How Great is our God!

8-29-14

As my plane landed, I saw beautiful aerial views of Uluru.  I walked down the stairs from the plane to the ground, and I was surrounded by dry, cool air.  I picked up my bag and walked to the shuttle bus that would take us to the resort.  The bus driver gave a brief overview of the area on the short trip from the airport to the resort.  The area is called Yulara (not the indigenous sounding Ayers Rock) by the Anangu (Ah-nah-new) people who traditionally inhabited the area.  We passed nothing but road signs and tall dry grasses and trees.  We followed the signs to the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, the only living accommodations in Yulara.

The resort is comprised of several different lodging types that vary based on amenities and cost, but all guests can use the facilities at any of the properties.  The resort is owned and managed by Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which represents the traditional owners and indigenous communities, and purports to use the profits for training and employment.  The resort properties include an apartment complex (Emu Walk), a high-end hotel and spa (Sails in the Desert), a campground, a mid-range hotel (Desert Gardens), and a standard hotel (Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge).  I stayed at the Outback Pioneer, which was clean and comfortable.  The lodge part seemed to be ideal for students and backpackers who stayed in dormitory style rooms with a shared/community bathroom.  My room was a standard room with a full-size bed and a twin bed, just like at the Hides Hotel in Cairns.  At the Outback Pioneer, there's a full-scale restaurant, a stall with takeaway sandwiches and burgers, a kitchen for those who want to cook their own food (purchased from the grocery store in town), and a pioneer barbecue option.  The pioneer BBQ is where you can purchase various meats/seafood for a set price and cook them on the grill with a salad/dessert bar included.  There's also a bar, which is the only place in the area to buy bottles of alcohol to take away.  All alcohol purchases require that you show your room key or proof that you're a guest at the resort.  This law is in place to discourage alcoholism amongst the natives.  It's okay if the tourists are drunk and belligerent though. (insert eye roll)

I arrived at the hotel around 10:30am, but I was told that my room wasn't ready.  The guaranteed check-in time was at 3pm, but the clerk told me I could check back to see if it was ready before that.  I spent the next few hours exploring the hotel and the resort, and periodically checking to see if my room was available.  I was concerned and annoyed because I had a tour scheduled to tour Kata Tjuta (kah-tah joo-tah) at 2:15.  My room wasn't ready until 2pm.  I hurriedly walked to the room and put my bags down.  I didn't have time to do anything else before rushing back to the front to board the tour bus.  When I checked in with the guide, I had to purchase a $25 national park ticket that is required for all guests.  The ticket is good for unlimited visits over 3 days.  The guide also asked me if I had water.  I showed him my full (collapsible) water bottle, and he told me I would need at least a liter of water for the tour in order to prevent dehydration.  I reluctantly bought a bottle of water from the hotel's gift shop.  I was not happy about spending $3.50 on a 12 oz. bottle of water.

sign around the resort

 
I boarded the bus and immediately thought that it must be a senior tour group.  There were a couple of people who looked to be about my age, but most of them were 50 or above.  I would guess that the average age was 55.  Kata Tjuta (kah-tuh joo-tah) means "many heads" in the Anangu language.  Unlike Uluru, it is a conglomerate rock formation.  Millions of years ago the various rocks were fused together when the earth underneath buckled and folded.  They described the rocks as a fruit cake mix or a cookie dough with lots of chunks.  The Anangu only allow tourists to visit 4 of the domes.  All of the others are reserved for ceremonies and traditional practices.  Our tour group would visit the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta and then view the sunset with wine and snacks at the end of the night.  Before we left the bus, our guide, Sarah, and the driver/guide, Carl, explained the different options available to the group based on physical ability.  The whole group walked to the first lookout, which was less than 1km from the bus.  Along the way, Sarah explained the different vegetation that we saw.  After arriving at the first lookout point, our group split up.  Those who wanted to continue to the 2nd lookout point, which was 5.2km roundtrip, would continue with Sarah.  The rest of the group would walk back to the bus with Carl, and he would drive them around to the gorge where they would have a short walk around that area if desired.  I wasn't sure if I would continue when they first told us the options.  However, I felt obligated to go the more challenging route considering I was younger than the others.  I couldn't let those old people beat me.  Ten of us followed Sarah up and down steep paths and over ridges.  Our small group consisted of a couple from Brazil, another couple from Sydney originally from Malaysia, a couple from Switzerland, a couple from New Zealand, and a single woman from Melbourne, named Belinda.  She was traveling solo like me, and loving it.

