As our taxi arrived at 5:45 a.m., we were up and ready to leave Cairns before the crack of dawn. The Cairns airport was very “quaint” -- I liked the set up - seats in the middle with shops off to the sides and the 16 gates off like spokes of a wheel. It still amazes me that I can carry water and liquids through security. But on this flight they did check my ID at check in, but not at security.
There were very few people in the airport, but this very unhappy looking lady had to come sit directly beside me and my bag. I mean really, don’t you understand the concept of personal space -- a row of 50+ seats and you sit right beside someone?? What’s up with that?
My travel partner was shopping/trying on clothes when they were boarding our plane. I went to the gate and chatted up the nice Qantas agent, Andrew, who gave me many tips about Ayers Rock and what to do there. They had to call her name over the intercom and we were the last ones to board. Had to go out on the tarmac and got on the 100+ people plane with less than 30 people - we got our own rows. When they started the safety instructions, something seemed out of place -- it was a North American accent. The flight attendant was from Canada. She said she had been living here for over 10 years.
Qantas is so high class, they served us breakfast (and we didn’t pay for it either). The fried egg, baked beans, hash brown, and sausage was edible but I didn’t eat it. I did eat the very tasty passionfruit yogurt and part of the scone.
Qantas is so high class, they served us breakfast (and we didn’t pay for it either). The fried egg, baked beans, hash brown, and sausage was edible but I didn’t eat it. I did eat the very tasty passionfruit yogurt and part of the scone.
We could see the outback terrain from the plane. It looked so empty down there. Then all of a sudden there was Kata Tjuta and Uluru and King’s Canyon (we think). Looked down - there was one landing strip -- What have we gotten ourselves into?
A heatwave hit us as we got off the plane, it was different from the heat and humidity of Cairns - more like the US southwest dry heat. At the airport on the one baggage carousel, we got our bags and the resort had a complimentary shuttle - the start of our journey into the Twlight Zone known as the Ayers Rock Resort. Check out the warning signs in the airport. (and yes we saw a dingo/dog on our last night here- but a tame one)
On the bus there were a few flies, and our very funny bus driver, Charlie Howard, told us to buy a flynet and it would be our best purchase. It is required to wear seatbelts even on a bus (and they had good ones) in the Northern Territory (NT). The road was deserted except when a truck showed up, Charlie commented on the NT traffic jam :)
Stayed at the Lost Camel Hotel (this resort is set up as a base for Uluru and is a few km from the actual sites). The “look” of our hotel was very posh (another Aussie word) and boutique like. But the room was FREEZING and had no individual control for the temperature. We had a sofa pullout and a queen size bed, a very modern looking bathroom that opened up into the bedroom. The shower and toilet were separate little rooms with windows -- I guess to get views, but who will be gazing out the window while on the toilet? or washing their hair?
The Ayers Resort defies definition -- It is very strange with the set up around “Town Center”. Only about 1,000 residents and all work on the resort and are there for short periods of time mostly. It’s like an episode of the Twlight Zone, you expect to see the locals stoning the outsiders in the town center. It was very creepy, I have only been one other place like that and it creeped me out also.
Thankfully, we got on the stick and booked our tours ASAP as most tours were almost full -- The Sounds of Silence tonight (friends don’t laugh -- I can be silent -- maybe), a sunrise camel ride, walking tours around Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (aka the Olgas). We were going to see it all (tour operator said the most prophetic and dangerous thing for me to hear --- “think of how much money you spent to get here, why not see as much as you can, what’s another $100?”) .
After hitting the only 4 shops (and buying the fly net) and mailing a box home (of unneeded electronic and other items - souvenirs etc.), We sat out by the stylish pool and for the first time on our trip-- relaxed. Meeting our first friends for the night, John and Val from Melbourne, was a treat. They are both teachers and quite a hoot.
