Anangu Sunrise/Sunset Tour of Uluru

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, spiritual center of the Anangu Aborigine tribe.

Concept: You pay $50 to watch the rising sun turn Uluru, the world's largest monolith, 100 different shades of pink, orange and brown, learn about the history and mythology of the rock by walking along its base with an aborigine guide throughout the morning and afternoon, then watch the setting sun turn the rock 100 different shades of pink, orange and brown once again.

Set-up: Buses cart hordes of sleepy-eyed tourists out to an observation point on the east side of the rock in the wee hours. After the sunrise, the Anangu tour (named for the indigenous people) drops the group off at the cultural center, where you meet your Anangu guide and interpreter (the tours are conducted in the native tongue). As you walk to and around portions of the rock, the guides stop frequently along the way to tell myths relating to the natural markings and features, or to demonstrate a facet of food-gathering or tool-making that allowed the culture to subsist out in the middle of nowhere for over 20,000 years. After some "incidental" downtime in and around the gift shop, the bus arrives again to cart the group over to the west side of the rock for the sunset.

This rock formation is described as the head of Mnme Kuniya, the python woman, looking back at Uluru.

Highlights

• Listening to the legend of Wati Liru (Snake Man) and Mnme Koniya (Python Woman), whose epic battle gave rise to Uluru and gave the rock its distinctive features
• Watching a spear throwing contest between the guides
• Learning how to make glue from the desert weeds and a number of accessories from human hair
• Trying to imagine what life was like in "naked times," when there was nothing to eat but lizards, berries, and the odd emu.
• Discovering which tree leaf the Anangu men used to chew to get a buzz

An Anangu guide makes glue by burning a specific weed found in the underbrush.

Lowlights

• Humoring the woman from Texas who kept interjecting, "Sounds like my brother" during the tale of the larcenous Wati Lungkata (Blue-tongued Lizard Man), a joke she did not tire of
• Watching a hushed and solemn demonstration of how fires were lit in naked times given by two men smoking cigarettes (bummed from a German couple) that they had lit with a disposable lighter just moments before
• Hearing a distinctly American voice suggest with sincere conviction (and a slight hint of disgust) that certain trees be chopped down to improve the view
• The clouding out of both the sunrise and the sunset – no fucking joke

A diagram of one of the Anangu creation myths. This one involves Wati Lungkata, the blue-tongued lizard man. Yo, pass that roach...

Notable: The biggest controversy brewing at Uluru – now that the ownership dispute has been resolved – is whether or not visitors should be allowed to climb to the top. It is considered by aborigines to be the most sacred ground on the entire continent. For over 20,000 years, it was the focal point of the Anangu mythology and culture. Without the watering holes created by the rock's grooves and ravines, the civilization and the wildlife in the region could not have survived. While the Australian government ran the park without input from the Anangu, however, a chain climbing rope was installed (literally drilled into the rock) on one of the more gentle slopes. It is generally a safe climb, and quite popular with the outdoor adrenaline set to which Oz so lovingly caters. But to the Anangu, climbing Uluru is tantamount to scaling the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, just to sit on his head and have a picnic, or perhaps take a piss. In fact, it is this latter pastime that has compelled the Anangu to stop drinking from the watering holes that had sustained their ancestors for so many millennia. The Anangu are taking a pass on that run-off, but unfortunately, not many tourists are taking a pass on the climb.

Me, Sammy and Christine, standing in front of Uluru.

What I Learned: The Anangu tribe existed without contact with any other culture until the 1860s. Since that time, western civilization has worked its magic quickly, as naked times have been traded for custodian-like park uniforms and Marlboro Lights. .


On to Kata-Tjuta