Friday, December 31, 2021

INDEX

THAILAND

Ao Sadet from Silver Cliff's restaurant - east coast of Ko Phangan

INTRODUCTION - WHICH ISLAND OR BEACH?
ADANG
ANG THONG NATIONAL MARINE PARK
BU BU
BULON LAE
CHANG (big Chang eastern Gulf)
Little Ko CHANG, Andaman side
CORAL ISLAND
JUM
KANCHANABURI
KRADAN
KRABI, RAILAY, TON SAI
KHANOM
KHAO LAK
KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK
KHO KHAO
KUT (KOOD, KUD)
LANTA
LAO LIANG
LIBONG, HAT YAO
LIPE
MAK (MAC, MAAK)
MAYA BAY/THE BEACH/PHI PHI LEY
MUK (MOOK)
NANGYUAN
NGAI (HAI)
KO PANYI/PANYEE
PATTAYA
PHANGAN
PHANGAN PART 2
PHANG NGA BAY
PHAYAM
PHRA THONG
PHUKET
PHI PHI
PHI PHI NEWSPAPER ARTICLE BY TEZZA
RAILAY, TON SAI AND KRABI TOWN
RAYA/RACHA
ROK
SAMET
SAMUI
SIBOYA
SICHON
SIMILAN ISLANDS
SIMILAN ISLANDS LIVE-ABOARD 
SUKORN
SURIN ISLANDS
TARUTAO
TAO
WAI (WHAI)
YAO NOI
YAO YAI



General Thailand Information

SOME TIPS ON NOT DROWNING
WET WEATHER INFORMATION
SNORKELLING IN THAILAND
THAILAND'S NICER BEACHES


INDONESIA:
Approaching Gili Trawangan, Lombok on Perama's direct boat from Bali

BALI
BALI'S BEST BEACHES - incl THE BUKIT PENINSULA
BALI - AMED
BALI - BEDUGUL AND LAKE BRATAN
BALI - CANGGU
BALI - JATILUWIH RICE TERRACES
BALI - JIMBARAN
BALI - NUSA LEMBONGAN
BALI - NUSA PENIDA
BALI - NUSA DUA, TANJUNG BENOA AND GEGER BEACH
EAST BALI - PADANGBAI AND CANDIDASA
BALI - LOVINA
BALI - MEDEWI
BALI - MUNDUK
BALI - PEMUTERAN AND MENJANGAN ISLAND
BALI RICE TERRACES EAST - SIDEMAN
BALI RICE TERRACES CENTRAL - TEGALLALANG
BALI RICE TERRACES WEST - KEBUN VILLAS
BALI RICE TERRACES TIRTAGANGGA + WATER PALACE

BINTAN

LOMBOK - THE NOTH WEST GILI ISLANDS
LOMBOK - THE SOUTH WEST GILI ISLANDS
LOMBOK - THE KUTA LOMBOK AREA

PERAMA SLOWBOAT - FLORES/KOMODO/LOMBOK

SERAYA & KANAWA ISLANDS + LABUANBAJO - FLORES



MALAYSIA
Taking it easy on Tioman Island, Malaysia

GORGEOUS TIOMAN ISLAND
CHERATING BEACH
KAPAS ISLAND
LANGKAWI
LANG TENGAH
PERHENTIAN ISLANDS
REDANG ISLAND
SIBU ISLAND



AUSTRALIA


Cruising down Whitsunday Island

CRUISING TROPICAL ISLANDS ON A BUDGET
BUDGET RESORTING ON THE WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS NTH QLD
SPENDING TIME AT AIRLIE BEACH - NTH QLD
CAPE TRIBULATION - NTH QLD
DUNK ISLAND - NTH QLD
FITZROY ISLAND - CAIRNS -  NTHE QLD
CRUISING THE SOUTH WEST PACIFIC ON LINERS
BYRON BAY - BEACH PARADISE
NOOSA HEADS - MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE
GREEN ISLAND NTH QLD
KIAMA
MAGNETIC ISLAND NTH QLD
TOP END - DARWIN
TOP END - DARWIN BEACHES
TOP END - KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
TOP END - LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK
TOP END - NITMILUK (KATHERINE) GORGE and KATHERINE TOWN
TOP END - MANDORAH and WAGAIT BEACH
TOP END - MATARANKA THERMAL POOLS
TOP END - THE TIWI ISLANDS
RED CENTER - ULURU, KATA TJUTA and KINGS CANYON .


GREECE
Cute church - Naxos

GREEK ISLAND HOPPING


TURKEY

Beach, forest-clad medieval ruins and up-valley budget accommodation at Olympos in Turkey
BUDGET CRUISING AND PARAGLIDING THE TURQUOISE COAST
THE NORTH AEGEAN COAST
THE SOUTH AEGEAN COAST



SPAIN
Looking south to Tossa de Mar
INTRODUCTION
BARCELONA
IBIZA
L'HOSPITALET DE L'INFANT
MALLORCA/MAJORCA
MONTSERRAT

PYRENEES
SAN SEBASTIAN
SITGES
TOSSA DE MAR


USA - SOUTH WEST

THE BEACHES

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY

GRAND CANYON TREKKING

YOSEMITE TREKKING



USA - HAWAII

OAHU'S BEST BEACHES
OAHU - PEARL HARBOR
OAHU - OTHER NEAT PLACES:SOUTH EAST COAST
OAHU - TREKKING THE HONOLULU MOUNTAINS
OAHU WEST - THE KAIELIA TRAIL and adjoining trails

MAUI'S BEST BEACHES
MAUI: THE ROAD TO HANA
MAUI - HALEAKALA VOLCANO
MAUI - THE IAO VALLEY
MAUI BEST DAYTRIP - LANAI ISLAND
MAUI - OTHER NEAT PLACES



USA - NORTH EAST
NYC BEACHES
UPPER AND CENTRAL LONG ISLAND BEACHES
NEW JERSEY BEACHES
MASSACHUSETTS - CAPE COD, NANTUCKET, MARTHAS VINEYARD
NE - THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY
MANHATTAN ISLAND
GOVERNORS ISLAND
ROOSEVELT ISLAND
LAST TREK EVER - MT TAURUS COLD SPRING.
ROAD TRIP - NYC to NIAGARA to WASHINGTON DC to PHILADELPHIA to NYC


SOUTH WEST PACIFIC ISLAND BEACHES

KAIBOLA BEACH - KIRIWINA ISL - PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MYSTERY ISLAND - VANUATU
CHAMPAGE BEACH - VANUATU
YEJELE BEACH - MARE ISLAND - NEW CALEDONIA
ISLE OF PINES - NEW CALEDONIA
NOUMEA BEACHES - NEW CALEDONIA
EASO BEACH - LIFOU ISLAND - NEW CALEDONIA
DRAVUNI ISLAND - FIJI
TOURING THE SOUTH WEST PACIFIC ON LINERS

READERS' TRIP REPORTS
Trip reporter Rachael and Andy on Ko Muk

Read the trip reports or submit your own


THE FORUM


Yon Cassie has a lean and hungry look (image Deco Dermots)

Questions, comments, shoot the bull.


GENERAL

Sammy BinLiner steps out to the hot-tub seminar in The Worry Collective

JUST FOR LARFS - PART 1
JUST FOR LARFS - PART 2: STONES FROM THE JOKER IN THE GLASS HOUSE (1 thru 11)
JUST FOR LARFS - PART 3: THE WORRY COLLECTIVE

ABOUT THIS SITE


THE RANT


LADY TEZZA'S TRAVELLING JAPAN

Sumo grand champion Hakuho.

The basics - Osaka - Kyoto - Hiroshima & Himeji - Takayama - Tokyo - Kyushu - Daytrip to Mt Fuji National Park - Accessing your money - Other helpful stuff







Friday, December 24, 2021

COVID CRUISE CONTINUED

 COVID CRUISE CONTINUED


...For a start the line’s efforts in promoting hygiene, mask-wearing, social distancing etc on board and on official excursions before the situation got out of hand was pretty ordinary, But this was far overshadowed by its pathetic response once COVID hit. True, PRINCESS had cabins set up on deck 9 to isolate the infected, And it worked a charm as their PR bumff claimed on media outfits after the cruise.

Trouble was these measures only took care of the first 10% infected, maybe 100 of 800. PRINCESS severely underestimated the problem and were caught pathetically short.

The rest of us were banished to our cabins and told to isolate there. No meds given apart from a bag of RAT tests (i think they had anti-virals but were saving these for serious cases). Luckily THE LADY tested positive a day later than me which allowed her to shop a packet of cold and 'flu tabs in Auckland.

Isolate’ is the key word, because after a few 'phone calls from the medical center, no-one seemed interested in us – we saw about 1 crew member each day (I suspect there was a similar COVID outbreak among the crew at the same time, and Princess decided to limit crew exposure to us in order to leave enough crew for the following trip) no-one would answer 'phone calls to room service or guest services and no-one gave updates over the p.a. I thought the latter broken until on the last day it gave a burst of disembarkation info – wrong in its timing of course – we actually left the ship 4 hours later than the info suggested.

The only reason we were fed was because LADY T had pre-cruise uploaded the cruise ap which allowed us to order from room service – but every meal was delivered at least 2 hours after ordering (our record was 5 hours late ). This ap was a blessing because it allowed LADY T to communicate and swap war stories with other isolationers who were having a similar or worse time than us. It also allowed the lucky few who had got the special deck 9 cabins and treatment to lord it over us and the usual PRINCESS apologists free reign (“EXAGGERATION - YOU GOT THE 'FLU….” - “DUNNO WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU - IMAGINATION!" 

At last we left the ship at abt. 1430, walked 500m to Circular Quay station, caught a train to Sutherland where LADETTE TEZZA was waiting to drive us the final hour to out south coast home.

We have used this ship before -  on our last pre-Covid cruise - details up page a short distance .

...........................

EARLY DECEMBER ‘22 – OVATION OF THE SEAS TO NEW ZEALAND.

This was only a fortnight after the PRINCESS MAJESTIC disaster.  How come we exposed ourselves to more risk so soon? Thing is this was another replacement for an earlier  cancelled COVID trip and was a case of use it or lose it. Plus OVATION was a new experience – we have never been on a ship this big. And we bounced back well after COVID and thought if we are very careful we can avoid reinfection.

So as much as possible we avoided confined crowds (didn't use the lifts once which was pretty good seeing our cabin was on deck 7, gym on 16, buffet on 14  and some popular public places we used a lot on 3/4/5), scrubbed up frequently and well, and social-distanced when possible. The crew was good - always masked. But the patrons varied - many seemed to think COVID was over instead of half into a new wave or that their 3 injections assured non-infection (our 3 didn't). 

The ship is a  ripper - its extra size means public places are very spacious and there is extra room for things like dodgem cars and a big arm with a gondola on the end which boosted patrons high above the ship. The service was very good as was the food. I thought entertainment up to scratch in this era of scarcer ship- board entertainers due to Covid.

