Day 11 - Port Douglas to Ayers Rock
Relaxed and in peace with the world around us, we took the leisure drive back from Port Douglas to Cairns. Hopped onto an air plane and three hours later we were at what is now called Uluru in Australia but everywhere else is known as Ayers Rock.First impression of the heat after stepping off the plane: “Hmm, that is not too bad”. About the same temperature as in Port Douglas but much less humidity. Drove over to Kata Tjuta (also known as the Olgas) which is the other great attraction in the national park. While walking around there, I made a funny observation: You feel hot, you sweat but you do not feel it. The sweat vaporizes almost immediately. But once you hit the rental and turn on the A/C you are drenched in sweat.
And then there are the black flies. Not the stinging kind like in Canada but the obnoxious kind that insists on crawling into every orifice. First you smile at the people that wear fly nets. After five minutes you do no longer. Even as I sit here in Alice Springs (more later) and write this, I’m wearing it. Sure, I look like a tourist but that is better than the wildly gesturing, fly swatting kind. I don’t have the serenity to ignore the flies.
In the afternoon, we went to the mandatory “Sunset over Uluru” viewing spot. Took lots and lots of pictures. Not that crowded (we are off-season) but nine out of then people were Europeans and again nine out of then were Gemans. We tried to hide as good as possible.
australia ayers rock cairns port douglas travel uluru