 1 - For an adventure! I'd never been to the Arabian peninsula before and had a hunch I'd really like it there. The only way to find out was to go and see what happened. 2 - To follow, vaguely, in the footsteps of Wilfred Thesiger, who's books and journeys I've admired for many years. Following a hero is a great starting point for an expedition. 3- Someone (Al Humphreys) had asked me to come along - it would have been rude to say no. 4 - The Empty Quarter is the largest sand desert in the world. Even though the largest, sandiest parts are in Saudi Arabia where we couldn't go, the ridiculousness and challenge of trying to thrive in somewhere so large and desolate is appealing. 5 - I wanted to do a trip that would be new, challenging and rewarding. This fit all those categories. 6 - I wanted to make a film that would entertain, educate and inspire. This (I hope) fit all those categories. 7 - Although I swore that I would never again go on a walking expedition after my 3000 mile trek in China, I have since come to believe that walking is my favourite of all methods of human-powered transport. It's slow, miserable and inefficient - but there's nothing to match it for immersion and experience. 8 - Despite what it may sound like from the above points, I really had no idea what I'd find in the Empty Quarter desert - emptiness, happiness, oil fields, roads, Bedu, camels...I could only guess based on other people's accounts. I went to find out. 9 - A 35C desert is a great, if extreme, escape from the British winter. (We went during November and December.) 10 - Life is too short - it's worth filling the time we have with fun, silly and character-developing experiences whenever we can. I knew that however this trip panned out - good or bad - I would never regret having tried it. Watch the film of 'Into The Empty Quarter' now by clicking here. If you haven't see it yet, check out the trailer below:
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