Drive With Wander

For sometime the Wander headquarters has been contemplating shooting through mountain silhouettes and curvy roads. As the weather gets better in this region here on-wards, we decided to kick start our season with what we've been contemplating. So! to the mountains we went!

On this Wander, we took along with us a few coffee lovers from town (a.k.a @dropdubai) and they provided our Wanderers with cold drip coffee specifically brewed for the trip (as seen below). 

It humbles me to see the individuals that yearn for nature come together. We all share a passion, and a drive for wanderlust. This is who we are, and this is what we do.

Yours truly,

Miral Bushnaq

Respecting Nature

Today I found myself witnessing something relatively common, but it sat a little heavier than usual. I saw a man parked on the side of the road, driver door wide open and seemed to be rummaging through a few things. As I approached I realized he had something to dispose of, it was bothering him. I watched this man as he got what he wanted and disposed of his rubbish outside his vicinity to only drive away and leave behind a wrapper. On the grounds that have been cemented in our favor, on the path that others will walk, a common area to be used by all - there lied a wrapper to no use but littering. What happens now? Why is this something I referred to as a "common" thing to witness? Why are the users of this land unaware of the measures of respect needed towards the world that was given to us?

With that said, before we preach clean environments and respecting the grounds we walk on there needs to be an understanding of why we need to do so. As a community, a society that aspires to continuously grow and a group of people living side by side, we have a duty to maintain and care for that which we have access to. To understand the extent of which littering causes harm.

When we litter, we increase the impurity in our nature. When we litter, we develop a habit that slows down our progression - in life and in the universe. When we litter, we are disrespecting the people around us by actions that say "we don't care if you're going to walk this path too, I'm leaving anyways".

I've driven roads around the country that resemble a heavenly living, mountains structured high and mighty, sands as far as your eyes can see, seas filled with creatures of living more than you can count. These roads contain impurities, a sign that says "another careless human being was here, someone that is not appreciative of the ground he has the ability to walk". We can argue about the effects of obliviousness, and you can defend the person by saying "we don't have disposable areas allocated in remote areas". However, that should be enough reason for you to not leave your rubbish behind.

Your role in this society is greater than you think. The role you play is solid and justifiable as a catalyst to a better tomorrow. You as a human with the ability to comprehend, understand and change the wrong are able to restructure the perception of littering. To diminish the effects of "laziness" to become a motive of maintaining clean deserts, cities and seas.

A part of me wants to believe that we all know the effects of littering, however I have provided a few reasons why we need to not leave rubbish behind:
1. Unattended rubbish will not support healthy living. A sick world will build toxic atmospheres that will then lead to degrading human health.
2. The future generations will appreciate it. We complain about environmental concerns because our previous generations did not push to resolve the harm.
3. The importance of biodiversity. Ecosystems exist, humans should not be the ones that inflict harm towards it. Humans are the smartest creatures in this world.
4. It is a reflection of yourself. A man that stands for things that have no direct effect (but plenty of hidden effects) is a character of high caliber.
5. These grounds are your home. The areas that hold up your houses, give way for your cars and allow for your existence - is the ground you need to respect.

The world is alive, the trees give you living and the universe gives to those that respect what they have been given.

Join Wander in taking an oath against littering, educating those that do litter and guiding them to a better understanding of nature. It is all we have.

What Makes You Wander?

We have an undying curiosity to understand the drive behind peoples wanders. Why do you do what you do and why do you get out the way you do?

Leave your thoughts below.

Nature. Life.

"Life feels like a blind path. That moment you are stopped before a dune larger than any you've ever driven before, you watch as the grains of sand swiftly move in the direction of the wind almost characterizing it. Taking a deep breath, securing the already fastened seat belt, turning your radio off and feeling your foot slowly press down on the gas and suddenly you're moved with that momentum and you see the once swiftly moving sand is now gushing beneath your rubber, the vessel you're sat in is raging, your heart is racing and the world around you is chaotic. You take the dune for what it's worth at full capacity and for the millisecond that feels like a decade where you're in mid air awaiting the sound of breakage you peak through your squinting eyes only to find you made it to the other side. This is life"

This is my interpretation of winging it, with an underpinning notion of understanding life just a little bit. This is something nature has taught me, and I don't think anything else is more capable of teaching me this lesson. When we go out into nature we are exposing ourselves to a probability of danger, an element of the unknown and a high chance of something new to burst our bubble of comfort. As we all know, society has built compartments of predictability for us to live in, homes we are familiar with and people with the same behavior. "Don't speak to strangers" "Don't ask certain questions" "Just mind your own business".

