Van Life in the Middle East (Part 2)
Summary
TLDRIn this thrilling adventure, a couple explores the breathtaking landscapes of Oman in a custom-built 1975 Unimog, encountering unexpected challenges and stunning vistas. From the east coast's off-road trials to a hidden oasis with waterfalls and bioluminescent wonders, their journey is filled with excitement. They navigate through the Hajar Mountains, visit ancient tombs, and immerse themselves in the Wahiba Sands desert, all while dealing with mechanical issues and the thrill of the unknown. This episode captures the essence of overlanding and the couple's love for discovering the unexplored.
Takeaways
- 🚐 The travelers rented a custom-built 1975 Unimog in Dubai with a top speed of 49 mph, leading to a 10-hour drive to the east coast of Oman.
- 🌊 They explored the off-road capabilities of the Unimog on the east coast and encountered unexpected visitors, likely referring to the goats mentioned in the transcript.
- 🏞️ They discovered a beautiful campsite with the brightest bioluminescence they had ever seen and visited a hidden oasis with waterfalls and an underwater cave.
- 🚘 The journey included a drive into the mountains, where they encountered challenges with road conditions and navigation, including a blocked road that they managed to pass.
- 🌄 The travelers experienced a breathtaking sunrise and visited ancient tombs, which were over 4000 years old and part of the beehive tombs of Oman.
- 🔧 The Unimog had mechanical issues with the clutch fluid leaking, requiring a trip back to Muscat for repairs and a delay in their desert plans.
- 🏜️ After repairs, they continued towards the desert, Waha Sands, with a plan to camp in a remote location away from tourist camps.
- 🐫 They picked up a hitchhiker named Hector in the desert who was milking his camel and dropped him off at his destination.
- 🌅 They found an epic campsite between two large sand dunes, offering a stunning view of the desert and a memorable experience.
- 🍽️ The travelers adapted to local food culture, creating 'Omani tacos' with local ingredients, showcasing their ability to integrate with the local environment.
- 💡 The video script also discusses the challenges of finding water and the importance of being prepared with enough supplies for a remote desert experience.
Q & A
What type of vehicle did the travelers rent in Dubai?
-The travelers rented a custom-built 1975 Unimog in Dubai.
What was the top speed of the Unimog and how did it affect their travel time?
-The top speed of the Unimog was 49 mph, which took them 10 hours to get to the east coast of Oman.
What unexpected visitors did the travelers wake up to on their first morning in the Unimog?
-They woke up to unexpected visitors, which were a lot of goats.
What was the most memorable natural phenomenon they experienced at their campsite?
-The most memorable natural phenomenon they experienced was the brightest bioluminescence they had ever seen.
What was the name of the valley they visited which had secret pools?
-The name of the valley they visited with secret pools was W Shab.
What kind of bread did they use for their Omani tacos?
-They used Omani bread, which is in the shape of an 'O', for their Omani tacos.
What was the issue they faced with the Unimog's brakes before they could start driving?
-They had to wait for the air compressor that controls the brakes to fill up after starting the Unimog.
What was the challenge they faced while driving up the mountains?
-The challenge they faced was driving on steep, winding, and bumpy gravel roads in a 5-ton tank.
What did they find at the top of the mountains after a stressful drive?
-At the top of the mountains, they found a plateau that was not as sunny and idyllic as they expected, but they did not feel like they were about to fall over.
What was the problem they discovered with the Unimog's clutch fluid?
-They discovered a significant leak of clutch fluid, which had created a large puddle in the floorboard of the Unimog.
What was the hitchhiker's name and what did he do after they dropped him off?
-The hitchhiker's name was Hector, and after they dropped him off, he just walked away into the desert.
What was the issue they faced with one of the Unimog's tires in the desert?
-One of the Unimog's tires had a puncture, causing the air to deflate completely.
What was the view like from their desert campsite?
-Their desert campsite offered a view down over a valley with sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see.
What was the plan for their next adventure after the desert?
-Their plan was to drive further into the desert to a mosque with no official roads and then attempt to camp on the rim of the Grand Canyon of Arabia.
Outlines
🚐 Unimog Adventure in Oman
The video begins with the narrator recounting their journey in Oman, where they rented a 1975 Unimog with a top speed of 49 mph. They recount their slow but scenic journey to the east coast of Oman, where they explored off-road trails. The morning after their arrival, they were greeted by unexpected visitors and later discovered a beautiful campsite with the brightest bioluminescence they had ever seen. They also explored a hidden oasis with waterfalls and an underwater cave, went inside pyramids, and encountered a man who flagged them down for a ride, which was a highlight of their trip.
🌄 Exploring Wadi Shab and Overcoming Challenges
The second paragraph details the exploration of Wadi Shab, a valley with secret pools in Oman. The narrator describes the experience of swimming through a canyon to reach a cave with a waterfall. They also mention the sponsorship of the video by BetterHelp, a therapy platform, and discuss the importance of mental health. The narrators share their experience of cooking Omani tacos during Ramadan when most restaurants were closed. They also discuss the challenges of driving the Unimog, such as the need to let the air compressor fill up before driving and the low speed of the vehicle.
