Following extended periods of lock-down, Mrs. C and I definitely had itchy feet. As a result, once restrictions eased and we had the opportunity to get outside and have some fresh air, we grabbed the opportunity to take advantage of the desert area of the Emirate of Sharjah and get out in to the great outdoors.
Now having lived in the United Arab Emirates for the past 27 years, you would have thought we would have had our fill of the desert. However, if I am honest, we are guilty of not spending enough time taking advantage of everything that the desert has to offer.
Regular readers will already know that we are not in to camping, or even glamping and Mrs. C has laid down the law that the only camping she will consider is a suite a the Four Seasons!
Even though I am my own man and King of my own particular castle, in these circumstances compromise is definitely the way forward. So, with our besties Seth, Claire and their boys, we did a bit of research and decided to head for the great outdoors and visit Fossil Rock.
Fossil Rock - LEICA SL2 with 75mm APO Summicron M
Now I haven’t done too much research on Fossil rock other than determine that it got its name because it is a big rock where you can find lots of fossils. As regulars readers will testify my blogs always contain a wealth of detailed information :-)
Of course we always knew where fossil rock was located, we have just never been brave enough to fire up the Landcruiser, drive down the highway and then turn right in to the desert. So we did, although with my limited off-load driving experience we decided that caution was the key word and kept to the relatively firm tracks at all times.
We eventually found a nice dune, parked up and we did what all English do, have a cup of tea and break out the sausage rolls.
Setting up camp - LEICA SL2 with 75mm APO Summicron M
Mid-way through our picnic we sighted a local camel herder, gave him a wave and much to our delight he was happy to come over to let the boys get up and close to his beloved camel.
Forearmed is to be forewarned and as I have had prior experience with Camels, I was well aware that they have teeth like a chain saw, are prone to spitting and can more often than not be described as pungent. So the 75mm App Summicron allowed me creativity at a safe distance!
Over here mate! Honest, we really were in the middle of nowhere! - LEICA SL2 with 75mm APO Summicron M
Old School versus Hi-Tech Desert Transport - LEICA SL2 with 75mm APO Summicron M
Ship of The Desert & her Captain - Leica SL2 & 75mm APO Summicron M
Up close and personal - Leica SL2 & 75mm APO Summicron M
It was really quite a dramatic area and we were considering chancing our arm and heading off across the dunes to get much closer when we noticed a car approaching and then suddenly get embedded in the sand.
Now at this point and given that the driver was a French lady attired in nothing but her gym-kit, I am sure you would have expected Seth and I to rush to her rescue. Absolutely not! We had just started on the corned-beef sandwiches and seeing as Claire was the only one of us who has done a desert driving course, we felt content in the knowledge that she was the best person to sort out the young lady's problem. After a bit of advice from Claire, which involved engaging 4WD with diff lock (it actually sounds like I know what I am talking about), much to the relief of the driver the car suddenly popped out of the sand. However, it was enough to show us that before going all 4WD mode you need to have a few cars together, a shovel and a tow-rope along with a substantial supply of corned-beef sandwiches just in case you get stuck and have to wait it out for rescue to arrive.
After all that drama I was exhausted and decided that we just needed couple more images to complete our creative excursion. At this point Seth whipped out his selfie-rod (no its not a euphemism) and decided it was time for a selfie.
Loving this boots Mrs C! - LEICA SL2 with 75mm APO Summicron M
Whilst Seth’s image was definitely one for the archives I finished my day with a very pleasing portrait of Seth and Claire. One for Leica Store dubai’s print service I think.
Seth & Claire - LEICA SL2 with 75mm APO Summicron M
Watch out for our next desert adventure!