Not everything was perfect. Getting off the ship and into waiting buses (buses needed because ship berthed in working port area a few km from city center) at  Auckland was a time-consuming effort: so much so, I gave up. Hard to tell who was at fault although I personally think it was Princess' shore-agent's neglect or inexperience. Similarly, the line to get off in Sydney (no buses involved) was an 800m, 3 hour nightmare. Once again apportioning lbame is difficult - some said it was the cruise terminal whose fancy gangplanks malfunctioned, others the ship who should have had a backup organized, still others border farce who maybe were late as usual and have form when it comes to screw-ups. Who knows? But here Princess can be criticised in not having enough security people police the disembarkment  line - people were pushing-in frequently leading to frayed tempers. 


Thursday, December 2, 2021

GREEN ISLAND

VISITED AUGUST 2022 

Green Island off Cairns is a fully vegetated coral cay – apparently the only one in Australia (although I have seen way better in the nearby western Pacific). Fully vegetated coral cays result from an atoll attacked by storm waves filling or part-filling its lagoon with sand and coral chunks which are then heaped up by wind and wave action. Vegetation is the result of seeds dropped by birds, washed onshore by waves, blown by storm winds – given long enough a secondary rainforest results. I’ve never seen a full blown rainforest on a coral cay.

Appears roughly circular....
....but ain't
 The island is more a squashed egg shape – the short axis is abt 350M vs - the longer 550m. The lagoon inside the atoll drop-offs is considerably larger – the closest drop-off to the beach is 600m, the furthest abt 5km.
BTW those light building in the far background are in Cairns, abt. 28km SW.

Directly off the boat you hit the town square which has a lot of tourist outlets designed, as one fellow guest said, to separate you from your money. But pay attention: it is here that the fast food outlet which sells a heap of reasonably priced stuff around lunchtime is located. This area is nicely sheltered from any stiff trade winds.

Fancy alcohol? The pool bar to the left of the square can do this. Prices reasonable for a touristy joint although bottom-budget cheapskates like me may be outraged.

The resort is to the right of the square. It looks older than Fitzroy Island’s resort (it was opened 1994) and certainly room prices are higher – for a way less appealing island IMHO


The main swimming/beach area is well sign-posted from the square. A short stroll, it is on the lee side of the island although my visit saw the SE TRADES strong enough to keep things cool. One correspondent I've read suggests no lifesavers: they were present my visit: maybe it is a seasonal thing. Not that there is any surf. Sand is reasonably nice, the water fairly clear and snorkeling off the beach okay although there was evidence of coral bleaching. The coral and fish were better near the pier but not mind-blowing. Didn’t see any turtles and apparently this is a good spot for them. I didn’t snorkel long. At nearly 77 I’ve seen plenty of coral and marine critters. Done that – not doing a lot more.
CAVEAT:
A - Dunno what the snorkeling and swimming are like off the beach in low tide. Photos I have seen indicate a lot of the lagoon bottom is exposed. Fortunately it seemed high tide my whole visit. I seem to remember the normal 2 tides a day thingo varies inside the outer reef.
And of course the height of low tide (and high) varies throughout the month and year.
B - Beaches wax and wane with the weather – the current Google Earth image shows more sand/less rock than at my visit. Maybe the weather was more benign preceding Google’s shot. I can’t promise the situation when you visit.


WALK AROUND THE ISLAND 
Photos give the impression the beach is continuous around the island. True of some cays but not Green Island. 

For a start there are a hundred+ meters of artificial bank-erosion protection in the pier area – fortunately walking tracks a short distance inland allow you to continue your circumnavigation. 


Where the bank protection ends near the north corner is a wide strip of sheltered nice sand but signs suggested no swimming – didn’t stop this dude from launching his near-pier snorkeling excursion.
This wide strip of sand continues around the island corner to become the main beach about 50m wide.

After about 250m it gives way to a rocky section*: easily traversed but not with bare feet. 
Main beach in background.



The rest of the circumnavigation alternates between sandy and rocky sections: the latter often with narrow strips of sand behind. All was more exposed to the SE Trades which were brisk early – later in the day they reached gale-force. At least it was sunny early – later it clouded over and we got a few light showers.


THE ISLAND INTERIOR
The town square and circumnavigation took up less than 3 of my 7 hours. That left the island interior which GREAT ADVENTURES has tried to jazz up with 2 main walkways ("ECO" WALKS) along which are INTERPRETIVE PANELS every 50m or so on which are a lot of facts and timelines about the island's history, flora, fauna and geology.


I find this sort of stuff interesting but the island is small, the tracks short and I knocked them over in 45 minutes. That left over 3 hours until the ferry. So I headed for the pool....,

THE POOL

The pool is pretty sweet. Adjacent the town square, it is an irregular 40mX25m and pretty sheltered from the wind. There was enough sun lounges on this not so great day, but more benign conditions may see some pressure. Judging by the few swimmers’ reactions the water was pretty chilly. Something I was not prepared to confirm – I spent my youth surfing 7/52 in cold southern waters (cold at least in winter) back in the day when we couldn’t afford wet-suites: any of you thinks I’m going to brave chilly pool water to make my trip-report more personal has another think coming.

I didn't mind spending time here - at least until it started to rain. 


SUM UP
I wasn't whelmed with Green Island -but then I've never been on a coral cay which offers more than a few hours diversion.
But others think it the duck's guts, judging by the gushing user reviews online. To get full value from the place:

1- spend up on the extras like paid snorkelling, scuba, glass bottomed boat, paragliding, the giant croc show, the big a la carte restaurant lunch etc. Note my GREEN ISLAND TRANSFER as run by GREAT ADVENTURES was a basic there-and-back transfer with 7 hours self-discovery on the island (trip was abt 50mins each way (28km) from/to Cairns marina) at $92**. The same outfit runs more expensive tours which include some of the above. Well worth checking as I discovered.
2- get a perfect windless sunny day (not so common in this region of prevailing SE trade winds) when the beach and snorkeling are idyllic.
3- combine your visit with another marine place out of Cairns like Fitzroy Island or the outer reef: If like me you are just out to check Green Island you can do a comprehensive tour in about 3 hours. Any longer and the place is a bit boring unless you also have 1 or 2 above.


RECOMMENDATIONS
- if you really want to spend time on an Australian fully vegetated coral cay, do a trip which has some extras mentioned above (note you can pay for these on the island but I don’t know if the price is the same) – or better still combine some other area like the outer reef or Fitzroy Island.
Alternatively, spend less time. At least one transfer outfit out of Cairns offers a half day visit,
-take warm clothing: waiting for the ferry in the SE gale was less than pleasant. Better still, lurk in the shelter of the trees near the pier until the ferry arrives – they won’t leave without you – the ferry takes time to load and there was plenty of surplus seating on the return trip.
- if you are time-short and can only do one island trip out of Cairns I reckon Fitzroy is way better than Green. It’s far more interesting, has more variety and will keep dudes like me who want to do a simple transfer and self discovery way more happy. Oh, and the ferry transfer is slightly shorter and cheaper.

**not great value when JETSTAR can do SYDNEY-ULURU return for $99 when they have their specials up.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

 ULURU, KATA TJUTA (THE OLGAS), AND KINGS CANYON.

VISITED SEPT 2022




Firstly a reiteration of introductory stuff and how to do the area when bucks down. If you have already seen this in "THE RANT'' pass on by to ** ** down page.

Thing is ULURU IS EXPENSIVE Isolation/transport costs account for some of it - the monopoly of Ayers Rock Resort the rest. Whoever gave ARR the monopoly for Yulara should hang his head in shame.  Accommodation at YULARA (Uluru's town  which was largely built by Ayers Rock Resort,)  is mainly in 4 or 5 flash hotels, 3,4 and 5 star which cost 2 or 3 times their equivalents in Sydney. $600 a night is not uncommon. Good grief!! The only inexpensive sleep is at the spacious and pretty good campground (also run by ARR) - if you don't like tents there are abt a dozen overpriced (but good value compared to the hotels) cabins - book early, they're popular. Of course, all you drive-in dudes in your vans and rigs will find lotsa ok spots and facilities in the campground. There were hundreds of rigs there with plenty of space for more. In comparison the tent areas were running less than 10%.
NOTE - except for high summer when it gets VERY hot and visitation is lower, book early for ALL accommodation. 

The layout of the resort is pretty good - accommodation, the Town Square, and the Shell station are spaced around a ring road - a free RESORT SHUTTLE BUS circles this every 20-30mins. You can also walk across the duned center on dedicated paths in about 15min. The highest dune has a pretty good viewpoint and attracts a crowd for Ulura/the Olgas sun-ups/downs. Many accommodation options have viewpoints too. None are as good as the dedicated viewing spots within the park, of course.

Transport is a joke with rental cars post COVID at $300+ a day minimum. 
Most tours are run by AAP-KINGS or affiliates and are overpriced, so too is the JUMP ON JUMP OFF BUS which at least works out cheaper than the others for much the same thing. I thought I'd just get a bus ride but my driver gave good commentaries - "SNAKEBITE" (Mick) my driver for all trips was super-informative and a riot to boot. I'm assuming other drivrs also give info. 
Their girl at the desk in the tour office, Town Square, was very efficient and could organise stuff the website suggested not possible. But the JO/JO bus does not have guides who accompany treks as the more exxy options do.
Apart from the free RESORT SHUTTLE the only other bargain transport option is the free coach to and from airport and accommodation.

Food costs likewise are a joke. How about $30 for a burger or $14 for a beer in the hotels? Cafes etc in the Town Square were only a bit cheaper. The camp ground had a food truck with lower but still outrageous prices. The only places with reasonable tariffs (given transport costs) were the IGA supermarket and the Shell station. In fact the Shell was a gem - need some item of hardware? The Shell probably has it. And more.

So Uluru is expensive. Here's what I'd do to see the joint at minimal cost:

1 - get on Jetstar's "Specials" email list. This is where I found the $99 return fare (Sydney), These fares don't always come up on Jetstar's "Friday Frenzies".

2 - spend the minimum time at Uluru to save accommodation and other costs - I planned 7 nights but experience shows 4 would suffice (if you want to include a daytrip to KINGS CANYON - if not, 3 would do) when flying in after mid-day as most do.
Stay in the campground to avoid horrendous hotel costs. If you must have a roof, stay in one of its cabins. Which must be booked early.

3 - buy a "Hop On/Off" 2 day ticket for days 2 and 3. 
On day 2 get up early for its ULURU SUNRISE trip. After sunrise stay on board for the Uluru circuit where the driver explains a lot of stuff. Stay on until the last near-rock stop (MALA WATERHOLE) from where you do a walking circuit of the rock. This takes 3-5 hours, so arrange to be picked up by the bus after your circuit (I don't recommend the Cultural Center - the last stop. It's a pretty boring 20mins walk each way from the rock. I was underwhelmed by the stuff at the center) 
You will get back to camp pre-lunchtime-early pm if you don't include the Cultural Center.

4 - Arrange for the bus to pick you up for the ULURU SUNSET TRIP (this is where the website said "overbooked" - girl in office said "no problem"). The dedicated bus viewing area is much closer than Yulara viewpoints and well worthwhile. After the viewing the bus goes directly back to Yulara

5 - on day 3 get up early for HO/HO bus's OLGA SUNRISE run. The bus then goes to the head of either THE VALLEY OF THE WINDS trek (8km/3-4 hours circuit (but you can shorten this by returning from some viewpoints), tough gradients+surface even for fit/experienced dudes) or the WALPA GORGE trek (shorter almost 3km/1 hour return - gradient milder:should be ok for people of average fitness - surface quite tricky underfoot in parts and as warned by driver some sections surprisingly cold on a mild Spring morning). Note A - the driver does not accompany the trekkers either walk as on some of the more expensive tours    B - the shorter trek  gets walkers back earlier, in time to be driven back to Yulara before the driver returns to pick up trekkers from the longer option - this longer option still gets back to Yulara in time for lunch.

6 - on day 4 get up extra early for AAT KING'S one day trip to KINGS CANYON. I found this the most enjoyable day, the guide ANNA and driver JASON were excellent, allowed plenty of sleep time both ways, and accompanied trekkers with good commentary and plenty of rest stops. There was a choice of trek (A - the Rim Walk is the tougher starting with 500 very steep/rough steps after which the going is way easier except for dudes like me with 2 new knees where stiffness and lousy sense of balance made some of the rougher sections a bit of a challenge:

and B -an easier/shorter Garden Walk in the canyon itself which finished early enough to allow Jason to take some participants to the helicopter area for an extra-cost flight.

This KINGS CANYON 1 day visit returns to Yulara late afternoon.

7 - next morning, get up at a normal time (at last!), pack and wait for the free airport shuttle, hoping your flight hasn't been cancelled (mine was, the first in years they told me - duh!  Note: the incoming flight a week before had been postponed 3 hours. Not looking real good, Jetstar).

........................................................................... 

Note the above's what I'd do as a cash-down single aged male wanting to visit the area. Of course it's horses for courses - sooner or later rental car prices are going to return to more reasonable levels which may make my bus transport suggestions not the best option. Also people doing the big trip  in their own van or rig will organise differently. But no way would I drive all the way from the capital cities (except maybe Adelaide) soley to visit the area. As part of a big trip - okay.
Not sure about travelers out of Alice Springs - I know there are 1/2/3 day guided tours out of the Alice into the area but it's a hell of a distance (Uluru 468km each way; over 300 to King's Canyon) - you do the figuring as to if you should do it.

The final big question. IS IT WORTH IT?
Look, there are equal gorges, valleys, mountains, sights and treks much closer to home eg Sydney has them all nearby in the Blue Mountains. Compared to overseas nothing in the red center blew me away like the Grand Canyon or the Yosemite landscapes, or even Spain's higher areas
But face it, Uluru, Kata Tjuta and King's Canyon are ICONIC and should be seen by all Australians and as many visitors as possible - so if you can afford it, do it.


** ** MY TRIP
 
DAY ONE - FRIDAY 
Sydney airport was a circus - check-in lines starting near the door - flight delayed 3 hours which was just as well because it took 3 hours to get to the counter.
Trip itself pretty good, free coach waiting to transfer 5km to accommodation.
Campground check in pretty quick (can vary according to RV arrivals), Check-in office had a few campy and touristy things for sale/the nearby SHELL much better. Outside check-in office was a food truck with exxy coffee and food - once again the SHELL was much better.
The campsite is huge with abt a dozen un-powered tent regions, half this number of powered tent areas, at least 10 shower/toilet blocks, lotsa pay BBQs, and space for several hundred RVs. I found the largely indigenous staff kept the place in good order. Security seemed good with several after dark police cruise-thrus in a spotlight-toting ute.

Chez Tezza yellow-blue tent rear left, from camp kitchen - good spot with shower block only 10m further left of tent. More grass than red dirt. Hardy crowded.
Only problem with location - abt a 5min walk to laundry block/clothes lines.

BTW I found tent life no improvement from the Cairns trip a few weeks before - stiffness with my 2 new knees and loss of balance make the low tent's entry and in-tent activities very difficult. A higher tent would help but at almost 77 I ain't doing that. I figure I have done my last camping trip. Future holidays will be guided cruise-liner jaunts - with LADY TEZZA guiding me from cabin to buffet.

Camp kitchen was spacious, never seemed crowded, had plenty of seating and table space outside this shot. Had microwave and several pay BBQs. No stove. Good hot water and kept clean by conscientious staff who also did a great job at the shower/toilet blocks. However no jug or kettle, only one wash up area (which could be dominated for over half an hour by an RV owner doing the big weekly wash up) and the 2 crowded fridges were always packed to the rafters.
Another camp patron told me there was a second much smaller camp kitchen, but I couldn't find it. Thing is one and a bit camp kitchens is way insufficient for a park of this size. Dunno what it is like peak season (the cooler months).


Campground had a pool - popular in the hotter afternoons of Spring although the kids told me the water was cold.

DAY 2 - SATURDAY(first full day in the area)
 ULURU SUNRISE AND KATA TJUTA TREK
With no car I needed a bus, and I figured a guided tour would give me information about both places from experts. AAT KINGS seemed to have the only morning departure which covered BOTH Uluru and Tata Tjuta so I went for it.
Results were mixed. This had to be one of the few cloudy mornings in recent times so the Uluru sunrise had....no sunrise!