🏜️ Mountain Trek and Desert Preparations
The third paragraph describes the journey through the Alajar Mountains and the challenges faced while driving the Unimog. The narrators express their awe at the majestic scenery and the capability of the Unimog to handle the steep gravel roads. They also discuss the decision-making process regarding their route and the potential risks of getting lost or running out of fuel. The paragraph ends with the narrators reaching a campsite near ancient tombs and reflecting on their day's adventure.
🚧 Roadblocks and Unexpected Turns
In the fourth paragraph, the narrators encounter a road that appears to be blocked, but they decide to take the risk and continue on their journey. They experience a tense moment when the Unimog barely avoids a collision with a large rock. Despite the challenges, they manage to find an alternative route and enjoy a beautiful sunset. The paragraph ends with the narrators settling in for the night, reflecting on their adventurous day.
🌅 Reaching the Campsite and Morning Reflections
The fifth paragraph describes the narrators' arrival at a campsite after a challenging journey. They express relief and a mix of emotions upon reaching their destination. The narrators discuss their plans for the next day, which include visiting ancient tombs and deciding whether to continue on their current route or turn back. They also mention the need to refill their water supply and the difficulty of finding water in the area. The paragraph ends with the narrators preparing for bed, with one of them expressing apprehension about sleeping near the ancient tombs.
🚧 Continuing the Journey and Dealing with a Fluid Leak
The sixth paragraph begins with the narrators continuing their journey over the mountains, despite the challenges they faced the previous day. They express optimism about reaching a gas station and finding a place to camp in the desert. However, they encounter a new problem when they discover a fluid leak in the Unimog. The narrator cleans the fluid from his foot using the manual bidet in the vehicle. The paragraph ends with the narrators discussing their plans to find a garage to repair the clutch issue before heading into the desert.
🔧 Repairs and Reflecting on Favorite Countries
The seventh paragraph details the narrators' return to Muscat to get the Unimog's clutch issue repaired. They spend a night in a hotel and reflect on their journey so far. The narrators also discuss the question of their favorite country, which they are often asked, and they share a list of their top 18 favorite countries from the 1006 countries they have visited in the past 8 and a half years. The paragraph ends with the narrators preparing to head back to the desert after the repairs are completed.
🏜️ Entering the Desert and Finding an Isolated Campsite
The eighth paragraph describes the narrators' entry into the desert, Waha Sands, after preparing their vehicle and stocking up on water and food. They discuss the process of airing down their tires for the sandy terrain and the challenges of navigating the desert. The narrators also mention their encounter with a local man who offers them a tour, which they decline, and instead continue to drive deeper into the desert. They express excitement about finding a remote and epic campsite away from the tourist camps and enjoy the experience of being alone in the vast desert landscape.
🌌 Desert Night and a Hitchhiker's Ride
The ninth paragraph recounts the narrators' experience of driving further into the desert and picking up a hitchhiker named Hector, who is leading his camel. They describe the surreal feeling of driving through the desert in their Unimog and the joy of encountering local wildlife. The narrators also discuss their successful navigation to a beautiful campsite between two large sand dunes, where they plan to spend the night. The paragraph ends with them expressing gratitude for the experience and saying goodbye to Hector after dropping him off in the desert.
🏞️ Stunning Desert Campsite and Unexpected Tire Deflation
The tenth paragraph describes the narrators' awe at their campsite in the desert, which exceeded their expectations. They discuss the view from their campsite, the feeling of being in such a raw and remote location, and the joy of living the 'van life' dream. The paragraph takes a turn when they wake up to find that one of their tires has deflated, likely due to a puncture. They discuss the challenges of dealing with this situation in the desert and the need for a desperate solution to address the issue.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Unimog
💡Off-road capabilities
💡Wadi Shab
💡Bioluminescence
💡Oman
💡Van life
💡Adventure
💡Camping
💡Desert
💡Cultural exchange
💡Overlanding
Highlights
Renting a custom-built 1975 Unimog in Dubai for an Oman adventure.
Unexpected visitors and a tour of the custom build in the first episode.
Discovering the most beautiful campsite with the brightest bioluminescence.
Exploring a hidden Oasis with waterfalls and an underwater cave.
Driving deep into the mountains and visiting pyramids.
Facing a major problem with the truck and getting a ride from a local.
The emotional struggle between staying at beautiful spots and the desire to see more.
Arriving at W Shab, a valley with secret pools and an oasis.
Swimming through a canyon to reach a secret cave and waterfall.
Experiencing the challenges and joys of overlanding in Oman.
Cooking Omani tacos during Ramadan when most restaurants are closed.
The Unimog's unique features, like the air compressor for brakes and lack of AC.
The breathtaking drive up the Haar (or Alajar) mountains.
Dealing with a blocked road and the decision to take a questionable path.
The intense pressure and relief of navigating difficult mountain terrain.
Finding a campsite beside 4,000-year-old tombs and the eerie experience.
The roller coaster of emotions from the challenging yet rewarding journey.
Waking up amongst tombs and the excitement to explore them.
Driving on a steep and stressful road to reach a paved road.
The issue with the clutch fluid leak and the need to find a garage.
The decision to head back to Muscat for repairs and the feeling of defeat.
Restarting the journey with a renewed sense of excitement.
The challenge of finding water in a country where most people live out of rooftop tents.
Entering the Wahiba Sands desert and the awe of being in a vast, untouched landscape.
The encounter with a local man named Hector who needed a ride.
Finding the perfect campsite in the desert for an epic night under the stars.
