Three Hundred Pictures of Red Rocks

Of all the things I wanted to do in coming to Australia, going to Ayers Rock was at the top of the list. Despite many occasions when I thought it wasn't going to happen due to time/money/flight issues, it finally did. And let me say, Central Australia is everything I thought it would be. It was hot. It was dirty. It was red. And it was glorious.

I flew out of Cairns Sunday morning after an uneventful night. Flying over the Australian desert is one of the coolest experiences ever- it's just red, for miles and miles. There are crags and cracks in the terrain which you can see clearly from the sky. There are few, if any, paved roads. It's really, really, really neat. Mind you, there is NOTHING to do in Alice Springs. I went to the Reptile Centre and played with pythons and lizards because there was nothing else. But the natural landscape and the big hunks of rock/mountains/canyons in the desert make it totally worth the boredom of a night or two in Alice Springs.

Where to begin in talking about my tour? Let's start with the guide: it's approximately six o'clock in the morning. It's already hot. I've had my morning vegemite. The bus is late. Suddenly, there pulls up to the hostel a four-wheel, hardcore desert rover. Out pops a tanned, gray haired rugged type in khaki attire. Very outback like. Then he opens his mouth, from which comes the Frenchist of French accents. Bonjour, je m'appelle Erwan. Yes. My outback tour guide was French. However, he was also by far the coolest tour guide I've had in Australia. I get on the bus with two Swiss girls I'd met the night before, and we drive around Alice Springs collecting the various others with whom I would sleep under the stars in swags covered in red sand. The group was as follows: an unmarried 40-something couple from England, a similarly aged couple from Holland, the aforementioned 20 something Swiss girls, a pair of mid-twenties Danish boys, two twenty year old German girls, a 24 year old business masters from India who had been studying at Melbourne Uni, a Swedish forklift operator who had been working in Perth, and, later on in Uluru, a Japanese boy whose English was far from good. Together we set out across the desert, conquering the massive wonder that is Ayers Rock, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, and, above all else, camping in the Australian Outback.

Our multi-lingual group got on really really well. We were dirty and hot, but we had a great experience. I got on very well with the Indian boy, the Swedish boy, and the two Swiss girls. When I accidentally stepped on a small piece of glass and started adding a new shade of red to the red dirt, the four of them took care of me and bandaged me while I laughed hysterically at the irony of the situation. By that point I'd climbed up cliffs, dealing with killer flies and sun, only to get injured on a small piece of glass. The photos of the event are probably among the best from the trip.

But let me talk for a bit about why I was there, to see the Rock. Uluru is really amazing, especially at sunset and sunrise. The Rock varies in shades from red, to orange, to mauve, to purple, to gray, to only a silhouette. It's pretty extraordinary. But in all honesty, in a lot of ways Kata Tjuta, and especially King's Canyon, were even more impressive. It's really hard to describe it, and I'll just have to put up pictures of everything when I'm home in a week.

Which brings me to my next set of thoughts: I can't believe I'm going home so soon. But I am definitely ready. When I was landing in Melbourne this afternoon I was actually on the brink of tears because I just wanted to be home and not have to deal with figuring out what to do with myself/where to stay/what to eat for the next few days. Luckily I'm feeling better now that I'm at Sneha's and essentially all of those concerns have been taken care of. I am likely going with Sneha and a few others to a friend's beach house in Torquay near the Great Ocean Road, where we will relax and have barbecues and good fun all weekend. It'll be a nice farewell and a good end to my time in Australia. That will leave Monday then to do my last minute gift/souvenir shopping before I fly home Tuesday.

So that's that. Hopefully I'll have a chance to write a final entry before I leave. If not I will certainly write one upon returning home. I've really enjoyed keeping up this blog and am really glad so many of you have found pleasure in reading it. Miss you and see you all soon!!