Uluru and Kata Tjuta

  Yulara, Australia
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

I must start out by saying this, you cannot begin to understand the immensity of this place through story or photography.  To be in its presence is to be humbled.

That said, I will try to convey our story.  We arrived at Yulara after many hours of driving on our second day.  We set up the tent, and headed to the park.  Your first glimpses from far away are inspiring enough.  You then drive around and closer still, until you are parked at the very base.  There are two options here.  Climb the rock, or walk around it.  The Anangu people, the tribe who belong to this land, and name Uluru and Kata Tjuta as their sacred places, ask kindly that people do not climb on Uluru.  Out of respect to the people, we had already decided to do the walk around, though we saw many people climbing up, and indeed, a number of poles stretched along the path holding up a handrail.
The walk began on the sunny side, and being the desert, it was hot.  Really hot.  And few places to find any shade.  Our water was gone after just a little while, and we were walking along a very sunny path.  A bit miserable, and aggravated because although this rock was unbelievable, we were just too uncomfortable to enjoy it, and photography was not possible because these were sacred sights.  After a while, we came to the shade line.  It was late in the afternoon, and the shadow casted by this giant monolith is a true refuge in this place.  It is amazing that these people have survived out here for years forgotten with nothing more than what they could find or fashion out of their surroundings.   After a long walk through the hot sun, you can truly start to apprecaite the immense physical value of such a place.  Once in the shade our walk became much more pleasant, and with more time to look at our surroundings we realized that we were not actually walking around the rock, but on it.  In certain places it sticks up above the ground, and then you learn that in truth, two thirds of this beast is below the ground level.  As the sun fell lower on the sky, the rock began to turn different hues of red, yellow, and orange.  All of the surrounding earth is the same color of the rock, or maybe it is just that the dust covers the rock, it is hard to tell.  Once we were back to the car we retreated a bit to watch the rest of sunset from afar, with the backdrop of the rock. 
I have told you know of what this place looks like, but the feeling of being here is much different, and harder to explain.  There are places in this world that have a similiar energy, but this place just draws you in.  Your soul is pulled to it, just as your body is pulled to the ground by gravity.  I could feel it down in the bottom of my gut. 

Sleep was easy that night, as it cooled off in the desert, and we were weary from another long day in the heat.  We woke with the sun to explore Kata Tjuta, Uluru's cousin to the east.  It is more of a collection of monoliths, but afforded us some of the most fantastic sunrise views.  We took a walk in the early morning, aptly named, the Valley of the Winds.  It was overcast, but still warm, and you enjoyed the winds whipping through the gullys of rock as you walked through.  This place is even more sacred to the Anangu, and only a small portion of it is open to the public.  Again I felt this to be a very special place.  Walking this trail, imagining 40,000 years ago, these people having their ancient rituals here, telling their stories, and writing upon these rocks.  What kind of energy does that give to a place?  I felt priveledged to be able to walk this walk, see the sights, feel the breeze, and smell the scents.  As we walked away from this place, and even as we drove away, I felt as though I had left a piece of myself there, to mingle with the energy of times past.

It is sad to see the state of the Aboriginal people now, esepecially out in the center.  Many are addicted to sniffing petrol to get high, or alcoholics.  Tough laws prohibit them from doing so, but where should they turn.  There old ways have been taken from them, and they do not understand our ways.  They are an ancient people, with ancient ways, and we cannot begin to understand them.  In fact, Amanda and I talked about it, and just how uncomfortable we were both around them.  We took away their culture that had been the same for longer than we can know, and what have we given them in return.  No matter, because nothing can replace it.  I hope only that the world does not lose all of the wisdom they have passed down through the ages.

I have posted a few photos for you all, though I have taken many.  They are beautiful, but I feel that out of respect I will only post a few.  You are all welcome to see them if you come see me, and here my stories of this place.  Or go there yourself, it is most definately worth the visit.

Sunrise Uluru

  

Kata Tjuta