There were a couple of points where Sarah told us to keep moving without stopping to take pictures because those areas were too steep to lose momentum.  We finally made it to the second lookout point out of breath, but enthralled by the view.  I'm so glad I chose to continue on to this point.  We spent a few minutes there catching our breaths and taking pictures of the tree-filled valley below and the red monuments above.  One of the men  in our group asked me where I was from.  I told him I was from the US and he said, "Kata Tjuta is similar to the Grand Canyon for you, right?"  He and his wife had travelled there the year before.  I told him I'd never visited the Grand Canyon, and he told me I wasn't "truly American" if I've never been there.  I guess I should plan a trip to the Grand Canyon before my citizenship is revoked.

After talking a bit more, we began the trek back to our starting point.  We stopped at one spot when we saw a bird that Sarah called "Willy Wag Tail".  The bird is considered a gossip by the indigenous women.  It flies over and tries to listen to your conversations, and then repeats is as it flies away singing.  As Sarah was telling us about the bird, a couple of people in our group yelled out "kangaroo".  We looked up at the ridge next to us and saw 2 roos hopping down.  They stopped when they heard us, and then proceeded to hide behind a clump of bush.  They emerged again for a few moments before disappearing again.  We waited to see if they would reappear, but they didn't.  Sarah said she'd never seen kangaroos so high in the range before.  It was a marvelous sight for us all.  Once we arrived back at the bus, Carl drove us over to the spot where we would watch the sunset at Kata Tjuta.  We weren't actually watching the sun though.  Our backs were to the sun as we watched the colors of the domes change based on the sun's retreating reflection.  We had wine and snacks as we sat on our stools snapping pictures.  Belinda and I chatted until it was time to board the bus.  We found out that we were both scheduled to see Uluru at sunrise the next morning.  She was also staying at the Outback Pioneer, so we knew we would see each other again early the next morning.

representing Toastmasters

Conglomerate rock up close

Kata Tjuta at sunset

sunset

Kata Tjuta at sunset

The following morning, I woke up at 5am to get dressed to meet my tour at 6am.  My mouth and nose were extremely dry, so I drank some water before leaving my room.  I stepped outside into the cool dark air.  I proceeded towards the lobby to meet my tour, but I turned back around to add another layer between my tank top and my hoodie.  It was COLD!  The temperature range for the day was 6 to 26 degrees Celsius (42.8 to 78.8).  As I walked away from my building, I looked up and saw the blackest sky I have ever seen in my life.  There was no light pollution, so I could see every star clearly.  I stood in awe for a moment before continuing on to the warmth of the lobby.  I guess lots of people had the same idea about the sunrise tour.  I saw Belinda and many other people in the crowded lobby.  We found out we were actually going on 2 different tours.  After sunrise, her group would walk around the base of Uluru.  My tour included breakfast at sunrise, then a walk following the path of the Uluru creation story for Lira and Kuniya.  There are lot of variations on the story of Lira and Kuniya.  Most of the stories and ceremonial details concerning Uluru and Kata Tjuta are kept secret by the Anangu and only shared with initiated men.  They make very clear distinctions between women's business and men's business and do not allow any intersection of the two.  Some of the caves at Uluru are reserved only for Anangu men or women respectively.  Uluru is a solid rock unlike the conglomerate rock found at Kata Tjuta.  From a  distance, Uluru appears to be 1 smooth rock, but up close you see all kinds of divots and crevices created by water and wind erosion over millions of years according to the scientists.  The Anangu believe it was Lira and Kuniya that shaped the rock.

sunrise

in front of Uluru at sunrise

"It's cold.  I'm going to cover everything but my sexy legs."

Our small group consisted of 3 Italians and 1 woman from Melbourne.  We looked at the vegetation around the solid rock (not conglomerate like Kata Tjuta), and the formations of the stone in various shapes including a python (Kuniya).  There was also a watering hole that was used traditionally when the men hunted.  They would wait on the animals to go for a drink while they hid behind them.  If 4 kangaroos went to the watering hole, the men would wait until they were leaving and kill the kangaroo that lagged behind the others.  This kept the other animals from associating the water hole with danger, and the men only killed what was needed to survive.  They did not hunt for trophies.  The animals no longer visit the watering holes though due to pollution.  The scarce water that is collected in the pools is contaminated with e. coli and fecal matter from humans who climb the rock and leave their trash behind.  The Anangu never climbed the rock and they don't want others to tread on this sacred ground either.  However, the Australian government does not enforce it.  They won't stop climbing completely because they believe it will hurt tourism.  For the government to claim its partnership with the Anangu in taking care of the land, I find it very hard to believe they would allow continued desecration of this World Heritage site for tourism dollars.  They claim that they will cease allowing climbers in 2020.


