The red planet
Google maps view of the area where we’re staying/playing
Monday, December 9
Arrived at Uluru (Ayer Rock) today. The flight from Sydney was 3.5 hours. It’s hard to keep in mind the size of this country/continent. It’s approximately equal to the continental US, but 95+% of the population is around the coast, and most of that is on the East side.
We rented a vehicle and drove around the rock itself, which again is deceiving to look at. It’s almost 350 meters (1100 feet) high, and over 2 miles long. The mind just doesn’t work on that scale normally; you just keep adjusting and adjusting as you get closer.
Driving up from a couple miles out, “Oh, that’s big.”
A mile away “Wow, I didn’t realize it was that big.”
From a few hundred yards “It just doesn’t seem to adjust to the stuff around it, it’s so huge.”
Parking under a hundred yards away “Holy moly, it just never seems to get closer”
Standing next to it (as close as you can get: no touchie) “I didn’t realize how big it was, those are huge caves and shards, not what I thought.”
Tuesday, December 10
Did a walking tour (Mara walk) at Uluru, then visited the Olgas nearby. And by nearby I mean a 40 minute drive on a two lane road surrounded by lots of nothing. Very barren, yet full of all types of life.
The weather has been both really good and not so good. Temperatures are low for this time of year, about 75 degrees; but there have been clouds and intermittent bits of rain. The clouds are really dramatic in the photos, and the rain creates rivulets on the rock formations, as well as mud with all the red dirt. There is green foliage, and even a bunch of frogs in the uncommonly deep puddles and basins around the rock.
Also on holiday are flys. Not as many as there could be, but more than you want in your mouth. We’re frequently wearing nets over our heads to keep them from being too friendly.
