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Published: October 31st 2008
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Spiny Devil
Found this cute guy on the trail. The Red Center
October 28, 2008
Happy birthday today to my big brother, Jim, in Denver! We’re a day ahead here so he will celebrate tomorrow.
We’ve seen every nook and cranny of Uluru, or so it seems. Most tourists here take short walks to see different paintings or waterholes around the rock. Of course, we were obligated to walk the entire six miles around the rock. I guess it gave me a sense of accomplishment and did give us a feel for Uluru’s size. It was warm, but not uncomfortably hot. The flies were kept at bay for a while by a nice breeze, but after about an hour I decided that buying that fly net for my hat was the best $5 I’ve ever spent in my life. Fortunately, those nasty buzzers don’t like the arms or legs, just the secretions from the nose, eyes, and mouth. The nets really do work and made the walk a pleasant stroll. We were spared the moral decision of whether to climb Uluru or not as it was closed because of wind at the top. The Aboriginal people really don’t want people climbing their sacred place and lately, according to
the rangers, the rock has been closed for climbing much of the time. If it’s not closed for wind or heat, it’s closed because some tribal person died or there is some other ceremony or special day. There are signs everywhere begging, “Please don’t climb Uluru.” I think walking around it, viewing it from all angles was enough for me. It certainly takes more time to do that than to climb it.
We then spent an hour in the very fine cultural center and I’m finally getting a feel for the indigenous people’s way of life and can appreciate the difficulties they face today. I should feel guilty about not taking a cultural tour with an Anangu person, but it included eating grubs and digging for yams and my curiosity only goes so far. Plus, it cost $65 and that is a little steep for a Fear Factor experience.
Back at the cabin, Joe went for a swim and I washed out some clothes taking advantage of the fact that things dry so fast here. Around four we traveled into the park again, this time to view the Olgas, or as they are now called, Kata Tjuta. They
are 30 miles away from the resort but they are part of the park and worth the drive. We wanted to go for the sunset , but it clouded up so we left earlier than planned.
Tonight was such fun! We went to the Outback Pioneer Barbeque and Bar that is just down the road from our cabin. We cooked our own kangaroo, crocodile, and emu on the grill. An all you can eat salad bar was also included. It was a lively time at the grill with everybody laughing and giving each other advice. You should have seen all those Chinese tourists fighting over the tongs. Loved the kangaroo and emu. The crocodile was a little tough, but tasted like chicken. The salad bar was unusual with yam salads, beet salads, lots of olives, and great bread pudding dessert. The evening got even better when a talented guitar player got on the stage and played Australian folk songs. My socks were red from walking around Uluru, my mouth was full of kangaroo meat, I was listening to “Waltzing Maltilda,” and as I rescued my plate from the busboy he said, “No worries.” I thought, “Yep, yep, I’m in
Australia.”
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