Awoke at 4:00 AM to watch sunrise over the desert and Uluru. Breakfast in the cool of the morning outside was spectacular as was the views of the awakening land.
The other “Rocks” you see are Kata Tjuta or the Olgas which is a totally different type of rock formation about 10 miles from Ayers Rock. Kata Tjuta means many heads, and unlike Ayers Rock which is one giant sandstone rock, this is made of many different types of rock and has many different spires from upheaval. It is actually taller than Ayers Rock!
After sunrise we toured around the rock with an Aborigine guide and learned the history of the people as well as the sacredness of the land. We saw incredible sights that are hard to capture with the camera although we all did our best. Came back for lunch and Australian Outback siesta which is necessitated due to the oppressive heat. It reached about 110° today. The wind actually stings your face because it is so hot.
After some down time at the pool we were entertained by some Aborigine dancers with some of their more common dance rituals. We will be off the dinner soon while all of you are hopefully still sound asleep in the middle of the night on the east coast.
Tomorrow we will rent a car and do a desert drive of approximately 300 miles to Alice Springs. There may be a touch of off-roading and some wonderful things to see.
I wanna go there.
The rock is truly a “beyond special” place. Weren’t the color/shadow changes spectacular?
Fred