The thrill and fear of getting stuck in the desert and the solution to a flat tire.
Transcripts
if you missed part one of our Oman
series we rented this custombuilt 1975
Unimog in Dubai but we didn't realize
that it had a top speed of 49 mph so it
took us 10 hours to get to the east
coast of om which is where we put the
off-road capabilities of this Beast to
the test on our first morning in the
Unimog we woke up to some unexpected
visitors if you want to see a full tour
of this incredible custom build and a
lot of goats head over to the first
episode after this one is over after
making this super sketchy drive back
down the mountain we found the most
beautiful campsite of all time but when
the sun went down the real magic started
this was the brightest spy luminescence
that we have ever seen in this episode
we explore a hidden Oasis with
waterfalls and an underwater cave Drive
deep into the mountains are we go on
inside yes you can go inside the
pyramids yes take a wrong turn Drive
late into the night like many people
told us not to run into a major problem
with the truck and finally make it into
the desert so a man just flagged us down
on the side of the road he wanted a ride
this is what van life dreams are made of
it just doesn't get better this episode
is a roller coaster so settle in for a
fun week of ups and downs that was my
computer oh shoot this is a lot of
pressure I'm just not okay
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
good morning thank you
[Music]
this can't say it's going to be hard to
be so far there is one major issue with
overlanding here in omont that's that
all the spots are too good I don't want
to leave the strip could have been twice
as long and we just could have spent 2
days at every place we stopped it's like
this tug of war in my heart because part
of me wants to stay here so badly and
just swim in the ocean all day soak in
the fact that we're so isolated with
this gorgeous coast and then the other
part of me is like there's so much to
see we have to keep going we are barely
scratching the surface we haven't got to
the mountain jet we haven't got to the
desert yet which I'm most excited about
so much good stuff to come I had such
high expectations for this trip and
they've already been massively exceeded
yeah goats more goats a I just love
them so we have just arrived at our
first stop of the day which is w shab
and I believe w means Valley in Arabic
some of the Wes here in Oman have like
secret pools inside it's like an oasis
hidden in a valley and this is supposed
to be one of the most beautiful in the
entire country so in order to get back
to the secret pools the first thing we
have to do is jump on a little boat
that's going to take us further back
into the
canyon wow this is incredible I am just
blown away by Oman 7 minutes down the
road we are on this beautiful Coastline
and now it's like we're in the
rainforest rainforest made of palm
trees wow Canyon's closing in on us
beautiful river running through the
middle of it so w shop is a super
popular tourist attraction here in Oman
so I fully expected this to be the
busiest place that we visited on our
entire itinerary but so
far we have it all to ourselves
dear tourists welcome if you like to see
cave and water fall you start swimming
from the first pool as shown in the
arrow so the sign is kind of hard to
understand but from what I read on the
internet you swim up the canyon and then
there becomes a cave that you actually
have to swim underneath to get to the
final pool and waterfall two
1 wow that's fresh I had a skin cancer
cut out of my head so it's Sun safe this
is so good thankfully you don't actually
have to swim the whole thing it's
weighable it's like a natural lazy river
through the mountains this is going to
save us a lot of water in the Unimog
because definitely counting this as a
shower for
sure ready 3 2
1 wow I've never seen so many leg
kicks it just keeps getting better we've
entered the final deep pool before the
secret cave that we have to swim through
I'm calling it a secret it was on the
sign but it sounds more fun if it's a
secret
cave we swam back to this Canyon and it
just ends into this little cave it's
getting very dark and scary and you can
hear a waterfall on the other side wo
it's tiny oh I'm getting CLR phobic oh
gosh this is way smaller than I thought
it would be like my head could barely
fit through the Rocks if I wanted to
stay above water this unreal this has to
be one of the coolest places we've ever
been look at this
waterfall swallowed a guy back into the
cave and he had a weird look on his
face this is amazing the
the thank you so
much that is actually a secret C that
was crazy
this is the best day
ever I think we got hit this in time
there were like four of us on the way in
and now there's 50 people there are a
few times where Nate gets this genuinely
excited this was way better than I
thought it was going to be I think being
open about mental health is so important
which makes the fact that better health
is the sponsor of this video even better
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always ackn es the concerns helps me
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I love working with her and look forward
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month woo that
Adventure really worked up an appetite
we just happen to be here in Oman during
Ramadan which if you don't know simply
put is about a 30-day period where the
Muslim people fast during daylight hours
and unfortunately that means that
majority of the restaurants that we've
seen have been closed thankfully we're
traveling with the kitchen so no big
deal I'm about to whip up the world's
quickest lunch cuz we still have a lot
of ground to cover today it does get
warm in that Canyon I can't imagine what
it would be like in Peak summer is it
really oh it feels good should we shut
the windows yeah I loved how in the last
video I was like de not using the AC I
don't think we're going to be using it
just because it doesn't really seem
worth it for lunch we are making a
creation that I made up called Omani
tacos they call this Omani bread o it's
in the shape of an O definitely not kind
of like pea but every grocery store you
go in there's a big like cooler looking
thing full of fresh Omani bread every
grocery store in Mexico had the same
thing but with corn tortillas I'm just
putting a bunch of yummy things in this
bread and we're eating it like crazy the
uh food part of these videos might get a
little boring because I think we've just
