Red Center Day 3

Our second day in the red center was just amazing! Words just could not describe the joy and excitement I was feeling as I went to bed at the end of our amazing day! I didn’t think anything could have topped the first two days that we had and the things that I achieved…but it did. Our third day started bright and early once again at 3.30am. We were back on the coach heading towards one of Australia’s famous icons, Uluru. There was no way that I was going to fall asleep for this morning’s trip. We dodged and braked for the wildlife again but for some reason this morning I did not even notice. I was watching that tiny orange line that was rising from the ground in front of us. It was so beautiful. We could see Uluru in the distance and the excitement and anticipation was building as we got closer and closer and it got bigger and bigger. We finally arrived at the sunrise viewing station. We pulled up alongside several other coaches, buses and cars all full of eager travelers excited to see this beautiful sight. And boy was it a beautiful sight. 

It was the first beginning minutes of sunrise. The warm air blew around us we hopped off the bus and we were greeted with a hot chocolate and biscuits to enjoy while watching the view. I remember giggling. Not really believing that I was actually there! In the distance was this amazing icon that I had read and seen so much about my whole life and there it was at the most beautiful time of day. Everyone was getting their prime spot! Setting up cameras, taking photos, enjoying a laugh as we greeted the new day with excitement and wonder. As the sun rose the colours changed. Rob and I took our fair share of photos. We were definitely not going to miss out on this very special view…we wanted to remember it forever. The sun had finally risen and we were ushered by our tour guides back on to the bus. This is when Rob and I became a bit nervous. All we wanted to do on this trip was climb Uluru. People warned us, our travel agent warned us, the guides warned us, that we probably weren’t going to be able to climb. These days it is very hard to climb and they have very strict rules. We were watching the temperature as you were not allowed to climb if it was over 36 degrees but so far we were all ok…it had only just reached 30. We got excited! Maybe…just maybe we would get the chance. As we got closer to Uluru we noticed a sight that we did NOT want to see. The wind blowing in the trees. If it was windy you were not allowed to climb. As we got closer the the wind picked up! By the time we got to the rock we knew that our dream was not going to be a reality. Rob was really upset and I could see it was eating him up inside. I was ok, disappointed, but ok. I had climbed the Kings Canyon and had experienced that amazing trek so I was satisfied. Rob tried everything. We said we would even sign a document that said if we died we take full responsibility…ok now looking back that was a bit drastic but at the time, in the moment, we were desperate. We finally accepted defeat changed our thinking and decided to step off the bus with a positive attitude. 

Oh my goodness this was not hard at all. Have any of you been to Uluru? Do any of you realise how big it actually is? I was gobsmacked. It was soooo big! Words or photos for that matter just cannot justify how big it is and how beautiful it is. When I used to think of Uluru I was like yeah yeah a big red rock. But oh dear no. It’s not just a big rock. It is the most amazingly beautiful sight I have ever seen. The characteristics of this ‘rock’ were just divine and the views were just spectacular. We decided that seems as though we could not climb it we may as well walk around it. Easy peasy. No worries at all. I t was only 10 kilometres. It was all flat ground. That’s nothing compared to what we did yesterday. Um boy was I clearly mistaken! It was walking for 10 kilometres with no shade in the direct sun with the sun reflecting off the red rock beside you in FORTY FIVE degree temperatures! It was hot and it was hard. Uluru is just lucky it was so god dam beautiful because I don’t know how else I would have made it. With every kilometre we walked the sights changed. The colours, the formations, the stories were just magnificent. It truly was breathtaking. We finally finished our beautiful but very hot and exhausting walk and stumbled across the cultural centre! 

Wow! I couldn’t breathe, my heart was pounding, my clothes were dripping with sweat but one step into that centre I was taken away. I was taken into the world of these beautiful people and their stories and their history. I left hta building with a sense of peace. Even though I was upset we couldn’t climb I now understood why. It was’t the heat or the wind. It was the protectors of their land making sure that we didn’t climb it. It is a very special and sacred place and has so much history and love surrounding it. I knew we had done the right thing by not climbing and it made my heart happy and warm. As we live in a wonderful commercial world they of course had a souvenir shop. We of course went in as we wanted to take back a special reminder of this beautiful trip. We ended up buying a carved lizard. Which ws very fitting for us. I couldn’t go past the bookmarks however that were at the cash register. They were amazing and all hand painted. There were four there although none of them really grabbed me! I wanted a special one! Something that meant something and that said something to me. I wasn’t just going to buy one just because. I then saw some aboriginal ladies actually painting them in the corner. I asked the man if I could have one that she was painting. She was using pink paint so it grabbed my attention. The man took me over and introduced me to the lady and I asked her what her painting meant. She said 2 words that brought tears to my eyes, “True women” That was it. That was my painting. How amazing is that. I had really proved to myself on this trip that I can do anything I set my mind to. I was powerful and strong and for me to see this painting and especially ask for it (which I would never normally do) was a sign that I was a changed person and was a ‘true women’ This bookmark will always be special to me and I am thinking of actually framing it and putting it on my wall so it is always there to remind me of how powerful I am.

The rest of the day sailed by just beautifully. We headed back to the resort, did a bit more sightseeing and had a little rest as we had a big night ahead of us. We were off to the “Sounds of Silence Dinner” We got dressed up and got picked up once again by our trusty coach. We were taking out literally to the middle of nowhere. Away from the resort, away from the buildings, away from the cars. Just us on a dusty road heading into the dessert. We pulled up on the side of the road and were told to hop off and we were led down a dirt path. At the end of the path was a waitress standing beside a table covered in black cloth. We were all offered a drink and escorted into the viewing area. There was another “bar” with more drinks and another waiter. We met an amazing couple who were florists from Sydney who were there on business.  We talked and shared our stories and drank as we watched the beautiful sun set over Uuru and the Olgas. The breeze was light but nice against our skin. The air was warm and hit us as the breeze died down. It was getting darker and darker and we were all asked to find a group of four or 8 and head down another path. Of course we made our group with our new friends and headed on down. There greeting us at the end of the path were 10 tables all lined with white table clothes and lit up by candles. Beside the tables was the buffet table which melt absolutely amazing. We sat down and met the rest of our table, fantastic English Sydney siders who were the funniest people we have ever met. The food was amazing, the setting was divine but these people just truly made our night. Photos couldn’t capture our night as we were literally under the stars eating by candle light and our little digi cam just couldn’t capture the photos in the dark. But they are captured in my mind and hopefully I will never forget. I can close my eyes and remember sitting there under the stars with Uluru in the background eating my crocodile ceasar salad by candle light with my husband by my side and laughing and smile with our new friends. Nothing makes me happier than this memory. 

Before dessert all of our candles were blown out. We sat there in complete darkness and were then told to look up. Oh my goodness I have never seen anything as magical as this sight. There above us was the clearest sky with hundreds, thousands, millions of stars. The sky was lit up by the beauty of these stars. It was so magical I was overcome with emotion. It was then and there that everything I believe in and everything I trust was proved. It was there that I felt at peace and free and so unbelievably happy. I will never forget this moment. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful holiday that I will remember forever. 

 (ok flies got too much and went straight down)

 x S.K.K x