sharjah / Fly Dubai - Dubai / Emirates - Dubai/ Ethiad – Abu Dhabi / RAK Airways – RAK. Usually the earlier you book the better prices you get. If you are flexible with dates, you can also compare different days and time of the flights which might make a big difference. As mentioned in the beginning you also have to think of comfort. The budget airlines will not provide the same levels of comfort and service as Emirates and Ethiad but might save you some money.

Packing Depending on the climate and the destination, as well as the duration of

your trip, the requirements for the size of your backpack and what to take will be very different. Also packing is as individual as it can get. Please check my general packing list on page 51 for inspiration and as checklist. In general it is important to have a travel first aid kit with you see page 46 your toiletries, a pair of proper shoes for walking and a comfortable backpack. Where to put what in the backpack is a topic in itself, with no definitive answer. But here are some general hints: before putting anything into the backpack put all the stuff you want to take with you together on your bed or the floor. This will give you a much better overview of what you plan to take and will help you arrange things better. Things which you will need regularly should be kept easily accessible. Bear in mind that your backpack might be exposed to rain or water so it will be very useful to keep clothes and sensitive things in plastic bags. You can use those you get for your groceries

or buy special reusable bags. Ideal are waterproof bag which are light and very resistant. This technique will also help to keep order in the backpack e.g. separate used from new clothes. Depending on where you travel, don’t expect your backpacks to be handled which much care! They might get thrown on the roof of a bus and

on arrival just dropped down. Very fragile things like cameras, MP3 or laptops should be carried in your daypack (small backpack or hand bag) with you. Never pack your backpack to maximum capacity! You are leaving on holiday and most probably will not be able to resist the odd souvenir. Try to fill the backpack to a max of only 75% of its capacity. As long as the space is not filled up with souvenirs you can use it to put your daypack inside the backpack while it’s with you. Try to carry the packed backpack at home and see if it’s comfortable enough to walk for at least 30 minutes with it strapped to your back. If you collapse with exhaus-tion after only a few minutes then clearly the backpack is too heavy. Think about what you really need and take only this. Remember the golden rule for packing a backpack - When in doubt, leave it out! The luggage allowance for most airlines is 25kg which should also not be exceeded with your backpack. I bet you that the first time you backpack you’ll take loads of things you don’t use and clothes you don’t wear. On the other hand after each trip you will find

useful things you might want to take the next time. Before leaving home

Your Home: depending on how long you are planning to be away, you should check if you need to make any preparations. Your cat for example would be not happy not getting fed even if you are only away for a few days. Check with friends or family that someone is available to take care of your home, plants, pets and whatever else may be required. If you are away for a couple of weeks, or months, you should take precautions like turning off the gas and other electrical appliances. It is not recommended to turn off the mains water supply to the house. You may want to consider a timed

5.4.

6.

39

irrigation system to keep your garden watered during your absence. If you have a flat, you could consider terminating your DEWA contract for the months you are away to save some money. You may even want to temporarily vacate your flat if you are planning a trip which lasts several months.

The journey begins! Don’t be put off by all the things mentioned before. Most of it applies to any kind of holiday

you take. All your work and efforts in planning and preparing for the trip will pay off. The fun part will start now so relax, be flexible, be open to new ideas and you will have the experience of a lifetime.

Warning Backpacking is addictive and once you’ve got the bug there is no cure. :-D I would always

choose my backpack over a 5-Star all inclusive holiday in a hotel resort. A few days of being lazy and doing nothing is nice but more than this I can’t stand. The world is too beautiful and there

are too many places to see and too many people to meet to stay only in one place. I love adventure – the constant surprises or the need to improvise on my journeys means I can look back on many great experiences and look forward to even more to come.

This is only a little guide to help you get a better idea of backpacking or how to plan your first trip. It is cer-tainly not comprehensive and many suggestions are based only on my experi-ences and preferences.

7.

8.

40

AdventureChicksAdventure Chick flees the nestWord from Outdoor UAE HQ this

month was that the focus in Sep-

tember was to be travel ... and

seeing Adventure Chick a) loves to

travel and b) sometimes wonders

whether her life is just one big

adventure in far-flung corners, it

seemed only right to follow suit.

Towards the end of every year, I start

compiling a spreadsheet for my adven-

tures in the coming year. It usually ends

up far too long and in need of being

whittled down but on the list will be a

whole string of cool races in cool places

chosen by either the race itself or the

place where it’s happening. Those that

make the final cut are normally those

that hit the mark on both counts.

Only three grand adventures remain in

2011; London’s Toad Challenge in Sep-

tember, Action Asia Nepal in October

and then Racing the Planet Nepal in

November.

A little about each in turn;

The Toad Challenge (www.xnrg.co.uk)

was recommended to me by a guy I met

running Hungary’s Balaton Supermarathon

earlier this year. A multi-stage race, it’s

a stunning route along the Thames Path

from Oxford to Walton on Thames, passing

through beautiful English countryside and

stunning villages like Henley and

Windsor on route. It made the

cut as it’s great multi-day training

for Nepal and Nepal and means

I finish right on the doorstep of

some top girlfriends to party

with for a few days.

Action Asia Nepal (www.actio-

nasiaevents.com) is a 100km

mountainous event in the east

of Nepal, near the border of Ti-

bet. Around 100 other runners

will participate with the plan

to raise money for Nepal’s Child Welfare

Scheme. Trail running or trekking in Nepal

should be on everyone’s bucket list and

more so, when here in the UAE we can

fly so easily and cheaply to Kathmandu. A

great online resource fyi is www.trailrun-

ningnepal.org.

