Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 06:09:20 -0800 (PST)
Subject: A visit to a World Heritage Site, a visit to the World's Worst Motel, and a found bag!
'ello,
As of tonight - Wednesday the 22nd - more than 1/2 of the driving portion of my
trip is over. So is my trip through the outback (5113 km out of roughly 9000).
Yesterday started out as usual -- hot. I left Alice Springs around 10am and
drove to Uluru (Ayers Rock). It is just a big orange rock in the middle of the
desert, and although some people would say "it is just a big orange rock in the
middle of the desert", its actually more than that. When I first saw it, I
wrote this in my journal notebook:
1:40 PM/3770 = First sighting of what I think is Ayers Rock -- it better look
better when it's closer!
It did. There are a lot of formations that can be made out from up close.
Several caves in the rock too that look like they were actually cut out... but
its probably erosion. I went to the cultural center, which has a bathroom. So
that was good! There's also a small restaurant and giftshop there -- I bought
my sandwich lunch and took it with me. YUP! A bathroom AND a restaurant!!! All
in all, I gave the cultural center 2.5 stars on my rating system established 9
years ago.
The rock was big. And orange. And in the middle of the desert.
I ended the day at "Desert Oaks Motel" in Erldunda, about 250km east of the
rock and 200km south of Alice Springs. This place has no telephone, lumpy
mattresses, and an old B&W tv with 2 available channels that showed junk.
That's all for Tuesday.
Uluru (Ayers Rock):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
