the world

Project Pause… The Empty Quarter

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST…  The inspiration for Project Pause came at the tail end of 2013, during a flight on an assignment to Qatar. The magical views over Nakheel’s The World islands stirred my hunger to spend more time in isolation, away from distractions and a hectic schedule. It brought an abrupt awareness that my days are filled with chasing deadlines, promoting noise and pushing for creativity. Add to this an energetic family life and I realised that the engine most definitely needs to be recharged every so often.

Project Pause

My initial idea was to spend five days on an island in The World but access and permissions issues proved to be a real obstacle course. So now, just over a year later, I’ve remapped the idea. You see, a recent automotive gig in The Empty Quarter reminded me on the sheer beauty, scale and isolation of the desert. Hundreds of kilometres of the best desert landscape in the world, right here on our doorstep. So I’ve decided to take the bull by the horns and next month shall be dropped off somewhere in the middle of The Empty Quarter, amongst of the biggest dunes you can imagine, for one whole week. Solo.

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I walked through The Empty Quarter back in 2012 with explorer and adventurer Adrian Hayes, covering his Footsteps of Thesiger expedition. I even wrote my own ebook ‘Real Men Don’t Shave’ (on sale for just $11) about the amazing experience. The Empty Quarter is simply a magical place and I’m so much looking forward to spending time there, seeking adventure, thinking and being.

Why? Do you really have to ask? The quest to live a simple life, just me and a note book, a supply of healthy food, a stack of powerful reading, a tent and the spirit of Robinson Crusoe. Just letting the days evolve as they’re meant to evolve. Sometimes, little more is needed.

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I shall spend time completing some personal projects and thinking about how I want the next few years to pan out. I might even come up with a solution to save our planet. Who knows! It’s an open quest and I’m open to whatever may present itself.

More to come…

Wk