The Outback

Rules for the Outback:
1) Make sure you take your fly net because those little suckers will love your face. We felt like Charlie Brown’s friend Pigpen.
2) Don’t take your mistress. We were sitting in the resort at Uluru (called by its Aboriginal name now instead of Ayers Rock) and a voice said hello Doug and Pat. It was Savoy friend Sue Hall and family. The world is a small place!

More answers to questions:
1) The water circles counter clockwise here when it goes down the drain.
2) Aussies don’t eat shrimp. It’s prawns down under….they do say barbee for barbecue.

We first visited the Olgas (Kata Tjuta in Aboriginal parlance), rock formations not too far from Uluru, went out and took the requisite walk. Those of you who have visited the American southwest and Bryce or Zion will understand the redness of the rocks here.

Uluru was quite amazing, one of the sites to see before you die. We watched it at sunset (they even served wine) and sunrise and then toured up close and personal to some of the caves of the area. Climbing the rock is allowed but unwelcome by Aboriginals who consider it sacred. While we were visiting, no one was allowed up on it because of the winds.

Our tour took us next to King’s Canyon to do some trekking up the canyon early in the morning. We chose the wussie walk along the canyon bed, mainly because we didn’t want to get up at 5am again. Distances here a long and the bus ride into Alice Springs took most of the day. The land is interesting with red earth, very blue skies and foreign to us shrubbery. They use controlled burning to keep fires from destroying large areas and it is amazing how quickly areas grow back.

Yes Emily, Kate, Jasmine and Zoe, Grandma and Grandpa (Papa) rode on camels, just so we could send you a picture. Mine was quite a nice old lady as camels go and enjoyed her head scratch.