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Taka Yamanouchi AIS class of 1970 Tky_Yamanouchi@shi.co.jp
July 28, 2007
Our vacation in Australia covered four nights in Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), three in Ayers Rock and three in Sydney.
Taka with daughter Chika, son Kosei, and wife Yoriko at Ayers Rock, NT, Australia, July 2007.
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So we had "tropical resort" (actually not tropical in winter), "desert outback" and "big city" in oue tour. A lot of energy consumed, not to mention funds (put a big dent in my savings!).
Ayers Rock, or Uluru, as the natives call it, is quite exotic, if you get into it. They have sunrise, sunset and walk-around tours. A walk around Uluru is about 6 miles and can be completed in about 3 hours, including short rest and photo stops. Parts of the rock are off limits and photography is prohibited, as they are sacred sites for the aborigine tribe that live in this region (just like the interior of certain temples in Japan).
There is another
Kata Tjuta, with Uluru in the foreground, at dawn. Many tours go out to these
rocks at dawn, to watch the sun slowly hit the rocks, changing colors.
Don't let this photo fool you, Kata Tjuta is more than 50 miles away by road from Uluru. I'm using a 450mm lens (35mm conversion) so it looks a lot closer. You can
appreciate how clear
the air is!
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rock formation nearby called Kata Tjuta, which is even more exotic than Uluru. I'll have to send you some photos. Although photos of Uluru are quite common, I didn't know about Kata Tjuta until I went there. There is no town at Ayers Rock, only the Ayers Rock Resort, which is very isolated, except for the airport, which is quite small.
There is absolutely nothing around for miles. The nearest town is Alice Springs, which is 4 hours away by road. Its kind of eerie staying at the resort, which is very nice (but expensive!), knowing that you're in the middle of nowhere. The only other hotel is the famous Longitude 131, which is a collection of "tents" nearby (more expensive). I have an aerial shot which really shows how lonely the place is (you can see it on Google too).
Kata Tjuta, one of its faces. See how different it is compared to the other
photo.
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Walking around Uluru, you get a feeling of how the aborigines feel about the rock. Many of its features have deep meanings for the tribe, somewhat like what the constellations were to the Greeks and Romans. Although one can climb up the rock, the aborigines don't like you to, and its also very dangerous. One slip and you'll roll down hundreds of feet to the ground. They also close it whenever the wind picks up, because people have been blown off. It was closed where we were there due to high wind.
TAKA
See also Taka's letter and photos from his family's 2006 vacation to Switzerland.
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