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Maneesh Bakshi
Doha
He wanted to experience spending nights beneath the stars in the vast stretch of the desert where sand dunes meet the inland sea towards South of Qatar the area known as Khor al Udaid.
Fired by a spirit of adventure, Fahad Hyder a young Indian freelance photographer wanted to capture the raw beauty of this land in his camera by taking a difficult yet thrilling journey by foot.
"It took about a month of planning that included reading everything about this extraordinary terrain and the survival skills to overcome dehydration which is the most frequently occurring condition that can spoil a mission," said Fahad in an interview to Qatar Tribune after successfully ending his desert trek.
Khor al Udaid is deep into the desert and returning on foot would be unimaginable for anyone who has been to this vast stretch of barren land, often marked by nothing but tyre marks left by vehicles.
According to Fahad, the thumb rule of trekking in the desert is to keep your backpack as light as possible and stuff it with only that which is needed in the journey. Besides, a must for a desert trek such as this, is the Ghutra, and a Kashmiri Ghutra at that for it provides warmth at night.
He said,"I carried two pairs of T-shirts, chocolates, energy bars, hydration tablets, water for meeting his calorie requirements, water, as well as a portable tent and a folding chair as essentials, besides photography equipment such as a camera, tripod and other things.
The desert is full of surprises; its pristine beauty is overwhelming for any adventure-seeker, yet this beauty can often be deceptive and unforgiving for the inexperienced. It is easy to go astray in the vast stretch of sand, which has an ever-changing topography due to the shifting of dunes.
When asked about the challenges faced in the desert, he said,"The key daytime challenges during the walk were to keep myself hydrated and protecting my skin from the sunlight. But the even bigger challenge was to spend the night in the desert with limited resources."
"It is very important to have an understanding of the desert and its dune formation principles. One must also consider the danger of being mowed by a 4X4 vehicle more so at night. I had to be so careful to pitch my tent safely on a high dune so that I could be seen by a speeding vehicle," Fahad added.
According to him, large dunes are much higher and have a far more flat area on the top that gives more time to the driver to spot the tent and apply brakes or change course. Also, pitching a tent high on the dune protects one from night tide.
Talking about his memorable moments from the trip, Fahad said,"Although I have brought a bag full of lovely moments but the one that I will never forget was my meeting with a Qatari, Nasser, who partly out of curiosity and partly with the intention of extending a helping hand approached me.
"Nasser was absolutely astonished to see me walking in the desert all by myself and immediately offered to give me a ride in his vehicle. He was completely amazed to hear about my mission of crossing the desert on foot. He even asked me about my location where I would pitch the tent for the night.
"As night fell, I selected my location for pitching the tent. No sooner, I noticed a Land Cruiser approaching me from a distance. To my surprise, it was Nasser, who appeared from nowhere, to hand over food and water," he said.
"I was awed by his kindness. He even passed on his number to me and told me to call him if there was an emergency. Just as he had appeared, he disappeared into the darkness, bidding me good luck," Fahad added.
"This journey of four nights in the desert of the inland sea will always have a special place in my mind," Fahad said after taking a deep sigh. According to him, the friendships made and the new relations built during this extraordinary trip, as well as pleasant memories of help extended by Nasser will stay in his mind forever.
"My ambition is to undertake an even bigger trip on a motorcycle riding all the way from Kerala, a southern state of India, to Qatar. I am already working on this project. There are many challenges but hopefully, they will all be overcome with time. If it succeeds, the project will help build a bridge between the two countries," he said.
