Uluru: the big brown rock

A few years ago, I had my first experience with an OMNIMAX movie, not be be confused with an IMAX movie. An OMNIMAX movie has an even bigger screen than the IMAX ones that fills your entire field of vision. Its sort of like going on the Star Wars ride at Disneyland where you actually feel like you're getting hurdled through the Death Star. Anyway, I saw a movie about one of Australia's most famous sites, Uluru (formerly known as Ayer's Rock). The movie dealt more with the weather patterns in the arid outback rather than the geological wonder that is Uluru but it whetted my appetite for Australia. I was spouting random facts about Australia for weeks after that movie.

Fast forward to the present day, the day that I arrived in Alice Springs to be exact. I was excited because of two things - one, the long-cherished memory of that OMNIMAX (does it have to be capped?) movie and two, my parents were arriving in Alice Springs to join me for 2 weeks down under. I was thrilled to see them since I haven't seen them since spring break and also since it meant I didn't have to live in hostels and I got to be the center of attention. We're all Daddy's girls at heart. My parents are also outdoor enthusiasts so I knew that they would really enjoy Australia.

To prolong the anticipation a bit as well as to give my parents some time to recover from jetlag, we spent a day wandering through town and seeing some of the McDonnell Ranges, which were right outside Alice Springs. In all the guidebooks, Alice Springs is described as the major outpost in the middle of the vast outback as well as tourism central for Uluru. But you always have to keep in mind the scale of Australia. Australia is 75% the size of China but holds only 30 million people compared to the 1 BILLION in China. The largest city in China, Chongqing, holds more people than the whole of Australia. So from being in a country where every single city held 1 million plus, I arrived in Alice Springs, the epicenter of the outback but with only 30,000. So needless to say, the town offered far less than I had expected and pretty much everything closed by 5 or 6pm. But it was nice nonetheless to spend the day relaxing and spotting wallabies in the McDonnell Ranges.

Some aboriginal music in the middle of Alice Springs. I also bought a very nice painting that made me feel very grown up.

Yup, we're pretty far from home!

The happy family back together. I can't tell you how happy I was to see them! I'm so proud of them for coming somewhere so far and so foreign (to them, at least!).

Us at Stanley Chasm. It is very tall and very narrow and very impressive. This was the beginning of an endless sea of red rocks but each one was special in its own right.

A very cautionary sign at the bank of this "river". Apparently, they are lucky if they flow 2 or 3 times a year!

Very very very early the next morning, my parents and I were picked up for our outback tour. We were waiting outside with a bunch of other people and one by one, they were all picked up in their huge and luxurious tour buses. I brushed them off, knowing that with those vehicles, they would be limited to the paved roads where we would be off in the wilderness. Until our truck showed up. Our itty, bitty truck. Our group consisted of 9 people not including our guide, all crammed into a pitiful pickup truck. We sat in the back on long benches, facing each other and trying to place our legs in non-cramping positions without becoming overly friendly with strangers and bumped along for about 4 hours. Now, I'm not usually the type to complain about accomodations and transportation, afterall I traveled in a similar vehicle while doing the jungle trek in Thailand and in other parts of SE Asia. But this was Australia for godssake!

But the car became the least of our worries. July in Australia, being in the Southern Hemisphere, is in the dead of winter. And since it was also in the middle of the desert, we expected dry, hot days and dry, cold nights. We brought fleeces, hats and gloves for the evenings and wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen for the day. But we got sooooooo lucky during our trip! The outback was in the middle of the biggest drought in 50 years and hadn't even seen a speck of rain in 6 months but the weekend that we decided to go on our tour, the skies opened up. I guess its good for the environment since everything was looking a bit parched but rain in winter doesn't really make for the best camping experience, especially since we were sleeping outside in contraptions called swags. To complete the picture, we had a guide who was like an entire cheer squad on speed. I have never met anyone who could be so bouncy and chirpy at 5am. Proposed singalongs, in the rain, before its even light out, in the most cramped vehicle, for 4 hours is not exactly what I pictured when I watched that OMNIMAX movie.

