“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
―John Muir, Our National Parks
I had for some time, felt a vagueness and desolation consume me; I couldn’t tell where it had come from or why, and I did my best to hide it. Flitting between purposes in life had left me with a disenfranchised sense of self, struggling to find direction, place or calm in a concrete jungle I began caring less for day by day. It was at this point I remembered my first love: exploring the natural world with an off-road vehicle.
For the last four years I have loved living in the United Arab Emirates, but I had never explored or adventured outside of the city limits, not really. It is this, which for a former countryside-dwelling, muddy lover of the unknown and undiscovered became a bit too much. I could blame Dubai, the city in which I live; I could argue that the repetitive nature of life here, the nerve-shaken, over-civilized rat racers and the endlessly multiplying concrete enclosures have blinkered my desire to roam, dig, splash, climb and just simply be. But that would be a flagrant excuse.
Dubai is an oasis in the middle of an incredible theatre of nature. It is the oasis that first drew me here, feeds and shelters me, I should be grateful. The wilds of Arabia are often dismissed simply as arid, desolate and forbidding deserts, bearing nothing of interest or consequence. In reality this part of the world offers a chance to observe and interact with one of the most diverse, rare, colourful and enduring ecosystems anywhere on earth. Home to an amazing and exotic variety of wildlife, traditions, people and places, Arabia is begging to be explored and I am regretful that I had waited so long to do so.
I am fortunate to have a very good friend in Neil, who as a professional photographer is responsible not only for the fantastic images born from The Land Rover Diaries or TLRD as we now affectionately refer to it, but also for inspiring much of the drive in me (if you will pardon the pun) to get out in the cars, purse the next adventure and write about it. For Neil these adventures offer an opportunity to photograph compelling landscapes, which as an accomplished hospitality photographer represents the next bastion of fulfillment. I am often left in awe of his work and captivated by how such spectacular images are achieved. TLRD therefore embodies a new chapter for both of us and I think I am right in saying, one that we are entering for the other, just as much as for ourselves. Knowing how respected Neil is amongst his clients, it is a privilege to have my words printed with his pictures.
Humbly, Neil and I began delving into the oasis’ milieu – drinking its elixir and feeling better for it. Having bought two old Land Rovers for less than 20,000 AED each from a chap who has become a friend (such is the way in the unique Land Rover community) we have started small with some day and some overnight trips to the deserts, mountains, wadis and coasts that envelope us; learning a little more on each occasion, about the environment, our cars, ourselves and each other. Once we began experiencing the calming fluidity of deserts, cosseting sturdiness of mountains, replenishing effervescence of wadis and restorative vista of coastline we returned to the city free, as John Muir put it,“Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action.”
“Wander a whole summer if you can…time will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening, it will definitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal.”
― John Muir
Is it now our intention to wander in this contrasting landscape as often as we can whilst the oasis keeps us here if possible inspiring others to do the same through pictures and words. My purpose now is to find a way for my passion to also become my work as Neil’s is, so that my Land Rover and I can live the life we were built for, to our full potential. It saddens me to think that the diamonds resting latent in our incredible, illustrious malls are considered by many to be the only jewels here; it disheartens me more to see that even some of those who have stumbled across the natural jewels in Arabia’s crown are willing to destroy them with rubbish and graffiti. Is there an effort we can make collectively to combat this? I extol cleanup operations nevertheless prevention is surely better than cure.
“The world, we are told, was made especially for man — a presumption not supported by all the facts.” – John Muir
I have that noticed since we began TLRD that it is rare to sit and discuss what we find to be “mundane” in our lives. Conversations with friends or family turn quickly away from work to holidays, weddings, birthdays, restaurants, purchases, etc. It’s only normal to ignore those parts of our existence that we find repetitive or boring, dismissing them as par for the course.
“Most people are on the world, not in it — have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them — undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.”
― John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir
For anyone living in a bustling metropolis, such as Dubai, it is all too easy to become hypnotised, and even desensitised, by the many daily distractions placed in our way. It is so much easier to simply go with the flow and enjoy the metropolitan life, the allure of the restaurants – the gallery opening at which it is essential to show your face – rather than to stop, cast aside the superficiality and examine what it all means in the greater scheme of things. Taking time out to look at ways and means to develop our mind and spirit – our soul – is something we often suppress. The issue here is one of balance. Abandoning the distractions altogether for a life of contemplation is not what we are talking about. What we advocate is an occasional break from the roller-coaster ride for the benefit of our self-esteem.
“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news” ― John Muir
#EscapeTheMundane is therefore more than just the hashtag thought up by my co-conspirator and used in conjunction with all our images, it is a statement of intent. We decided not to let life become a series of superficial distractions from boredom and unfulfilled potential. To #EscapeTheMundane is to immerse yourself in environments and situations that can only be honest and true by definition. #EscapeTheMundane isn’t just another distraction.
“There is a love of wild nature in everybody, an ancient love showing itself whether recognized or not, and however covered by cares and duties” ― John Muir
You don’t have to jump in an old Land Rover and head for the mountains (although we can certainly recommend it!), just go out and have an adventure. Adventure is defined as an unusual and exciting or daring experience. It’s about trying something or somewhere new because as Amelia Earhart once said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself’. The by-product of adventure, as so many people have already discovered, is a refreshed or new perspective. Perspective is the stuff that enables you to decide whether you want to live to work or work to live. If TLRD is the ongoing story of our adventure and my personal quest to find new perspectives, then #EscapeTheMundane is its mission statement.
Words + Photos By: Theo Measures and Neil Walton