And last but not least, Racing the Planet

Nepal (www.racingtheplanet.com). For

anyone not familiar, the RTP races

are similar to the Marathon de Sa-

bles format. You

may have read

Wouter Kingma’s

fantastic article in

our August issue

about the Gobi

March? RTP is a

series of events

with races in each

of the four most

extreme deserts in

the world, Gobi,

Atacama, Sahara

and Antartica. On The Toad Challenge - www.xnrg.co.uk

Nathan Root

Nathan Root

www.actionasiaevents.com

www.racingtheplanet.com

41

top of these is a fifth, annual roving event and this year it’s in Nepal. Each race is 250km across pretty extreme terrain and being fully self-supported means that we must carry around 30lb’s on our backs with our sleeping bag, all our food, medical supplies and other emergency items such as Clarins hand cream and a nail file. (You think I’m kidding?!) The greatest challenge, in particular for those based in flat deserts, will be the 30,000ft of elevation gain throughout the race. Brutal although I can’t wait and I’m particularly happy that it’ll be a bit of a family affair as my dad is also compet-ing and my little sister is on the support team. I shall be bribing her in the weeks before for nightly neck rubs and foot massages.

There is never a shortage of great people in Dubai who em-bark on all sorts of crazy adventures so you need not go far for inspiration and motivation to continually push yourself to new limits. ‘Too many races, too little time’ is a phrase I have been known to overuse! As for online inspiration, there are too many awesome sites with great worldwide event listings to mention. One site that’s great for planting seeds however is called The Next Challenge. (www.then-extchallenge.org) This site bridges the gap between pack-aged adventures and organising one solo. A motivational blog combined with extensive articles and a support service to determine logistics or just to come up with an idea ena-bles ordinary people to take on extraordinary challenges. And this is what it’s all about really …encouraging people to grab life with both hands … inspiring people by sharing their passion for adventures, challenges and expeditions in all four corners of the globe … and motivating people by spreading the enthusiasm and lust for life that makes these endeavours so rewarding.

On that note, I must go and continue preparing for the next on my list. I wonder what you’re planning next? I finish with the words of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross,

Love Tori x writer, runner, blogger & adidas athlete

PS. Please feel visit my website www.fitchicksandfastwomen.com for more rambles on all things health, fitness and wellness-related

PPS. My email address is [email protected] for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions … or just to say hello!

‘It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if

it were the only one we had.’

Nathan Root

Nathan Root

wikipedia.org

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Name: Jim Drane Activity: General Manager Nationality: British

What is your Passion? My experience is IT and Motor Trade Management but my passion is for motorcycling and until re-cently it was my job as well, running a bike franchise in the UAE.

What is your favourite Spot/Route? My favourite spot is the Dubai Autodrome because the best part of biking is racing and I’ve been involved in the National Sportbike championship since the very beginning, the first ever race at the autodrome was for bikes, back in January 2006. It was my first race too, and I finished 5th. After that, my second favourite route is the mountain road to Kalba, especially early on a Friday morning, with a like-minded group of riders, there’s no better way to start your weekend.

What have you been up to for the last couple of months? In the last couple of months I completed a five day tour of the Loire district in France, with five other biking pals. We’ve been doing this since 1990 so this was the 22nd trip. Last weekend I joined the UAE Desmo Owners club for a trip to Kalba on my 1996 Ducati Superlight, one of four Ducatis that I own.

What would you recommend for readers? If there was one thing I could recommend to your readers, if you are interested in bikes, go to the Autodrome for a track day. It’s not just a riding event, it’s a social event too and most bikers are really nice, friendly and approachable people.

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one's physical and mental capabilities in amazing natural environments. To climb successfully one needs to interact closely with nature, understand many natural phenomena and also respect nature and its power. Climbing and mountaineering can truly offer the ultimate challenges for the adventure seeking mind. Anne-Mari's background as a professional athlete has proved to be helpful in de-manding situations requiring solid physical performance.

So far Anne-Mari has been mountaineering in Europe and Asia including Mount Blanc (2007) and in Nepal: Chulu West (2008), Kang Guru (2008), Tukuche Peak (2009), Mount Everest (2010). Anne-Mari became the sec-ond ever Finnish woman to reach the summit of Everest.

In September 2011, Anne-Mari Hy-ryläinen is going to climb Mt. Manaslu (8163m) in Nepal. It will be Anne-Mari's second over 8000m mountain after Mount Ever-est. Altitude Junk-ies expedi-tion to Mount Manaslu 8163mManaslu (also known as Kutang) is the 8th highest mountain in the world. It is located forty miles east of An-napurna and dominates the Gurkha massif, in the west-central part of Nepal.

Our expedition will meet in the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. After a few days in Kathmandu we will drive to the gateway of the Manaslu trekking circuit, Arughat, to start our nine-day trek to Manaslu Base Camp. After arriving in Arughat with the porters that we will have brought from Kathmandu with us, we will organize the loads for the following days trek to Soti Khola. Our trek will continue each day as we do not need to stop extra nights for

By Anne-Mari Hyryläinen

UAE resident, Anne-Mari Hyryläinen is climbing Mt.Manaslu

Mt. Manaslu is the 8th highest mountain in the world and it is located in the Nepalese Himalayas. Manaslu is 8,156m (26.759ft) above sea level and it is rarely climbed due to its remote location in the Lamjung district and because of the danger-ous and difficult climb.

About Anne MariAnne-Mari is a 33 year old Finnish profes-sional athlete (long distance running and climbing) and has been based in Dubai for 5 years. She has summited Mt. Everest (8,848m) on 23.5.2010 being 1st UAE lady resident on top of the world. She aims to climb all 14 peaks over 8000m in the world.

How did Anne-Mari start climb-ing?Anne-Mari´s interest towards climbing goes back to her youth and her hobby as a girl scout. As a scout she interacted a lot with nature and the wilderness. She developed a long-lasting love towards nature as a whole and the challenges nature had to offer. This love led Anne-Mari later to apply for the climbing course arranged by the Finnish Paratroopers in the Swedish Mount Kebnekaise.

The Second ‘impulse’ was when Anne-Mari saw Mount Everest for the first time with her own eyes when she was on a honeymoon bicycling from Lhasa (Tibet) to Kathmandu (Nepal). Along the way they visited Everest Base Camp (north side) at 5200 meters. Seeing Everest and many other 8000ers gave Anne-Mari a sparkle of motivation to actually one day climb these giants herself. It was clear that Everest would have to be among the first ones.

What does climbing mean to Anne-Mari and what are her goals as a climber?Climbing is a great way of experiencing

acclimati-zation until later on during the trek as the elevation gain is immediately very low. We will spend nights in the villages of Machha Khola, Jagat, Deng and Namrung respectively before arriving at Sama Goan where we will spend three nights for cau-tious acclimatization before finally arriving at Manaslu Base Camp.

