Second Leg: Uluru

Sitting at the Ayers Rock Airport in shock over the elections. It really put a cloud over my life.

We are chatting with Betsey and John, a lovely couple from Ohio, so this post will be brief.

On our first night in Uluru we went to a sunset BBQ dinner. The event itself was wonderful, but then the clouds rolled in and the rain and lightning started. Our dinner was supposed to include a star gazing talk, but there were no stars to see. 

As we were heading to the bus, Don ran his thigh into a bench. Overnight his thigh swelled up. The next day while I hiked all around Uluru (10.6 miles), he visited the medical facility that was next to our hotel. For $103 AUD he met with a nurse, was given advice, medicine, an ice pack, and crutches. The next day he returned and met with the doctor. That visit was $185. Less than what we would pay at home with insurance.

I took the Hop On Hop Off bus to Mala
Walk in time for the ranger talk. It was wonderful. Timing was off for taking the next bus, so I decided to walk around the entire rock. I only saw a handful of people. By this point it was over 100 degrees and the sun was scorching. Very little shade. There were a few water spots, mostly coinciding with First Aid spots.

After melting on the walk, I met two women out smoking. They gave me a ride to the Cultural Center. As I got in Jamie and Marianne's ride, she said she was taking a "toke" and wasn't sure what I was asking. Yup, let's just stick with the 2.3 km drive over the longer one to the hotel. While I waited for the Hop On Hop Off bus to arrive, I had kangaroo stew.

The next day we took a Segway tour around all of Uluru. Yes, Don with his swollen thigh rode the Segway for two hours. After the tour we visited the doctor at the medical center. She cleared him to fly. Good thing since we didn't have trip insurance or other options.

That night we went on a sunset tour at Kata Tjuta, which included "an easy 30-minute" hike to the center of the valley.

There is a lot more to say, but we are about to board.

Updates will be limited as we process the election results.