Getting back from a trip always causes a slump in morale 🙂 The Salalah run was pretty full-on, with about 37 hours of driving in three days – almost sensory overload in terms of new places, contrasting landscapes and sorting the logistics of it all. Then suddenly back to reality 🙂 Especially since I got back to Fujeirah and received an SMS saying I’d jumped a red light in the end of the September and was due a fairly hefty fine – deep joy. I vaguely remember it – thought I’d just scraped through by the skin of my teeth – obviously not!

Anyway various things need sorting now. Couple of articles need writing and I also have to sort out the Land Rover. The little Ford is a brave enough car – it will have a go at most things, but quickly gets out of its depth in the rough stuff. I have three Discovery 1s to choose from (all v8 automatics) – all are for sale here, all Brit-owned and well-maintained. Two are basic in spec, one in better order than the other – but the pearl of the choice is a Camel Trophy Edition which has been further kitted out for long desert trips. Obviously this one would be a keeper and probably one to drive back to the UK – or wherever I end up next. In the past I have thought about Central Asia and Kazakhstan, and the rules there stipulate they will not allow RHD cars in. This Camel Disco is LHD so that might be an interesting drive. The crux of course will be money – with a Defender 110 and Disco 2 to support back in the UK I can’t go too mad with the budget for a wagon here.

Also the question arises of ‘where next?’. I need to flit back to Cairo soon – do a bit of Xmas shopping and collect some desert gear that’s still there as well as catch up with the gang. Nepal is on the cards for the end of November/start of December – a four day trip by Land Rover up into the mountains from Kathmandu. Beyond that I need to make a 2000 mile dash from UK to Albania and back in mid December and might expand it into taking in a few other countries too, like Ukraine etc. Then Nepal again at Easter plus Sri Lanka!

New passport in July and its already filling up fast 🙂