Al-Qalam 
A Dubai entrepreneur and an acclaimed photographer had shipped their camper vans to Durban for an adventure of their dreams. Ismail Suder caught up with them.
Dubai businessman Rashid Ahmed has been bitten by the African bug – the veteran overlander had shipped his fully-equipped Toyota Landcruiser (78 series Troop Carrier truck) across the sea to Durban to explore Southern Africa – his umpteenth trip.
Although his past explorations across Africa had been solo, this time, his Dubai-based friend Dany Eid – an acclaimed architectural photographer- joined him with his own camper truck, also a fully equipped Toyota Landcruiser troops.
He stated that he acquired his troops at an auction in Dubai. It originally belonged to the Red Crescent. He said it took about a year to build the vehicle to provide him with comfort and security along the way. He said the advantage of having living space in the troop’s cabin was that he could stand inside the camper and read his salah – something which he couldn’t do with previous camper vehicles.
“Africa is my passion, and in order to navigate it, you have to build your vehicle and equip it to face challenges ahead and cross multiple countries – Africa is the only place where you can see extremes – extreme poverty, extreme wildlife, extreme richness, extreme resources, the amazing landscapes, in fact no other place in the world can provide this diversity,” he said.
Asked what he enjoys most about solo travelling, Ahmed said solo travelling gives him the feeling of vulnerability. “Solo travelling gives you the feeling of vulnerability, and when you feel that way, you feel attached to the people, you respect them, you get to know them better… That was the biggest enjoyment I’ve had out of solo travelling,” he said.
For him, travelling is done with a purpose, explaining that it removes him from his comfort zone at home. He said travelling helps him to realize the struggles that people go through and to appreciate what Allah has provided for him and his family.
Together, the two friends travelled thousands of kilometres across South Africa and Southern Africa in two separate vehicles that took them onwards to Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. They stayed at different camping sites along the way, and they loved every moment of their two-and-a-half-month adventure.
Both seasoned adventurers had built their camper trucks to enable them to sleep inside of them.
Asked whether he had met many Muslim regional overlanders along the way, Ahmed said he had only met a few and had encouraged South African Muslims not to be afraid of going on overlanding trips.
Their trip went smoothly, except in Walvis Bay when one morning, Eid’s camper truck was broken into at the campsite and his expensive Fuji photographic equipment stolen.
“Africa is a place where you meet a lot of good people to the extent that you suddenly feel relaxed, but if you get too relaxed, things can happen. However, things like this can happen anywhere. We come from a place that has got the highest safety and security level in the world. However, one should naturally be fully alert when travelling abroad.
“I advise and encourage people to visit Africa, and enjoy its nature and assist local communities by buying their local products.”
Ahmed said whenever something bad happens when travelling in Africa, some people use the term – “TIA” (this is Africa) and he was totally against the usage of this connotation. “When anything negative happens in Africa, they validate it with this term as if nothing like that happens anywhere else– that is wrong. It makes Africans believe that they are inferior,” he added.
For Eid, it was unfortunate that he lost hundreds of valuable photographs, but he has since taken it in his stride.
Eid said crime was everywhere, and despite the theft of his camera equipment, it did not mean he had to start living in a cage.
Eid is a renowned architectural, aerial and landscape photographer who is sought after across the Middle East. He has 62,000 followers on Instagram. You can check out his post @danyeid. Despite losing most of his photos, he managed to save a few and it is featured on his page.
Ahmed’s Instagram page is @troopy_fiction – check out his amazing videos and photos of his travels across many destinations. He is currently planning his next overlanding trip to Central Asia.