You can follow Anne Mari’s journey start-ing on September at www.altitudejunkies.com

AltitudeJunkies

Anne Mari.

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MIKE NOTT BRINGS YOU HIS SERIALISATION OF THE ULTIMATE OFF-ROAD GUIDE

Part 7

One of the fundamental skills necessary for completing the routes in the guidebook is the ability to navigate off-road for hundreds of kilometres. If you do not have this ability, you should not contemplate doing some of the more challenging, long distance routes.

There are many navigational aids available to us for off-road excur-sions. The primary one, and the one that people are generally aware of, is the Global Positioning System (GPS). You must be aware, how-ever, that GPSs do breakdown, run out of battery power, can fail in the heat and should not be relied upon as your only means of navigat-ing. You must have a backup system to continue on your way if your GPS fails. The most obvious and available alternative will be map and compass, and these should be carried with you on any of the routes described in the guidebook. If your compass breaks and your maps are lost or destroyed you still need to know how to orientate yourself and

navigate yourself out of trouble. Some tips and techniques for doing this, by day and night, are described below.

GPS The routes in the guidebook are laid out for the use of vehicles equipped with a GPS. It is not in the scope of this article to go into detail about the various makes and models of GPS but the assumption is made that with your GPS you are able to do the following: enter waypoints, navigate to a waypoint, link waypoints to create routes, record the track of where you have been, do a back-track and that the GPS has a trip computer. It is suggested that the datum setting for your GPS in this region is: WGS 84, using Latitude and Longitude co-ordi-nates (degrees and decimal minutes).

Mapping for this region is notoriously difficult to procure. There are currently no means to obtain official government mapping down to 1:100,000 scale, which would be the most useful scale for most of the routes in the guidebook. However, aeronautical charts can be

bought freely and are available down to scales of 1:250,000. They are sufficiently detailed to show most of the larger land features including roads, tracks, dune, sabkhah, mountains, water features and habita-tion. They can be used successfully in the more remote parts of this region. In addition, particularly for the UAE, 1:120,000 satellite pho-tography mapping is available for off-road use. They do not show the detailed land features that would be the norm for a ‘government’ map of that scale, but they can be used very effectively for navigation.

Compass Compasses can be bought in most of the region’s camp-ing shops. They are not difficult items to procure. If you buy a light-weight compass, such as those made by Silva™ or Suunto™, you must ensure that the one you have is made for use in the North Magnetic Equatorial (NME) zone (NME should be engraved somewhere on the compass, usually on the base). With your compass you should be able to do the following: take a bearing to a distant object, travel on a cho-sen bearing, orient a map using a compass, triangulate your position

Part 7: NAVIGATION

GPS

sometimes, you just have to get the map out

navigation demands

45

on a map, take note of, and apply, the magnetic variation, and take a

back bearing.

Finding North and South from the Sun If your compass breaks or is lost there are several methods to determine direction using the sun. The UAE and Oman are in the Northern Hemisphere and the methods outlined below apply to this hemisphere only. You should be aware that the Tropic of Cancer goes through both countries and that if you are North of it the sun will be within 5° of South at midday. However, this does mean that during the Summer months the sun is virtually overhead at midday and, consequently, you will achieve no accuracy within a few hours either side of midday.

Please note that in the zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, the sun will shine from the opposite direction (i.e. North) in the Summer for varying periods, longer nearer the equator, quite short near the Tropic of Cancer. The sun will be directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer during the Summer solstice.

Using a Watch to Find South This method is accurate, to within 5°, an hour or so on either side of midday. Earlier in the morning and later in the afternoon it is only a rough guide.

(1) Hold the watch horizontally and point the hour hand at the sun.

(2) Bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12 o’clock to find true South.

Use of Shadow. A stick, preferably thin, straight and a metre long, should be placed vertically in flat ground, clear of any vegetation. It

may be used to determine:

East-West. Mark the tip of the shadow with a stone. Ten to fifteen minutes later mark the tip of the shadow in its new position.

A line drawn between the two stones gives a rough East-West line in

the middle of the day.

North-South. At midday the shadow will point North in the northern hemisphere with the exception of the caveats for the tropical zone mentioned earlier. Obviously you will need an accurate

time from your watch to determine midday.

Finding Direction at Night. Below is a simplified star chart and explanation that will enable you to locate the North Star (Polaris on the chart) in the Northern Hemisphere. Movement at night, particularly in the open dunes, is hazardous (see Day or Night above).

Finding the North Star (Polaris). The North Star is always within 2° of the North Pole. Three methods to find it are out-lined below:

1. Find the Plough constellation and then locate the two stars, at the end of the ‘saucepan’. Take a line from the star at the top of the ‘sauce-

pan’. The North Star is located at the end of the Little Bear constella-tion.

2. From the constellation Cassiopeia take a line at a small angle between the centre and left of centre stars of the ‘W’ and extend it 5 times the distance between those two stars to find the North Star.

3. The stars, Polaris, the ‘lid’ in Auriga, and those at the end of the ‘saucepan’ in the Plough, make a right angle.

finding south

use of shadow east and west

Be sure to look out for Mike’s new book out soon, UAE and Oman Off-Road Adventure Routes that brings together all of the parts we have had in the magazines and a whole lot more!

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If you are traveling to another country or region you should have the recommended vaccinations. Even being home you should always check to have all necessary vac-cinations. Still you have no guarantee to be safe, usually no one expects accidents or getting ill but so more often than not small injuries or infections will happen whilst traveling.

To not being forced to cancel the whole trip or to have communication problems in a pharmacy you should have a basic set of medicine and first aid stuff always with you. If mentioned in the article on page _____ that communication is nothing to worry about generally, but in case of emergencies you don’t want to take a risk and there can’t be anything worse than to waste time or get the wrong medication. Depending where you travel there might also no pharmacy or doctors close by (in remote locations this could be hundreds of kilometers), therefore you should also adjust the first aid kit if you are headed into extreme and remote locations. This first aid kit is just general and useful for all jour-neys and will not take up too much space. Keep in mind to tell people traveling with you where you have the first aid kit for them to find it if you are in need. If you are travelling alone you should also remember to put it in an obvious place in your backpack.

