So, how does one get up close and personal with such a large monolith as Uluru?  Stick with your intrepid guide, Rebecca!  She was with us this morning and came back for another dose of mostly the same crew in the afternoon.

She has an extremely respectful approach to her work and the environment in which she lives.  She taught us much about the sacred sites and was always mindful to stress the importance of this unique place to those who originally occupied it.  There is a climbing trail for those who want to climb the rock although the Aboriginals never climb the rock as it is sacred to their culture.  As a condition of the “handback” in 1985 the climbing path will be closed in 2020.  You can see the trail that has been worn in the rock by climbers.  Rebecca, out of respect for the land, has never climbed the rock.

Seen from a distance, Uluru has the face of an imposing monolith but once you approach you find out it is filled with nooks and crannies.  It is impossible to understand the scale of this “ROCK”.  And it is a solid piece of rock.

Here are some of the sights we saw this afternoon.

There is water at the rock.  When it rains it rolls down the side in a water falls and the algae that grows turns black.  You can see the water paths in the picture above and here is a water hole, one of the most valuable sites at Uluru.  Water attracted animals so not only did it provide hydration for the Aboriginals it made for a more fertile hunting ground.

And here is the reflection of the rock in the water hole.  As you can see, it was a very peaceful and contemplative place.

We then viewed some rock paintings that still exist after thousands of years.

After a day of hiking and much drinking of water, there was only one thing left to do – toast our incredible guide and another sunset.

Oh, an by the way, something just crawled across the floor of our room.  We think it was a lizard but are not sure.  One thing is a fact, there are some very different bugs here than in Chicago.