A packed van picked us up last from the hotel and dropped us off last at the domestic Terminal 3 at Sydney airport. Chris showed me how far she'd had to walk the other day from the bus to the Harley dealership. Yikes. A couple of miles, at least.
I have to say that the domestic terminals are MUCH nicer than the international terminal. We hung out until it was time to board the Boeing 737, a much larger plane than I thought we were going to be flying. No drama during the flight. Every once in a while I'd look out the window and it was the same, flat, reddish dirt, broken up only by the occasional salt flat. A two-and-a-half hour flight and the country doesn't change much after passing the populated areas immediately off the coast.
We landed in Ayers Rock airport and were met by a rep from Australian Pacific Tours (APT) who handed us a more detailed itinerary. We boarded a big AAT bus and were taken to the Ayers Rock Resort. Check in was slow, then we had to wait for our room to be ready for a few hours. We signed up for internet service only to discover that a) it sucked and b) it was only available in the busy lobby and boring Bunyan Bar -- neither of which had electrical outlets to plug into. Let's just say that service in general in the place was spotty. Oh, and did I mention that it was 118 degrees F? Kinda sapped our energy. Especially after taking a walk to the store to load up on snacks and water. It was farther than we were expecting to go, but we did find insulated water bottle carriers for cheap.
We also saw our first aborginal folks up close. Theirs is the oldest continuous living culture on the planet and they look so different from anyone else I've ever met. Assimulation has been difficult and, in many cases, not desired. They are a very gentle, caring people with a very different way of looking at things. It's been interesting learning about what the western Aussies have been learning from them, such as fire management of the land, etc.
We finally got settled in the room and got ready to go out to the Sounds of Silence dinner. A bus picked us up and took us to a viewing area to view Ayers Rock -- now known by its aboriginal name Uluru -- and the opposing domes of Kata Tjuta (formerly the Olgas). The iron oxidized soil and rock really do capture the changing light. Sunset was beautiful, accompanied by a glass of champagne, followed by a really nice syrah (at last!). I took a gazillion pictures and chatted with random travellers before we were all moved to tables for dinner. We ate in the dark with a spectacular display of stars above us. The food was good, though not as memorable as the wine. A didgeridoo player explained how traditional didgeridoos were made (hollowed out by termites) and how to play one. Then, all the lights were turned out while another young man pointed out constellations like the Southern Cross (and how to find south), an upside down Orion (!), Sirius, the Seven Sisters -- an aboriginal story, some traditional zodiac constellations like Leo and Gemini, and the small and large Magellanic Clouds. Gorgeous.
Happy, we stumbled back to the bus and on to the hotel and made another dent into the vodka. Steps taken: only 5,723.