ALICE SPRINGS-ULURU

The last night in Cairns was good. we closed some Bar down around three in the morning.  I had to get up at 6:30 am to catch a plane to Alice Springs, then to Uluru (Ayers Rock - The European name).  Both of these places are in the middle of the desert and Australia.  Especially Uluru which is a spiritual place for the Aborigines.  Uluru is a granite mountain that is about 4,000 feet high and is straight up.  It is red in color and a fantastic sight at sunset and sunrise.  It turns pink and purple at sunset and a bright red at sunrise. the temperature is about 30 F at night and high 50's during the day.  In the summer time it is unbearable.

Upon arriving at Uluru, I hooked up with 7 other people and we went camping two hours after I arrived. We also walked about 6 miles to see Uluru at sunset.  Needless to say I was beat. The group consisted of 4 from Switzerland, 1 U.K., 1 from N.Y., Emi,a Japanese, and myself. Uluru was formed thousands of years ago, when the earth was moving and through volcanic and water movements.  The Aborigines migrated to it and it became part of their spiritual grounds.  When the weather became too severe, they would move on and then migrate back.  Uluru is part of the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The water falls would come out of the hole in the granite when it rained making it a beautiful sight.

That night around the camp fire we cooked steaks, drank wine, told jokes and stories.  Emi, a 27 year old, would make you laugh with her, as well as, at myself.  As I said the night were freezing and we slept in tents to keep warm.

The next day, we had a choice to either climb Uluru or trek around it. The guide attempted to discourage Emi from doing the climb.  She is tough as nails, mentally and physically. Needless to say, she and I climbed and the other six trekked around Uluru. It was windy and they almost closed the climb. On the way up, I noticed that they were training some mountain climbers with ropes. Emi and I started the climb.  Damn, Emi was strong and the condition I was in made me weak in comparison.  We had to stop and take two breaks.  The third one was on me and not her before we got to the top.  The scenery was magnificent.  The adrenalin was flowing in both of us and we clowned around up there. Hopefully, the photos will come out and are posted on the web site. (Remember my Nikon camera was lost in the dive at the reefs and I am having to buy instamatic for now.  The photos have to be put on disks then transferedr to the internet where the web master decides what to post.) The climb back was rough and I didn't lose any toe nails this time.  Having Emi as a climbing partner made it a good climb.  Unfortunately, we had several more miles to trek to get back to camp.

Learning about the Aborigines and how they survived is phenomenal. Only the strong survived.  If they had a bad winter and the child was weak, they allowed it to die.  Also, the women were the knowledgeable ones.  The men stayed off hunting.  The boys were not raised by their parents particularly the father as they would meet in the next life.

Another cold night but the camp fires, laughter, and sleeping in the tents made it a great memory.  Emi, a research chemist, is a keeper for some one.  She really made this trip.  Damn, I hate this good bye.

PERTH-AUSTRALIA

After camping out and leaving the outback region and learning of the fate of a good friend, I decided to pamper myself by staying in a nice hotel and do nothing but tourist things.  I checked into the Acadia hotel, got a bottle of wine and got into the hot tub and relaxed.  The rest of the time I was in Perth, I rode trains, buses and taxi cabs all over seeing the sights.

I came to Perth because it is isolated from the rest of Australia. I was interested in how the people felt about it.  Needless to say, they think they already have their spot in heaven right here on earth.  It is a great region. they have all the resources and places to go.

I was particularly fascinated with King Park which overlooked the Swan River and Perth.  It is approximately two miles in diameter. I had only planned to stay a few minutes, but found myself walking all over it.  This is one of the best parks I have ever seen.  It had botanical gardens, waterfalls, small lakes, steel bridges over 100 yards long, grass better than most golf courses, and it was extremely well laid out. Taking the train to Margaret River Valley Winery was also enjoyable.

More importantly the WA (West Australia) regions characterized by the dramatic coastline, where the ocean meets with granite shores and forests. They claimed to have some of the best whale watching spots in the world.  I did not see any though.  It is a great place and I am glad I came.

On to Hong Kong where it will be "snowing."