The Outback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, finally the trip we have been patiently waiting for...the thing that we most associate whenever we hear the word Australia...it's the Outback weekend! Before I moved here, I really did not know so much about Australia except for the Outback, kangaroos, and dingos. Of course, over the last four months, I have been pleasantly surprised at the diversity of life on this continent and the Outback did much the same this weekend. I never knew how much life could be in the lands that are considered uninhabitable to humans. Trees were everywhere, despite the little rainfall, as well as animals. We didn't see kangaroos oddly enough...but we did find a camel. They run loose in the Outback and it's weird to see them.

Anyway, back to our whirlwind weekend. I was a little scared Paul and I would not be able to fit in all the things we wanted to do, but we were so good at keeping time. We are exhausted of course, but pleased with what we did.

Friday: Left Sydney at 9:30. It was raining, but there were no raindrops in the Red Centre. We arrived at Ayer's Rock airport at 12:40 and headed off to our hostel, The Pioneer Hotel. We were in a 4 bed mixed room which kept really warm at night which was nice. For this weekend, I packed lots of food because my student told me that the food was highly overpriced. She was correct but we still bought a few things anyway.

After dining on the turkey sandwiches I packed, we headed off to Kata Tjuta...or the Olgas. These are huge rock formations that just come out of nowhere. Although mountains always tend to make me feel small anyway, these truly were an imposing presence that made me just gape at them in awe. We did a bush walk on a trail called the Valley of the Winds and the Gorge walk. Both were truly spectacular and Paul loved how clear the sky was when he took the photos. We saw so many trees and flowers, it made me feel dumb to think that this place was desolate!

But, don't be fooled. This land is tough and you have to be tough to be apart of it. The bush walks were not all that simple because it involved a lot of rocks on the path that could trip you up. Also, the flies are a massive problem. My friend Sarah warned me to ask the check in guy at our hostel if the flies were a problem and if so, I was to buy a fly net to keep them away. The check in desk said, oh the flies are not a problem now! It's winter! How wrong they were! I guess I tend to forget that any winged insect loves me so much that they will get up in my business and invite all their friends to join in the fun. Where Paul did not get but two flies on him, I had at least 15. I have no idea why mosquitos/ flies are so possessed to be near me. But they are. And during my first hike, I learned a valuable lesson. We bought a fly net the next day.

That night, we hurried back to our hostel to change into nicer clothes to go to the Sound of Silence dinner. Sadly, no Simon and Garfunkel songs were played. We hopped on a tour bus that took us to a very open and very remote area that gave a clear view of the sun setting on Uluru (the big rock in the desert that is the icon of the Outback) and Kata Tjuta (Olgas). We had canapes and champagne while we listened to a didgeridoo and watched the sun set. Of course, it was beautiful. We then were led down to the restaurant itself, which we sat at tables with different people and ate some delicious food, like kangaroo and crocodile.

Then, when the stars were out, we were given a star lesson on the different constellations in the southern hemisphere and where they were located. I actually didn't know that on the Australian flag, the stars are not random stars, but actually a constellation called the Southern Cross, which helps you find south. We also found Orion, Alpha Beta stars, Saturn, Mars, Can nus Major and Minor, also several others. We also got to look through telescopes and see Saturn and the rings, and a cluster called the Jewel box cluster...which was all beautiful. Some folk were being very rowdy though and the teacher in me got very angry. The speaker had to wait for them to be quiet! Just goes to show you that every country has obnoxious people and there is no way in going around it. We then were taken back to our hotels.

Saturday: We woke up really early so we could see the sunrise on Uluru and found that it was really cold in the morning! Anyway, about Uluru.

Uluru is really just a giant rock in the middle of nowhere which looks really neat. You can actually climb on top of it, but it is a dangerous climb (some 33 people in the last 20 years have died). It is a sacred area to the Anangu tribe who own the land and there are certain areas where you are not permitted to take photos because they are sacred. The people still perform their traditions at the rock, although we did not see many Aboriginal people. In one area, women give birth to children.

After the sunrise, we walked around Uluru for three hours, just marveling at the magnanimous rock. Paul then fueled up the car and we drove for another three hours to King's Canyon. The ride was pretty much flat with lots of desert life, which you will see in the pictures I will upload.

After checking into our cabin area, we set out to hike King's Canyon. There were three choices and we chose the three hour hike that was moderate with a strenuous beginning. Paul wanted me to throw that in there. We completed it in two hours. Paul also wanted me to throw that in there. Paul and Rachel are hiking machines. We did not rush though and it was enjoyable. The hikes are getting easier for us and we love the experiences of all our hikes.

We then returned to our cabins where we picked up a BBQ pack and cooked our own dinner. Then, we set out to make a fire. In the past, our fire making attempts have not gone over well. However, this time...eureka! We created fire and it was magical! I think it also had something to do with dry wood...we never have dry wood. After watching the fire, we stargazed and picked out all that we learned from our star lesson the previous night. What a romantic close to a wonderful Outback weekend!

Sunday: Woke up after a very restful sleep and had a hearty breakfast and had to drive three hours back to the airport and then another three hours were dedicated to relaxing on the plane ride home. We absolutely loved this weekend and hope you like the pictures, which I will upload tomorrow because, we do not have our internet data back yet. We feel so fortunate to be here and experience such amazing things. The Outback is so wonderful and I cannot stop saying how much I love Australia!

Categories: