A couple of weekends back I went camping in the desert and nearly got completely lost on the way there. I usually go camping with a friend of mine in this secluded area around an hour plus drive into the desert from Al Salmi. This time around my friend headed into the desert first since I had some errands I needed to get done during the day and then headed into the desert in the afternoon. The whole journey takes around two hours from Salmiya so by the time I got close to camp it was dark and I couldn’t see anything except the road in front of me. I had Google Maps coordinates of our camp site on my phone and was following it without issues until I hit what I think must have been Kuwait’s Bermuda Triangle.
As I got close to our camping spot my phone just started messing up. I’d be driving towards my blue dot on Google Maps and then 15 minutes later the map suddenly rotates and so now the blue dot is behind me. So I’d turn the car around and head the other way, 20 minutes later the map rotates again and now the blue dot is on my right instead of straight ahead. It did this a couple of more times before I realized I was driving around in circles wasting precious fuel in the empty desert and completely lost. I was about to give up and just camp in this random spot in the middle of nowhere until the sun comes up when I remembered I had a little Garmin eTrex 20 in the trunk with my camping gear.
I had bought the Garmin for exactly this situation, to use if I ever get lost when hiking or camping. So I dug it out of my gear, turned it on, entered the coordinates of my campsite and right away the Garmin pointed me to the right direction. I was so off course I had to drive another 30 minutes to get to camp. Moral of the story? If you’re ever heading into the desert don’t rely on your phone for navigation. Instead, invest in a dedicated GPS device since it could save your ass one day.
25 replies on “Kuwait’s Bermuda Triangle”
Did you try to recalibrate the compass on your phone? That usually fixes that problem you are describing.
Also don’t use any magnets in your car holder (if you use one)
oh yeah didn’t help. tried everything after that even standing outside the car in the freezing cold, driving around in circles, standing in the desert turning in cirlces and even performed a war dance under the stars.
Which phone it was?
iPhone 6s
I approve Mark’s message. Totally invest in a dedicated GPS product.
nice try
Where’d you get it from?
How long ago did you get it?
How much did it cost?
Would you say it’s goof-proof (for those who are less tech-savvy)?
Also, off-topic but what is going on in the city? There’s a fog that’s only concentrated in one area, too low to be clouds so possibly fire? Whatever it is, it’s freaking me out so I checked your blog and nada. Hmph.
I got it from Amazon, like 50kd I think. It’s not that complicated to use I think but really depends what u want to use it for.
About the fog I saw it when I was leaving the city awhile ago and thought it was a fire so chased it but I couldn’t find anything so I think it was fog.
That’s actually pretty decent. I’m definitely getting one for myself. It could also be a good, practical gift.
Good call on chasing the fog, man. I mean I’m glad it’s not a fire or anything shady and now we know, so, personally I’m less freaked out.
Mark,
Do you have an annual subscription for the maps?
what maps? the garmin? no i don’t, i don’t think i have any maps on it. i use it when i go hiking to mark my path so in case i get lost i can backtrack or in the case of that night in the desert i just typed in the destination coordinates and then just drove towards it. i dont use it for on road navigation.
I bet you were only 3 minutes away from your campsite but too shy to admit it so you just added 0 after the 3 ;p
is it locally available anywhere
yeah i just called the garmin dealer up (1822288) up, they have the newer etrex 20x and they’re selling it for KD59
thanks mark
is it a good place for camping and be alone for a day or like other places where you see camps more than you can count around you ? and can you share the location?!
Nobody around for miles and miles except for this one desert owl that lives near where we camp. And you don’t need this specific location, kuwait is huge just drive off road into the desert for an hour and you’ll be alone surrounded by nothing.
Aren’t you worried about land mines or is it relatively safe?
I think it’s safe, if I hit a landmine I’ll let you know
It’s Called The HAZ CIRClE Not The Bermuda Triangle No Gps Can Help You.
Here Is Some ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE Study It , And It Might Help You.
ummm i don’t think you got it
Yes Sir , I Don’t Think You Got It Eaither.
Also very useful for Geocaching…ever tried it Mark?
yeah back in like 2001-2002