TR June 2016 Uluru, A Spur of the Moment - Homeward Bound and end of TR on Day 8; 02/25

[PrincessInOz]

Ayer’s Wok


By the time we made it back to the resort, it was late and we were all starving!

Given how long we had to wait at the café the previous night, we figured our best bet was something quick.





Ayer’s Wok provided us with a range of fried noodles or rice and it definitely catered for all of us. I was so hungry that I completely forgot to take pictures until after we had already taken a few mouthfuls. I think we made it just in time. This place closes early’ish at around 8.30 pm.


This was DS’s noodles.





My dinner.





I think DH just had some stir fry vegies with white rice. I missed taking his dinner!


The dinner we had at Ayer’s Wok turned out to be the one we all considered to be best value for money. From memory, each stir fry cost around the $16 or $17 mark. Pricey by Australian city standards but not too bad for the resort.





(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

More Milky Way


Over dinner, DH told me he was keen to head out to a dark location and try for more Milky Way shots.


That’s all I needed to know!

We headed out to a lookout within the resort. Turns out that the nearby road was the one that headed towards the Field of Light, so we ended up with light trails as well.




Our night time shoot was cut short. The clear skies we had experienced over the last 36 hours was drawing to a close. The clouds were closing in again!




We packed up and called it a night. It had been another full day at Uluru.

 

[dolphingirl47]

What a shame that a sneaky cloud got in the way of the sunset. Those night time photos are absolutely stunning. How wonderful that you got this opportunity.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

Your pictures are beautiful! One of the reasons that I have been avoiding clicking on your TR, is that I have not had computer time since the New Year. (Or if I did, I wasn't able to spend it leisurely on the DIS!) Most of my DISing has been from the phone and I wanted to see your pictures on the larger screen not the little phone screen.

I had to chuckle at the wheelchair accessibility on the path. While it is navigable for a chair we encountered similar paths when we visited New Zealand. If you have ever tried to push a wheelchair on a dirt/gravel path, it just isn't that easy. However, it's nice that they tired to provide an even grade. I know Fran would appreciate it if she were walking there.

The Sunset shots (well all of them) are so nice, you are getting so good with your use of different techniques to enhance your photos!

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a shame that a sneaky cloud got in the way of the sunset. Those night time photos are absolutely stunning. How wonderful that you got this opportunity.

Corinna

Thanks, Corinna.

Yes, shame about the cloud but I was really happy with the shots I got that night.

Your pictures are beautiful! One of the reasons that I have been avoiding clicking on your TR, is that I have not had computer time since the New Year. (Or if I did, I wasn't able to spend it leisurely on the DIS!) Most of my DISing has been from the phone and I wanted to see your pictures on the larger screen not the little phone screen.

I had to chuckle at the wheelchair accessibility on the path. While it is navigable for a chair we encountered similar paths when we visited New Zealand. If you have ever tried to push a wheelchair on a dirt/gravel path, it just isn't that easy. However, it's nice that they tired to provide an even grade. I know Fran would appreciate it if she were walking there.

The Sunset shots (well all of them) are so nice, you are getting so good with your use of different techniques to enhance your photos!

Hope you've been well. I completely understand!

Yes, I thought of the two of you when I saw signs about accessibility.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Just beautiful. WOW!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Just beautiful. WOW!!!

Thanks Ellen! Glad you like them.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Day 7 Our Last Full Day at Uluru National Park

The Last Sunrise – Clouds Again


I really considered staying in bed this morning! But it was our last full day at Uluru National Park and I figured I might as well make the effort.


On a whim, I decided to head to the Kata Tjuta viewing platform.





All I got this morning was dark clouds.




Oh…about this spot as a sunset spot.

Whilst it is a relatively large viewing platform, it faces north towards Kata Tjuta. There is only a very small space that faces east. I had gotten up late and got here late and was surprised to find that it was overrun by people. There were at least 2 large tour buses here and any number of smaller buses. Turns out, these buses are from tour operators and a couple of the people I chatted with told me they were on their way to Perth. It was an early start for them and this spot was on their itinerary to view sunrise from.