had some variation of the same thing
every single day I have a few ideas
final product Yani Taco it's actually
amazing highly recommend Alo zachar
tahini arugula and then feta which takes
us to the next level feta really brings
it all together I also got these like
sliced shredded beets sounds weird
that's a great little crunch in there
They Se just coming down right on top of
us I can't believe we're just chilling
the AC right now okay so we just
finished running the AC for just under
40 minutes and we only lost 4% of our
battery so you can run this thing way
longer than I expected if it's the
middle of the day and you're getting
full solar you can run this for hours
without having any issues who knew we've
been missing out on AC in the van this
whole time another thing about this 1985
Unimog that's a little different from
driving a normal car is that you have to
start it and then let the air compressor
that controls the brakes fill up so if
you haven't driven for a while you have
to sit here for about 5 minutes before
you can go anywhere and now I just seem
like that guy revving the engine in the
parking L everybody look a big truck
well just like everywhere else we've
been in Oman so far I easily could have
spent twice as much time there but at
this pace we're going to see about a
fourth of what we were hoping to see in
this country I'm just one of those
people like wherever I am I'm like this
is the best it doesn't get any better
I'm never leaving one the coolest things
I would still be in our first country if
it wasn't for N I say that all the time
but then I'm so glad like if we stayed
at the beach today like I wanted to yeah
and skipped this just like keep getting
better all right can I get out of the
parking lot now this is filled up and
the back of camera is not working tell
me if I'm going to hit that car beside
you how are we going to get out of
here maybe do you yeah if you don't mind
it would be amazing I Canam
perfect oh I'm good I'm good yeah we can
go for what a cool vehicle by the
way awesome thank you so much for the
help thank you safe travels that was so
nice of
him oh no what door FL it's worth
putting up with all the little
inconveniences of driving the Unimog
just because of how much joy it brings
people when they see it yeah especially
when we're going 49 mph and everyone
else is going 80 like no one's that mad
they're like so true have fun definitely
a commitment to driving antique on an
adventure like this so far I think it's
totally worth it it really adds to the
experience more than it takes
away all right we're just topping up
with diesel because we were about to
head into the mountains and far far away
from civilization we have yet to test
the limits of this tank and Google Maps
is showing no gas stations for a very
long time but I have to imagine that
they exist and they're just not on
Google Maps that's what I'm counting on
So the plan for the next day or two is
to head up and over the haar mountains I
say that confidently yeah I believe
alajar mountains alajar mountains so up
it over the haar mountains and into the
desert I think it's going to be a pretty
big drive but the scenery is supposed to
be incredible it's pretty daunting
driving right towards these Majestic
gigantic mountains knowing that like
this has to go up and over those look at
what we're about to drive up what the
heck I am so glad that we went to that
campsite the other night and really just
kind of like broke in the four-wheel
drive on this thing otherwise I would be
terrified right now this is the way all
right gosh the cameras just do it no
justice We Are Climbing straight up this
mountain on a Gravel Road in a tank that
weighs 5 tons it has yet to let us down
though that the door oh oh that was my
computer oh shoot can we get it oh no oh
no the speakers are actually blown on it
and they kind of drove me crazy slow
down I can't really stop in the middle
of the mountain that was
dramatic wow what your track pad is
shattered you said that so happily it
still works looks really cool all right
off to an exciting start want to show
you how fast we're going somewhere
between zero and
20 it just shoot it just jumps around it
is steep it is bumy it is winding it is
fun but it is epic and we've passed no
other tourist wow these switchbacks are
getting tight this has to be the biggest
vehicle that's ever been driven up this
road please doesn't get any worse than
that I just want to try to give this
drive some perspective that's the ocean
so that's where we started and then this
little road that you can see coming up
the valley right here that's what we're
driving up and then we just made those
switch backs over there if I'm being
honest it's pretty terrifying but in the
best way possible and the Unimog is
holding up
great oh our first Omani camel is he
coming to us yes oh my goodness please
don't Hello I find it funny that we've
been in the desert for the last 3 days
and then we drive into the mountains and
we see our first
cam we did
it that was our
last
scurve climbing and now we're on top
it's going to be semif flat from here on
out or at least for a while woo that was
uh more than I realized signed up for
that was stressful all the way down
there that's fins that's the town that
we started in 2 hours
ago I wouldn't say the plateau is all
sunshine and rainbows like we thought it
would be but we don't feel like we're
about to fall
over all right just as it's getting dark
we have a big decision to make remember
we are operating off downloadable maps
so we can't go to the Internet for any
research but this looks like the obvious
path that continues up the mountain but
Google Maps is telling us that in order
to get to our destination we need to go
here so I'm not sure if you can tell on
the camera but like they've obviously
tried to block this road off with dirt
but it is passable yeah the other side
of it just looks like a normal Road and
we can see that it keeps going and
according to the maps this road just
ends somewhere it doesn't connect back
to where we're going after you get over
the little dirt hump it looks like the
road is great and that's the way that we
need to go but it feels like someone's
tried to close it off and a few people
have decided to go that way anyway I
mean there are no signs that say like
don't go maybe we just do it feel like
they would have like all those rocks
over there I feel like they would have
put here all right we're going to try
the questionably closed Road decision
made I'm a little nervous I mean I've
been a little nervous for a while like