Some of the caves at Uluru were used as shelters by the Anangu, while others were used as classrooms.  We saw one cave that had drawings that scientists dated between 5000 and 60 years ago.  The Anangu used red and yellow ochre as well as charcoal and white rocks to draw symbols similar to other indigenous people around the country.  The symbols would convey messages, maps, and other important information that the group needed to know.  Even though the indigenous people around the country had different languages, tools, and lifestyles, they were all connected to each other through songlines.  Songlines are shared with neighbors and then retold over and over until reaching the other side of the continent.  In this way, the people in the area that is currently Queensland (northeast coast) knew about the people of central Australia (now Northern Territory) through the songs.  This is similar to drumming amongst Native Americans across the Americas as well as the drum signals used on the African continent before settlement (and domination) by whites.  These cultures survived for tens of thousands of years, but have been nearly brought to extinction in just a couple of hundred years due to the Europeans exploiting and enslaving the land and people.  All around the world the same song.

python

cave drawings

in front of the (contaminated) watering hole at Uluru

I later returned to the hotel and took a nap.  I woke up a few hours later and went to the town square for lunch.  After lunch, I walked to each of the art galleries in the resort.  I also visited the Welcome Center where they had a whole exhibit on the area including the plants and wildlife.  I spent a couple of hours walking around reading all about the history until they closed.  I took the shuttle bus back to my hotel after the Welcome Center closed.  I was the only passenger on the shuttle after we dropped off a couple of people.  The driver asked me where I was going, and I told him the Outback Pioneer.  He said I must be American from my accent, and he asked what part of the US I was from.  I told him I was from Texas, and he said, "Everyone carries guns there, yes?"  I told him not everyone in Texas carries a gun, but there are some people who do.  Whenever I told other people I was from Texas, they also asked me about guns and cowboys.  While at the town square, I made a purchase at the bookstore, and the clerk asked if I was using my "res card".  I was confused and said, "What is that?" "Oh. (totally ignoring the question and trying to erase the surprise from her face)  Your total is $__."  I guess my accent must have startled her, and she realized that we don't all look alike.

bracelet made of tree pods

Aboriginal performers mostly from New South Wales

Flags - Australia, Northern Territory (state), Aboriginal, Torres Straits Islands

I went back out that evening and ordered take-away Pad Thai from Ayers Wok Noodle Shop.  I took my dinner over to the outdoor amphitheater where they were showing a movie called, "The Sapphires", an Aboriginal version of Dreamgirls or Sparkle.  It's about 4 girls who learn American soul music so that they can entertain the black American troops in Vietnam during the war.  I didn't see the end of the movie, because I had to leave for my astro tour.  I walked back to the
town square and met with a group that was led into the darkness by 2 guides with flashlights, 1 of whom was an astronomer.  The walk was only 5 minutes away from the buildings, but it was completely dark out there in the bush.  We sat in chairs as the astronomer gave us a brief overview and pointed out a few stars including the southern cross which is only seen in the southern hemisphere.  The southern cross is a huge deal to Aussies and is depicted on their flag.  The astronomer used a laser pointer that reminded me of Luke Skywalker's light sabre to show us exact points in the sky.  We spent the next hour looking at stars, galaxies, constellations, and planets through telescopes.  It was so cool!  Literally and figuratively.  I forgot to add my layers again for the night air, so I bundled up as much as I could and tried to keep the blood flowing by marching in place.  I heard various accents and languages all around me over that hour as we all looked up at the sky in awe.  I have never see the Milky Way or so many stars, in general, with my naked eyes before.
It seems like each day in Australia, I witness more and more miraculous images of creation from the land to the water to the sky and beyond.  There must be a God somewhere!  I am so grateful for the ability and the opportunity to witness such majesty on this earth.  I am also grateful for being physically able to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste all that is around me.  I am glad my body is fit enough to walk and move about freely exploring the landscape of Australia.  Just thinking about all that I have witnessed so far leaves me awestruck.  I am blessed beyond measure.

When I first started writing this post, I thought the title would be "Slippin' into Darkness", the song by War.  However, by the end of my writing, I knew it had to be "How Great is our God".