Kata Tjuta National Park

Aug 19th:  We had a 5:15 a.m. wake up call, stumbling in the dark to a large building across from the campsite that housed showers and toilets to freshen up.  We ate a quick communal breakfast, then drove to a lookout for a sunrise viewing between Uluru and the rock formations known as The Olgas, or Kata Tjuta ('many heads').  The Olgas are another holy site and little of their spiritual/dreamtime stories are shared with outsiders.  Uluru sits 25 kms to the east and we were able to see both formations on this clear morning.

The Olgas

Uluru

From there we headed into Kata Tjuta National Park.  We would be hiking either 4 or just under 8 kms through the Olgas, depending on which route we chose, and our guide wanted to get an early start to avoid the heat expected by late morning.

We'd been warned the hike would be an uneven, rocky adventure that had steep climbs and declines.  Everyone in our small group opted for the lengthier trail - even Estelle, the lovely French woman who wore 4 inch wedgies!

Goran and I tended to walk ahead of the group at a brisker pace, though Estelle was (surprisingly) always close behind.  We also got to know Julia (Jules) and Chris, the Melbournians who now lived in Darwin.  If we weren't talking or heaving from some of the climbs, the Valley of Winds was peacefully quiet.

You ready for this hill?  It's steeper than it looks.

We reached the end of our trek shortly before noon, having passed only less than 10 people along the way.  Now, however, the entrance to the trails were filled with visitors, some wearing flip flops!  The sun was high and, with no breeze until well into the walk, the heat was sharp.  Although Estelle had proven me wrong and reached the trail exit 5 minute after us, for these new hikers I imagined a day that included twisted ankles and rescue helicopters.

Goran, Estelle, Chris and Jules waiting for the sunset in front of Kata Tjuta

We drove out of the park, retrieved our belongings from the campsite, said our goodbyes to our amiable desert companions and headed back to Alice Springs. 

That evening, we enjoyed a simple, though delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant and went to bed early.  Tomorrow, we head to Melbourne.

Uluru

Aug 18th:  We started our day at 5 a.m., the first pick up in a 15-20 passenger van headed to Ayer's Rock, also known as Uluru.   We drove over 400 km SW, passing little more than rough looking brush, distant hills and, occassionally, wild camels.  The original explorers/settlers of the central continent imported thousands of camels to ride and carry supplies.  Eventually, they were released and they have flourished in the desert, now numbering over 2 million, if our guide is correct.

Along the way, we made some rest stops, usually at combination general stores/petting zoos that had camels, emus and dingos.

In the early afternoon, we stopped in the middle of nowhere.  The driver pulled over to the side of the road and announced, "This looks like a good spot." 

Goran asked me, "Why are we stopping?"

"Don't you remember, he mentioned earlier that we would have to stop to gather fire wood?" I explained.  "Fire wood for what?"

"For the camp fire."

"We're CAMPING?"

Poor Simic.  He thought we were staying a hotel.

We'd been assured we shouldn't come across any of the scary indigenous wildlife, namely snakes; yet, we moved cautiously through the brush.  We remembered Sue sharing that Australia is home to 7 of the 9 deadliest snakes in the world.  I was suprised Goran participated as readily as he did.

We discovered this termite hill while gathering firewood.

Eventually, we made it to the camp and had a quick meal before heading out to Ayer's Rock for a hike.

 

Uluru is a World Heritage listed site, situated in Kata Tjuta National Park.  The rock sits alone, with no other similar formation around.  It's marked with slashes and cave-like holes, each with it's own background story - aboriginal tales involving warriors, spirits and god-like characters.  Lots of fearsome characters partaking in jealous, angry dramas. 

To the upper left is a spine-like rail that assists climbers to the top.  The native people strongly discourage the climbing.  Today, it was too windy to go up.

We walked about half way around Ayers Rock, warned by signs that some parts of the natural monument are sacred and should not be photographed - unless you want to part with more than $5000.

As the light faded, we made our way to a parking lot where a sunset champaign and snack buffet awaited.

Back to the camp site for dinner, some get-to-know-eachother conversation, and off to our private luxury accomodations.  The desert sky was amazingly clear and full of stars, and will dogs howled in the distance.  Most everyone went to bed in their clothes, though it wasn't nearly as cold as I'd anticipated.  Goran was not to be deterred from his routine, however, and donned his pajamas like a true gentleman of the indoors.

And Then There Were Two

Aug 17th:  Sharie stayed in Cairns to shop for custom made bras and we flew to Alice Springs, located in central Australia.  Our flight from the Cairns Airport was delayed to the extent that our airline offered all passengers a free meal at any of the airport eateries.  Goran and I ordered nachos at a cafe closest to our gate; but, just as we sat with our food, an announcement was made, "Would Mr Harris and Mr Simic please proceed to gate 2.  Your flight to Alice Springs is at final boarding."

What?!  Less than 20 minutes had passed since they'd announced the delay and given us our free meal offer!  With a forlorn expression, Goran threw napkins over our plates and we raced to the gate.