this whole drive but this feels
questionable
well they sure made it look
easy that was no problem for the Unimog
feel was crazy maybe it's a test like if
you can get over this then you can make
it wherever you're trying to
go uh this Road's pretty sketch already
wow I'm feeling great about it if I'm
being honest okay should we back up
before it gets too scary I mean
yeah I think they closed it for a reason
guess I'll try to back up I I need you
looking out that side to make sure I'm
not driving us off the edge okay I can
do that I need you to yell at me if I'm
not going in a good direction you're
good so I need you on this side yelling
at me okay and now I have to back over
the road closure oh gosh oh this is a
lot of pressure okay uh
stop stop stop you just barely CLI the
big rock yeah try to get over a little
more just barely clipped the big rock
that's
all stop hey stop I hate this I hate
this I hate this
okay oh this is not
good start turning a little but stop if
I tell you to
stop you're good you're good you're good
you did it oh my gosh I don't know if my
heart has ever beat this fast in my
entire life oh that was so much
pressure oh Nate you're so talented and
amazing oh my gosh that was stressful
that was a great time for the backup
camera to be doing this
uh I guess we're going to keep driving
up this road yeah lesson learned if it
looks like somebody's blocked it off
probably shouldn't go that way oh my
gosh I'm just not okay I was not
expecting this drive to become what a
did me Brad s having fun this is an
adventure all right we're just going to
go up the road that Google says leads to
nothing and hope for the best and maybe
tomorrow we drive back down the mountain
I'd say there's a 60% chance that we're
driving back down the mountain
there's a little bit of Hope the road
that the map said was a dead end isn't
we kept going past the end of the road
according to the map now it looks like
we can turn and take this other little
skinny row that will connect us to the
original row that we were trying to take
all I have to do is reverse down another
row still might be able to make it I
just remember we hadn't tried out the
light bar
yet boom
boom wow I look all night like
this uh bright side this is one of the
most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen
and another bright side if we're
stranded out here because we either get
stuck or we run out of fuel at least we
have shelter and food and water we were
just Reminiscing on our little motorbike
trip we took across Peru where we didn't
have any of those things and found
ourselves on roads just like this but on
a motorbike and Nate had the flute so
that was fun talk about terrifying this
is way better not even scared anymore no
way what are you doing breathing 5 hours
after leaving the w we actually made it
to the campsite that we were aiming for
tonight we had to do a couple of those
hours in the in the dark and the nice
flat spot we found ended up being beside
some 4,000-year-old tombs which I'm not
exactly pumped about because I'm not
trying to meet any 4,000 year old ghosts
but I don't think I'm going be able to
sleep tonight because of the ghost no
Nate is actually afraid of ghosts I'm
usually a pretty positive person but
it's like there was no happy ending in
my mind for tonight like what like I
just thought it was going to be a dead
end we weren't going to make it it's so
the fact that we're here I just have so
many emotions right now I was planning
on coming here when it was light outside
looking at the tombs and then leaving
and camping somewhere else are you
serious yeah I wasn't trying to Camp
here like the whole reason we drove up
and over this mountain was to visit
tombs this was just like these tombs
happened to be on our route going up and
over this mountain so we could have gone
another way there was like a main road
that would have taken us to the desert
are you serious yeah we may end up back
on that road
tomorrow it's a Ramen kind
night dinner is served wow dinner of
Champions enjoy kind of looks like an
ice cream cone I feel like I live three
lifetimes in one day today it's been a
roller coaster we have a very big
decision to make tomorrow we have to
decide if we turn around and drive back
down the way we came which absolutely
terrifies me or keep going en chance
running out of gas and there were a few
small towns on the map and I figured
those would have Diesel and now that
we've driven through those towns it's
like four houses thankfully we do have a
little bit of phone service so I'll try
to do some research tonight see what I
can figure out I really don't want to
turn around for now we're going to enjoy
our noodles in the morning we have a big
decision to make I'm decited to see what
this place looks like in the morning
yeah seriously first campsite that we
pulled up to in the dark
oh oh
gosh that's about how my night went BR I
did not realize how cold it was going to
get last night turns out we're sleeping
at about 6,000 feet brought no warm
pants all we've got is that little thin
blue blanket and I guess because this
Unimog was built out into duby they
didn't put any heat in it which fair
enough but the good news is we didn't
see any
ghost the sun is coming through the
window and hitting my back and it feels
so warm and nice also I'm still not over
last last night it was just such a
roller coaster like getting up to the
top was a challenge but it was like a
fun Challenge and then we like
celebrated like we thought we had done
it and we were just going to have an
easy drive on the plateau over here to
these tombs and then that turned into
another challenge and then we took the
wrong turn then it got dark and there
was just so many unknowns the rest of
yesterday was so exciting that by the
time we got here last night I completely
forgot that my computer got smashed oh
well that is what a shattered trackpad
looks like surprisingly enough though it
still works it's just a little sharp
right here where it looks like the crack
originated I tend to keep Halfway Broken
things for a very long time so I'll
probably have this computer like this
for another two
[Music]
years all right this is not the decision
that I thought we were going to make
last night while we were eating noodles
but we have decided to continue on over
the mountains Google Maps claims that
there is a gas station 80 km that way we
still have over half a TK which I
believe should be enough to get us there
and I just feel like whatever Road lies
on the other side of that mountain can't