Bit cloudy.  The rock is abt 25km by road south of Yulara. The sunrise viewing area is abt 5 km from the rock. Colouring comes from iron oxide dust which changes shade with the incidence of light. 
Note semi-arid landscape. Early mornings in Spring range from mild to quite cold - most of mine were mild but one 3am got down to 5degrees - I was snug as a bug in my cold weather sleeeping bag.
Late spring and early autumn days (peak times at Uluru) can get real hot so carry plenty of water. I'm also told the bush flies become unbearable - apparently local merchants stock up big on face-nets. I pack some eucalyptus oil, one of those marvelous does-everything products including acting as an insecticide - gotta admit when I splashed a bit across my face the flies didn't bother me. But they were not real bad to start with. Downside - had to fight off all these desperate and dateless divorcees - that stuff smells real nice.

AAT's expert commentary on the geology, history and general features of the area was excellent. 

And I really enjoyed the WALPA GORGE trek. This almost 3km/2 hour return hike is not real difficult in gradient and should not worry people of average fitness. Underfoot, the weathered conglomerate made for some tricky sections with my new knees which are still stiff and affect my balance. Nevertheless, despite the guide's cracking pace I managed to arrive at the turnaround point not far behind.
NOTE for keen trekkers: AAT - KINGS does the other main (and tougher) KT trek (VALLEY OF THE WINDS) on its afternoon tour. But I'm told the guide turns around at the second viewpoint and does not do the full circuit.

Turnaround for WALPA GORGE trek. Some keen trekkers climb to highest point, despite warning signs. 

Weathered conglomerate can be tricky underfoot for gimps like me.


AAT got me back to Yulara before lunch, giving plenty of time after munchies to catch the resort shuttle around to Town Square to shop the IGA and check the scene.

That night it rained quite steadily. Unlike the last rainy night a few years back the tent didn't leak (the over-tarp I rigged up from a $4 Bunnings' tarp worked a treat) but condensation in such a small area made for a miserable night. Small tents, wet nights and condensation are keen bedfellows.


DAY 3 - SUNDAY (2nd full day in the area) 
HOP ON/HOP OFF BUS TO ULURU.
This outfit's website asked not to book the popular SUNRISE or SUNSET trips because of heavy patronage. Suggests to me they need more buses to cover demand. Anyway I got them to pick me up for their 2nd trip to Uluru at 8.35. 
This delivered me to the Cultural Center at 9.25 after a circular bus tour of the rock with driver "SNAKEBITE"/ MICK proving every bit as good as the AAT people in explaining the geology, history and general features of the area. Plus he had a wicked sense of humour. This is why I suggest using the JO/JO BUS exclusively for Uluru/Kata Tjuta in my 4 day money saving itinerary up page. 

I wasn't whelmed by the Cultural Center to the point where I took no pix. The 20min bushwalk to the nearest point of the rock was pretty boring too. That nearest point is MALA WATERHOLE.


MALA WATERHOLE is the site of the old rock climb. It can still be seen by the grey trail up the rock. I gotta admit it looks seriously steep despite helper chains back in the day. I'm glad they closed it because at almost 77 with 2 new knees I'm silly enough to climb it. Fitness wouldn't beat me (I'm so fit I got muscles on my boogers) but general stiffness and loss of balance would.


The side track into the waterhole and nearby KANTJU GORGE was relatively short.....
....but the smallness of the waterhole surprised me, given the previous night was pretty wet. However this one is permanent (must be spring-fed) which would have been a God-send to desert travelers back in the day. 

 I had enough time before the bus came back to start my circumnavigation of the rock (I planed to finish this on the 'morrow). Thing is, the full circumnavigation takes a bit longer than between buses unless you are Speedy Gonzales. So why not knock over 20% now?

The base walk across to MUTITJULU WATERHOLE had several fine views - this one better reflects last night's rain.

 I got to MUTITJULU about 10 mins. before the 12.20 bus. Got back to the campground around 1300 - lotsa time for lunch and to hit the laundry. Around sunset I wandered across to the central dune IMALUNG VIEWPOINT.

Pretty good roll call for this secondary viewpoint which is much further away than the dedicated places within the park. KATA TJUTA over left shoulder.

KATA TJUTA from YULARA's mid circle dune viewpoint.

DAY 4 - MONDAY (the 3rd full day in the area).
- Back to ULURU to complete the base walk circumnavigation.
I caught the HO/HO BUS from the campsite bus stop at 11.50 for its 3rd run into the park. I got out at MUTITJULU WATERHOLE to continue my base walk of yesterday. I had abt 7.5km to do in 3 hours.

The base trail is flat and has a fair surface. These Segways are a great extra-cost way to do the circuit - a rider told me they are surprisingly easy to ride. Popular too were many rental bicycles.      Trekkers? - I passed about a 100 trekkers in the 3 hours. Temps reached about 30C.

The spectacular scenery continued. This looks like indigenous art but in fact is the result of natural weathering of the sandstone.

I arrived at MALA WATERHOLE thus completing the circuit begun the day before in good time for the bus.

DAY 5 - TUESDAY (the 4th full day in the area)
AM - HOP ON/OFF BUS TO KATA TJUTA SUNRISE AND VALLEY OF THE WINDS TREK.
This was another the website said was booked out - the HO/HO  girl at the tour center said "no problem" - what a champ! I was glad because I hadn't seen enough of THE OLGAS and really wanted to do the VALLEY OF THE WINDS.

Pre dawn crowd at the KATA TJUTA sunrise viewing platform. 30 mins earlier we had seen the most incredible meteorite. The best of my almost 77 years - pre-dawn lack of light in the desert helps.

THE OLGAS from the viewpoint.The sun is actually hitting the rocks - not as dramatic as Uluru. But way more rugged.