Travel First Aid Kit

A list of useful medicine and first aid for your journey.

Medicine: Aspirin (headache,fever, pain – also as prevention of thrombosis dur-ing a flight) Ibuprofen (Anti-inflammatory) Ibuprofen Cold/Sinus (Decongestant) Doxycycline (Antibiotic) Immodium (Runs) Buscopan (Stomach Cramps) Strepsils (Throat Lozenges) Bactroban (Antibacterial ointment, cuts and bruises) Cortisone (Allergic Rashes)

Fenistil Gel (Insect repellent) Ear Drops Eye Drops Otriven (Nasal Spray) Oral Rehydration Salts (Electrolytes) Tiger Balm – colds and coughing

First Aid Kit: Exam quality vinyl gloves Resuscitation mask (mouth to mouth) there are very simple and cheap plastic masks available Cotton tipped applicators Band-aids – different sizes Compression bandages Gauzes First aid tape roll Medium Butterfly wound closures Iodine/Betadine (tropical antiseptics) Emergency blanket Burn relief gel pack Alcohol cleansing pads Antiseptic cleansing wipes Small scissors Tweezers First Aid Guide Plastic bag(s) Torch Duct-Tape

The above list is not an official list by any author-ity and is just put together by my experience. So we don’t take any liability for the use of medi-cation or first aid equipment – if you are sure about the use of anything of the above men-tioned please consult a pharmacy, doctor or do a first aid course.

First aid Kit

Notepad

Medicine Pack + First Aid Kit contents

Medicine Pack

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It’s 4 days till eid, family, friends and co-workers are buzzing about where to go for the ‘Long Weekend’. Spontaneity takes the reigns and I start looking for a flight, and finally stumble across Kathmandu, Nepal. If most of you have read the magazine before you’ll probably have noticed that each month we always have an article about Nepal, not because we plan it but I think because a lot of our readers and outdoor enthusiast’s alike see it as an essential adventure, not to mention the cheap flights and accessibility.

With a backpack from Adventure HQ, walking shoes, some wet whether gear (it’s only just coming to the end of the monsoon season- so waterproofs come in handy) and an eager friend to join on the trip I was ready to go.

We booked the flight through Air Arabia at around 1,500 AED return and decided we would book a hotel or guesthouse when we arrived. We ended up staying in the Shankar hotel in Thamel (known as the hippy town of Kathmandu) with really reasonable rates for a double bedroom (around 65$ a night) we opted for this than roughing it in a guesthouse. If you are on a budget however, Kathmandu Guest house comes highly recommended (around 50$ a night for a Double Bed).

During our time in Kathmandu we managed to see a few tourist attrac-tions and one, which stuck out, was the Swayambhu-nath Monkey

Temple. You make your way up 365 steps and from the top of this hill you stumble across a beautiful ornate dome coupled with a full solid gold skirt whilst two giant white Buddha eyes staring straight at you. This is where most of the population of Kathmandu come to make offerings to the gods, and you can get a chance to spin the wishing wheels as well as taking in the breathtaking view of the Kathmandu Valley.

After getting a taste of the organised chaos that is Kathmandu and loving every moment of it both Ryan and me decided to head up to the Last Resort for a change and to get an idea of what Nepal was most famous for; it’s striking scenery and stunning mountain ranges. A 3 hour drive outside of Kathman-du and securely nestled on the top of the steep Bhote Kosi River gorge, The Last Resort is literally the ‘Last Resort’ before getting to Tibetan Border When we arrived were greet-ed by a small village and a 160m high sus-pension bridge across the river gorge, however before you see anything, all you can hear is scream-ing, and lots of it. I looked at Ryan and said out loud- this is really ‘ The Last Resort!’

The bungee and the swing were the first two activities to catch our eyes, and I thought I have to do this first! After the welcoming screams, we dumped our bags and headed back to the bungee. Ishow our friendly activity co-ordinator briefed Ryan and me about the jump and the swing and before you knew it I had the mark on my wrist I was next in line. A lot of people were getting up to the platform and bailing but as soon as he said 3,2,1 I was off!

After lunch we suited up with rash vests, wetsuits, harnesses and helmets we hiked for about 15 minutes through a traditional Nepalese village, (they were looking at us very strangely) to a near by stream which little did we know turned into several 25-45 meter drops, waterfalls and rock slides which we would have to lower ourselves down by abseiling. Both terrifying and exhilarating this was a great experience as you come face-to-face with nature at it’s rawest. A real shout out has to go to our guides, Bhola, Sunil and Anil (pictured bottom right), who were absolutely brilliant in teaching us how to do it properly, as well as making us feel safe and showing us a good time.

Aching and tired we headed back to our tents, and by nightfall we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere with a full on safari tent experi-ence, (with added luxuries of hot showers and food!) and by morning we were up for

the next challenge- booking a massage!!

After completely relaxing the following morning we went to check out the one ac-tivity we didn’t get to try -the high ropes. An amazing high-wire forest adventure obsticle course set at 10 m’s up in the trees and is for those who aren’t afraid of heights! It’s a great team building exercise and I managed to get a few shots of a group who tried it that was actually from Dubai!

The most enjoyable and exciting part of the trip was unfortunately the one part where I didn’t bring the waterproof camera, and involved getting in a raft with 5 other complete strangers and hav-ing to paddle for your life down grade 3 rapids! Ocsho was our rafting guide and he sat at the back

humorously barking orders at us and also conspiring with a couple of the other teammates to throw me out the boat. Ochso also mentioned that they run 10-day rafting trips down the Sunkosi River, I told him I would let him know if I could get some keen outdoor adventurers together!

The Last resort I have to admit is definitely what it stands for: An all-inclusive adrenaline fuelled adventure camp, but it has to be said that it’s also a

great concept as you can pick and mix what you want to and when you want to do it.

Overall -with the flights under 1,500 AED return, and with an exchange rate of 16.5 Rupees to the Dirham this is the place to head to for a short term budget get-away. With stunning views of the mountains, adventure tours, manmade/natural tourist attractions, the hustle and bustle of Kath-mandu you can get the best of both worlds

in a short space of time in Nepal, even getting a chance to throw yourself off a bridge and live to tell the tale!

