It's 10.6 km (about 6.5 miles) and, according to the visitors' guide, it takes 3.5 hours. My circumnavigation took at least an hour less than that, probably for two reasons: I'm in pretty good shape, and early in the walk I realized I had to pee like a racehorse. There are no toilets en route, and I wasn't shameful enough to duck into the brush to relieve myself. So, I walked pretty quickly.
Never fear. I managed to take lots of photos along the way...
Every time I looked at Uluru it appeared different. I call this one "old man's face". See the long nose down the middle and the eye slits at the top? I have no idea what the Anangu would call it, but it would probably be something awful like a "beaten old man who had the audacity to smell a bowl of seeds".
I made good use of the little tripod Ma gave me for Christmas last year. Look at the odd indentations. It's hard to believe this monolith is ONE ROCK.
With the exception of the long distance, the walk was not difficult at all. It was flat and solid and wide. I saw evidence of people using wheelchairs and/or strollers, and the path was certainly conducive for both.
There was evidence of lots of human activity. I saw gangs of several rangers who were gathering up the dry brush and putting it into garbage bags by the side of the road. I think the idea is to remove the fuel source for any potential wildfire, or possibly to clear an area as a floodway. The Anangu have a tradition of purging burns to renew the landscape. I'm certain the "joint management" teams (whites and blacks) were involved.
The other side of the rock was in shadow.The path would alternate at different points between several hundred meters away from the rock to being right up next to it. There were also areas marked for no photography. The Anangu don't want you looking at an area which has spiritual significance. In addition, it is against Anangu Law for a member of the wrong sex to have knowledge of certain sites. The stories of these sites are known only to Anangu of the right sex and maturation.
Ah yes, story time again.Kuniya is the name given to anthropomorphic woma pythons. Liru is the name given to anthropomorphic venomous snakes. A young male Kuniya (python) was ambushed by several Liru (venomous snakes). The Liru threw spears at the Kuniya and killed him. The force with which they threw their spears left holes in the side of Uluru.
The Kuniya boy's aunt arrived, wearing her eggs around her neck like a necklace. She found out what happened to her nephew and became angry. Her rage became poison which she vomited all over the area which contaminated it. She then chased the Liru until she caught up with one. After talking to him for a while she hit him in the head with her digging stick (a traditional woman's tool) and killed him. (My question: how does a snake wield a stick? or a spear for that matter...?)
The dark wavy line in the photo is evidence of her sliding along during her chase.
I think this boulder is supposed to be one of the aunt's eggs.
Oh goody. Another horrific story. This one is my least favorite (or perhaps most favorite to deride) because of how gruesome it is. I'm not sure this is the correct area/photo, but...
Somewhere along the southwestern side of the rock is an area that supposedly tells the story of Lungkata, a dishonest blue-tongued lizard. Lungkata happened upon a Kalaya (emu) which had been speared by someone else. He knew it was wrong, but he decided to cook the bird and eat it. Two Panpanpalala (bellbird) hunters came along and asked him if he'd seen a speared emu. He hid the meat and lied to the hunters. They moved on, and Lungkata ran away in the other direction. The bellbird hunters then discovered the tracks of the emu and could guess what had happened. Lungkata had left a trail of meat, and the bellbirds easily found him. The bellbirds lit a huge bonfire under Lungkata as he ran up a hill. He rolled down the hill and bits of his flesh stuck to the hot rocks like chunks of steak on a barbecue until very little of him remained intact. The ashen color on the side of Uluru and the small rock "fleshy bits" accompanied by one solitary big rock are supposed to represent evidence that the story is true.
Charming.
I reached the car park where Ma was patiently waiting. And I could finally take a leak!
We headed back to the resort to book a "Discovery Ecotour Night Sky Show" where we would be able to look through a telescope and learn about the astronomy of the southern hemisphere (and possibly hear some more fascinating Anangu stories to explain the stars). Unfortunately, the only "discovery" was that they were out of business. Stupid guidebook! As I mentioned in the intro, the guidebooks were a huge disappointment on this trip.