Behind us, the sun was rising behind ULURU. Fair bit of telephoto here - true size about 2/3 this.

The HO/HO BUS gives a choice between hiking easier WALPA GORGE or doing the longer more difficult VALLEY OF THE WINDS after the sunrise viewpoint. Having done WALPA with AAT - KINGS I naturally went for THE VALLEY.
This 8km/3hr return loop has some very steep and rough sections. Unfit people should give it a miss. People of normal fitness will need a few rests and may turnaround at one of the two intermediate viewpoints (actually AAP's afternoon guide turns EVERYONE around at the second viewpoint which is abt. 40% of the circuit. Admittedly they have already seen the best of the landscape). I've heard park rangers close the trail in temps exceeding 38C.
The HO/HO BUS has no guide and the driver does not accompany trekkers - he throws them out at the trailhead with trek instructions and to be back in 3.5 hours. He then takes less enthusiastic/capable trekkers across to WALPA. That trek is much shorter/easier and gives the driver time to return those hikers to YULARA before he comes back to pick up THE VALLEY trekkers.
I found THE VALLEY a real test. My new knees are fine for endurance, I have rebuilt my fitness but I messed up medication in the home rehab. stage so they are stiff and lack flexibility - which has affected my balance. Consequently I had to take the many rough/steep bits slower than days of old.
 
Near the start of THE VALLEY circuit. Many steep and rough bits on this trek.

Typical VALLEY OF THE WINDS landscape.

The bus arrived back to YULARA around mid-day. I got it to drop me at town square where I enjoyed an overpriced but yummy plate of chips and similar glass of beer at GHECKO'S CAFE, checked out the native art displayed by indigenous artists on the lawns, browsed the shops and then caught the free RESORT SHUTTLE around to the campground for more laundry work. 

PM  -  Late afternoon I wandered out to the bus stop and  waited for the HO/HO BUS to take me on its ULURU SUNSET trip.

ULURU near sunset

ULURU post sunset.

No shortage of coaches and people at the sunset bus area. Non-bus viewing area across road. Best outlook from top of dune behind camera.

This trip returns to YULARA in plenty of time for dinner.

DAY 6 - WEDNESDAY
AAT-KINGS ONE DAY EXCURSION TO KINGS CANYON

I wasn't too sure about this. A mega-early start, over 700km and 8 hours in a bus with a real hard 3.5hour trek half way thru. But I was really determined to see KINGS CANYON and to trek it, so after alternative plans fell through, I went for it. 
It turned out my favourite day.

The AAT coach picked me up at 4.35 AM at the campground bus stop. Guide ANNA and driver JASON were real pros - after giving a basic itinerary of the up trip they shut up and allowed us more sleep. I'm not a good sleeper in transport but after the previous several days of trekking I cut quite a few zzzzs.
Nor long after daybreak we reached KINGS CREEK STATION which is abt. 35km south of the canyon - these folk put on an inclusive buffet brekka which I thought pretty good after my non-cooked efforts in the campground "kitchen".
I checked the rest of the stop zone out because apparently you can camp. I think they have cabins too. (future trips? - nah, but at one stage I had planned to stay in the area).
Lots of touristy stuff for sale.

Arriving at the Canyon (this is abt. 5km off the main road) we split into 2 groups - one doing the tough RIM WALK (6km/3.5hr/rating 4), the second the easier CREEK WALK (shorter/rating 2). I was surprised when 3/4 of us opted for the killer.

This is the nightmare section. RIM WALK starts with 500 very steep, very rough stairs. Guide ANNA stopped at 200 to allow doubters to change minds and descend in time to meet JASON'S group. About 10 returned.
I found fitness no problem, but with stiffness and loss of balance I took the stairs slower than back in the day. ANNA waited at the top - one of many stops where she explained the geology, flora, fauna or history or allowed time for pix. At no time did I think I was holding the group up. Sometimes I arrived mid-pack.
The walk gets easier at the top - average trekkers should have no problems. I still had to go a bit slow on the rougher sections.

JASON'S initial creek bed group from 200 steps.

ANNA gives us the drum. I found her an excellent communicator and a font of knowledge. S
he urged us to drink plenty of water on this 35degree day. I had a 2 liter bladder with mouthpiece-tube in my backpack from my 2015 10 hour trek in the GRAND CANYON on a similar day - I stick the mouthpiece over my shoulder and sip as needed - it proved excellent. The bus had plenty of water and electrolyte to replenish stocks.

Lower canyon from high on the north rim.

At about 60% of the trek the canyon narrows and after descending a bit you cross to the other side on a short metal bridge. These wooden stairs take you to the top of the southern rim - easy-peasy after the many more rough stone steps at the start.
If you head left at the bottom of the stairs, a few minutes, an irregular trail gets you to the GARDEN OF EDEN WATERHOLE. 

The GE WATERHOLE is permanent but no swimming - no matter; KINGS CANYON RESORT where we later have lunch has a pool.
I have seen pix of a waterfall into this pool - must have been soon after heavy rain. No swimming but lotsa shade.

The narrow eastern end of the gorge - the GE WATERHOLE is down there somewhere.

The descent on the southern rim was more gradual (thank God!) and 3.5 hours from the start we reached the coach. JASON had returned from the creek walk in time to drive participants to the helicopter site were some chose an extra-cost overflight.
Then it was onboard for the short run (6km out to the highway; turn right, go another 10km) to the lunch stop at KINGS CANYON RESORT.

