Into the desert

Yes, 4:40am came quickly and we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport in a cab. We flew to Sydney and on to Ayers Rock. This is where it went a little crazy. First, getting off the plane was like walking into a hair dryer on high, not that I mind. Our first tour was that afternoon, a hike through Kata Tjunta (The Olgas) gorge, at 41 degrees. Well, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger! Fatigue was heavy as we slept on and off during the bus ride out to the site and the hike was fantastic in spite of the heat at 4:30pm. The view was amazing of the huge aggregate rocks that were created by ancient oceans squeezing many rocks together to create many huge ones. There were a few ponds in the rock that had many tadpoles in them. Apparently the frogs are very common and can hibernate under ground without water for up to 2 years if needed. We soaked ourselves in water repeatedly and drank scads too.

Each person in the park must carry a 1L water bottle at all times and all tours go from around 3:30 to 8pm or from 4:30am to 11am to avoid the mid-day heat (all the buses carry 100L of ice water on board for refills too). Unfortunately, that leaves little time for sleep recovery or pool cool off times. Had I realized this, I may have planned this part differently and am a bit surprised at the tour company/travel agency didn't reveal this - I did read the plan for this part carefully. Apparently I need to read things closer and not be so trusting. Just after our little hike (it was about 1.5km on rolling hills, nothing serious) the sun went behind clouds and the temperature dropped to 31 instantly.

We stopped for a view point look out on the Olgas and then off to an Uluru (Ayers Rock) photo op at sunset. Unfortunately, those clouds were followed by many more and they brought rain so there was no picturesque sunset photo. Wine and snacks were served and the breeze and moisture were appreciated just the same.

By the time we got back to the hotel and got the kids in bed it was 8:30, a 16 hour day! They were troopers and so very tired. No rest in the desert summer so the sleep would be short, waking at 4:20am again!!!

the range called 'Kata Tjunta' or The Olgas

the rock is eroding and falling down over millions of years

an example of how this range is made of smaller rocks all squeezed together

a pool left from the rains full of 2-3 inch tadpoles

looking back toward the bus and the clouds coming in

the rocks that have fallen down near the base of the Olgas

a ray of hope

wild camels in the desert

that is one heavy rock!

the clouds provided more beauty than the sunset they were blocking on Ayers Rock

PS. The desert has had 5x the normal rainfall here for the last 2 years so everything is remarkably green and lush next to the red soil and dirt. We saw some camels while driving between sites tonight. They were brought here to carry the mail across the desert better than horses but no number in the 100,000. The government culls 10,000/yr and some are sold live and shipped back to India and other arid countries There are flies here, and they love faces. Gets annoying but we deal with it. They cover our backs and t-shirts for free rides but don't notice so much. Hornets are so large they drink water from the pool and keep going without getting stuck - like almost 2 inches long. Lizards, spiders, you name, it's here and large. All that rain probably helps.