A little over 3 hours later, we landed in Alice Springs, or just 'Alice', as the locals call it.  Alice has somewhere between 25-30,000 residents and there doesn't seem to be anything special about it.  The central Australian town has mostly single or 2 level buildings, with low hills and a parched looking landscape. 

Running through town is the Todd River, or more accurately, the Todd Riverbed.  It has little more than a few puddles here and there.

We dropped off our things at the hotel and went out to explore. 

There was a monument of some sort at the top of a rocky set of stairs and we figured it would be a good place to have a look-out over the land.

Plain little 'Alice' just isn't a kickin' town, and with the light fading quickly, we made our way back down the hill.  It would be an early night, as we're heading further into the desert tomorrow morning for an over night stay near Ayer's Rock.

'Downtown' Alice was a ghost town. 

As we searched for a dinner venue, we walked by a hair salon and, suddenly, I wanted to get a cut.  There was a young apprentice available who claimed she'd only been cutting hair for a year, as if to apologize beforehand for whatever resulted from her efforts.  She didn't lack for confident, though, as she attached the back of my head with her clippers.  Goran gasped loudly from his seat by the door, 'Gymmy, that's too short!'  I tend to be fairly casual about haircuts, since my hair grows fast and I keep it short enough to get clean-ups every 10 days or so, but even I was relieved when the salon owner stepped in to salvage my 'do'.

Dinner was at 'Sporty's', then to a gas station for water, where we quickly learned about the cost of freight weighing the price of everything brought into town.  A liter and a half bottle was easily $5.  Welcome to the Outlback!

Our Last Day With Sharie

Aug 16th:  Today we had the luxury of going at our own pace.  We checked out at noon and moved just down the road to The Bay Leaf Hotel.  Tomorrow, Goran and I fly to Alice Springs to explore the Outback.  Sharie will stay another night, then fly back to Europe, via Singapore.  We dropped off our luggage and walked  to the esplanade to explore Cairns by day. 

The tide was out and signs warned of crocodiles along the muddy, marshy shore.

Uhhh?  What is that?

At the North Pier we lunched ... Sharie's treat! 

It was a toasty day and the main streets were filled with souvenir shops, nothing unique and inviting.  I think we were a little relieved to not have to race around from must-see to must-see site on a day already half consumed from sleeping in late.  By mid-afternoon, we decided to go to the movies.

We found a mall that had a cineplex and agreed to see Toy Story 3, in 3D!  But, we had an hour to kill before show time.  On a whim, we got manicures at a salon downstairs in the mall.  The Chinese ladies that tended to our claws worked silently, but smiled a lot ... I wasn't convinced they understood anything we said.  The young woman who worked on my nails was gentle, yet efficient and, initially, I was happy with her work ... until after the movie, when I noticed that my thumb and two fingernails had turned YELLOW!  It looked like I had nicotine nails!  Of course, the shop was closed by the time we exited the movie theatre!  Those nails stayed discolored for 4 days!

We enjoyed Balanese food for dinner at a restaurant attached to the hotel and had a quiet evening of playing Triominos and watching TV.

Port Douglas

Aug 15th:  Sunday - funny how being on vacation makes you lose all sense of days of the week.  I like it!

On our way to Port Douglas, we stopped in Palm Cove to enjoy an artist's fair and take in the breath-taking view from the cove.

In Port Douglas, we did a walk-about amongst mural art and lush vegetation.

The main event today was to ride the Skyrail and Port Douglas is where we embarked.  We would ride gondolas along a cableway over the Barron Gorge Nartional Park, over a World Heritage listed rainforest. There was the option of riding the train instead, but we agreed we'd see more from above.

The rail would make 2 stops along the way to explore a small part of the forest from platforms and walkways.

Sharie, clenching a little, as she anticipates the scary heights.

Sitting opposite Sharie, the boys watch her squirm.

Sharie ignoring Gymmy's enthusiastic seat hopping.

The train is running in the back to the left.

A view from one of the platform stops.

 Near the end of the ride, we saw a man made lake with water ski jumps.  The skiers hold onto handles running on cables around the lake.

APT planned an exciting evening of traditional aboriginal story telling and dance, with actual natives, to be followed with a banquet dinner ending our tour.

We started the evening in a theatre, receiving a rather halting and slightly uncomfortable speech by a local aborigianl man about the 'ways' of the native peoples.  He spoke in a non-sequential, unrehearsed manner about the death of his grandmother that week, the severity of going against tribal laws (to include, in gruesome details, how a wayward member of the clan can be speared through the thigh) and making a dig against non-aboriginals, whose children drank and did drugs, hanging out on street corners.

From there, we moved into a large room, where a creation story was enacted to loud beats and a kind of stomp danicing.  We were lured outside, corraled into a large circle around a sandy pit, where we were handed clacking sticks to keep a rhythm and chant while a fire was conjured.  I kept thinking these people must think we're fools, playing along with something that was probably some ritual to raise and unleash a demon on the evil, ignorant white Europeans.

We finished the evening with dinner and drinks, wishing our tour travel mates well on their continued adventures.