Up at dawn to get ready for. 6 hour drive across the Outback to the Rock (Uluru).
We arrived in the early afternoon and went directly to explore some of the regions around the Rock. This included one particularly strenuous walk in 40 deg heat; I was proud to be one of only 6 to complete the walk. After checking into the hotel and freshening up, we proceeded to the Sounds of Silence dinner in the open within view of the Rock and the Olgas. This began well with abundant Australian “Champagne” as we watched the sun set. We then sat down for dinner and the evening descended gradually into chaos as we were invaded by thousands (maybe even millions) of insects, flying around us and covering the tables. To top everything, a waitress tipped a tray of Port over my trousers. An unforgetable evening, if not for all the right reasons.
The Beast's Pen 