be as bad as the one that we just came
up what's crazy is we only drove 35 km
yesterday and it felt like we made it
across the world but there is a chance
that this takes all day we're hoping
that because we're up on the plateau
it's going to be quite a bit faster but
it wasn't really the case last night
we're optimistic IC this morning I'm
feeling good I'm feeling refreshed have
my coffee very proud of us for getting
here last night I think it was all worth
it but before we head down the mountain
we're going to go check out these tubs
wooo I'm so excited about these this is
one of the most remote I've ever felt
and we've been to some crazy remote
places gosh every morning in
Oman has just started out so epic that
I'm like there's no way today gets any
better first morning we woke up on the
Beach second morning we woke up on top
of that insane Mountain overlooking the
beach third night we woke up on a cliff
overlooking the ocean and then the last
time we woke up here amongst the
tombs this is awesome
[Music]
so uh are we going inside can you go
inside I mean there's a door yes you can
go inside the pyramids yes you tell me
if there's any ghost wow they're huge my
gosh can't fathom something that like
humans touched and built right here
4,000 years ago and now I'm touching
them it just blows my mind like I feel
like we're back in Egypt right now how
old are the pyramids are these older
than the pyramids are they I don't know
I would just like to pay respect to a
person who is buried in here this is a
pretty incredible place to be
buried you look like Indiana
Jones oh it's quite a bit darker in here
than I thought it would be okay we made
it there's no ghost wow I didn't realize
how much of a point that it came to like
from the outside it doesn't look like it
comes to this perfect hole in the center
at midday when the Sun's shining down to
that hole it' be so incredible in here
so these beehive tombs are stacked
Limestone I don't think they really know
very much about them except for the fact
that they found human remains and
pottery in here that date back to 2,000
BC so that's how they know they're over
4,000 years old and from what I've heard
the legend is that these were built by
demonic spirits but historians believe
that the reason that that Legend exists
was to keep people from messing with the
graves
M that makes sense this is the most
well-preserved one we've seen But there
are over 60 of these dotted around this
mountain all right let's see if we have
80 km worth of diesel left in this
thing don't love this at all so skinny
Plateau was
shortlived I have no clue how they paav
the roads all the way up here and
there's no way a cement truck is driving
all the way up they must do it by
[Music]
hand woo that's steep stressful times
yeah bir attacking the Drone a person
passing us so this morning we were
actually able to get Google Maps to give
us a route and a time to get to the gas
station time it
was then it would take an hour and a
half which we put us there at 10:45
which I think is going to end up being
pretty comical with what time we
actually get there you just can't take
this thing fast downhill out of fear
that it'll get out of control and if you
hit any bumps going at any speed the
whole thing just wobbles back and forth
and throws everything out of the
cabinet no way what is this I think we
might have done it I don't want to
celebrate too soon but we might be on a
paved road for the next 40 km oh my God
which is good considering the fact that
it's already 11:00 and we're not even
halfway
11:00 44 km to go but I feel safe
putting my seat Bel back on
now
wow we have done it turns out we have
just under half a tank and uh it was
never an issue help a lot scarier than
that when we were up in the middle of
the
[Music]
mountains so we unfortunately have a
another issue not sure if you can see it
or not but my foot is swimming in fluid
so last night after we parked I realized
there was a little puddle in the
floorboard underneath the clutch didn't
seem like a big deal at the time I
wasn't going to worry about it but then
today it's gotten a lot worse the puddle
is huge my foot is completely drenched
and whatever flew fluid this is dripping
out of the little compressible rubber
thing above the clutch so one thing that
I don't think we pointed out in the tour
is that this bathroom actually has a
manual bedet which has come in very
handy for washing the sand off of our
feet after seeing the bioluminesence and
now for washing the breake clutch fluid
stuff off of my foot I've been scared to
Google if this stuff is poisonous
because my foot's just been sitting in
it all day it's kind of starting to burn
so I figured I better clean it ready for
this boom problem solved
brilliant no more clutch foot old clutch
foot the plan from here was to head into
the desert for the next 3 days and
basically be totally isolated so this
seems like an issue we should probably
get looked at before we do that the
problem is today is Friday which is
pretty much a holiday here in Oman it's
kind of like Sunday in the US it's the
day that people take to rest and I'm not
sure that even if we can find a garage
that it'll be open
so we've got some stuff to figure out
this it yeah go straight and maybe 7 km
IB there is a big one garage thank you
okay that guy seem to think that a
garage would be open in the next town
we'll head there see what happens and go
from there hello how are you it's this
uh the rubber here you going to Workshop
okay 8 km straight I cannot the work
okay thank you
[Music]
so we found a street that is like the
mecca of Auto Part repairs the only
problem is every single building in this
entire town is closed there was one that
was closing as we were pulling up and
the four guys that were here were nice
enough to stick around take a look at it
basically they said it's an easy fix
they just don't have any Mercedes parts
in this town the only place to get
Mercedes parts in the country of Oman is
back in the capital city of Muscat
Muscat is where we started in case you
didn't know so it feels very defeating
to be turning around and going back on
the highway when we just had such an
epic route getting here yeah good point
it does kind of feel like all of that
that we did yesterday was for nothing
[Music]
all right we are back in business long
story short on Friday we ended up
driving back to Muscat but all the
garages were closed so we got a hotel
took a nice long shower because shower
in a hotel is just not the same thing as
a shower here in a vehicle we needed it
