The Olgas (or Kata Tjuta)

Well, it turns out my full day tour got turned into a half day tour because I was the only one booked for it! I called this morning to find out when we were leaving and they told me it wouldn't be until 3! It's been good though - I've had a chance to wander around Melbourne and do some window shopping. Unfortunately, since it's Good Friday, a lot of things are closed. I'm still really enjoying the feel of the city though!

Back to a few days ago, I believe we were up to Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, I got up at about 5 AM, hopped on a bus, and then hopped on a camel! I took a sunrise camel ride to see Uluru. It was awesome! The camels were a lot bigger than I thought they were, and a little intimidating. They were tied very close together, so I could just turn and pet the one behind me. She didn't like being petted too much, although she did nose me several times throughout the ride! The girl in front me developed a close relationship with my camel, whose name was Gonzi. I was fine with that until he got tired of her touching him and started to fidget! Apart from the hard saddle, the ride was very pleasant, and the sunrise was spectacular.

Here's me on my camel:



And here's Uluru at sunrise:



The Olgas looked really cool too - they started out almost black and then gradually lightened up. Here's a picture of them.



Today, my plan was to hike through the Olgas. I went back to the hostel and slept a bit, and then I went back to the park to start my hike. The guide book said it was a 7.4 km walk and that it was "steep in places". They weren't kidding! This trail was much more exhausting than the base walk around Uluru, but it was also more rewarding to me. The Olgas (Kata Tjuta, but I can't really pronounce it, so in my mind they're still the Olgas) are higher than Uluru and consist of about 34 domes. The trail wound through some of the domes and then out a bit to give a little perspective. I found it stunning!

Here I am, about 1 km in.



The Olgas are made up of a different type of rock than Uluru, so it has a different look. A lot of it looks like larger rocks smushed together. I'm not sure you can tell that from these pictures, but here are two pretty typical views from the walk.





By the end, I was exhausted. I headed back to the hostel to clean up and have dinner, ultimately going to bed quite early. I did see my favorite street sign so far on the way out of the park though (and then several times after that!).



I didn't actually see any kangaroos on the road, probably because they were all hiding from the heat in the shade. I did see some the next day in Alice Springs though!