Day: March 10, 2019

Yesterday was our day to see “The Rock”. Patrice was very disappointed because she thought we were about to see:

Instead we went to see Uluru, formerly called Ayers Rock but affectionately referred to as “The Rock”.

Those of us in California know the former federal prison, Alcatraz Island, as the Rock but this is much different. If forced to spend time here without a fly net it would make serving time on Alcatraz seem like going to summer camp. I really enjoyed seeing the enormous sandstone formation but heat and flies made it difficult to appreciate the sight and the information our guides were telling us.

This morning we were given an opportunity to see the sunrise at Uluru but had to leave the hotel by 5:45 am. This was a real sacrifice for Patrice since she is a great sleeper. Since I rarely sleep more than 7 hours it was no problem for me. I really appreciate her efforts and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.

But at the Sunrise viewing it was where our OAT guide, Darrin, showed the value of his great experience. No, it was not all the incredible facts about Uluru or the indigenous people. No it was not the incredible viewing spot he found for us nor was it all the incredible photos he has taken for us. No, it was not all the wonderful astronomy information and star identification he supplied us while on our way to the viewing location. No, it was something much more important than all of that. On our way to Uluru, Darrin told us sunrise would be at 6:43 am and not much would be worth seeing shortly after that. So if we could all be back on the bus by 6:50 AM we could return to the hotel and be first in line for the spectacular hotel breakfast buffet. So while Patrice and I were enjoying our omelettes we saw a long line of people waiting to be seated. Please let me paraphrase Bill Bryson when I say about Darrin, “You just have to love this guy”.

As I am writing we are waiting for our flight to Uluru (previously called Ayers Rock) and not a moment too soon. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, we are having a good time on this trip (Darrin, our guide, has made sure of that) but Alice Springs is unbearable (heat and flies) but it hasn’t all been bad.

For example we had a fun time in town where we attended the gay pride parade. We even saw some police officers supportive of the movement and marching in the parade.

The cultural sights were hard to enjoy because of the intense heat and plethora of flies. I did have an interesting sighting in the shopping mall men’s bathroom.

Thanks to our travel-mate, Joan, I got this photo from the lady’s room.

We did manage to find a great place for ice cream. No matter how uncomfortable I am, a little comfort food helps to ease the pain. Speaking of comfort food we had a great meal at the hotel restaurant. It is called Hanunam and is billed as a Thai-Indian restaurant. Patrice had her favorite (Pad Thai) and I had lamb korma (an Indian dish). I hesitate to order lamb when in Los Angeles because it is tough to find good lamb in LA with tough being the key word. I thought that lamb is a big deal in Australia so I’d give it a try. When my dish arrived and I wasn’t given a knife I was very hopeful. When I realized I didn’t need a knife I was ecstatic. The dish was superb. I know you want to see pictures but I have a new camera and for some reason I can’t transfer the food photos. How about a picture of flies eating me instead?

Our flight from Alice Springs was short and very pleasant (that is if you don’t count the battle with the flies during the short walk from the terminal to the plane.) We did have some entertainment during the short walk when one of the other members of out tour group almost boarded the wrong plane. I think she might have had the right idea. She almost got on the flight to Brisbane (today’s high 88 degrees) when we landed at Uluru it was 105 degrees. Just when we thought we were leaving purgatory we realized that to the contrary, we had just arrived.

Soon after arrival we encountered flies that made number numbers in Alice Springs seem sparse. We need to get ready for our excursion to Uluru. I will check back with you tomorrow.