and then yesterday the Unimog spent all
day in the garage getting the clutch
piece repaired and today we're picking
back up where we left off yay you know
it was a nice little reset from spending
2 years in a van we learned that with
any vehicle that you live in distance
truly does make the heart grow fonder
not that we weren't having an amazing
time in the Unimog but I'm definitely
coming into it with a renewed sense of
excitement after sleeping in a hotel bed
last night I just saw this sitting
underneath a bench and it reminded me
that yesterday before we took the utog
to the garage I uh left the lights on
and we learned how to jump start the car
So the plan for today is to drive 3
hours on the highway back to where we
turn off to the desert once we get there
we need to air down our tires fill up
with water maybe grab a couple extra
snacks and if everything goes to plan
tonight we will be sleeping in the
desert which is what I been looking
forward to most on this entire trip like
the entire reason we rented this car was
because of the vision that I had of
driving this thing through the dunes you
weren't envisioning climbing to straight
up Rock Cliffs it was like dunes and
Beach and I've had to wait a little
longer than expected but I think it's
going to make it extra
sweet
okay as you all know we spent a lot of
time in the car on this trip and today's
conversation has revolved around the
question what is your favorite country
cuz that is by far the question we can
asked the most every single person we me
that's the first thing they ask I know
they're going to ask it and we don't ask
any we thought we'd do a little
reflecting on our 1006 countries that we
have visited in the last 8 and 1/2 years
and we've compiled a list we attempted
to make a list of our favorites in no
particular order we'll put the list on
the screen here technically there's a
top 18 which is a very random top number
then there are some bonus trips that
I've added on there if anybody's curious
you know countries that I'm not like
100% sold on as the but like the
experience makes it worth going to let
us know if you agree with this list if
there saying thing you think should be
added or Tak it away I feel like there's
probably like one gigantic experience
that we just like totally forgot
[Music]
about I believe we have officially
passed where we broke down 2 days ago
which means we are now the closest to
the desert that we have ever been and we
are making four progress so we have 200
L of water in the Unimog we've been in
here for a week and we've probably only
used half of it we don't use it for
drinking uh because it's not filtered
but we use it for like brushing our
teeth washing dishes that kind of stuff
but you have to have to fill up with
water I don't think like putting water
in a camper is a normal thing in this
country most people just live out of
rooftop tents so we're going to have to
figure out where we can get water our
first stop is the gas station because I
read that some gas stations have water
and we'll let you fill up hello do you
have water okay ah Chon
Chon can can we pay for water I I'll
show you
inside I might have you up on the ladder
and make sure we'll make it in okay all
right we struck out at the gas station
they tried to help the Unimog is too
tall to fit into the car wash where they
were going to fill it up so uh on to
whatever is next I really like those
guys they were
great we didn't fill our tank up with
water but we did buy eight of these
water jugs CU I'm not taking any chances
in the desert already thirsty we haven't
even gotten there
yet if we broke down we have enough food
and water to last us for a month we're
going to be out there for 2
days kind of been driving in circles in
this town looking for water and we just
saw some guys literally filling up on
the side of the road he smiled and waved
like he was fine all right it feels like
a public place that people would come to
fill up like their water jugs all right
let's see how this
goes ooh
sand I think this is going to work great
maybe these are all around the country
and that's why the guys at the gas
station thought I was
[Music]
crazy is it going it's going it's a
trickle sounds like it's going so slow
this is how much water pressure we have
to fill up uhoh fill up 100
lit this might take a
while all right well Nate's filling up
our water I'm going to make us some
lunch Amani tacos againin except for
this time they're going to be extra good
we bought this zatar bread at the store
yesterday
M irresistible may I use this as the
taco
shell actually was way faster than I
thought it would be wow this AC feels
amazing I know I have a bite of this oh
you already took
one I would just like to apologize to
any of our Omani viewers I feel like
this could be the equivalent of going to
Italy and putting ketchup on pizza so if
this offends anybody because you feel
like we're eating your food wrong I'm
very sorry but what I will say is it is
delicious and maybe it's worth a try we
did shop in the grown in Oman food
section at the store which I love that
they have so many of these are local
ingredients we just put them in a
different format than you probably eat
them
usually so
good okay I think we now have enough
water on board that if we come across a
caravan of people and camels at the
desert and we'll be able to hydrate all
of them
all right we have officially left the
pavement behind we about to enter the
dunes the tires are currently at 50 psi
and we're going to air them down to 20
so we don't get stuck in the sand I've
done this a couple times in the past but
every time I've done it I've had like a
specialized tool that deflates it
perfectly to the right PSI this is a a
gauge that tells me what PSI the tires
are at so I'm letting air out with the
key and then I'm checking it with this
almost there
[Music]
all right we are officially heading into
the desert and I'm not going to lie it's
a little intimidating we've actually
been here before but it was on an
organized tour to go to like a desert
camp and driving it alone is a totally
different Beauty wow the desert how do
you know where to go who look at the
camels oh remember how much my camel
hated me
no problem no problem oh yeah get her my
friend my friend
oh wow look at
this it's so chill it doesn't care at
all hi hi I feel like if I had food it
would come eat something out of my hand
right now we have tons of
bread hi
camel I love her oh there's two more hi
this is
insane they're massive so we just
entered and I don't want to get my hopes