If you want more information about this trip get in touch with us at [email protected].

Nepal - the Last Resort?Tara takes the plunge in Kathmandu

Tara.

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LocationLaura’s

On the quest to blend natural luxury with a weekend escape of gallivanting amongst the outdoors, Laura Snook discovers Sahab Hotel, a boutique retreat perched on the very edge of the Jabal Al Akhdar Mountains!

If you ask me my favourite way to travel, I would very quickly reply “blending outdoor adventure and leisure with natural luxury!" By this, I mean spending most of my time exploring the natural environment of a new location, experiencing the culture and tingle of exhaustion from gallivanting amongst the outdoors ... only then to return late afternoon back to my retreat, rewarding the body with a cheeky wink of nature inspired luxury!.. Australia and New Zealand are riddled with these getaway escapes, as are many areas within Europe, however I was convinced the UAE and Oman, albeit the infamous Zhiggy Bay, were still yet to discover this type of tourism concept. That was until I came across a highly favourable review from the Australian Manager for Oman Tour-ism, raving about the newly opened, Sahab Hotel, Oman. Not to be biased, but as an Australian myself, I knew that if a fellow countryman was referring, then I needed to be listening! Located 6 hours’ drive from Dubai, Sahab Hotel has entirely adopted this new tourism concept by blending the ancient fossiliferous landscape of the Jabal Al Akhdar Mountains with traditional Omani architecture and an incredibly spectacular view. Perched on the edge of a gaping canyon overlooking the green terraces of the villages below, it is not hard to take a deep breath of blissful delight

as you immerse yourself in the infinity pool, watching the sun cast dramatic shadows as it sets across the opposing mountain range.... What I love about this place is that it has soul. Soul from a man, Nabhan al Nabhani, who after 18 years of being away in the Omani navy, had a passion to return home and build a luxury retreat incorporating all elements of the mountain he loves.

Imagine working in an ancient village, amongst terraced farms carved like giants staircases into the side of the mountain! The Jabal Al Akhdar Mountains, otherwise known as the ‘Green Mountain’ is home to a variety of agricultural farms including pomegran-ate, apricot, peach and walnut. So get back to your grass roots and pick pomegranates as you over look the deep canyons below! Farming experiences can be arranged prior to your arrival – bookings essential.

Experience local farming at its best!

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For all you avid hikers, then this is your spot! 3000m above sea level, the Jabal Al Akhdar Mountains are a pleasure pad for hiking. Offering spectacular views, cool tempera-tures and home to ancient fossils, this is backcountry with soul! Many hikes are available, straight from Sahab’s front door, including the infamous ‘Diana’s point’ – named after the late Princess Diana, and her love for this area during her visit in 1990. Diana’s Point: Sample a touch of royalty as you hike to one of Diana’s favourite views! 3 Village Walk: From Sahab Hotel’s view point, you can see 3 villages built into the side of the mountain. A true treat, this walk takes you along the falaj (ancient irriga-tion systems), walking amongst the terraced farms, and through the medieval stone corridors as you make your way through each quaint little village!.. Follow your nose! There are many other walks available, you can simply make your own path or check out guides for some great hikes within the area. If you are doing this, make sure you take your GPS!

Hiking paradise!

Taste this!

Scattered around Nabhan’s native garden are a selection of local edible fruits and plants. The berries are a real treat, however if he suggests you taste the cactus... run!! :)

“I want guests to experience the beauty of my home, the mountain, its ancient fossils, its gracious splendour and our lifestyle”... “Rather than build on top of the fossils, I built around them making their presence, the view and the mountain life-style, the primary attraction of this place’’. What I also love is Nabhan’s passion for the outdoors. He wants his guests to explore his area, hosting and providing many options to those who all share this love. Whether you want to hike, experience village farming, challenge yourself at caving, ride donkeys or visit untouched villages... there are plenty of ways to bask in the mountains glory! If you want a weekend escape combining luxury, the outdoors and Omani culture then the Sahab Hotel is your place. Its blend of wild rugged mountain terrain, nature inspired luxury and access to participate in unique outdoor activities, makes this place a must do!

Sahab Hotel

Tel: +968 25429 288 G.P.S (lat23°04’2200”N-long57°40’0700”E) Closest Town: Birkat Al Mawz, Oman Distance from Dubai: 6 hours drive Best Route from Dubai: Dubai - Sohar - As Seeb - Birkat Al Mawz

Car: 4WD only

Recommended days: 3 days is optimal, however a weekend is possible. Note: To organise farming, donkey trekking, guided tours etc – advance bookings are essential www.sahab-hotel.com

Fast Facts

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What is an HDR Image? Some of you may have heard this term or may have seen some HDRI photo’s, which can look fake or sur-real like a painting. This is a form of HDR, which is commonly seen, how-ever is not the main reason behind why photographers use it.

High dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a technique that allows a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image, more so than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images be more accurately represented through the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight. (www.wikipedia.org)

To translate this into simple words. A normal photo with your camera has only one exposure, which is nice and uniformly balanced in all areas of the photo. Many situations however, will confront you with the problem that areas of the photo are over

or under exposed because of the range of luminance (light and dark areas) your cam-era can capture are limited. This means your camera will take only middle values of light and therefore sacrifice the finer details. For example details in the shadows (dark areas) or in the sky (bright areas). HDRI solves this problem in combining several photos of the same aperture with different exposures into one single image.

To do this you will need software to cal-culate the HDRI. This depends on how the photos are taken and strongly relies on the settings in the software in order to get great looking and balanced photos. You have to also be careful you don’t overdo the HDRI in the post processing, if you use too much of a high value in one setting you might get wanted or unwanted artificial looking results which appear like a 3D rendering or a painting.

Therefore HDRI is a perfect answer for chal-lenging and difficult light situations where you are unable to balance the light in the scene directly. You can find more details information, tutorials and software online.

