{"id":378,"date":"2022-09-09T12:38:35","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T12:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/?p=378"},"modified":"2022-09-09T12:38:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T12:38:35","slug":"the-arab-peninsula-the-preperations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/?p=378","title":{"rendered":"The Arab Peninsula (The preperations)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After making the decision not continue our trip further south in Europe through the east European countries and take a ferry or cargo vessel from Greece to Israel, we adjusted our traveling plan and did some extra preparations on our expedition truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truck was returned to the manufacturer in Breda (Bliss Mobil) and besides a number of small repairs, we added a front and back heavy winch. (We really missed them when we got stuck in Lithuania and Poland). Another missing item were the sand-ladders, for which we needed to find a convenient and safe place to store on the truck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 25000 pounds heavy front winch<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The 25000 pounds back winch <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The 4 150cm sand ladders, stored on the bike\/tire lift<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After collecting the truck, we took a couple of days to re-stock with consumable and non-consumable items, we assumed are not at all, or hard to get in the countries we plan to visit. (Even filling up our large watertank with Dutch drinking water from the Dunes of North Holland could be considered a luxury item). The stocking up of the truck had to be done in such away that it would be most safe for transport in terms of movements, but also possible theft. This since the truck would be shipped on a ro-ro vessel from Antwerp Belgium to Sohar Oman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting an expedition truck out of Europe on a ro-ro vessel to the Middle East and drive around in 7 different countries is not an every day ritual. Through our excellent shipping agent, we were able to book a place on one of the very few ro-ro vessels, which has a more or less regular service from Europe to the Middle East. The trip would take about 3 weeks from the moment of loading. Documentation like transport insurance and CdP (Carnet de Passage) are documents needed in order to ship and deliver the truck in Oman. The Germans are very well equipped for that. Through the German automobile club and a German vehicle insurer (who specializes in liability insurance for European vehicles in the Middle East), we got the paperwork smoothly done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Securing the vehicle and its contents was another thing. Since we had to leave the truck in Antwerp harbor for a couple days and the vessel would make stops in different ports, you don\u2019t want anybody trying to excess the vehicle. So we sealed all compartments and doors with special seals, which when removed or broken, could be considered broken into, which would then be covered by the insurance. (Not that it would help enjoying our trip, since it would only bring unnecessary inconvenience).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sealing the doors and compartments<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We slept one more night in the truck and on the 5th August, we drove to Antwerp. It was a special feeling to leave her behind in this huge port complex between thousands of other cars, but most surprisingly we were directed to park behind another expedition truck, a German 6×6 Zetros. She was not alone anymore, however, the other truck would go to Africa and ours to the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The travel companion, the Zetros 6×6<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Booked and ready to load<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The timing was of essence all the time. From the moment we were able to book a time frame at Bliss Breda, from collecting her and booking a spot on the ro-ro vessel, not much time was in between. Any delay, could end up in a delay of a month or 2 months, depending on the arrival of the next ro-ro vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few days after delivering the truck in Antwerp we were informed that the customs were not satisfied yet for export of our truck, a stamp was missing on one of the documents. Next day we were on a 2 hour trip back to Antwerp harbor to fix that. Again through the guidance of our shipping agent, we were able to get in contact with a customs agent, we in turn drove us around in the huge port of Antwerp from customs office to customs office. But we got the job done! The truck was cleared for export and transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the waiting time started. The loading was planned for the 17th August, but eventually it became 20th August. Our flight was initially booked for the 1st of September, but due the shipping delay we post phoned and would arrive on the 8th of September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We noticed that we actually didn\u2019t have any clue were exactly we would wanna go (besides that we knew from were we would start and which countries we would like to visit). On top of that, we actually even didn\u2019t have a serious look at entree requirements! So luckily we had now some weeks to start preparing that. Now, I must say that in general, we look for adventure to such an extend, that we don\u2019t plan too much ahead. We don\u2019t have a list of well known (tourist) sights, we want to tick off. Its about the un-expected, the adventure, the first time experience (even if you are not the first one). Going in or to places without being opinionated, programmed or directed, is what we love about our traveling. Stumble upon