There's been a delay in the broadcast!

Due to the nightly illness of Oren on the holiday and then my subsequent flu we are now continuing our transmission - though its a recollection of events!

Our second day started with a camel ride at the camel farm just outside the resort area.  We stretched the truth about Oren's age so that he could experience a quick ride around the pen, you can do camel tours in the desert but chose the shorter option.  The camel's name was 'Chester'  and amazingly there was an 'Oren' camel at the farm too.  The small museum attached explained the history of the camel in Australia that was facinating.  They've been here since the mid 1800's imported from India/Pakistan/Afghanistan and surrounds to help open up the center of Australia though exploration, connecting Adelaide to Darwin with telegraph line, moving supplies, produce, piano's any thing. The 'Afghani' handlers were employed to man these camel trains up to about the 1920's when train rail made them obscolete. There are still wild camels roaming the desert today.

In the afternoon we joined our sunset tour - one of the things you have to do when you come to see Uluru.  We chose a local aboriginal company instead of the flashy tour groups to teach us some of the stories linked to the great rock.  The Anangu people run this and with the help of the National Parks run the Cultural Centre.  On this tour we were picked up by James who was proud to say he was dry and lived in an alcohol free community.  He introduced us to Rebecca and Sarah who were our guides on our brief walk to the base of the rock to look at a cave and the Mutitjulu waterhole.  Through an interpreter anient stories were told about these features.  To the Anangu people Uluru and Kata Tjuta bear the marks made by their ancestral beings during the creation period of Tjukurpa (chook-orr-pa).  They don't like to call it the dreamtime because it is real to them and not imaginary. They also strongly advised against climbing the rocks as this is disrespectful to them and their beliefs, the way it was explained to us was that the rocks were like their ancient 'bible' and law, and each cave, crack, discolouration and divit indicated another story to be handed down (The walk is closed most days any way because of conditions - wind, rain or heat, and it is very dangerous only 5 weeks ago someone died on the rock).

The story translated to us was about the Kuniya and Liru snake spirits, a Kuniya offended the Liru, so the Liru warriors came to punish him and threw spears which hit the rock (many holes at the base of Uluru) they killed him but this made his Kuniya aunt angry she left her eggs (collection of large bolders) then she sped across the rock leaving a dark trail which can be seen.

We learnt to say 'palya' which means many things hello, goodbye, how are you. Some of the bush foods were also shown to us.

We joined the rest of the hoards of buses, 4wds and touring homes to catch the glorious sunset of brilliant orange reds. I can see why the Anangu call us 'little ants' because everyone is compled to run around to see and do as much as you can.

Palya!

from the Petersen mob.