OutdoorPhotography

HDRExposure -2

Exposure 0

Exposure +2

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As mentioned in the article on page 36 packing is an individual thing and what I might consider as useless is for others very important. E.g. Tori our adventure chick will never travel without nail file, which you will never find in my backpack (only as part of the nail clipper set). So here is my list with stuff I usually take for a trip a warm climate zone. Feel free to add items to the list a leaf thing you think are not necessary: Essentials Passport (check validity!) and Visa Pens + paper to make notes Tickets and itinerary (airline, train, bus, ac-commodation bookings etc.) Licenses and certificates e.g. Dive License, Student Card, Driving License Photocopies of important documents in case they are stolen (Member’s tip)

Finances ATM or Credit card Cash in the local cur-rency of your arrival destination or common currency e.g. US Dollar Money belt (You can’t be too safe in some places) Travellers’ cheques (and receipts for travel-lers’ cheques) if necessary (I never needed any)

Clothes Shoes or walk hike (1) Slippers / Flip Flops (1) Socks (5) Underwear (7) T-shirts (5) Polo Shirt (1) Short Trousers (1) Jeans (perfect for any kind of occasion) (1) Long trousers with zipper to wear them as short trousers (1) Swimming trousers (1) Pullover / long sleeve shirt (1) Light Jacket – perfect a light rain jacket/ wind breaker (1)

The number of items is what I usually take for one week or longer. In general I consider that within one week I will have the chance to wash some clothes.

The ultimate backpack packing listWe take a peek to see what’s inside Daniel’s backpack

Clothes Acces-sories A good hat / Cap Sunglasses Dive / Snorkel Mask (beach holiday) Toiletries

Anti-bacterial cream Comb or brush Q-tips Deodorant + Perfume (the small testers you get in the mall are ideal... perfume tends to leak and a regular bottle will be too big) Fingernail clipper Razors + Shaving cream Small Shower Gel (Shampoo and condition-er – perfect or the small packs you usually get in hotels) Soap Sunscreen and after sun cream Toothbrush, toothpaste, Toilet paper (I always take it with me...) First Aid Kit and Medicine

Things you might need but I never take with me:

Hair products (gel, spray etc.), Comb or brush, Tampons and pads, cosmetics...

Other Items Backpack rain cover Batteries (I usually check the batteries be-fore I leave – if they are full the should last for a week) Water Bottle Duct tape - Fixes everything! (I put some Duct tape around a spare torch, which I have in the first aid kit, on the contact of the batteries) Electrical adapter and plug converter Torch – I usually take one small LED torch and a head torch (plus the spare one in the First Aid kit)

Guidebooks, or print outs from our online travel guide Phrase books or dictionaries (if not included in the guide book) Maps (if not included in the guide book or if you need more accurate ones) GPS IPod, MP3 player Mobile phone - I take a cheap and simple one only for emergencies Travel alarm clock (if not inte-grated in your mobile or watch) Watch Power cords and chargers for all your electrical items - Save some money on batteries Laundry detergent Plastic bags (I use waterproof bags for fresh cloth and one net-bag for use cloth) Light Cotton Sleeping bag

(I always take it with me. It’s 300g only and you don’t need to worry about unhygienic bed sheets in wherever you are. Travel Towels, beach and otherwise - the quick drying versions are very handy! Umbrella / rain jacket (depends where and at which time you go) Knife or multi tool - Don’t keep it in your carry on as it will be removed Cable straps – very useful to fix your backpack or other things

Super glue – very small and can save you in many situations Matches, Lighter or Fire Steel

Camera: I always take my SLR with me therefore the list is long.

I also have it always in my daypack/hand luggage. SLR / Camera Lens – usually I only take a 24-70mm Batteries (more than one – I have 6 which makes me very independent) Charger Cable remote Small tripod P-Filter and ND Filter S Sufficient Memory cards Tissue and brush to clean the lens

(Not all these items are in the picture)

For the flight I usually wear the heavi-est shoes (anyhow I take them off during the flight), long trousers and a pullover or jacket. The passport, money, documents and camera I always have in my daypack/hand luggage. The stuff mentioned in the list and shown in the pictures has only a total weight of about 9kg including the backpack. This leaves enough allowance for individual items or all the stuff your wife/girlfriend is convinced will be necessary for her to take ;-)

52

Moto

DIYby John Basson

On collecting my 1st new bike in 2006, I was reading the service manual while they did the final preparations on the machine. (Hon-da CRF 250X)

I still remember the very 1st line in the Manual: “This is an off road machine built for racing and has no warranty”. Happy and proud that I now own a “Racing ma-chine”, I continued to page through the manual and read the servicing schedule for the bike. I nearly had a heart attack!!! New piston and rings every 15 Hrs. New this, new that, replace this after 7.5 hrs, do this after every ride and who knows what else!!!

Shocked and very upset I called the sales-men and “blamed him” for not making me aware of this “Expensive to Maintain” new bike I had just bought. He assured me that this schedule is only for world champion level riders and all I needed to do was clean the air filter after every ride and regularly change the oil and oil filter. Very pessimistic regarding the “durability” of this racing machine I can now, after 5 years and almost 200Hrs of riding (on this bike) vouch for these machines. I have not had any breakdown, failure or replaced any component apart from one bearing on the steering stem. (This was due to the bike being fully submerged during an at-tempted river crossing in South Africa.)

John introduces us to his workshop,

and how to keep your quad in top working form.

He was right. If you do just the basics then these machines last very long.

So, with only a couple more weeks of hot weather before the riding season is in full swing, here are some tips to keep your ma-chine in good running condition:

By far the most important maintenance here in the UAE is the air filter! The UAE sand is very-very fine and you must prevent sand from entering into the engine. Most modern bikes use foam filters that need to be soaked in special “foam-filter oil”. It is the stickiness of the oil that traps and prevents the very fine sand from passing through the foam-filter. These oils are available at most of the dealers in the UAE. There is an aerosol version that is very good and easy to apply. The bottle type needs a bit more effort but is also very good. (You put the filter in a plastic bag, add about 200cc oil and shake the filter in the bag. Then wring it to get rid of the excess oil before removing it from the bag.)

