AUSTRALIA
Day 7 of our Australian Coach Tour
Some of our number got up very early to climb Uluru, walk around the base, and/or watch the sunrise. I had heard the climb would be closed, so didn’t bother getting up that early. :D We didn’t really sleep in, but didn’t hurry to do anything. When we went to brekky, there were several already finished with their meal. Good for them.
We left on the bus to pick up the ones who’d walked around the base of Uluru - 11.5 km (about 6 ½ miles). We got some wonderful pictures close up of the rock. The climb had indeed been closed, so I’d been right to not go early.
We learned that Uluru is about 1,000 feet high and is 1/3 above ground with 2/3 below ground. Whew! It’s pretty red, as is the soil in this whole area. It’s very rich in iron, so what we see is oxidization. And it sticks to everything! My white sneakers are no longer white. LOL
From there, we went to another amazing sight - Khata Juta. It’s a collection of HUGE rocks, looking sort of like a group of bald heads. There are 36 together and have a religious significance to the aborigines and some parts allow no photography. They are taller than Uluru, too.
We picked up about 17 new people at Uluru and we now have a full coach. The company policy is to sit in a different set of seats every day so as to give everyone a turn at sitting in the front, the back, either side of the coach. The people around you change every day, too.
Everyone has been great, but I will talk about this one man who joined us today. His name is Hans and is of German descent, born and raised in Tasmania. He’s a very happy person, missing his front teeth. He NEVER stops talking and is always at full volume. Raucous laughter when the rest might only be smiling. Most don’t really understand his jokes and stuff, even though they’re familiar with Tasmania. So far, everyone has been very cordial to him and we all hope to be able to continue with that. However, this is a 16-day tour and he is now with us to the end. Your prayers are appreciated.
After lunch we went back to the hotel and Ray did some laundry. The laundry was free, but it was at the far end of the resort. Heehee There wasn’t enough time to get it all dry, so I laid the jeans out on the terrace. That took all the heavy stuff out and the rest was mostly able to dry.
We left on the bus at 3:15 for Kahta Juta to watch the sunset. Once again the weather was uncooperative and the clouds hid the sun and there were no spectacular colors. There were plenty of free drinks and nibbles and lots of good conversation. We saw some wild camels wandering around in the bush, but they came and went so quickly, there wasn’t time to take any pictures.
After the nibbles were pretty well eaten, we got back on the bus (is anyone else tired of this?) and headed to the barbecue place the tour company owns for a wonderful fireside barbecue. We had proper picnic tables and cutlery with plenty of sparkling wine. We could have beef, chicken, or fish (Barramundi) all with optional kangaroo kabobs. We didn’t have that. The Aussies on the trip have said that it has a wild taste and I’ve had plenty of wild game and know that I don’t care for it, so not going to.
While we were eating, the waning moon arose very beautifully. It was only a little past full and really was spectacular. Many hadn’t seen a moon come up like that and were wondering what on earth that was. It made the sky in that immediate area bright white just before it peaked above the horizon. Very beautiful!
The evening ended by 9:30 and we went immediately to bed. Whew!
P.S. Been without internet and cell service for 2 days. Sorry this is late.
Some of our number got up very early to climb Uluru, walk around the base, and/or watch the sunrise. I had heard the climb would be closed, so didn’t bother getting up that early. :D We didn’t really sleep in, but didn’t hurry to do anything. When we went to brekky, there were several already finished with their meal. Good for them.
We left on the bus to pick up the ones who’d walked around the base of Uluru - 11.5 km (about 6 ½ miles). We got some wonderful pictures close up of the rock. The climb had indeed been closed, so I’d been right to not go early.
We learned that Uluru is about 1,000 feet high and is 1/3 above ground with 2/3 below ground. Whew! It’s pretty red, as is the soil in this whole area. It’s very rich in iron, so what we see is oxidization. And it sticks to everything! My white sneakers are no longer white. LOL
From there, we went to another amazing sight - Khata Juta. It’s a collection of HUGE rocks, looking sort of like a group of bald heads. There are 36 together and have a religious significance to the aborigines and some parts allow no photography. They are taller than Uluru, too.
We picked up about 17 new people at Uluru and we now have a full coach. The company policy is to sit in a different set of seats every day so as to give everyone a turn at sitting in the front, the back, either side of the coach. The people around you change every day, too.
Everyone has been great, but I will talk about this one man who joined us today. His name is Hans and is of German descent, born and raised in Tasmania. He’s a very happy person, missing his front teeth. He NEVER stops talking and is always at full volume. Raucous laughter when the rest might only be smiling. Most don’t really understand his jokes and stuff, even though they’re familiar with Tasmania. So far, everyone has been very cordial to him and we all hope to be able to continue with that. However, this is a 16-day tour and he is now with us to the end. Your prayers are appreciated.
After lunch we went back to the hotel and Ray did some laundry. The laundry was free, but it was at the far end of the resort. Heehee There wasn’t enough time to get it all dry, so I laid the jeans out on the terrace. That took all the heavy stuff out and the rest was mostly able to dry.
We left on the bus at 3:15 for Kahta Juta to watch the sunset. Once again the weather was uncooperative and the clouds hid the sun and there were no spectacular colors. There were plenty of free drinks and nibbles and lots of good conversation. We saw some wild camels wandering around in the bush, but they came and went so quickly, there wasn’t time to take any pictures.
After the nibbles were pretty well eaten, we got back on the bus (is anyone else tired of this?) and headed to the barbecue place the tour company owns for a wonderful fireside barbecue. We had proper picnic tables and cutlery with plenty of sparkling wine. We could have beef, chicken, or fish (Barramundi) all with optional kangaroo kabobs. We didn’t have that. The Aussies on the trip have said that it has a wild taste and I’ve had plenty of wild game and know that I don’t care for it, so not going to.
While we were eating, the waning moon arose very beautifully. It was only a little past full and really was spectacular. Many hadn’t seen a moon come up like that and were wondering what on earth that was. It made the sky in that immediate area bright white just before it peaked above the horizon. Very beautiful!
The evening ended by 9:30 and we went immediately to bed. Whew!
P.S. Been without internet and cell service for 2 days. Sorry this is late.