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Emma's Travels
31/8/06 - Got picked up at 6.25am, after I had eaten my free breakfast! Our tour guide/driver was Karl and he turned out to be a very nice bloke, very knowledgeable and gentle. It was a long journey to Yulara we stopped off a few times, including a camel farm and at a place called Mount Ebenezer, where I bought some Aboriginal Artwork.
We arrived at our campsite (there were enough tents for me to have one to myself, yippee!) and after preparing, eating and clearing down lunch we headed for the 'Olgas'. The trek through them was harder than I was expecting, so was knackered by the end, but it was good. Stopped at a lookout on the way to Ayers Rock to take some photos, then arrived at Ayers Rock to watch the sunset. We had cheese/biscuits and wine, very civilized! Sunset over the 'Rock' was beautiful! Took photos at a few minute intervals and you can really see the change in colour as the sun is disappearing.
Got back to the camp and I had a horrendous headache and had to go and lie down, subsequently I didn't enjoy the BBQ later on, but did manage some toasted marshmallows round the camp fire! Went to bed early and my torch decided to die on my just as I got into bed, darn it! Had to experience life being blind, when I needed the loo later on, the tents had no lights, so I basically felt with my hands and followed a distant light to the toilet block, quite eerie!
1/9/06 - By morning (we got woke up at 5am for our sunrise trip to Ayers Rock) I remembered the light on my mobile and used that, not great, but better than nothing, as it was still pitch black!
Got to Ayers Rock in time for sunrise at 6.29am and we did the base walk which took us around 3 hours, with a few stops for stories!! I loved Karl telling us the Aboriginal Mythical stories, it added to the great spiritual atmosphere I felt the area had.
Alot of areas around the 'rock' are sacred and people are asked not to take photos, so I obliged. Karl showed us some edible plants and I tried one flower base which tasted of honey.
I decided not to do 'The Climb' up the 'rock', as again this is considered sacred and the Aboriginals ask that people do not climb it. They know if they stop it altogether, people may stop visiting, so they pass the onus back and appeal to people's conscience.
I was dying for the loo by the end of the walk, Karl drove us to the Cultural Centre and I raced to the toilet! The Centre was very interesting, watched a video of aboriginal ceremonies and dances, had a look around at their artwork and handicrafts and I bought a little book, which has all the good stories in.
Got back to the campsite and had lunch and packed up ready to move on to Kings Creek Cattle Station. Karl had to make the journey back to the Cultural Centre as Donna and William had left their video camera there.
When we got to the Cattle Station I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Karl then made us a fab, fab dinner which he cooked on the camp fire in large black cauldrons! He did 2 chicken dishes and some damper bread, which was a meal on it's own, it was delicious! The bread came out of the pot looking like a big round cheese, as it had a thick crunchy edging, but the bread inside was soft and had sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and some cheese in it, it was yum yum!
We had some more marshmallows toasted on the camp fire. Got to know the group a bit better, had a real laugh with Estelle and Marion, who are French. Estelle mis-pronounced 'sheet' for 's***' and when I told her we just couldn't stop laughing!! Good night had by all!
2/9/06 - I'd decided the night before not to trek through Kings Canyon this morning, as Karl had said it was more difficult than the 'Olgas'. I slept in until 8am, Jenny (who had decided not to go either) and I went on a helicopter trip instead and saw Kings Canyon, Garden of Eden, Lost City and surrounding areas in style, it was FAB! Adrian was a great pilot and pointed out lots of landmarks and wild animals.
The group got back about 11am, we had an early lunch, then packed up ready for the loooooong journey back to Alice. The family who owned the station asked Karl if he could take their Nana Joyce back to Alice, as she had been visiting them and now wanted to go home. So we had another passenger on the way back. It was lovely, as we left all the family came to wave goodbye to her. She was a sprightly old lady and we discovered later on in the journey, as we were looking for fossils at the roadside, that she is a bit of a traveller. She wanted to get back in order to prepare for her next trip to South Africa and Ireland!!
As we got into Alice and were being dropped off at our different accommodation, we all decided to meet up for dinner in the town at a place called The Lane. Karl told me to not walk into town on my own, so I got a taxi. Dinner was great, Karl gave us all a voucher so we had a free drink, got taxi back with Donna, William and Suzanne, as we had then realised the route in and out of town.
I paid a little bit extra to have a double room on my own at Toddy's and slept very well indeed!
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