Photos are added to the end of today's post, including the ones that should have been added yesterday. Also, I took a lot of photos of Uluru, so I have just chosen a couple that look good - I have not had the patience to find the best photos. That'll be done when I get hold of a faster computer than this.
Not much to say about today – I did a lot of driving, so it's limited how much else I had time for.
I went to see Uluru during sun rise; the sun rose at 0558, and the national park opens up at 0500, so there was a decent queue at the entrance as I arrived at a couple of minutes past. Saw the sun rise, saw the rock change color, and then I went back to sleep.
After checking out from the apartment, I took some extra day photos of the rock, and then began the long drive to King’s Canyon. It took longer than expected, I didn’t arrive before 1500, and I needed to be in Alice Springs before 2000, as that is when the reception at the resort closes. So unfortunately I didn’t get to walk at the canyon, I quickly took some photos, drove back a little and got a quick lunch and refueling. Drove directly back to Alice from there – only stopped to use the toilet and take a couple of photos on the way. Arrival time? 1940. So I made it, but not without a little stress towards the end.
Since I picked up the car Wednesday (2½ days ago), I have driven more than 1600 kms.
I had dinner at a fantastic place in Alice today; Overlanders Steakhouse. Very simple décor, very rustic, but it fit nicely with the main theme of being a Australian type cowboy restaurant, with appropriate country music in coming out the speakers. I chose their “Drovers Blowout”, which consisted of a chicken & asparagus soup, a tasting platter with a little bit of crocodile, roo, emu and camel, a rump steak and finished off with an apple pie. The most interesting was the tasting platter;
The crocodile; it was served as a normal patty shell (tartelet for you Danes), but instead of chicken in the fill-goo, they had used croc. First impression was that it tasted like chicken, but then an edge of fish came in from the side. Quite interesting. The texture was similar; it looked like chicken and it had the color, but it was more fishlike in the way it fell apart.
The roo; as experienced before, it’s a very dark meat like a normal venison. The darkness comes as a surprise at first, but it’s very good when you get past the initial surprise.
The emu; this reminded me of once long ago I had another bird as dinner – the meat is very dark, and has a very strong taste, almost borderline liver taste, but not as intense.
The camel; probably the most boring piece of meat. Not that it wasn’t good, it just seemed quite normal compared to the other more special experiences. It was just like a very dark steak.
Sitting here again, under the palms, enjoying the temperature, under green lights. Nice.
Leaving tomorrow midday. Damnit. As I predicted I would have liked to have more time here in the red center. When I get home it won’t be the jetlag that kills me, it’ll be getting used to the Danish weather again.
Kata Tjuta. It was difficult getting a photo of the entire thing as it is so big and you therefore need to be at a certain distance to get everything in one shot - and in this heat the distance results in a certain amount of blurryness and paling of colors. They are just as red as Uluru.
Uluru at sun set.
Uluru at sun set - but the photo has been slightly manipulated (or optimized, depending on your preference); made a little darker, intensified the colors and lightened the shadows.
Sun rise.
Another sun rise.
Uluru in day time - app. 1030-1100 today.
How much more Australian does it get than this?!
My nice small terrace, with green light at palms. It is almost midnight and I am sitting outside at still sweating. Life is good!
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