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Published: January 7th 2007
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Hey Folks!
From the plane it looked like we were going to land on Mars - the rugged dessert with its rays of red looked angry and somewhat strange - Is it Ayers Rock or is it Mars - nothing in sight at all and then as we got closer to landing - a few trees were visible and then well a couple of roads! Hooray - looking forward to staying here already!
Ok, so we've come from Port Douglas, and I thought it was hot there - its even hotter here in Uluru at around 42 degrees during the day and around 35 degrees in the evening...We got off the plane at around 12 noon and it was sweltering, the heat was so strong it felt like someone was blazing a fire right in front of you - and thats not all - the flies, everywhere, so apart from trying to survive in this heat with litres of water, you spend the most of the time flinging your hands everywhere to get rid of these nasty flies - who are soooo determined to either land on your eyeball or gaze at you from your nose...apparently, because it is
Uluru
At the base of the rock so dry here - the flies are searching for moisture - and the only place that they prefer is your eyes! Great stuff huh..Anyway - we were here for one night only - so a passing visit really...Our hotel is one of around 7 on the Ayers Rock Resort and very close to Ayers Rock itself - we could catch a glimpse of it from our balcony.
Ayers Rock is obviously the central landmark that shapes the resort - people from all over the world come to see just that - and as we got closer to it during the start of our tour, we get an idea how massive it truely is! Uluru Rocks!
Uluru and the Kata-Tjuta National Park is owned by the Aboriginals and is actually leased back to the Australian Government which helps the aboriginals manage the land and offers the community work - a true partnership with cultural aspects of this community well-respected.
Our tour was fantastic - we got a closer look at how the aborigines lived from a guide who himself is an aborigine (we had an interpreter too). The money we spend on the tour goes back to their
Uluru
Near one of the caves community (rightly so) and is owned by them too - we spent the first part of the tour at the cultural centre, listening to our guide tell the story of Muniya (a snake) and her nephew - their culture thrives on stories from the old days which was told to them by their grandparents...We even bought an original aboriginal painting from an arts and crafts shop here - and the money spent on this painting goes back to their community. At this cultural centre, we popped into an exhibition - here we saw a large folder that contain real letters sent from people all over the world offering apologies for taking a piece of rock back home with them - most of these people had suffered years of bad luck and once they had realised the spiritual significance of Uluru and how much of a sacred place this is - they sent the piece of rock back - It is believed to be bad luck if you take a piece of rock back home with you - so of course we opted not to. Uluru is sacred so everything around it is protected and belong to it rightful place! The
Uluru
Picture with the Aboriginal Tour Guide option to climb the rock is available, however, the aboriginals prefer you not to - in case of injury or death - this really affects the local people as they cannot bear the burden of such an injury or fatality on their land.
Anyway, we accompanied the guide to the base of the Rock - by this time it was getting hotter and hotter - luckily we took the advice from the hotel to purchase a couple of litres of water - you can so easily become dehydrated here...Our local guide talked for the world and it was obvious he was proud of his culture, tradition and way of life...I think at one point - we were so hot - I felt like walking back to the bus (just for the AC) and we were worried we might even miss sunset as both the guide and the interpreter did not have watches...oops!
We learnt of the Aboriginal law and culture, saw caves at the base where ancestors left paintings in time worn ochres - we also saw the beautiful Mutitjulu Waterhold whose life-giving waters have been drunk by so many generations of aboriginal people - what a great
Uluru
The local Aborigine showing paintings in the cave insight!
Once this was over, we went a fair distance to watch the sunset over Uluru - unfortunately for us, it was such a cloudy day, we were not able to see fully the different colours the rock forms during sunset, however, it was enough just being there - we took some lovely photos though!
The evening was still so hot - we think the temp only decreased by a few degrees - by the time we got back to the hotel at around 8pm I was severely dehydrated and had no energy left at all - anyway, managed to persuade myself to walk over to the nearest cafe for a bite to eat - and once there - I felt terrible with such a bad headache - first priority was to order another litre of water and once it had arrived I consumed most of it - I didnt realise how quickly I could become dehydrated...I felt better in the morning though...!
It has been fun and an experience we'll never forget - we would certainly recommend a trip here - but make sure you drink plenty of water - all the time!
Next stop
Uluru
Paintings in the cave is Perth - which is in fact our last stop in Australia (sob sob)
Hope everyone had a good new years...
Mukesh & Ash
x
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Jacquie in Brussels
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Uluru rocks!
Hi Mukesh and Ash Greetings from Brussels and wishing you both a very Happy New Year. Thanks so much for your travelblog, it really has been wonderful following your progress round the globe. Must say I think the visit to Uluru is my favourite, probably because I have always wanted to go there myself. Not sure about those flies though! Wishing you well for the rest of your trip and safe journey home. Jax x