29 Mart 2016 Salı

22 March 2016:-AUSTRALIA:- Sydney >>Ayers Rock (Sunset Tour and BBQ Dinner)

AUSTRALIA :-  Sydney >>Ayers Rock (Sunset Tour and BBQ Dinner)
17th Day: 22.03.2016 

My flight is at 09:50 with the Virgin Australia. I had made the booking for 08:45 shuttle from my Hotel. I woke up earlier then my IPhone had to wake me up. I decided to take the Redy2Go shuttle at 07:45 because I had nothing to do in the hotel.
Together with the customers of the 07:45 shuttle I was downstairs and talked with the driver. He said that there is only one seat available and I can drive together. That is great.

The shuttle took us in 8-9 minutes to the International Terminal but due to the heavy traffic we arrived at the Domestic Terminal around 08:40. I thought it was a critical decision of mine to take the earlier shuttle from the Hotel. Otherwise I could miss the flight.

I went to the Virgin Australia section and made my check in through their kiosk. I put also the tag onto my luggage and waited at the queue to drop it off. I think Virgin Australia is on the second rank compared with Qantas Airlines. Anyway after waiting for 20 more minutes I gave my luggage and then I moved to the gate for Ayers Rock (Yulara) flight.

In the plane, I found out that someone has already taken my seat. One of the guys (most probably they were two gay friends) requested me to sit on his seat which is on the same row but at the left side of the plane. I said ‘OK’ but I figured out that an obese lady is just at my side and she was eating rolls of chicken whatever with condensed smell of garlic, onion or whatever. It is not fault to be obese but she is eating take away wraps and the smell of the wraps is like ….(?).
I closed my nose and mouth with my jacket and could not breathe through my nose. Finally, the guy who had already taken my seat offered me my own seat and I moved away from this obese lady.

In my opinion, the airline companies must avoid people to eat their own food on board. Only water might be allowed!

The Uluru flight is to the west direction and after a short while the landscape is changing into desert type plantation. It is getting red and red in the middle of Australia. This is why they call it “Red Center”. After 3 ½ hours we landed at the Ayers Rock Airport which is also known Uluru. Uluru is a town of the Northern Territory of Australia. Just to remember I had been in Darwin, Jabiru during the first week of my journey. These two mentioned towns are also within the NT. Darwin is the capital city of this territory.

Uluru and its surrounding having wild nature are part of a big dessert. There are also some reservations for the Aboriginal people. Uluru is famous with the big, red, massive stone laying on the dessert having a length of 2-2 ½ km and 350 meters height. There is also Kata Tjuta. It is a big sedimentation of stones and sand on the land having a few domes of height more approx. 100 meter in height.

When we landed it was around 12:40 with the local time. AAT Kings buses took us free of charge to the resorts where we are staying. There is almost 10-12 minutes distance by bus between the airport and the Ayers Rock Resort area. The Town Yulara is a part of the resort area.  Imagine a pear shaped road with a circumference of 4-5 kms. There are more or less 6-7 different hotels, lodges. All of them accessible from this road.

I had booked at the “Outback Pioneer Hotel & Lodge”. The reception gave me the dormitory room #903. 4 people or a family of four may easily share the room. I stayed in this dormitory room alone. They did not sell other beds. The weather is real hot. It is 33-34 deg C outside. The rooms are cool and clean. Apart rooms are on the ground level the doors are opened to outside.

I put my stuff in the room and went out for a walk and to know what is around. I walked to the town. It took around 15 minutes in the hot weather. I bought apples, water and orange juice in the market and then I occasionally met a group of people. An Aboriginal guy was explaining to the people how to use the wooden tools (various shapes of boomerangs, etc.) for hunting.
Various boomerangs, Uluru
An aboriginal guy is explaining how to use boomerang, Uluru.

Aboriginal ladies doing art work (Note: They do not allow for pictures)
Then I walked back to my hotel. There is already an organized tour with AAT Kings. The name of the tour is “Kata Tjuta sunset tour and BBQ night”. At 15:00 o’clock
(they are always very punctual) the bus took us to the “Uluru-Kata Natural Park” area . Everybody must have tickets for enetering the NP. It costs 25.-AUD. We drove to Kata Tjuta. The bus stopped there and we walked together with the guides to the most accessible point within the Kata Tjuta
Approaching to the Kata Tjuta, Uluru-Kata Natural Park
Kata Tjuta, Uluru-Kata Natural Park

Formation of the Kata Tjuta, Sedimented stones and sand under pressure of sea water.

Kata Tjuta

Just before the sun set we came back to our bus and we have been taken to another place having spectacular view over to the Uluru during the sunset. They served us in the open air during the sun set wine, prosecco together with some cheese, chips, Doritos and dips. After having a few pictures there during the sunset we moved with the bus to a restaurant in the desert for having BBQ.
Near sun set at Uluru
AAT Kings sun set party at the Uluru


Uluru at the sun set

Uluru at the sun set
I took seat together with an English family and two Spanish senoras. We were altogether 5 adults and two kids around the table. We chat and we ate together. 
During the BBQ Party organized by AAT Kings
After the BBQ night they took us to our Hotels where we are staying. Next day I need to wake up very early for the Kings Canyon Trekking.

Good night !!!

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