Leaving Sydney and going to Uluru and Katja Tjuta also known
as Ayers Rock and the Olgas. It was almost sad to leave my home away from home,
but I knew new adventures were awaiting me.
What I didn’t know was how quickly, When I got to the airport I informed
security that I have an artificial knee and that the alarms would go off. This
got greeted by let’s give this woman the third degree. My innocent folding
plastic shoehorn that I acquired long ago on some airline was handed from hand to hand,
the blunt scissors were ¼ inch to long, but they were going to let it pass, and
so it went until I was finally cleared.
Once I got on the Virgin Australia aircraft it just
continued in the same vein, Fortunately I had brought my own lunch, because
once the flight attendants had finished handing out lunch to regular fare
passengers they decided to retire to the galley and hang out. It had me
questioning the wisdom of purchasing an Australia pass, not because I was
flying at discounted prices and had to buy my food but I was also not able to
get a cup of coffee even though the drink cart was next to me. Fortunately
subsequent flights totally allayed any concerns I may have had.
As the plane approached Uluru airport, one could feel the palabable excitement on the plane. The rock was clearly seen in the middle of the desert. There is this large monolith with nothing
but shrubs around it. An impressive sight indeed, and one begins to understand
how the aboriginals has made this into one of the holy sites in the area which
has now become a National Park and a World Heritage Site.
The bus taking me to,
Yulara Resort which has many different hotels, was waiting and very soon I arrived at Outback Pioneer
Hotel & Lodge which is the backpacker part . My room was a mixed sex 4
bedded room but it wasn’t quite ready. I knew that I had to share bathroom but
didn’t expect the whole place to be long cabins and the showers and bathrooms a
distance away. As it turned out it was fine. There was also a communal kitchen
with its own dining area, laundry facilities, a bar, restaurant, and a casual
take out place as well as a swimming pool.
At night you could order a cook your own Barbecue meal with a
salad buffet, there is a selection of
different meats including Kangaroo and
Crocodile skewers that you cooked on very hot griddles. The food prices were
very reasonable which could not be said for the excursions.
For my first night I had booked a dinner under the stars.
This included a sunset view of Uluru, buffet dinner, an astronomer explaining
the stars as well as unlimited wine, beer and sodas. All for the bargain price
of $ 177. Since there was a full moon the stars were not really visible, but
the sunset was gorgeous. I had a great time sitting at a table with a couple
from Canada and another from Manhattan.
The next morning I had booked what I thought was a sunrise
guided tour to Kata Tjuta. It was a bus that took you there and would pick you
up in 3 hours for the cost of $80 plus the park pass of $25. I could not have managed a complete guided walking, but it would have been nice to have some explanations. The sunrise was
very lovely with the rocks taking on
many different hues. As awe inspiring as
Uluru is, I found I preferred
Kata Tjuta or the Olgas as it is also called. There were several rocks and the
stone is different from Uluru which is only one rock. One could walk around but
I only managed to get to the first outlook, then I called it quits. The walking
was just too difficult for me to manage.
By the time we returned to the hotel it was very hot and I decided to go and lay by the pool which was a nice break, but after a while that got too hot as well so I returned to my room.
The first night I had shared the room with an English girl
and it was just the two of us, because it was late in the day we assumed that
we were going to be alone the second night as well.
When I got to my room the door is open and this very tall
man is standing in the doorway. First thought, we are being robbed, my laptop
was being charged and sitting out. As it turned out he was one of our new
roommates a Norwegian who was traveling with his Portugese friend. Two aging, sweet, gentle,
hippies who were on their way to a week long outdoor music festival held outside
of Cairns, they were to share our room for the night. How lucky was I, they had
rented a car and invited me to join them for the sunset at Ayers Rock, since I
already had my park pass I accepted with pleasure. I also got to see the
sunrise and it was not at all like the pictures. The red is not as vivid and I
couldn’t see any inner glow, which is how it had been described as happening
when the sunrays hit the rock.
I am glad that I have been here but it is time to move on to Brisbane.
I am glad that I have been here but it is time to move on to Brisbane.
