Uluru

After Alice Springs, it was time to leave and go even deeper-into-the-red-center, to an area called Uluru (emphasis on the last syllable).  We arrived by bus tour - a 5 hour bus tour that lead us down one long red highway to the next, past a camel farm, several dead kangaroo (roadkill), 15 Wedge-backed Eagles (dining on the carrion of the roos), two fiber optic cable stations, and about 5,000 square kilometers of cattle station. It was a fun ride and no, 5 hours isn't a long time.  It's amazing what a 20 hour flight will do to your sense of time and travel.  5 hours is nothing! 

There are over 1,000,000 wild camels living in Australia - 25% of which live in the Northern Territory.   On our road-trip, we stopped at a camel farm.  We had been on a bus since 6 am and of course, nothing sounds better after a few quiet hours on a coach  bus than a dry egg and ham sammi on whole-mill bread - prepared by a toothless woman named Roz.  Nothing a little ketchup, or as Aussies call it, tomato sauce, can't cure! Well actually, it didn't even come close, but I really didn't care because as soon as I ate my brekky sandwich, I was going to ride a camel named "Eddie."  

I was eager to ride a camel. It's not the first animal I've ridden, but it is the first camel.  Riding a camel at this farm was an unexpected little surprise for us.  Brian has arranged a sunrise camel ride at Uluru but this was a 3 minute primer.  Brian and I climbed up onto a sweet, fuzzy (albeit stinky) camel named Eddie and a lady from Manchester and her daughter climbed up onto "Goldie" who was a boy, so named for his golden curly hair.  The reason why I mention this woman was because she has got to be the funniest person I've ever ridden a camel with.  (You know, because I do that so very often...)  As soon as the camel began to walk, she started giggling.  But forget it! When we started to run, she bounced up and down, up and down (as we all did) and laughed the hardest I've ever seen anyone laugh while riding a camel (You know, because I see this sort of thing all the time...)  Anyway, it was fun and it lasted for about 3 minutes. 

 Before getting back on the bus, we stopped to see the resident dingo, Zari.  Dingos are adorable, small animals, very closely related to dogs.  They don't bark, but can howl and have cat-like fur - very soft and dense, which of course helps them regulate their body temperature while living in the desert.  But back on the bus we went.  Next stop: Uluru.  

I should mention why do I call it Uluru and not Ayers Rock.  Yes, it's known by both names, technically.  Uluru is its Aboriginal name and out of respect for and at the request of the Aborigines, it would be nice to stick with Uluru.  The Aborigines also request that you not climb Uluru.  There's a walkway all the way up, but it's considered disrespectful to the Aborigines as it's a sacred place both spiritually and ceremonially.  In Aboriginal culture, it would be impolite to order people to do anything, so they simply ask.  Of course, many aren't culturally sensitive people, and every day you see the 'ants' crawl atop the "rock" and "conquer" it.  It is said to sadden the traditional owners.  In Pitjantjara, you say "minga" when referring to the little black forms crawling atop Uluru.  It means ants and is meant to imply they are crazy and hurtful.  

By the way:  The Aborigines have been granted "traditional ownership" over many parts of Australia - all this means is that they help govern the land, but still must abide by the Australian Federal Governments rules, as do Australians.  It is really a way to pay respects to the Aborigines.  In order to be granted traditional ownership, an Aboriginal clan must prove (in many ways) that they existed on that particular land/area for hundreds of years.  

So Brian had arranged had sunrise viewing of Uluru the morning after we arrived in Uluru.  

We took a coach out to the viewing site to await the arrival of the sun.  And it was COLD! The desert gets very cold at night (even in the summer) and the winter is no exception.  It was about 38 degrees as we stood waiting for the show to start.  I was able to capture a gorgeous shot of dawn before it reached the waxing crescent moon over the deep dark desert.  

I'm not going to post the 40 pictures I took of Uluru during the sunrise, mostly because it will probably look like a big sand dune in various shades of orange, brown, red...etc. There is no way to show how immense and imposing Uluru is in real life; it completely loses its impact on camera, but I will post one.  Just know that it's the kind of thing that you can feel - even when you turn your back on it, it's there, tapping you on the shoulder, willing you to turn and face it.  

 Later that day, we were fortunate enough to spend a few hours with an Aboriginal tour guide named Alwyn, a member of the Pitjantjara clan.  He was an amazing guide, a phenomenal animal tracker and a very kind person.  He walked us around the desert grounds surrounding Uluru, sharing secrets of the Pitjantjara, explaining the roles of the men and women of the group.  I was able to demonstrate the traditional tools for the women; Brian was able to learn how to throw a spear (I did too!).  

We had to ask him for permission to photograph him (and Uluru) and he was gracious enough to agree to it.  Because there is no such thing as "mine" in the Aborigine's way, so he requested that we send him copies of and and all photos we took of him that day.  No worries! He was a phenomenal guide and I hope to keep in touch with him!

The device you can't see, that Brian is using to throw the spear is called a woomera. (there's a better picture the Alwyn is holding in a picture below - it serves many purposes, including starting fire, throwing a spear, attaching a piece of sharp quartz to the end using 'kiti' (I'll explain that later) to use as a cutting tool.  

I'm forever fascinated by other cultures - and I think this picture Brian took shows that best.  I was oblivious to the world and was hanging on ever word of Alwyn's.  The bowl I holding in the picture below is a coolamon (carrying bowl) made from the bark of a Mulga tree.  It can hold many things that a woman might need to carry including food, plants, other tools, even used to rest a baby on the ground, giving it a safe, secure place to nap.  

Below is an "inch ant" ...and yup, it's an inch long.  It's very aggressive and Alwyn is showing us  how it responds to him tapping on a spear - it continuously tried to bite and sting him.  A sting from this insect and you will swell for at least 3 weeks and itch for over 2 months, and this is a good thing because you could also go into immediate respiratory failure and die within an hour.  Fun little insect, no? By the way, the ant hole is over 2 inches in diameter.  If you're ever in the Outback, and you see such a large ant hole ... do not disturb, as if you anger them, they will come out by the hundreds, track you and attack.  

This is the home of the honey ant.  The Aborigines love honey ants, as they produce a honey-like substance in their abdomen.  It's considered a great treat.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to try them, as their home is over a meter deep and Alwyn said it wasn't time for honey ants, no the right season.   Laugh if you will, but I was really disappointed.  It was the one thing I really wanted to try as far as 'bush tucker' goes.  

This is a kangaroo track.  The long smooth line is made by the roo's tail.  Alwyn uses tracks like these to hunt kangaroo. 

Apart from this, we also did another walk with a different Aboriginal woman tour guide named Rita.  I have a ton of pictures to post! I'm at the airport at the moment and don't have the time so... more on that later.  But it was an exciting visit where we got to learn about the sacred history, ceremony sites and legends of Uluru.  Learning about the legends makes you understand why Uluru is so sacred and why it was a good choice to respect the wishes of the Aborigines and decline the climb.  I will post so much more about Uluru and then Sydney, but now is not the time.  We're going to board the plane in a little less than an hour.  We'll arrive at 640am at LAX...which means we'll be arriving before we left.  ??  Ahh, time travel... can a honeymoon get any better than this? 

until yesterday -

force be with you...

m