Stay away from aftermarket air filters that promise more power. The ONLY way an air filter can produce more power is by letting more air through it. This is obviously achieved by bigger “holes” in the foam, and this means some fine desert sand will pass through it. My riding buddy, Tiennie,

needed to rebuild his Raptor’s engine after only one season with one of these aftermarket filters!!

I clean my air filter after every ride and after every 3rd or 4th ride replace the engine oil and filter. This might sound exces-sive but your machine should run for ever if you do this. Re-member that oil, due to very high temperatures inside the engine, starts to carbonize and these microscopic pieces of carbon cause excessive wear in the engine. It is not uncom-mon for a bike to need new upper section (piston and

rings) by 80hrs of engine time. (Some pro-fessionals, and according to the manual, replace this after only 15 hours.)

All my machines have over a 100hrs and their compression is well within limits and none of them smoke.

The cost of a new oil filter and good min-eral oil is less than 100AED per service and well worth the effort in the long run. I am currently running all my machines on fully

synthetic oils, but you

don’t need to do this if you are just a social rider. If you don’t know the oil your ma-chine needs then Castrol GTX 20w50 is a good multi grade and suitable for the higher temperatures of the UAE and sold at Carre-four. (Four stroke bikes and quads)

Keeping the chain clean and oiled is also very important. Neglecting this will not cause damage to the bike but premature wearing of the front and rear sprockets will occur. I have stopped using chain lube products as they generally make a mess and the sand really sticks to it. Up to about a year ago I only used WD40 on my chains and with great success. I do however clean my chain, after each ride, with STP heavy duty engine degreaser available at most ADNOC stations and motor spare outlets. It is amazing stuff and with very little effort my chains are cleaned before allowing it to dry and applying the new oil. I now use a product called Carlude 100+ spray grease on my chains that I buy from ACE hard-

My small workshop in Al Ain, together with a KTM getting a suspension upgrade

A complete strip down every three years

A good clean before a session

53

ware. It is only 15 AED per can and works great!

I start by spraying the bike down with a hosepipe. Beware of high pressure clean-ers!! If you don’t know how to use them on a bike you can easily spray water through the seals on the bearings and engine.

Then I spray degreaser on the engine and chain. I lightly scrub the chain with a brush and allow 3-5 min to soak before rinsing the bike. Next the air filter is removed from under the seat and cleaned in a bucket with petrol (Not recommended, but man it works well!!) or good solvent if you have. I wring the filter and allow about

30min in the sun to ensure it is dry. While waiting I clean the air box with tissue pa-per and carefully rinse with slow running water. (DON’T get water into the engine!!)

If it is time for an oil change I will run the engine for about 3-5min to allow the oil to heat so that it is thin and the maximum drain from the bike (Remember to drain the engine AND gearbox oil, if the bike/quad is fitted with two drain plugs. Once the oil is out I replace the compression washers on the drain plugs before returning the plugs. This is the special soft aluminum (Honda) or brass (Suzuki/Yamaha) washer that acts as a gasket and locking washer and sup-posed to be used only once. DON’T over torque the nut as you are bound to strip the engines thread and not the nut’s. The oil filter on most bikes and quads change very easy and takes only a few minutes to change. My friend changes the filter after every second oil change. I am sure this is Ok, but at 25AED for the filter, I change mine every time I change the oil. The bike is now ready for the new oil and don’t for-get to fill the gearbox and engine depend-ing on your bike. I use a measuring jug and add the specified amount according to the manual. Don’t over fill!

By now the drive chain should be dry and with the back wheel/s elevated I spray an excessive amount of oil on the chain while rotating the wheels. Then I let it drip dry be-fore I park the bike.

These very basic cleaning and maintenance steps have served me well over the years. All my machines are in very good condi-tion and I have not had any breakdowns. Every 3 years of social riding is a good time to fully strip, clean, grease and reassemble your bikes/quads. This I used to do in the villa entrance, but complaints from the other tenants ‘forced’ me to build a small workshop.

Remember that you don’t feel the expense of regularly servicing the bike yourself, but having a failure in the desert can really spoil your day…

If you have any doubt on how to service your bike or quad go to one of the local dealers and ask the mechanics for help and advice. The ones I have spoken to were very eager to assist and give advice.

Ride Safe and Go for Gold,

John Basson.

After each ride:

Step 1: Hose down

Step 3: Scrub chain

Step 4: Rinse engine and chain

Step 2: Spray degreaser on engine and chain

Step 5: Remove and clean air filter

Step 6: Spray filter with oil

Step 7: Greese the lip and return filter

Step 8: Lubricate the chain

The good stuff...

A lot of ladies to please...

54

Preventing a fogged up mask can be a real pain and frequently leads to an unenjoyable dive at times. Many people will state that you can’t beat a good spit, rubbing the sputum onto the mask inte-rior…works every time? Well not really, so help is at hand.

No I am not going to push some super anti-fogging agent that costs several dollars for a few ml because there is a true and tested remedy available very cheaply… ‘Johnsons Baby Shampoo.’

If you don’t believe me just give it a try, if it does not work I will be very surprised.

I was always under the impression that a brand new mask required the toothpaste treatment before use, and then a good helping of sputum before every dive, however after witnessing JBS on a brand new mask last year in the Philippines I am converted.

I have seen people use a lighter to remove some invisible film from the interior and then with a liberal scrubbing of toothpaste and soaking the new mask overnight only to have a fogged mask on their first dive the following day.

Having recently purchased a new frame-less mask I decided to only use JBS and it worked on the very first dive without any other treatment, no fogging and a very happy underwater photographer.

Please note that if you do still use spit, please do not rinse the mask in the fresh water barrel that is sometimes found on boats for mask cleaning, rinsing dive computers or cameras.

Handy Hintsby Gordon T. Smith

Al Bahr Marine, Jumeirah 3, next to EPPCO StationP.O.Box 1797, Dubai, UAETel. +971 4 394 1653Email. [email protected] PICNICO GENERAL TRADINGPICNICO GENERAL TRADING

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Being outdoors and travel-ling outdoors is an amazing experi-ence. Reaching places no one else has been before, seeing untouched nature, spotting wildlife in its purity, and all of this preferably in a small group, is a very special feeling indeed. Unfortunately there is also the other side of the coin. As soon as humans penetrate a site, it is no longer untouched even if we act as responsibly as possible. Why do we think we have the right to enter these secret places and try to prevent others from having the same experience which will culminate in the threat of mass-tourism? And last but not least how do we reach these exotic and faraway places? By plane – the most environmental unfriendly way of transportation. All very good reasons why there can’t be such a thing as eco-tourism in the sense of doing no harm to the environment.

