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One of the things that we had wanted to do while in Australia was to take a trip out to Ayres Rock so we chose to fly from Adelaide to Alice Springs and then from there we picked up a 2 day tour out to the red centre to take in Ayres Rock as well as some of the other famous landmarks including Kings Canyon and The Olgas. We had a really early start to get to the airport to catch our flight to Alice Springs which would be our base before and after the tour. We boarded the plane in a rather cool 20° and got off the plane 2 hours later to a toasty 40° and thanks to a free airport collection we were soon at our hostel in the town centre. I think due to the remote nature of the town we were expecting it to be very basic and to be completely isolated from modern amenities. Much to our surprise we could have been anywhere as the town was no different to any other despite being over a thousand kms from any other town! There were shops, supermarkets, bars and restaurants and the only clue that we were in the outback was the huge number of Aboriginal people. We braved the heat of the day to have a walk around the town and get plenty of water and juice to chill in the fridge as it was going to be a hot one. We were only able to walk around for about an hour before the heat was too much so we returned to the hostel pool for a cooling dip and spent the rest of the afternoon there trying to beat the heat with limited success. By 4pm we had had enough and had to retire for a cold shower and the comfort of the air conditioning in our room. Fortunately with $5 dinner specials on in the bar we didn't have to worry about cooking dinner and after a delicious fish and chips and a jug of cold beer we had to drag ourselves away from the great atmosphere as we were up at 4am the next morning to begin our adventure!
After being collected from the hostel in the dark of the night we were first taken to the office to settle our debts and sign our lives over to Adventure Tours Australia (for the next 48 hours our ass was theirs) and given all the disclaimers we had to sign we were feeling a little scared. It was then onto the pretty cramped bus for the first leg of our journey most of which was spent catching up on sleep and staring at a lot of nothingness out of the windows. After about 5 hours with a couple of toilet/juice breaks in between we finally arrived at our first destination the awe inspiring Kings Canyon. After a quick lunch it was off to the foot of the canyon for a grueling 3 ½ hour hike around the canyon and I say grueling because the thermometer was reading 43° and the first portion of the walk was called heart attack hill due to its ridiculously steep initial assent. Apparently the national park rules state that if the temperature is above 40° the walk should not be undertaken however our tour guide assured us that with enough water the task was achievable and the views were to be the highlight of the trip and well worth the exertion. I had read in one of my many guide books that at certain times of year the flies in the outback can be rather troublesome as they descend in their thousands to annoy the unsuspecting traveler and within 2 minutes of leaving the bus it was clear that this was one of those times of year. There were literally dozens of flies all around us landing on our bodies, flying around our eyes, up our noses and into our ears it was the most hideous thing I have ever experienced and the amount of energy being expended in swatting the wee b******s away was going to be more draining than any 3 hour hike! Fortunately being the avid adventurer I am I had the foresight to pack our trusty fly nets (in other words I twisted Mikes arm to let me buy them at the office shop 10 minutes before we left). These nets were to be the single best purchase we have made since leaving home 9 months ago and I would have gladly traded in my hair straighteners for one of these bad boys. You simply slip your head into the netted bag thus keeping the flies away from all the orifices around your face and the amount of energy we must have saved by not having to constantly swat was fantastic. We may have looked like absolute idiots with these silly nets over our heads however I couldn't have cared less how I looked and we weren't the only ones who had come prepared. So we set off to tackle heart attack hill which was steep and exhausting in the heat but because we were expecting much worse it was actually ok and the view from the top was completely worth the effort. Once at the top our guide Jason told us a bit about the canyon and what it means to the aboriginal people allowing us to catch our breath, take a few photos before continuing on with the walk. As we went the view and rock formations were fantastic, we were completely surrounded by red rock and you could really feel the spiritual significance of the area as you walked around. We were all sweating buckets and after 90 minutes of walking we were delighted