But the power of Uluru is not to be underestimated. Though we saw it under clouds full of rain, which cast the usually vibrant red rock into a mud brown color, the sheer wonder of its existence still shone through. Uluru is the single biggest piece of rock on the planet and it exists in the middle of nowhere. Its a mile and a half long and over 1,000 feet high but it doesn't even begin to describe what it looks like up close. Despite the rain, we opted to hike the 6 mile track around the rock, craning our necks every step of the way so it wouldn't escape our vision. Its hard to explain what it was like but despite all the hooplah, all the tourism photos, its really unbelievable to behold. The Aborigines hold Uluru as one of their most sacred sites and its no wonder. It should be sacred for everyone.

The peekaboo sun made the view pretty interesting to say the least! These pictures are an incredibly pale comparison to the actual thing.

The rain actually made the rock look very mystical and fantastical. You can really see why the Aboriginals hold it so sacred.

We got cramps in our necks while walking around Uluru! We were constantly craning our necks to take in the entire sight and not miss a single crevice.

The Aboriginals have all these creation stories about creation beings and how they shaped the world around us while also teaching them valuable life lessons. Its amazing to be able to hear the stories while also seeing them how the Aboriginals did on the face of Uluru. The picture above shows an area where one of the creation beings, a snake, slithered its way along the rock.

The next day, the weather was looking a bit better and we headed to Kata Tjuta, another unbelievable cluster of huge rock/mountain things. Kata Tjuta was also formed around the same time as Uluru and offered possibly better hikes than Uluru. Instead of walking around 1 monolith, we were snaking in between these huge boulders that towered above us. It really was the Valley of the Winds and you could feel the history and the culture of the Aborigines radiating throughout the place. Our guide was incredibly knowledgable about the scientific and cultural aspects of Uluru and Kata Tjuta so it was nice to understand and not just gawk at the sites in front of us.

Kata Tjuta was just as impressive as Uluru. It truly was an amazing trip.

Another bright and early morning for us! At least we were able to get a sunrise over Kata Tjuta. It was beautiful to see the morning rays light up those boulders.

Kata Tjuta (aka the Olgas) are a series of boulders that are incredibly important to the Aboriginal men in the nearby tribes.

Our unbelievably chipper leader. She was just like that guy Chip in Office Space who was way too into his flair. This girl definitely had flair!

But for me, the true highlight was King's Canyon. Its not on a particularly huge scale as, say, the Grand Canyon, but it was amazing nonetheless. We did a walk around the rim of the canyon, admiring the stratification of the rock, the wildlife and the spectacular views across the canyon. Every step brought you to something new and beautiful. My parents also really enjoyed the hikes though they were pretty long and not as easy on 50-year plus knees.

The canyon isn't very large (not like the one in Arizona if you know which one I mean) but the views were spectacular.

The top of the canyon was filled with these incredible layered rocks that we were hiking in and around.

Peering over the edge to get a good view!

This funny little bird had no fear of humans. If you stood real still, they would just come right up to you, popping along and pecking for food.

Even the car rides ended up being quite nice. We all got to know each other pretty well, crammed into that car, so we had some good laughs while we passed the time. And the scenery outside just took our breath away. There really is absolutely nothing out there but dust, rocks, spikey grass and dead-looking trees. Being out there makes you appreciate how resilient life can be and what mother nature can overcome to provide life. The barren extreme of the desert was also beautiful in its own right. You just have to respect the sheer wildness of it all.

Overall, our trip was everything I wanted it to be. I wanted to experience the outback and that we did - we were really at its mercy the entire time. We slept in swags, our faces vulnerable to the elements but it made us appreciate snuggling in their warmth that much more. And I've never been more proud of my parents! They were real troopers though I don't think they had any idea of what the trip would be like. It was freezing, it rained, we slept, cooked and dined outside but they never complained and had the time of their life. It was definitely one of the hardest trips I've done (Tibet holds that prize) but the fact that my parents and I did it together made it worth every second.

My parents in swags. I never thought I would see the day.

Out on the open road. Of course, as we were heading back into town we got sunshine.

Like mother like daughter!

Our broken down car. We actually pushed the car up to fit the jack under the axle. That's my dad under the car, lending a hand as always.

Wild camels!

You can't leave Australia without trying some of the local specialties like camel, crocodile, buffalo and kangaroo! Croc was by far my favorite. Yum!!

We never did get that fiery red sunset on Uluru but that's okay. It will just have to wait until the next time! In the meantime, my parents and I are on our way to the East Coast and the Whitsunday Islands where we are really really really hoping for some sun and beachtime!