Uluru, some more

I'm glad you liked the slideshow of Uluru.

Kerri, the Northern Territory is so huge, it is difficult to see every part of it, even if you live there.

Nekki, speaking of colors, Uluru was the only place I had expectations about before going there. I would have been upset if the weather had not cooperated, because I was eager to see the sunset and the sunrise, and the changing colors. In fact, I was slightly disappointed at the moment, because watching the rock so intensely, I did not really see the drama of the colors changing. Of course, they change progressively, so it is not so spectacular. I should have watched, taken a cup of sparkling, and watched again. I would have noticed the changes more. Silly me :-) But watching the pictures afterward, I enjoy the show at its best. And don't misundersand me, I'm in love with that rock.

This was in the late afternoon. I love this picture, not only for the background!

And this is the morning after. The temperature was around 0Degree Celsius, and yes, we had slept outside, on the ground, in a swag. I would gladly do that again, I enjoyed the night, but the morning was really cold :-)

I fell in love with Uluru when we came near. It has a soul... I can't define it but it has "something". 

This is one of the very old messages board, dating from many thousand years back. There are several more around Uluru.

This is the only way up, and down. There is a rope along the path. Of course, aborigenes in the past, (and I suppose still now) climbed by themselves. I did not climb, because I'm not fit enough to do so, and also because aborigenes don't like it. They let us enjoy the site, but they need their privacy too, in my opinion.

The path is dangerous, this is explained at the start, in an usual way. The shield explains the dangers, and ends by reminding people that they may get hurt or even die, and that their family would miss them terribly, and that climbing on the rock is not worth the pain their parents would endure.

The path is not always open, depending on the weather, but also on religious constraints. On certain dates, Uluru is out of reach of non-aborigenes. And pictures are not allowed at all all the time on some locations, also for religious reasons. Aborigenes are not happy that there are so many tourists in the area, but they tolerate them. I thank them for that. 

If you enlarge the picture below, you can see the path, just at the limit of the shadow on the foreground edge.

Do you realize this is one single rock?...

All around the rock, there are rooms, used since ages by aborigenes, as a kitchen, a kindergarden, etc. They make Uluru very special. In fact, there is no gap between pre-history and today in Uluru.