to arrive at the Garden of Eden a rare watering hole hidden within the arid surroundings and it was a race to get in for a much needed and greatly appreciated cooling dip. The water was amazing and if you didn't think about all the frogs, lizards, water spiders and other creepy crawlies swimming around with you it was almost relaxing and there wasn't one person who didn't jump in, even the Chinese girls wearing jeans and long cardigans eventually came to join everyone in the water still in their jeans and cardigans??? After about 30 minutes in the water it was time to get dressed and take on the second half of the hike back to the bus and it didn't take long for us all to be sweating and uncomfortable again. The views definitely help to take your mind off things and the group we were with were all really friendly and with everyone going through the same torture it really brought us all together. It is fair to say that some were more comfortable with their surroundings than others and we had fortunately got chatting to a lovely couple called Vanessa and Manuel who felt very much as we did about the whole experience and it was great to have someone to share the highs and the lows. After what felt like an eternity and with the water running low we finally arrived back where we started and were all scrambling to the water tap to fill our bottles and attempt to rehydrate. As I mentioned above the flies had to be the most annoying part of the trip and the relentless nature of their constant buzzing was exhausting and at times almost unbearable however there was one more thing that I really struggled with the entire trip. My nemesis was to be the drinking water and for once it wasn't the taste of the water so much as the temperature. With the thermostat constantly in the 40's the water comes out the taps at a similar unpalatable temperature which unfortunately caused me to feel really queasy any time I had to drink it. This left me with a horrible dilemma do I drink less and risk dehydration or drink more and risk being sick on the bus in front of everyone? It was a dilemma that would soon answer itself however for the moment I struggled with a few sips every couple of minutes. After the canyon it was back on the bus to make our way to camp which unfortunately was another 3 hours drive away however we were all happy to rest our weary legs in the comfort of an air conditioned bus. We didn't arrive at camp until about 9.30pm by which stage we were all hungry and exhausted from our 4am start however dinner wasn't going to cook itself so with the entire camp in complete darkness apart from the small kitchen area we set about preparing our dinner. It was maybe after the 10th giant cricket landed on me that I finally became numb to the terror and would just nonchalantly flick them onto whoever was standing beside me and continue to prepare our feast, me in the kitchen with the girls and Michael was somehow volunteered to take charge of the BBQ (much to my relief as I am terrified when other people cook on a BBQ that they might poison me with uncooked meat). Finally around 10.30 we all sat down to a delicious feast of steak, kangaroo, potatoes and a selection of salad and pasta salad however to be honest very few of us could do it any justice as we were all so tired and desperate to sleep. This in itself raised another question as it was still in the high 30's every time we went into our tent it was stiflingly hot and uncomfortable and with the only altenative being a "swag bag" under the stars with all the snakes and spiders the outback has to offer so it was fair to say I was terrified and Michael delighted at the thought of sleeping outside. A swag bag for those who have never heard the term before is a big canvas covered bag which zips like a sleeping bag and has a soft padded mattress to lie on and you basically roll it out onto the red earth, climb in and sleep under the stars. The only advice we were given was to never leave the bag unrolled and unattended as snakes will be temped into your bag and always tuck your shoes under your head or the dingoes with steal them!. Fortunately our friends Vanessa and Manuel were having the same dilemma and just as I was terrified by the spiders poor Manuel was having his own battle with the fear of being licked in the face by a dingo as he slept!! After having a good giggle at how pathetic we were being Vanessa devised a plan that involved us girls sleeping in the middle to be protected by the boys on the outside. I daren't tell her that even a nuclear holocaust wouldn't wake Michael from his usual night coma in the event of a wildlife emergency! Eventually after having a quick shower we set up our swag bags, tucked our shoes under our heads and all lay back to look up to the millions of beautiful stars. Despite feeling really scared I was glad that we were able to experience the outback as it was meant to be experienced in a dirty canvas bag in the middle of nowhere with the most beautiful clear sky full of stars.