KCR seems a better option for canyon visitors than our breakfast stop, KINGS CREEK STATION - it's bigger, has a much better dining room/bar and campground incl pool etc. We had an hour for lunch (we pay). I had a toasted sandwich and beer - the price while high was more reasonable than at AYERS ROCK RESORT.

The drive home seemed less than 4 hours - ANNA and JASON kept us entertained with facts about the history and characters of the area in between silent periods to allow us more shut-eye. We had 2 stops:
1 - MOUNT CONNOR 
This ULURU look-alike is106 km west of YULARA. It's actually a mesa with lower areas protected from erosion by a hard cap of sandstone and is on the grounds of  CURTAIN SPRINGS station (our next stop). You can do paid tours from there or YULARA.
There is a dedicated viewing area beside the highway. Across the road is a sandhill viewpoint where to the north you can see part of LAKE AMADEUS, a salt lake which caused lots of grief to early explorers. 



2 - CURTAIN SPRINGS WAYSIDE INN 

Another 15km closer to YULARA, this roadhouse is the original homestead of the huge cattle station of CURTAIN SPRINGS -station and roadhouse developed by the SEVERIN FAMILY.  We stopped for abt a half hour - I had a beer which I thought reasonably priced given the isolation.
There are eats, drinks and touristy stuff to buy, pay showers and you can stay in pay cabins and the free campground (which is all red dirt - but hey, you can't complain about the price). Closeness to ULURU means plenty of RV people camp for free and drive in for a few days.
Back when I thought I could get a reasonably priced rental car I originally planned to spend a few nights here. COVID ruined everything.

It took the bus less than an hour to get me back to YULARA campground - late afternoon but in plenty of time for dinner.

THE BIG QUESTION:
Is KINGS CANYON better than ULARA/KATA TJUTA? Despite this claim from many I reckon it's about the same and  certainly worth the long trip. But wouldn't travel to the red center to see it alone. Note travelers from ALICE can come by way of the WEST MCDONALD RANGES which have many touristy spots. You save many kms coming that way but will need a 4wd.
From Yulara, if you haven't your own transport, the AAT-KINGS daytrip is the way to do it.
Note without a bus you will need a car at the Canyon - there is no accommodation at the canyon, and KINGS CANYON RESORT is too far to walk.
AAT also run an exxy non-daytour bus YULARA to KCR, but I couldn't work out how to get to the canyon from there. I'm a world class hitcher btw - but scarce traffic and post COVID caution ruled that out.

THURSDAY - DAY 7
I woke exhausted. I figured I had trekked over 50kms (many on steep/rough trails) the previous 6 days and the cramped tent didn't help overnight recovery. Scoffers cut me a break - I'm a 77 yo cancer survivor, not as durable as back in the day. So I determined to make this a day of rest. 
Well not quite - I did more laundry, checked the campsite's own viewpoint (not quite as good as the central IMALUNG VIEWPOINT but closer to my tent at 450m vs 850), then wandered across to the TOWN SQUARE via IMALUNG itself, for another plate of chips and a beer.

FRIDAY - DAY 8. 
DRAMA - arrived at airport to find flight cancelled - missed 6am Jetstar email because I haven't a smart phone. "We never have flight cancellations" the town square tour office had assured me the day before. I guess there's always a first time.
Jetstar desk girl booked me onto tomorrow's flight - took 2 hours to find me accommodation - this in a town the bus driver back in reckoned had 4000 spare bed because the hotter days of Spring were already affecting bookings. Go figure.

My digs were in DESERT GARDENS, one of the flash AYERS ROCK RESORT hotels on the circle. Positives include a big room, clean, well equipped, effective climate control which kept room temp at 24C day and night, comfy twin king beds, nice pool (kids assured me water cold) a good associated free art gallery and film theater, 5 mins walk to Town Square and a largely indigenous staff which seemed to do everything well. I witnessed a staff act of kindness not seen in 60+years of hotel stays.
DESERT GARDENS room big enough.

Negatives include a mouse in the room (probably my fault: left the sliding door to the back courtyard open too long), slightly temperamental hot water, carpets near replacement, gardens which didn't sock me in the eye and nose-bleed prices (the room tariff was 2 or 3 times similar places in Sydney, Surfers or Cairns; the food prices blew my $30 Jetstar food allowance in one hit at dinner - the shredded-beef burger in the bistro cost $30 alone. Leaving zero for the $14 beer to wash it down). And zero for breakfast next morning. I found out the nice looking buffet breakfast cost $40 - well above my pension grade. The IGA which has cheaper stuff didn't open until 10.30 but luckily the SHELL with its less exxy food was only an 800m walk (the Resort Shuttle which passes by the SHELL doesn't start starts until 10.30).
I figure either Jetstar's food voucher policy was formulated when it started back in '03 when $30 would buy both dinner and breakfast at the COOLANGATTA GREENMOUNT.....or.....big boss ALAN JOYCE doesn't eat breakfast.

SATURDAY - DAY 9
YULARA airport was a circus with 2 hr queue to check in and a slow, mega-pedantic security check. Consequently we took off 10mins late, landed even later due to near airport air traffic. Sydney airport a similar circus - bags slow to start coming out and my bag last out.
Trip home a bit tricky - trackwork meant buses replaced trains the first 35 km to Waterfall but Central Station inundated with footy fans going to a night game so info was poor, and train from Waterfall stopped every station and didn't exceed 60kmh. Consequently I didn't get home until 11.45pm after dragging my bag 2km from the station (and I live in a very hilly town) - LADY TEZZA was away from home and I'm such a tight-wad I refused to order a taxi. I mean 2km is nothing compared to what I'd done the previous week or so.




 








 










 

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