Ayers Rock Day 3

Another day of waking up at 4am, this time to see the sunrise at Ayers Rock. Sadly due to the overcast skies the sunrise wasn't that great, but the outback breakfast of ham and egg rolls and bilby tea was delish. We then went into the national park to some great Uluru (what the Aboriginals call Ayers Rock) photo spots. We then drove over to the part of Ayers Rock where you can climb up. Its important to note that even though the climb is open, the Aboriginal people are strongly against it. Besides the fact that it is incredibly dangerous, the Ananu people believe that the spirits of their ancestors reside within the rock. As such it is extremely disrespectful to climb it. If a foreigner dies while climbing the rock the Ananu gather for a week to sing the spirit of that person back to its homeland so it doesn't get lost on its long journey home. We then drove around to the "Mala man" where we learned the story where another tribe invited the Mala people to their village for a ceremony, but the Mala were conducting their own ceremony so they couldn't got. The other tribe was offended by this so the conjured up the demon dog who came to attack the Mala. The Mala man stood to face the beast so his people could escape and the dog grabbed the man and slammed him against the rock. So now you can see the impression of his head and the dog's tracks on the side of the rock. We also learned the story of the 2 snake Liru and Kuniya. I'll let you google it if you want to know more. After that we went to the Cultural Center where I purchased an amazing dot painting. After my sunrise tour I took an Aboriginal dot painting workshop. It was led by two Aboriginal women and their interpreter. Our teachers were Bonnie and Julie. They told us stories in the sand and taught us what all of the symbols mean. After the lesson we created our own dot painting stories and then shared with the group. It was really fun and interesting to learn all about the culture. After that I was dropped off at the Camel farm for my sunset tour on camel back. The camels were really funny and a bit smelly. I was given a camel named Cuzco, and if you know me you know I love Disney movies so a camel named after the Emperor's new groove was very fitting. I got on my camel and then braced myself for him to stand up. We walked through the desert in a little camel caravan while our guide talked about the plants and animals of the desert. The sunrise was beautiful. Then it was back to the farm for some traditional bush tucker. We had beer bread and traditional spices and a bbq. It was really great and the other 6 people in my group were really interesting people. It was an awesome day,

Ayers Rock (Kata Tjuta)- Day 2

I woke up at 4am for my sunrise and Olgas tour. The Aboriginals call the Olgas Kata Tjuta. Off in the distance as we drove to the sunrise lookout there was an amazing lightening storm raging. As we got closer the rain began to fall. It was a bit upsetting, but we all decided to make the most of it and we weren't disappointed. The sunrise was spectacular and then was saw a rainbow. It went all the way to the ground on both sides! The was had an Aussie outback breakfast of toast and coffee and fruit. We then drove around the Olgas and did the Walpa gorge walk. It was still raining but it was amazing to see the water cascading off the rock, something only 4% of visitors ever get to see. The Olgas are composed of boulders and pebbles, where as Ayers rock in composed of sand and silt. The contrast was interesting to see as a geologist. After the tour I was dropped back at my hotel. I hit the gift shop and grabbed a salad and the trendy little Gecko's cafe and then went to read under a covered patio until my 2:30 tour. Unfortunately my tour was canceled due to the rain, but they rescheduled me for the next day. What to do with my free time? Spa it was as there was little else to do in a thunderstorm. My massage and body srub was lovely. Then I headed down to the lounge for some Thai food and live entertainment. Then it was off to bed early to get ready for my sunrise at Ayers Rock!

Ayers Rock (Uluru)- Day 1

I boarded my plane to Ayers Rock and was lucky enough to have a window seat. Two and a half hours later I was flying over the rock and its neighbor The Olgas (Kata Tjuta). The view was breath taking and I was so excited to start the trip. I couldn't help but notice how green it was, rather than the red I was expecting. When I arrived I asked if it was usually so green as the area is dubbed "the red center". The guy at the desk said they have had 10 times the annual rainfall and thus everything is in bloom. Apparently there are flowers that people haven't seen in decades! I stayed at the Lost Camel hotel in Yulara village, which is the only village in Ayers Rock. It was soooo hot and the power was out for maintenance so I chose to put my stuff away, but on a bathing suit and hit the pool until I needed to get ready for my sunset dinner. The pool was lovely and a great place to chat with other travelers as everyone had the same idea! I went to shower and change for my sunset dinner. We boarded the bus and drove out into the dunes where we had champagne and snacks to watch the sunset. After sunset we ate kangaroo and emu and lovely salads. Then we were serenaded with a didgeridoo and given a star talk. While the guide was talking about the southern hemisphere's stars the most amazing shooting star lit up the sky. It was so bright and then it broke into little pieces. I've never seen anything like it ever. Amazing.