January 10th, 2017

January 10th, 2017


Affirmation: “I can always feel the genuine, positive power that flows from my decision to rise above the petty drama and distractions that don’t really matter anyway.”


Word of the Day: crepitate (v):

1. to make a crackling sound; crackle.

A Piece of Wood

I reach for a piece of wood. It turns into a lute.

I do some meanness. It turns out helpful.

I say one must not travel during the holy month.

Then I start out, and wonderful things happen.

____

I woke up at 4 am this morning (after going to bed at almost 11pm last night) for my 5am sunrise and breakfast tour of Kata Tjuta (aka the Olgas). It is described as follows:

“Revel in the early morning serenity of a truly spiritual place as the sunrise colours change on Kata Tjuta.

Departing the resort the tour will travel through the landscape to the entrance of Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. From there is it a 40km journey through the desert landscape to the mighty rock formation.

On arrival at the viewing area you walk to the best vantage point to see the 36 domes that comprise this spiritual place while watching the sun’s morning glow as the desert comes alive.

We make our way to the western side of Kata Tjuta where you will have the opportunity to relax and enjoy an outback picnic breakfast.

As you approach the entrance to Walpa Gorge (named for the wind, Walpa, that whistles between the massive domes that shape Kata Tjuta, the result of eons of weathering and continual upheaval) your guide will share the significance of this men’s sacred ceremonial site.

We take a stroll between these mighty conglomerate rock walls as your guide explains how the environment and the geology has evolved over millions of years.

Your guide will return to your accommodation at Ayers Rock Resort.”

The tour was more enjoyable for me than the Ayer’s Rock tour, probably because the heat and the bugs were a lot more manageable. I also thought that today’s guide was a lot more engaging and talked to us about culture, history, geology, ecology, zoology, botany, and more. We ended the tour with a picnic breakfast that included awesome French press coffee, hot chocolate, thick slices of buttered white raisin bread cooked on a grill (until crispy and almost burned, the way I like it!), mango pineapple juice, peaches in syrup, and some really tasty Australian muesli (I tried both brands).

After the tour ended at about 10am, I had to check out from the hotel. I chilled in the reception area and had lunch at the Town Square until my airport shuttle pickup at 1:30pm. While at Town Square, I also bought some souvenirs, including a keychain and a Hard Rock Café t-shirt (I already have Hard Rock t-shirts from Surfer’s Paradise and Sydney from when my dad was here).

I collect (preferable metal and ones that “spin”) key chains and Hard Rock Café t-shirts from around the world. I’ll include a picture of the key chains I collect on this trip at the end, but I thought that you guys might appreciate the Ayer’s Rock Hard Rock Café t-shirt (see below!).

My flight for Cairns left at 3 pm and arrived at 6:05 pm Cairns time. I was lucky to be seated in the aisle of the exit row and I was served a warm, early dinner.  I was picked up by a shuttle from the airport and taken to my hotel (the Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort). When I got to the hotel, they had lost my reservation, and by the time they found it and I got to my room and unpacked, it was past 7:30. I decided to explore downtown Cairns for a bit, but I didn’t get too far before it started raining, so I was forced to head back.

I was amazed to see literally hundreds of fruit bats swarming in droves in the night sky and the streets buzzed with the croaking of frogs. Even before it actually started raining, it felt like it was raining because of the saturated humidity. I explored the hotel for a bit and helped myself to a pear, an apple, and a banana from the fruit bowl (and ate all of them as I explored the lagoon pool and other amenities – the fruit here is exceptionally tasty, as it is in most countries with hotter climates!).

I showered and started putting aside some stuff for my dive tomorrow morning when I got back to my room. I’m now going to get dessert #2 and finish from computer work before bed. I’m really excited about my dives tomorrow and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a rain-free day!