(Daniel) Wow, another crazy desert trip! This morning we woke up early, and Gabby ate a hearty breakfast at the hotel. Gabby and I cleaned the truck while Rowan went to the Bank to change our money, and then to buy supplies for the trip. Bobek arrived not long afterwards, and once Rowan returned we headed out into the desert again. We stopped at a fuel station, and tanked up with fuel for $2, we also filled up the trailer 70l water tank, just in case.
After about 50km we arrived at a small village with a police station at it’s entrance. To the rear of the village was an abandoned town, made completely of mud huts, it was still very intact and we wandered around the streets until we came to the other side, where you could see down to a beautiful valley, unusually lush and green. (I think that they were growing rice there.) After looking around and taking some photos. We discussed the merits of opening a paintball operation here, and then maybe holding the world finals of hide and seek! Bobek thought that we should stay here and camp inside the town, but we wanted some real desert and so opted to press on returning to the main road.
At first we took a wrong turn and drove down a track that ended at an electricity pylon high on a hill. We backtracked, and drove another 30km, when I spotted a very interesting building about 3 km into the desert. We drove out to it, and discovered a strange domed ruin, very similar to the Ice house we had seen a few days before, it was some kind of storage building, or Ranagh ( a water hole) the mud had been eroded away over the years of abandonment, and it now had the look of a Star Wars set. With the desert surroundings, and mountains in the background, the place could easily have been Tatouin, or Moss Eisley! We took a good look round, and discussed the idea of camping here, but decided to head for the mountains. It was at just this time that disaster struck (as it sometimes does!) I moved the truck forward, and the right hand trailer wheel just locked up with a horrible crunching sound.
It had been extremely tough going across open desert with no track to follow, and we had crossed a few dried out gullies and streams. I took a look underneath and could see that the hub was sitting off line, indicating that something inside probably the bearing was no longer there, and the grinding probably meant that the brakes were locked, or worse that the stub axle was broken. Bobek and I took the wheels off and then the hub. A pin was missing from the brake setup, and this had caused the brakes to seize, the remains of the larger bearing were still in the bottom of the hub, and were splintered. I assume that the pin went first, probably just got dislodged and fell out from its securing spring. This caused the brakes to fall out of line, and then the jarring shattered the bearing, although to look at how disintegrated it was, I wonder if we had been driving on one bearing and the brake seating for some time before now.
Whatever happened it was going to be slow going if any going at all, and the light was fading fast. We disconnected the trailer and elected to stay here for the night. Bobek and I made a temporary repair by removing the brake shoes and workings, and then screwed the wheel back on tight, it wobbled around in a very worrying fashion but turned. Then the two of us went to get firewood from a farm that we could see in the distance, meanwhile Gabby and Rowan stayed to set up a camp inside the ruin. When we had arrived at the site, the wind had been fairly brisk, but it was now picking up, and getting very uncomfortable.
Bobek and I arrived at the farm and realised that it was abandoned also, best of all it was covered in dead palm trees and other types. We had no problem collecting enough firewood for the night, and loaded this onto the Wolf, then we headed back across the desert to the camp. Rowan and Gabby had set everything up for a cosy night in the ruin, but the wind was getting fiercer. With our last few minutes of daylight we tried to block some of the holes in the ruin so as to protect ourselves from the sand filled gusts.
As night fell the sandstorm hit full pace, and blew the air in the ruin all around. The smoke from the fire mixed with the sand from the gusting wind, and made it difficult to breathe. Rowan cooked the supplies of Camel meat and chicken with rice which he fried on the fire in his wok. The food was looking amazing, but the environment was getting worse and worse. The cumulative effect of the smoke was very annoying, and all of us were feeling a little desperate.
It was about now, that Bobek and I popped to the car to get some more water. As soon as we closed the door we realised what we needed to do. I returned to the camp, and we made a plan to move the food to the Wolf. Once inside it was so calm, and we all got a chance to see what the sand storm had done to our appearances. My hair wax had made the sand stick everywhere in my hair, and gave me the appearance of a dead person, or very old and unhealthy one! Rowan had the same trouble, and the others were very windblown also, with chapped lips, and low spirits.
All this changed when rowan served up his Camel and Chicken Kebabs, with Aubergine and Spring onion egg fried rice. With the wind blowing in vain at the super tough laminated windows and the air being filtered through the Wolfs sand filters we ate the food with relish, (Bobek had four servings!) When we finished, we looked outside to find that the wind had died down a little, so refreshed, we braved the elements for a stroll to admire the moon which had risen. The sandstorm created a haze all around the ruin, which gave the impression of being on an oasis in the void, really quite special.
After sitting back by the fire for a while, we all climbed into the rooftent for a cramped but cosy nights sleep, woken only every now and again by Bobeks snoring! What got us through this night was the same thing that fuels us everyday, a good attitude, teamwork and plenty of over-engineered equipment!