Sunny 75 degrees
We had an early flight to Uluru today so up by 4:00 AM. Yikes! The hotel gave us a box breakfast to take with us on our flight and once again everything went very smooth under the guidance of Peter our tour guide. He was truly the best I have seen in the industry....As with most tour groups, all our bags were picked up and delivered to us at all stops, so you don't have to worry about lugging that around all the time.
Upon arriving in Ayers Rock, this was when the vacation started feeling very real to me. I loved the surroundings with the beautiful red dirt and red hills which reminded me so much of Sedona Arizona. After claiming our luggage we met our local tour guide Ron (who was marvelous) who took us to the Uluru and Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock and the Olgas) National Park. Where he explained the history and meaning of Ayers Rock to the Aboriginal people. Here is a short explanation:
"Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru was formed over a period of about 500 million years, and it was created when sand piled up on the bottom of an ocean that once covered the middle of Australia. Over the years, wind and rain have beat at the rock. By now, the flattened top is 1,142 feet above the plains and the base is an amazing 5 miles around! Uluru is sacred to the Anangu the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to a plethora of springs, waterholes, rock caves and acient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site. There is an Aborigine legend that Uluru was once an ocean, but after a great battle at its shores, it rose up in revolt at the bloodshed, forming the great blood-colored rock."
Our first stop was the Olgas view point which were quite impressive and at first I thought I preferred the look of the Olgas over Ayers Rock until I got close to Uluru and that opinion changed. We had a little time to take photos. Just an FYI, this area is usually covered with flies, especially in the summer months. We were there in the fall so we did have some and they were quite annoying but not as bad as I understand the summer months are, so plan your viewing accordingly. Ron pointed out the upside down plant which was very unique and really upside down! Before viewing Ayers Rock we stopped for lunch at the National Park and it was one of the best meals I had in Australia. We had some free time to shop or go to the cultural center before we boarded the bus to drive the circumference of Ayers Rock. Incredible how big it really is! That is until you get out and could get up close and see the different rock formation and textures and the size.....WOW! Once you see for yourself it is no wonder the Anangu people feel the rock is sacred. We walked to the Cave area and watering hole as Ron explained the many stories and legends of the people. Really fascinating.... The day was perfect, sunny blue skies and 75, which made the "Rock" shine....... There is an area of the rock that the National Park gives permission to climb, however this is frowned upon by the Aborigines who feel it is bad luck to do so. Once you see how steep it is, it is any wonder why the heck you would even want to try to do this! But there were a bunch of people making the climb. One young man was coming down from the climb when we were there and he did it in flip flips! Crazy kid, I would have killed myself in those...(The Olgas below)
After the tour was completed, we headed for our incredible, relaxing and beautiful resort, the Desert Garden Inn, where once again a welcome letter with cold water and a little gift was left my management. This reosrt was a big hit with our group. We all loved it! The grounds were so beautiful and complemented the whole desert landscaping. Our room was equally as nice, large and comfortable and we had a nice patio that opened to the lovely grounds supplied with table and chairs for relaxing. We had some free time before dinner so we took advantage of our surrounding and enjoyed a coffee on the patio!
This evening we were on our own for dinner. The group did go to a view point for champagne sunset of Ayers Rock before dinner, however we had planned and booked a special outback dinner before I left home called the Sounds of Silence. At the Sounds of Silence experience you can dine under the canopy of the desert night, while your very own storyteller shares tales as told in the stars. Our journey began on a lone sand dune. A path took us to an uninterrupted, three hundred and sixty degree view of this vast landscape. In front of you is the fabled Uluru; behind you are the domes of Kata Tjuta and, possibly the most spectacular sunset you have ever seen. Truly impressive sunset. Here we enjoyed sparkling wine and a selection of canapés. Weird Aussie food again, so I didn't try any, but the sparkling wine was fab! We then ate under the outback sky as the sun sets. We had a BBQ buffet of authentic Australian delicacies examples include barramundi, kangaroo and crocodile, bush salads and classic desserts, complemented by Australian wines. Again food not so good, but great wine and desserts! After dinner we were treated to some of the world's best stargazing, as our startalker took us on a tour of the spectacular southern night sky. That was really fun and interesting cause when you sit back and think of it, their stars and constellations are very different from ours in the Northern Hemisphere. They also had 2 telescopes set up to view some of the constellations and we were also able to see Saturn. Then after dinner, they offered a choice of tea, coffee or port.
Sounds of Silence is highly recommended and we did enjoy this unique event, however I am not sure the cost of $169 per person was worth it, but I guess you are on vacation, so we tried not to think about the cost over the experience. More Photos from Sounds of Silence below:
PHOTOS FROM THE NATIONAL PARK 
PHOTOS FROM OUR RESORT DESERT GARDEN INN