Under what circumstance is this the right way to move forward? Why is obliviousness in thought a way of life?

We have walked the earth on egg shells, we have always thought most of our impulsive reactions are wrong and disrespectful. We have always journeyed on a path of individualism completely disregarding the natural collectivist within us. Always careful, always thinking we have a say in what the future holds for us. The only say we have is in how willing we are to ride the wave.

Ride the wave, hold on and push through and wait to see what happens on the otherside - always knowing you gave it your all. Whats in the rucksack? A dash of passion, a handful of adrenaline and a whole lot of curiosity.

What I'm getting at is, the way a human naturally behaves in nature is something that has become foreign to us. A behavior we regard as odd. Tell me this, when you're dug deep in the sand and seeking help, are you going to shy away from asking for help? or are you going to wave down the next car that drives by?

Take the stuck situation and apply it to self-discovery and daily concrete jungle struggles. If you are stagnant in life, in dire need of a change but think twice about waving down the next person to seek help how are we going to grow as a society? How are we going to learn? How are we going to find ourselves within others?

Channel your inner impulsive reaction to the world around you. Just like we allow nature to be nature, allow yourself to be yourself and watch where you land - no breakage, no damage but plenty of progression.

Makeshift: How Camping Is About Improvisation

We rode out to Ras Al Khaimah one afternoon, four people ditching the work life and a few responsibilities seeking peace on a ledge in the mountains - let me tell you about our makeshift strategies.
For starters, we definitely did not keep in mind the weather and how windy it may be, secondly we definitely did not expect one of our tents to have damaged rods. From placing an umbrella into a tent to keep it raised to tying a tent down with a car tug rope, we definitely compromised and allowed nature to take its toll on us.
This is what a camp set-up ordinarily looks like at the WANDER headquarters,

When you're out in nature, you improvise. When you've got a few things at hand, you improvise. When nothing seems to go your way, improvise. It's the only way to wander.

Photo credit @m.mnasria

Caffeine Cruise meets Wander

On a corner of an intersection lies a tree-house haven, a fusion of motorbikes and good good coffee is Cafe Rider - a home grown coffee hub built on authenticity and good vibes. Throughout battling the concrete jungle and pushing through the metropolitan lifestyle, people seek comfort in the road most Friday mornings by heading to the furthest point in the Arab Emirates - be it on two wheels or four wheels. The Caffeine Cruise paired with Wander and created memories.

Wanders first wander.

We gathered in a parking lot, a bunch of Jeeps lined up with a few Nissans and Defenders and a whole load of wandering souls. Wander held its first wander on the sunset of the 3rd of December initiating the community over good conversations and a bonfire. Wander is it's people.

The Guy I Met At McDonalds

We didn't actually meet, I just awkwardly peered over the booth into his laptop watching him alter the colors on his cliche landscape photo he probably took when he #pulledoverforthis on his way into Sarajevo.

The real story is, well, I was going to McDonalds for a quick dinner with my mother when I spotted an odd white Toyota among over micro-eco-whatever friendly cars in the drive way of this city that seems to be trapped between being European and slightly Russian. What I spotted was a sticker on the back of the car that read hellobigworld.de - that's it, hello big world!

Thoughts pushed through my mind, I thought "they're adventurers!" "they're just like me!" "They drove here from Germany" "I know someone who is half German, or two" "What brings them here!" "What a perfect honeymoon idea" "Does that mean my husband needs to know how to drive on all terrains?" and it went on and on and on.

Point is, I already connected on a base of familiarity. They were humans that believed in the same things I believed in because they printed their stickers and stuck them on the same corner I stuck my stickers. Wow, what a world. We're all the same - I sarcastically tell myself. So...what now?

I for some odd reason thought twice about approaching them. I did receive a sense of "approval" when he in the next booth overheard me saying "...people of all ages are full of shit" and I felt, Ha! you spreaken the English (if you haven't watched Madagascar - get on it). 

Moral of the story - never never never hesitate to speak to someone, whether they do the same thing you do or are polar opposites. We live in such a BIG BIG world and you're going to pass the opportunity to speak to other beings that have insight, perspectives and goals beyond what you can imagine. Increasing your mental threshold is a mighty wonderful thing!

I urge you, to indulge in conversation - if you're dismissed and not welcomed, it's okay you can tell them I told you and throw the blame on me.

...but just do it.

(I did not speak to them that very night, however I did send them an e-mail and now we're in touch)

// on connections
// Miral Bushnaq