The Red Centre

The red centre, so aptly named, as the rock and the sand and almost everything the eye can see is a fabulous red colour.  It is caused by iron that is brought in by the bad weather systems from the west of the country. 

I got off the airoplane, after a two hour flight, and a one and half hour time change, with a smile on my face.  I am so used to seeing the blue/green contrast of the sea/vegetation, that there feels like there is something special about the red/green contrast of the red centre. 

I got off the plane, and I was reminded of the line in the film Lord of the Rings, were  Frodo says to Sam, "I'm glad you with me Sam wyse gamgy, here at the end of all things."  Only, no-one was with me, and I wasn't at the end of all things... It felt like i was in the middle of all things.. it felt like I was in the middle of the world, although i know that geographically, i was far from it...

Psychologically, this was a very pleasant feeling... a feeling Im not sure I could describe with words.

The thing to do here is to watch the sun rise and set over the Olgas, and Ayers Rock, so thats what I did, on my first night in town.  Despite the gathering cloud, I marched up a red sand dune, noted the red sand in my shoes, and waited with camera and fly net in hand for the sun to set.  I was not to be disappointed on this night, the clouds cleared enough for the sky to go an intense array of pinks, oranges, purples and golds.  These, for me, are the colours of life itself, and somehow have a power to feed my soul...again a smile on my face...

The next day I started a two day tour of the area... we went first to the Olgas, aka, Kata Tjuta, translated from the aboriginee, as 'many heads.'  here there are 36 rock formations, and we, in the rain, walked some of them.  The desert rain has pros and cons:  Pros: it isnt as hot, so the risk of dehydration is reduced, (did you know more people die from dehydration in australia than from dangerous animals... about 1person a week have to go to hospital in this part of australia), the plants are greener, the flowers open, and the smells are more intense... Cons: the rocks are slippery and wet, which means that it is easier to lose your footing, and it means that after climbing an almost sheer rock face, with hands and feet, the safest way back down is on ones bottom, which means that I got very wet!

Sunset that night was a wash out... the grey rain clouds obscured any other colour. 

The rain, a camp ground, and no noise after 10pm meant an early night as we were all rising at 4.30 am to make sure we were ready to watch the sun rise at 6.45 am, ( we had to get to the sunrise watch spot).

The clouds parted just enough to see some pale yellows and pinks in the sky... I do have to say that the best sunrise I have ever seen, by a long shot, was over the old city of Jerusalem, when the whole sky became an orangey gold... every other sunrise I  have seen has paled in comparison...

we then walked around the base of Uluru, (the largest single rock structure in the world), the aboriginal for ayers rock, which like Kata Tjuta is aborignal sacred land and should be treated with respect. the aboriginals believe that their ancestors carved the mountains into the way we see them today, and each rock pattern or formation has a story.  the aboriginals guard their stories well, only imparting some knowledge to other aboriginals, andthen only when they have proven themselves worthy of that knowledge...     

I spent the rest of the day fighting insectsand bugs that have found themselves into my shoes, my ears, (thank Gd only temporarily) my computer, and I pray not my bed!!

As I come to the end of this part of my journey, I have to reflect on what further I have learnt:
1) Desert scenary gets tiring after a while!
2) The terms, 'easy' and 'difficult' are linked only to experience and their use changes very quickly as experience changes.
3) I dont like bugs!
4) I dont like bugs!
5) I dont like bugs!
6) I never knew I could squeal in such a high pitched manner in response to a bug..

Even as I sit here writing this, I have had at least two bugs jump on my head causing me to jump up and teach the others around me the bug dance that we choreographed on the tour up to exmouth, which consists of flapping ones arms around ones face and then using all of ones fingers possible to block nose, eyes, ears and mouth to prevent some form of bug inhalation...

As beautiful as I have found this part of the world, I am looking forward to reaching sydney, where I am headed tomorrow, where i think the bug situation will be significantly more manageable, and where, perhaps I will be able to choreograph a new dance.

And so I head to bed to fight the bugs in my dreams!  And not in my bed... i hope... i really hope... i really really hope.....