On the road to Ayres Rock resort

 

Wed 24/2/21

 

This morning we left at 6.50am for our 5 hour journey to Sails in the Desert hotel at the Ayers rock resort.   According to the brochure, we will be passing through the beautiful McDonnell ranges. (they were)

We are assured that there will be a few stops for photos, food and amenities. This is good as the ‘amenity’ on the bus is not in use due to COVID (global pandemic). We find this out at our first stop.

Anyway, the coach is reasonable and not full. (This makes use of amenities at our stops quicker.)

 

First stop is a roadhouse run by Papa Smurf. Lots of interesting stuff in the shop as well as coffee and food.

 

 Our second stop is another much bigger roadhouse purporting to be right in the middle as in dead centre of Australia.

There were emus?

Our last stop is a lookout which gives us our first shots of Uluru. There is also a ‘drop toilet’  which the driver suggests is horrendous. I have been to worse ones including a standing one at Castel Raimondo railway station near my dad’s place in Italy. No problem.

 There was a sand dune across the road with views over a salt lake. Paul ventured over.

There is some interesting scenery on the way and we have  running commentary on trees and how they survive in this climate. Apparently, there was rain here earlier this year so it is unusually green.

 

We eventually start to see glimpses of Uluru, though this is not Uluru. This is the rock everyone thinks is Uluru. As they also did on the Travel guides.

 

Uluru, not.

We finally arrive at Ayers Rock right next to World Heritage listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

 

Uluru i think

The hotel is great and our room is across from the pool. We have nothing until our 5.30pm drive to Kata Tjuta (previously known as the Olgas) for our ‘sunset experience’.

 

In the meantime, time to explore.

Have you heard about the flies?  We hadn’t,  but noticed this for the first time in Alice. And much worse in the red centre according to everyone. How right they were.

Luckily, we were also advised to buy a fly net which you place over your head at a rakish angel (not) and it keeps the flies away from your face.  This helps unless you are eating or drinking, in which case it is ridiculous.  As we arrived at the resort, we had a guide go through info on the resort during which he swallowed a fly in front of us. Not intentionally I assume but certainly demonstrated the issue. 

After checking in, we are advised we should head over to the town square and confirm with our tour company AAT Kings any changes to our itinerary as a result of COVID (global pandemic) and/or travel agent error. 

This all goes well until on our way back using a short cut I found through a grass area, I fall.  Crashing to the dirt and gravel instead of the grass. No major injury apart from a sore ankle, cuts and bruises and what I suspect is a sprained little finger on which I had landed.

 

We immediately go to the bar, (for ice of course!!) and the staff rush to help me clean up and offer all sorts of medical assistance. But I was fine apart from a sore finger.

I was not game to swim in the pool but Paul assured me it was warm though not as warm as our pool at home.

Later on, at 5.30pm we do the sunset trip to a viewing spot near Kata Tjuta to view Kata Tjuta.  And, to add to the surrealness, we had drinks and canapes to enjoy while waiting for sunset. This is where it became ridiculous with the fly nets.

Do you know how easy it is to forget you are wearing a net covering your face and mouth when you are eating and drinking?

Very easy. Many of us forgot and tried it through the netting. Some of us did this more than others. Messy.

It was quite an art to somehow bring food to your mouth up and under the net so as not to let in any flies. Anything with dip on it was not worth the effort as there was also a bit of a breeze which meant dip under the net went everywhere. Best idea was dry biscuits or celery quickly eaten inside the net with a quick swig of alcohol.

It was breathtakingly beautiful and perhaps even moving. The rocks change colour as did the sky to a beautiful blue. The guide called this Namatjira blue.

 

 From a distance.

 Nearer and approaching sunset.

Us wearing our fly nets, as is everyone else.

 Nearing sunset, a change of colour

 Paul trying to drink through the net. Sometimes you cant wait.

 sunsetish

 sun going down

 after sunset

 the night sky

 

Once back at the resort, having a wine and tapas with some others, we make the big decision to ditch our 5am tour the next day. It is a sunrise tour covering similar ground to tonight’s. A sleep in and resort pool sounds like a pretty good alternative.