those of you who are familiar with the desert - you probably know what we're talking about. For those of you more familiar with the mountains, forests or seaside - you are probably like us and had no idea what silence really was like. We went to the Sounds of Silence dinner out in the desert - arrived near dusk to the sounds of the didgeridoo (a traditional Aboriginal instrument from tribes to the North of Australia), and had champagne and canapes as the sun went down over the Olga's in the distant. 
Because of some cloud cover, we didn't really get the bright glow at Uluru - but it was still stunning.Then on further into the desert, 
where we dined on traditional Australian cuisine such as Kangaroo. and crocodile. Just before dinner they asked for complete quiet from everyone present so that we could experience the sounds of the desert - interestingly it was such an unusual experience it sounded almost deafening! Complete silence, soundless - no animal noises at all. Finally, after dinner, with the sun fully down, all of the candles and lights were put out, and a local astronomer gave us a brief tour of the Southern summer sky. It was a memory that will remain with us forever. All in all it was a a magical night.
where we dined on traditional Australian cuisine such as Kangaroo. and crocodile. Just before dinner they asked for complete quiet from everyone present so that we could experience the sounds of the desert - interestingly it was such an unusual experience it sounded almost deafening! Complete silence, soundless - no animal noises at all. Finally, after dinner, with the sun fully down, all of the candles and lights were put out, and a local astronomer gave us a brief tour of the Southern summer sky. It was a memory that will remain with us forever. All in all it was a a magical night. Then on Wednesday
- we spent the day immersed in local culture - starting with a two hour workshop on dot painting that explains a bit of some of the history behind this art form (which is really a story telling tool for teaching the young) and gives us a better understanding for interpreting the pictures. The workshop was taught by two elder women from the local tribe for this area, the Anangu. One of the women (Elsie) is thought to be around 85 (no birth records are kept from this time) and the other is her niece Bonnie who is around 70. From there, they took us on a walk to the Rock, explaining cave paintings in the area and talking about life prior to the white man's arrival. They didn't speak English, so the afternoon was done through an interpreter named Jimmy. We finally ended up talking about local foods, and getting an understanding of what daily life is like, and how as a people, they use to follow the food sources. Then, our last morning at Uluru we were up at 4:30 and out to check out the Sunrise. Unfortunately again the cloud cover prevented any exciting colours against the rock, but as Karen's nephew Danny noted - it must have been fun watching hundreds of fools (us included) up before it was even decent to be awake, standing there watching and videoing a ROCK!!! 
- we spent the day immersed in local culture - starting with a two hour workshop on dot painting that explains a bit of some of the history behind this art form (which is really a story telling tool for teaching the young) and gives us a better understanding for interpreting the pictures. The workshop was taught by two elder women from the local tribe for this area, the Anangu. One of the women (Elsie) is thought to be around 85 (no birth records are kept from this time) and the other is her niece Bonnie who is around 70. From there, they took us on a walk to the Rock, explaining cave paintings in the area and talking about life prior to the white man's arrival. They didn't speak English, so the afternoon was done through an interpreter named Jimmy. We finally ended up talking about local foods, and getting an understanding of what daily life is like, and how as a people, they use to follow the food sources. Then, our last morning at Uluru we were up at 4:30 and out to check out the Sunrise. Unfortunately again the cloud cover prevented any exciting colours against the rock, but as Karen's nephew Danny noted - it must have been fun watching hundreds of fools (us included) up before it was even decent to be awake, standing there watching and videoing a ROCK!!! Then off to the airport and Perth. We have arrived here and will now start the 2nd half of the holiday. Can't wait to see what this brings. Looking forward to seeing the west coast and how it differs from the east. Stay tuned for the next chapters...
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