I wouldn’t have headed out here if I had known. I would have stayed at Uluru or come here a LOT earlier.





(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Breakfast


For the first time this vacay, the boys were waiting for me when I got back. The extra distance from the Kata Tjuta viewing platform back to the resort meant that they had time to get organised. I was the one that was late this morning.

Samples of our meal this morning.


First things first. I needed coffee.





I think I got some of the cold cuts….just for a change.





I like having congee for breakfast. It’s an Asian thing. YMMV.





DS stuck with the tried and true fomula.









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[PrincessInOz]

Steady Strong Drizzle


Our rough plans for today had been to do the walk around the base of Uluru. But when the early clouds turned into a strong steady drizzle over breakfast, we abandoned those plans.


We did make a half-hearted attempt at heading out. We got as far as the bus carpark for the sunset location before DH and I came to accept that the morning was going to be a wash-out. We got out of the car and decided that the steady drizzle was getting stronger. Undercover was going to be the order of the day.





Still, we were at this viewing vantage point and I figured we might as well check it out.

The Bus group sunset location is on the other side of the road from where the car park sunset location is. I’ve had varying reports about whether the bus spot is better or not and I was curious to find out for myself. If you’re an independent traveller, you can had into this carpark before 4 pm. After this time, this area is exclusively for bus use only.

From immediately next to the bus parking area, the view is much of a muchness.






We followed the path up a little sand dune and I figure this was the pick of the view along this path.





I can see why there is varying reports to whether this spot has the better view or not. It really does depend on where you find yourself along this path.





For anyone that heads here and uses the tour operator buses, I'd recommend heading all the way to the end of the path. Otherwise, it's much of a muchness compared to the independent car viewing area.






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[PrincessInOz]

The Rock is getting Wet aka Wish #3


Despite the drizzle, DH and I decided we needed to get up closer to the rock.



It’s getting wet out there!





There was enough water to see the start of a slow trickle off the rock.






Before I had left home, I had wished to see the rock in the rain. Looks like I might be getting that wish as well!






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[PrincessInOz]

Lunch at the Resort


We didn’t stay out long before heading back to the resort. The rain might have put a dampener on outdoor activities….but it gave us the opportunity to use the laundry at the resort and get ahead of our packing. Afterall, today was the last full day at the resort and we were heading home tomorrow.

That’s how we spent the rest of the morning.


We did eat lunch at the resort.

DS had the fish and chips.





DH ordered salad…






…and a serve of sweet potato fries.






I went with chicken caeser salad.





All in all, it was a good meal.






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[PrincessInOz]

All That Water MUST Go Somewhere


It rained steadily all morning and over lunch. If anything, the rain got heavier as the day progressed. By mid-afternoon, I was getting really really antsy and wanted to head out in the rain. Afterall, I had wished to see Uluru in the rain. DS took one look at the sky and decided that the hotel room was the better option for him.

DH thought I was totally crazy as well…but nevertheless, he decided to come with me. He even managed to score some free ponchos from the hotel reception and borrow two umbrellas.

We made a brief stop at the sunset viewing area.





That’s a very grey day, isn’t it?





But do you see what I see?





Yup. All that water MUST go somewhere!









We decided to head towards Kantju Gorge. Reception reckoned this might be the better option.





I think they steered us in the right direction.





Would you believe that we weren’t the only ducks out in this weather? See the umbrella? That was actually a tour group! There were any number of people doing what we were doing.





About 5% of tourists to Uluru are treated to this sight.





We were truly lucky to be catch Uluru in the wet and see waterfalls.








Kantju Gorge. Remember that waterhole?





It was definitely getting a top-up today!









You can’t tell from the pictures but all the walking paths were inundated. There was water streaming down and around everywhere.





And despite the ponchos and umbrellas, we got wet. It was rather difficult staying dry on a day like today.





Even so, both DH and I were really glad we made the effort to head out.










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[PrincessInOz]

Our Last Dinner - It's a Clean Sweep for the Desert Gardens


It continued to rain for the rest of the evening. We didn’t really have anything else that we could do other than hang around our room and stayed at our resort hotel.


