It was an early morning today as we had a 5 1/2 hour drive ahead of us from Alice Spring to Ayers Rock. Wheels rolling at 7:30.
The drive was really pretty monotonous with miles of spiniflex grass and some bush oaks. About 2 hours into the drive we heard a loud bang. Most of us thought it was a flat tire, but the coach seemed to be traveling ok. Andrew, our incredibly brilliant driver, pulled over and discovered that it was one of the panels on the roof that had blown open and was banging on the roof. We had just a few kilometers to go before our rest stop so it worked out ok. He was able to get a ladder and with the help of a screw driver and duct tape managed to reattach the panel.
We had bought some snacks for the drive yesterday, so had a bit of refreshment while watching emus.
The drive continued until we all thought that we had spotted the rock in the distance. Turns out that it was Mt. Connor instead. We did do a photo stop there.
It was on to Yulara and THE ROCK!. I have seen this rock in many pictures and movies, but was totally blown out of the water by its size. Formally known as Ayers Rock, it is now called by the Aborignal name of Uluru. It was worth the trip. We did a couple of walks as Andrew explained the sacredness of the rock and its stories.The Ananagu tribe who live closest to Uluru, like all the Aboriginal tribes believe that there is an ancestral tie to Mother Earth. It is from where they came and to where they will return. Although there were people climbing, this will end 26 October 2019 to ensure the sanctity of the place. Again, pictures do it no justice.
On one of our walks we entered one of the caves to view some of the paintings. There are certain symbols that repeat in the paintings and if you had the time, you could decipher the meaning of the painting be examining these symbols. Andrew explained that if he elaborated on any of the sacred stories that he has heard, he could be fired as a tour guide and heavily fined, or imprisoned.
We got to our hotel, the Desert Gardensand had just about 20 minutes to board the coach again for a sunset viewing of Uluru. It is traditional for tour groups to have a champagne toast. Unfortunately, someone’s hand got in the was as Michelle, our tour leader, was making the toast.
I was expecting that we would watch the sun set behind Uluru, but it was just the opposite. The sunset was spectacular as we watched the sun go down behind us. The following pictures were taken about 15 minutes apart and show how Uluru changes colors as well as the sky behind it.
We returned to the Ayers Rock Resort Village and the Towne Centre. There was Geckos Cafe there that had been recommended for dinner. However, none of us realized it was not a sit down and be served restaurant. I really didn’t find anything appealing on the limited menus, and Sharon only had a piece of carrot cake. Barbara had a pizza, Charles, a kangaroo burger, and Earle a pulled pork sandwich. Lois and Gerald had decided to eat at the hotel, a wiser decision.
We got back to the hotel about 9 and got clothes and suitcases sorted out. Sharon and Earle hit the hay while I stayed up to do yesterday’s blog.
Oh, my! The Pirates lost to Detroit and are now 2.0 games behind Cincy. I understand that Trevor is going to pitch tomorrow.
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