Even though ecotourism is a faux-pas word, I still believe that as an initiative it is a very good thing the best way of travelling. Cer-tainly none of us will stop travelling just be-cause we know it is not the best thing to do for the environment! Simply our own aims, dreams and targets are above nature which I can’t change and 99% of people will not

Ecotourism

change. We will not waive our habits and the comfort we have nowadays and move back to caves in order to do as little harm to nature as possible – a nice thought but far away from reality. People have always travelled and will continue to do so. What we can change is the way of travelling, try-ing to leave only small footprints and as little impact as possible. Travelling is also a great way of education; we all know the treats of the rain forest, oceans and other natural wonders. But seeing with your own eyes how hectares of rainforest are burned down for farm land as the only way of survival for a family, burns into our minds and involves us directly. Ecotourism can be a source of income for these farmers who would not be forced to burn forests in their desperate fight for survival. Ecotourism will still have an impact, but by no means such a dramatic one as the alternative. With more people knowing about and understanding the issues involved in conserving our environment, the more awareness can be raised about the im-portance of preserving and protecting these areas. Monitored and sustainable access to reserves will give these areas an economic value which makes it, in capitalistic terms, worth keeping and protecting the land for governments, businesses and individuals.

You don’t need to book only ecotourism trips, simply travel with the awareness of trying to leave only small footprints behind. This starts from right in front of your own doorstep, even for those small weekend trips – don’t break plants and take your rubbish home with you.

Black Forest - Germany

Plitvice Lakes - Croatia

Water Flower - Sri LankaDaniel.

56

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Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, WakeboardingEquipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai+97142894858 , www.alboom-marine.comLeisure Marine Beach Hut, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191Leisure Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, next to ACE Hardware, +97143415530, www.leisuremarine-me.comPearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.comSurf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971505043020, www.surfingdubai.comSurf Shop Dubai, Dubai, Al Raha Bldg, Al Barsha 1, +97143990989, www.surfshopdubai.comUAE Kite Surfing, +971505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.netDistributorOcean Sports FZE, +971559352735, www.kitesurfsup.comOperatorAl Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.comDubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com

Kite Fly, Dubai, +971502547440, www.kitesurf.aeKite4fun, Abu Dhabi, +971508133134, www.kite4fun.netNautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.aeShamalkitesurfing, Umm Suqueim Beach – Dubai, +971507689226, www.shamalkitesurfing.comSky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.comSurf Adventures UAE, Dubai, Al Barsha1, +97143990989, www.surfadventuresuae.comSurf School Dubai, Umm Suqeim & Al Barsha, Dubai, +97143990989,

PolarisUAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Inter-change4, Sheikh Zayed Road, 04-3419341,www.libertykawasaki.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +97142852200, www. wildx.aeEquipmentDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +97142959428, www.arabiatours.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +97144548388, www.2xwheeler.comSebSports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +97143393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Indus-trial Area, +97142852200, www. wildx.ae

MotorcyclingDistributors & DealersAl Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamaha/Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.apriliauae.comLiberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Inter-change4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +97142822144, www.libertykawasaki.comPolarisUAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +97142896100, www.polarisuae.com

Tristar Motorcycles, +97143330659, www.tristaruae.comWorkshop & Services2xWheeler, +971506003058, www.2xwheeler.comDune Bike, Dubai, Al Khail Road Alweer, +97143272088, www.dunebuggyuae.comDuseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143476712, www.apriliauae.comGecko Motors, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143413550, www.gecko-motors.com

MotorsportsAl Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.comDubai Autodrome, Dubai, www.dubaiautodrome.comEmirates Motorplex, Umm Al Qu-wain, +97167681717Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road ManufacturerLRC Off Road Engineering, Dubai, +971553198526, www.lrcoffroad.comRepair and servicesOff Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143392449, www.offroad-zone.comEquipmentAEV, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143307152, www.aev.aeIcon Auto, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.comWild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, Um AL Ramoul, +971509029800, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Dubai, Times Square Centre & Festival City, +97143418592, www.yellowhat.ae Tour OperatorDesert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971-42959428, www.arabiatours.com Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143034888, www.arabian-adventures.comOasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +97142628889, www.opdubai.comClubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com Filipino Off- Road Club, www.forac.ae ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

www.surfschooluae.comClubsAbu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle www.uaesup.com

Water ParksAquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwaim, Emirates Road, +97167681888, www.dreamlanduae.comWild Wadi, Dubai, +97143484444, www.wildwadi.com

Other leisure activitiesAbu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 97125588990, www.adgolfclub.comDolphin Bay AtlantisDubai, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.aeDubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +97143369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.aeIfly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdiff City Centre, +97142316292, www.iflyme.comSadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +97125578000, www.sbgolfclub.aeSharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +97143999005, www.golfandshootingshj.comSkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emir-ates, +97144094000, www.skidxb.comSpacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +97124463653, www.spacewalk.ae

Safety & TrainingSafety LessonsMarine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.comSafety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +97144502418, www.sltme.com

To advertise please e-mail: [email protected]

or call: 04 44 72 701

Outbound Adventure Travel.FindoutmoreaboutRahhalahandthefascinatingjourneysweofferon

www.rahhalah.com

Tel: +9714 4472166Email: [email protected]

On the move to explore

ADRENALINE. PASSION. GLORY

Email: [email protected] Tel: 800skydive

or contact: 0971503488802

Web: www.skydivedubai.ae Location: marina behind the Habtoor Grand Hotel

Aloft Abu DhabiADNEC Exhibition Centre

Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 94943

Tel: +971 (0)2 654 5000 www.aloftabudhabi.com

your online portal for these and other leading sports brands.

your online portal for these and other leading sports brands.

Free delivery for orders over 500 AED.

TM

Free delivery for orders over 500 AED.

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OutdoorUAE - September 2011

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