WE at HUG Consultants are proud to have been a part of the environmental and off-roading project.

Conservation is ultimately about people and the survival of our very own species.
TOMORROW IS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT AS TODAY.

Qatar Off-roaders and Man of the Desert invited HUG Consultants and ILQ to participate in their Environmental & Off-roading campaign on Friday, March 13th 2015. Unlike any other program aimed at community integration and engagement, it allowed participants/volunteers to choose from joining a Clean-up of Zekreet beach, a Sight-seeing adventure followed by a barbeque, or a sleepover under the stars.

We drove in convoy along the Dukhan Highway, with our first stop being the Zekreet Beach. All the volunteers were briefed on the program for the day. The clean-up certainly had a very creative twist, where volunteers were asked to create their own unique art pieces with the litter collected along the beach. We also had other curious campers joining us as the campaign went on. Prizes were handed out to the best four creative “artworks”, where our contestants were judged based on their creativity, variety of materials found and used, and their team synergy. We then proceeded to Richard Sierra’s sculptures in the desert, where everyone was briefed on the installation. There was also a brief concluding discussion highlighting everyone’s perception of the artwork, and the overall experience thus far

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With increasing enthusiasm, we headed to the Oryx farm. Parking our vehicles off road, we all made our way by foot, tracking Oryx and fox footprints in the sand. As we approached the Oryx reserve, excitement evident with the click-click of DSLR’s and mobiles capturing just one more shot of these graceful animals. Taking care not to unnecessarily stress and disturb the animals, we made our way back to our vehicles, and headed to “Film City”, a contemporary re-creation of an antique Arabic village, nestled behind a canyon in the desert of the Zekreet area and then to Maystre Village, to see the stone huts mounted on limestone hills, the recent antiques of local television production.

We reached our campsite just before sunset. The camp was abuzz, with everyone setting up and preparing their own barbeques. The atmosphere was alight with people indulging in each other’s experiences as they re-lived the day’s events. The sound of laughter and the music in the background was a perfect end to a very busy day. At some point, we said our goodbyes to our fellow participants who returned to Doha, and it was time for a well-deserved night’s sleep for those staying the night. The post-barbeque atmosphere was still and calm. Morning brought us a beautiful sunrise. The overnight team prepared a light breakfast, whilst packing for their return to Doha.

The experience as a whole proved to be unique, particularly informative and extremely satisfying, as new and old friends alike, congregated to learn about culture and tradition, all the while expressing their shared passion for the welfare of the environment.

A special and sincere note of appreciation and gratitude must be given collectively to Qatar Off-roaders, Man of the Desert and Judy, without whom this adventure would not have been possible. A second note of thanks is duly extended to all who were present. Organization and planning of such events would not be successful without the keen interest, enthusiasm and most importantly, the attendance of participants.

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KevinWaller

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