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Saved: September 15th 2021
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I'm not sure how I expected to feel when I got to Uluru. I was excited to be in the outback--excited to be in a place with so much geology exposed, excited to be surrounded by so much openness and sky...
My three-day tour began yesterday, with a meeting with the driver and one of the other people from
Emu Run Tours to discuss the meals and how it would work with my food allergies.
Last night was not a late night, but I went out with a couple of people from the hostel to watch the All Blacks play Japan. Needless to say, you can't watch rugby without a beverage. Even with a stop for some chippies on the way back to the hostel, and lots of water before bed, the early start this morning was not pleasant, and I was deeply regretting not having an insulated coffee cup or thermos to bring a hot drink on the road with me.
I dozed for the first hour of the drive out of Alice Springs. I wish I could have stayed awake to watch the sun rise, because the glimpses I caught through my fluttering lids were spectacular. I woke
up properly when our van swerved and a few people called out excitedly. There were quite a few kangaroos on the road, sleeping off a big Friday night, our driver assured us, and the wedge-tailed eagles were out feasting. They were massive!
Kangaroos weren't the only animals I saw "sleeping" on the side of the road, there were some camels too. As we got closer to Uluru, there were some wild camels just off the road, still very much alive. Even more amazing than the wildlife, to me anyway, was the red sand dunes, most of them partly vegetated.
The first glimpse of Uluru, on the horizon, was exciting, and after lunch at our campsite we went into the park. I was anxious to get up close to the rock, and look at what it was made of, and look for sedimentary structures. I wasn't anticipating being as overwhelmed by the spiritual nature of the rock as I was. There weren't many places along the walk to actually get right up close to it, and in many of the sacred areas around the base, photography is forbidden.
Instead of studying the geology, I spent much of the
walk contemplating the juxtaposition of faith and science. I could sense Uluru's history and place in Aboriginal culture as the heart of the world, but the scientist in me was also very interested and intrigued in what the rock could tell us about the natural history of the area.
After the walk, we headed out to the sunset viewing area, where we had snacks and sparkling wine. Some local aborigines were selling art, and I fell in love with one piece that had Uluru in it, with a Mala walking to the rock to tell stories. I bought it, and then the artist said I could get a photo with him. This was a surprise, because Aboriginies don't like being photographed, especially because once they die their photos should not be shown. I debated whether or not to include the photo in this post. For now, I will include it in the post, because I believe the artist wants to become better known.
Sunset was obscured by the smoke from the bush fires in the area, so instead of seeing Uluru glow red, it was a dusky purple. It was a bit disappointing, but I'm thinking of it
as a reason to go back again some day.
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