up but so far there's a very well
defined Road like should we put Google
maps on Google Maps will not navigate
you through this desert but the good
news is we don't really have a final
destination the goal is just to drive
into the dunes as far as we're
comfortable find an epic place to Camp
for The Night Live the dunes
life this area that we've just ented is
called waha Sands and it's 5,000 square
km of desert what it stretches all the
way from here the town called badaa all
the way to the coastline this is
obviously like a touristy thing we' yet
to have anybody try to sell us something
in this country like hustle us to give
them money for something until we got to
this town and we've had two people drive
up beside the car asking to show us
through the desert oh come come follow
us by come come how are you good good
which maybe yeah it sounds really nice
this I'll look back and go well we
should have done that I don't think
we're going to get stuck but this thing
does feel heavy in the sand do we look
as cool as we feel right now yeah you
can see quite a few of these camps that
are set up for people to come out and
spend the night my goal is to get past
these camps and just find somewhere in
the desert where we're completely alone
as far as I can see but I will say even
if you're just coming out here you go to
one of these camps it is totally worth
it that's exactly what we did last time
and it was the most incredible
experience W this is fun for some reason
I was picturing on Like A Flat Road but
we're going up and over little Dunes
this is e I have no clue where I'm
going we pretty much have no plan there
were multiple entry points to come into
the desert we just picked one of them
and now we're just driving I said this
morning that this is what I was looking
for to most and it's already everything
that I hope it would be yeah I have
never felt so cool in my entire life
driving ourselves into the desert Al in
1985 Unimog and the one thing that does
scare me a little bit is if we do get
stuck what vehicle can pull out a 5ton
unim
[Music]
hello where are you going you're going
to hold on to the ladder okay okay do
you want to get inside we're picking up
a
hitchhiker I'm not really sure where
we're taking
him all right Hector's just going to
milk his camel so man just flagged us
down on the side of the road I thought
he was going to try to sell us on taking
us on a tour but he wanted a ride so
Hector's hanging out in the back and I
guess he will tell me when to stop or
where to go
he was obviously pretty desperate for a
ride because the first thing that he
offered to do was hang off the ladder on
the side of the uton I kind of assume
there's like one road that goes through
the desert and his stop will just be
somewhere along this road K and Hector
are just hanging out in the back all
right this is going to be a serious Doom
block
holy he's impressed with your driving
he's impressed
that's
good wheel this feels pretty sketch oh
we're going to make it we're going to
make it oh that's
it nice to meet you thank you thank you
thank
you oh nice jump okay okay thank you
bye-bye he was awesome well Hector was
just so sweet where did he go that way
he's just walking we just dropped him
off in the middle of the desert this
looks no different than what we picked
him up I mean I'm sure there's something
out here he just blew
me he show me photos of his children and
his wife and his mom and his
dad all right so we found a pen on the
camping app talked about an epic
campsite between two big sand dunes the
road to get up there is a little
intimidating as usual and the camera it
looks like absolutely nothing feels good
just like to get off the main road and
really back here into the
dudes I love this so much this is an
epic spot all right I'm going to push it
just a little bit further to get to the
perfect parking spot I'm only recording
this in case something goes wrong one of
my favorite things about Nate is he goes
big or he goes home and if he's going to
camp in the desert he's going to get the
best spot which requires me getting out
to make sure he doesn't flip
over nice
you did it honestly I don't think it
gets better than this I'm not excited to
get out of this spot in the morning but
for now I'm so happy woo I cannot
believe this is real life this is 10
times more epic than I thought it was
going to be did get the heart rate up
nice work oh good driving I trust you
with my life yeah obviously
one day I'm going to push it tooo far
that day is not
today oh I could not be happier in this
moment life is good could it get any
better no this is epic honestly if I had
a ball of wine this would be potentially
the best night of my life we've
basically driven up to one of the
highest Dunes in the desert we have this
view down over the valley and then the
sand dunes just start going up from
there as far as the eye can see just
feels
so
raw just want to show you the view from
inside this is where we're hanging out
tonight this is what van life dreams are
made
of it's uh 00 because run om on
[Music]
Cheers
Cheers this moment right here was
everything I pictured and more when we
were planning this trip this is it it
doesn't get better oh I can't believe we
made it up here this is so good all
right we're going to enjoy our night
here in the desert we will see you for
part three next week where we drive
further into the desert to a mosque that
has no official roads to it and then
we're heading back into the mountains
I'm not sure why we do this to ourselves
in an attempt to camp on the rim of what
they call the Grand Canyon of Arabia
It's the final adventure of this series
and things have just continued to get
better so I had very high expectations
and hopes for the next few days at least
that's what we thought was going to
happen the next morning we woke up to
this last night we heard this sound that
we thought was a dying animal and it
finished
with which was our entire Tire deflating
it's just all coming out of this massive
oh like we thought it was this is a
pretty desperate solution but I think
we're to that
point I feel like anytime we're alone
we're like no one is
here I've never felt so uncinated
there's like a current pushing go
backwards and the ground is super slick
and
uneven all the people are going to like
that way too
much put that in slow
motion oh yeah look how many keys the
unimon came with one of these unlocks
the water tank that's only one actually
it could be one of these as well why did
the camel cross the road
[Music]
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