That meant that we only had one real dining choice for dinner tonight. Yup. We had all 3 meals at our hotel in the resort today!


Arnguli Grill and Restaurant is considered to be one of those signature dining experiences for the Uluru Resort. Effectively, it’s the space where we have breakfast; it just changes table settings for the dinner service. The table décor is distinctively indigenous.





As it was the last dinner, we decided to live it up.

The bread service.





I thought it was baked in the kitchen. It was rather delightful.





DS and I both decided that steak was in order.





One of the better steaks I was to have all of last year. The relish was a perfect complement to the steak.





DH was well looked after. I completely forget what he ordered (it looks like a stuffed pepper of sort) but the kitchen catered for his vegan’nism and adapted on of the dishes to ensure no dairy.





They were also happy to provide a dish of vegies.




In case you’re wondering, I’m pretty sure DS and I ended up with dessert. But I didn’t seem to have captured it. Oh well! It was…our last dinner here and it had been a lazy’ish day.

We didn’t do anything after dinner other than head back to the room and grab an early night.

 

[dolphingirl47]

What a shame that the viewing spot was so overrun and that the weather turned on you. I have to say so, the waterfalls do look impressive. Dinner looked lovely, too.

Corinna

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a shame that the viewing spot was so overrun and that the weather turned on you. I have to say so, the waterfalls do look impressive. Dinner looked lovely, too.

Corinna

Thanks Corinna.

I actually didn't mind the turn in weather. Those waterfalls were wonderful to see. And yes, it was probably the best dinner we had on this trip.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Day 8 – Homeward Bound

The Last Sunrise and Breakfast


With the rain yesterday, I knew that we wouldn’t be in for any sort of sunrise this morning.

But I’d made every single sunrise on this trip and as this was the last morning, I figured I might as well head out.


Don’t you hate it when you know you’re going to be right?





The boys were waiting for me when I got back. I decided that I needed to try the cold meats and pastry for breakfast.





I should have stuck with the hot buffet.






(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Heading Home


Over breakfast, we all decided there was one last thing we needed to do before we caught our plane home.





Would you believe it took us until this last day to get the family shot at Uluru ticked off????



There isn’t much more to tell for this trip. We headed to the airport and waited for our plane to arrive.





As family vacations go, this one had been a good one. We had gotten in plenty of activity on each day and experienced the best of the landscape for this part of the world.

We’d seen the Red Center.





…which is such a contrast to the greens we normally see.





And the boys also got a bit of down time to enjoy their electronic gadgets.





I really enjoyed the two major rock formations here.









As far as the photography trip went, this had been brilliant.

I’d seen magical rock glow at sunset.





I was also lucky to capture beautiful sunrise colour.





We saw the most magical night sky.




And been one of the lucky few to see waterfalls flowing off Uluru.





But at the end of the day, it was great to get….home.




Thank you all for allowing me the pleasure of sharing this trip with you. It has been a privilege to do so.

Until next time.








ps. My next trip is just around the corner. This time, I'm heading to Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.....with a bunch of other Aussie Dis-sers. It should be a blast!

 

[franandaj]

I thought I had commented on the rainy day, but I guess not. Glad to see you back and wrapping this up before you head out on you DISers trip. As always, beautiful photos and the one that struck me was the family photo. Your DS is taller than both of you now!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[dolphingirl47]

But I’d made every single sunrise on this trip and as this was the last morning, I figured I might as well head out.

Wow, that is quite an achievement.

It may not have been a sunrise, but I think this photo is stunning.

Would you believe it took us until this last day to get the family shot at Uluru ticked off????

That was cutting things a little fine.

Thank you all for allowing me the pleasure of sharing this trip with you. It has been a privilege to do so.

Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading along.

ps. My next trip is just around the corner. This time, I'm heading to Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.....with a bunch of other Aussie Dis-sers. It should be a blast!

I can't wait to hear all about this.

In the meantime, I will have to find your Blue Mountains trip report again. Our plans for our upcoming cruise have changed slightly and we are now doing a day trip to the Blue Mountains.

Corinna