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Day Eighty Three - September 27th, 2013
Uluru
Our night was disrupted by surround sound snoring from all angles of the camp. It must be the dust in the air or something in the water, because it felt we were being treated to a symphony of grunts. Therefore, the 5am alarm felt very unwelcome, and we stumbled bleary eyed from the tent to the coldest weather we could remember in Aus. Wrapped up and as awake as we could be, we headed out to the bus stop while the rest of the campsite came alive to greet the sun over Uluru. We were picked up by a friendly cameleer, and taken to the farm. After a briefing and safety demo from the crew, we were allocated our camel - Sterlo, a lovely looking sandy chap - and handed a sheepskin to make our ride more comfortable. Elly jumped on the back (heavier people sit at the rear to balance out the camel) and I hopped on the front. Camels rise up rather suddenly and in a most ungainly fashion. It was a bit of a shock! Once all of us were on our humps, the two strings set off to watch the sun rise over Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Elly and I had foolishly taken off our jumpers as we thought the sun would be hot but alas, we shivered our way through the hour! It hardly mattered as a camel ride was a first for both of us, and the views were spectacular. It was a totally new look from sunset last night.
We were sad to get back to the yard and dismount, but had a quick cuddle with Sterlo, ate some beer bread waded down with billy tea and petted scruffy, the baby of the group. All the camels, with the exception of one which was born on the farm, were once wild, and had ether been captured or wandered in voluntarily. The trainers told us the has the IQ of an 8 year old child; they know their name and basic commands, and can take around 5 months to train. Apparently there is no law about catching camels - maybe I'll be leaving the outback with a little extra luggage.
We were dropped back at the campsite and checked in for one more night in order to fit everything in. We headed straight out to the national park, and put Hector in prime position in the car park. The wind had died down, and the rock was open for climbing. The steepness took me unawares, and I chickened out pretty sharpish. Elly, the mountain goat, bounded up the steep side with only a thin chain for security in only an hour, and came back with pictures of epic views and tales of what seems to me a terrifying descent. I'm glad I stayed put at the bottom. It is also requested by the indigenous people that you refrain from climbing their sacred, living site. I played the smug card, but really I was just too scared.
We then embarked foolishly upon the base walk in the heat of the day. It was good, but we were hot and by the end of it very happy to be back! The flies really ruin the outback! I'm SO sick of them on my face, in my ears, up my nose and in my mouth! We headed to the visitors centre for a spot of food and cold drink before driving to The Olga's, or Kata Tjuta for a quick look around. We would have like to spend more time there exploring but we had totally wiped ourselves out from the early start, Elly's climb and long walk in the sun. The huge lumpy boulders were super impressive however, and I preferred them to Uluru. My phone had died at this point (I used up all my battery eagerly snapping camels) so I don't have any pics. Stay tuned for Elly's blog...
We whizzed round the supermarket and came back for a dip in the pool. It was way too full (school holidays) so we settled for a cold shower instead. We were going to have a quiet night but decided to eat dinner and head out to see sunset at Uluru one last time - who knows when we might be back. It was amazing, and even redder than last night. A good decision.
Off to bed now, I need to rest after such a long couple of weeks!
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