Cairns to Uluru

Flying from the hot, humid climate of Cairns.... 

to the hot, dry climate of the Red Center.

I have often used the slot at the top of a plane seat back to mount my tablet but this is the first time I had seen a strap in place for just that purpose. 

We had a slight detour on the way.  Seems there wasn't enough fuel to refill the plane at Uluru/Yulara so we landed in Alice Springs to refuel before completing the flight.  During the pandemic, unused planes had to be stored somewhere and the hot dry climate at Alice Spring provided just the spot.  You see the same thing in southern Arizona but planes were stored there even before Covid. 

We were treated to the sight of Uluru from the air before we landed. 

We deplaned on the tarmac and were greeted with this sign as we entered the terminal.  One of the most common questions non-Indigenous people like to ask is: how to say hello in Aboriginal? There's no one answer to that question given there are hundreds of different Aboriginal languages. Palya is a Pintupi language word used as a greeting much in the same way that two friends would say hello in English.

Warning notice inside the terminal

It's a small terminal and there's only one baggage claim belt. 

Three buses were waiting outside to take us to Ayers Rock Resort.

I thought the roads were really skinny but the speed was 110 kph or approximately 68 mph.

First view of Uluru from the ground. Wikipedia tells me that, "Uluru / Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, 335 km (208 mi) southwest of Alice Springs.  Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Aṉangu. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Uluru and Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.  Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks and has been a popular destination for tourists since the late 1930s. It is also one of the most important indigenous sites in Australia."  The "T" in Tjuta is silent.

 

The remote control for the heater/air conditioner unit, is mounted on the wall next to the light switches that can only be operated if the key is in the slot next to it.  If the key isn't in the slot, you don't have lights or air conditioning.