There was a big misunderstanding in our accommodations that led to a frantic change of rooms and a free bottle of Champagne. My travel buddy couldn’t figure out how to work the shower --- fyi always try turning it both ways when getting the hot water on. The staff was very nice and helpful -- couldn’t have been better, Dylan gets kudos for assisting us above and beyond the call of duty.
After finally getting cleaned up, we got picked up for the Sounds of Silence. In the lobby, we made fast friends with Paivi from Finland and a corporate diversity trainer (interesting life and job). A very quiet couple was sitting in the lobby too and got on the bus with us.
This massive tour bus took us up to a lookout on a hill, we walked through the red sand to the top where we could see Uluru and Kata Tjuta. They greeted us with Champagne, aka Sparkling Aussie Wine, and everyone started mingling and got more friendly -- met a great Indian family from Sydney who helped take photos of us. The “quiet” couple from the hotel turned out to be John and Julie Pepper from Brisbane and they were not so quiet but quite a lot of fun. Rounding off our table of 8 was Amy from Alaska who was a professional dog musher (what an interesting world).
The waiter, Ben, said that a rare phenomena happened for us. It was a full moon and the moon and the sun were up at the same time. The sky was amazing colors of pinks, oranges, blues and purples. And within seconds the colors changed as the sun went down. (I love sunrises and sunsets and am going to try and see as many as I can here.)
The food was excellent - started with pumpkin soup (these Aussies are crazy about pumpkin), then a buffet dinner -- crocodile caesar salad, grilled kangaroo, kangaroo sushi. And the best part was the dessert buffet bar - I tried sticky date pudding (very tasty). I guess that diet I was on is off for awhile, hope I can fit in my blue jeans for the rest of the trip.
A guy from the East End came out and spoke to us about the constellations (the ones we could see in the brillant full moonlight). Saw the Southern Cross :) Our Sounds of Silence dinner wasn’t so silent and we all had a great time. Good food, good company and a great locale make for a memorable evening. We were possibly the loudest table. I know we were the most fun one.
John and Val, Melbourne, both were in the education field and hadn't been here in ages. He liked to run but had a bum leg. They were about to retire. John and Julie (more about them tomorrow night) have lived all over and stayed and retired in Brisbane. He is a Vietnam Vet and was in the army for 26 years and explained to me the set up of the military academy and bases etc. He was then a probation officer and had some great stories. Paivi is a recent widow and was in a bicultural marriage. She was so sweet and has a broken heart, but was a resilient lady. She had a great outlook on life. We all had lively discussions and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. It's very reassuring to realize that people from different cultures/countries can have similar outlooks, lives, problems, and concerns -- it's a very small world, full of good people.
After the dinner, the party continued in the Lost Camel Bar with everyone enjoying themselves. When we turned in, we found out the phones, cell phones and internet were all down throughout NT -- adding to the Twlight Zone mystique. Wonder how long that will last???
John and Val, Melbourne, both were in the education field and hadn't been here in ages. He liked to run but had a bum leg. They were about to retire. John and Julie (more about them tomorrow night) have lived all over and stayed and retired in Brisbane. He is a Vietnam Vet and was in the army for 26 years and explained to me the set up of the military academy and bases etc. He was then a probation officer and had some great stories. Paivi is a recent widow and was in a bicultural marriage. She was so sweet and has a broken heart, but was a resilient lady. She had a great outlook on life. We all had lively discussions and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. It's very reassuring to realize that people from different cultures/countries can have similar outlooks, lives, problems, and concerns -- it's a very small world, full of good people.
After the dinner, the party continued in the Lost Camel Bar with everyone enjoying themselves. When we turned in, we found out the phones, cell phones and internet were all down throughout NT -- adding to the Twlight Zone mystique. Wonder how long that will last???
Our room was so freezing, I sweet talked the young night manager, David Wylie from Tauranga NZ, into giving us a space heater. Love a cold room at night, but this is ridiculous. Brrr, cold shower, cold room...... How long does a Twlight Zone episode last. I can see and hear Rod Serling standing there talking about this place. But those rocks are beautiful..... Now to get up early for a camel ride.
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