The next morning, well I say morning but it felt more like the middle of the night as it was another 4am start to catch the sunrise over Uluru (Ayres Rock) and having not gotten to bed until midnight the previous night it was fair to say we were all feeling a little ropey. Still dark we managed to roll up our swag bags and stagger to the bathrooms for a freshen up before breakfast. The breakfast consisted of cereal and warm UHT milk and as everyone was trying to get some down I was struggling to shake off the queasy feeling I had wakened up with. By the time we boarded the bus I felt terrible and had to travel most of the journey with my head between my knees and was sick as soon as I got off the bus at the other end. The lack of fluids the previous day had obviously caught up with me and I dread to think how dehydrated I must have been to cause me to vomit but with a 9km hike coming up straight after sunrise I must admit I was feeling pretty scared as I have never been this dehydrated before. With nothing but luke warm water to drink I was in for a grim recovery as I battled to drink as much as I could but with scary Mike on my case every time I stopped drinking I had soon consumed 2 litres of water and amazingly was feeling much better! We arrived at Uluru in time to get some photos of the massive rock as a shadow in the black night and as this was our first view of the massive beast it was an impressive sight. We then drove a little further up the road to the official viewing area for the sunrise and even with just a tiny glimmer of sun on the horizon you could already see the stunning burnt orange colour coming through and with every passing minute the colour changed and the scene just got better and better. Every 2 minutes we had to take another photo because you could see the colour constantly changing giving a better picture than its predecessor. It was totally overwhelming to be in what felt like the middle of the earth and to be standing where we were watching the sun rising over such and iconic landmark was such a surreal experience. It is one of the natural wonders of the world and to see a new day breaking from here is something we will both remember for many years to come and it was definitely the highlight of the trip. After watching the sunrise it was time to embark on the 9km hike around the base of the beast. Fortunately it was a completely flat walk as our legs and feet were still a little weary from all the walking the previous day. There are two walking options when you arrive at the base of Uluru one is the 9km walk around the base and the other is the very steep climb to the top of the rock. We were advised the previous day that whilst climbing the rock is permitted it is deemed disrespectful to the aboriginal people due to the spiritual nature of the landmark so we were asked to consider this when making our decision as to which walk we wanted to do. On arrival at the base the decision was taken completely out of our hand as the ascent walk was closed due to high winds and to be honest we were more than happy to take the flat base walk and not upset any aboriginals while we were here although I am sure the wee I had to sneak into a bush to do was more disrespectful than the climb but as I had drank so much water and they don't provide any facilities it really was an emergency. As Michael kindly pointed out I am sure all the aboriginals pee there all the time and that certainly helped me feel better!!! It took about 2 ½ hours to complete the walk and having not had any breakfast I was ready for the yummy piece of cake they had waiting for us at the end. The walk around the base was exhausting and the flies were even worse than the previous day clinging to our sweaty t shirts like their lives depended on it, it was disgusting. We just had to keep remembering where we were and try to savour every minute and remember the ever changing views and how it felt to be there. After the walk there wasn't much time to recover before we were heading to the next hiking location another famous rock formation called The Olgas. By this point our feet were really starting to feel the burn but we obviously weren't the only ones as there were a few people who opted out of this walk. We felt that we were only going to be here once and so even though our feet were aching we donned our fly nets for the last time and set off on the trail. Whilst it wasn't an easy walk the views along the way more than made up for my aching toes and from the end of the trail the views out over the barren valley were some of the nicest we had seen over the last 2 days. Once back on the bus it was off to the camp for some lunch before making the long and extremely boring journey back to Alice Springs the highlight of which was stopping at the service station half way home for some chilled drinks. I didn't think I would ever get so excited at the prospect of cold juice and I can only offer this as the excuse for buying 2 bottles of poweraide, a 600ml bottle of Coke and a 1.5 litre bottle of chilled water. Whilst everyone else was buying sweets, ice creams and food my mind was set on rehydration and my arms full of juice!!! We slept most of the journey home and so we were pleasantly surprised to find the journey passed pretty quickly and we were delighted when the hostel was in sight and with it came the cold shower, air conditioning, refrigeration and cold beer! Just two days was enough for us we had experienced the red centre in all its glory but we were ready for our home comforts as was everyone else on the bus. The whole experience had been fantastic and something we will remember for a long time to come even the low points just added to the whole experience and whilst there is very much a mixed opinion on a trip to Uluru we are glad that we managed to incorporate it into our tour as it allowed us to see a very different side of this huge country.
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