interesting places, people or events, like you are pushed or guided by destiny, rather then your agenda or watch. The great surprise factor, the feeling of being lucky that you \u201dcoincidently\u201d arrive at a place or meet someone, that\u2019s what we are aiming for, that\u2019s what we love, that\u2019s what makes us happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I have to put a little needle in this balloon of thinking, since, yeah, not like hundreds of years ago, there are now borders, borders which need to be crossed, there are limits on how long you can stay in countries (visa), and driving with a foreign truck in certain countries also can give complications. So yes, we had to plan ahead, where we want to be and how long, in the 7 countries we wanted to visit. The countries would be (Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Quatar and the United Arab Emirates.) With some puzzling we figured it out and came to the conclusion that we could stay for up to 7 months on the Arab Peninsula (even longer if you jump up and down the border of the UAE and Oman every month, but that was not the plan. We also think about the next summer with high temperatures coming up after that). At the end of trip we would end up in Dubai, where we can park the truck for half year (max.). The planning is to continue next year through Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Overthinking the next moves of our world tour<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We went into some kind of hibernation in a small hotel on one of the iconic islands in the Dutch Wadden Sea, Texel. Time to relax and overthink everyting thoroughly. While Marja was organizing the visa stuff, I collected some data on routes, and some areas of interest. Though people from the west have travelled through the Middle East with their own transportation, I haven\u2019t come across a lot of info, certainly not about someone who has done our tour. Which actually made me feel good, the feeling of being an explorer rather then being a tourist driving the beaten path. I even got inspiration from a book called Arabian Sands, a book written by Wilfred Thesiger, one of the worlds last real explorers who travelled through the Empty Quarter (the largest sand desert in the world), an area, we plan to explore to the fullest. Through Instagram and Bliss we were able to contact a very nice Dutch couple who have lived in Oman and even had a Bliss unit mounted on a large MAN truck, which they also had shipped to Oman. We met and were able to receive very helpful information about Oman. Mind you, you can stay in Oman one month at the time, so from the moment of arrival the clock will be ticking. One thing which was most helpful is to make an adapter for between the truck water filling tap to the hose of a water truck. Getting water in Oman (and probably through the Arab countries) often works with roadside tanks or trucks. So, yes, I made a nice adapter! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The home made water filling adapter<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even if you think you have it all figured out, you keep on coming across things, you want to change, add, improve. Small items like a solar chargeble power bank for your phone or handheld GPS (during hiking or biking trips), and air-lifting cushions. The last ones should have been in our truck since the beginning. These are tools, used often by fire departments to lift trucks or cars or open up car wrecks. In case we have a flat tire or get stuck in he sand, these air lifting backs can be placed under the truck and with the truck air compressor, we can inflate these backs and the truck will be lifted, so we either change a tire or place sand laders under the tire to get out of the sand. Till the last day prior to our departure, packages were delivered to our home base in Holland, with last minute items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Garmin Forex701, a must have when leaving the beaten path<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since family and friends do matter and have often expressed concern about our travel destinations, we have put a lot of effort in obtaining proper communication devices. Besides having 3 cell-phones, we have a satellite phone, I-pad and VHF radios. So communication at the ground between ourselves and overseas should be well covered. Also for navigation we need good devices. Therefore we use the Garmin Outlander (with a spare one) and a Garmin Forex701 (a military grade navigation device). The idea is to always be able to reach our truck, from where we can communicate or reach a point of habitation. As a last item we have a Breitling Emergency watch, which has a built-in emergency transmitter, which sends out an SOS signal which can be picked up by aircraft, who in turn can determine your position for ground rescue crews. Overkill, not adventurous? Maybe, but having the knowledge that these devices exist and then not using them, could be a regrettable thought when you are in need of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our time on Texel was lovely and very well spent. With a feeling of being better prepared and knowing the time frame we would use to pass through the 7 countries, we started the final countdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After making the decision not continue our trip further south in Europe through the east European countries and take a ferry or cargo vessel from Greece to Israel, we adjusted our traveling plan and did some extra preparations on our expedition truck. The truck was returned to the manufacturer in Breda (Bliss Mobil) and besides […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=378"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":396,"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions\/396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolo-owol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}