A weekend with Kristina and Rudy!!

Hello!
I had such a nice vacation with Kristina and Rudy (my sister and her boyfriend) last week! Early Wednesday morning I caught the train down to Sydney to meet up with them. We took the ferry up to Manly beach but it was windy and freezing so we had lunch and then didn't stay long. We walked through the Queen Victoria Building which is a huge shopping center. We made our way over to Darling Harbor where we had drinks by the water and then head over to The Rocks for a really great dinner. We ate at Fish at the Rocks where I had prawns and they were delicious!

The next morning we had an early start. We took a luxury coach up to the Hunter Wine Valley. They took us to 5 different wineries,  a brewery for lunch, a cheese shop where we had a cheese tasting, and then a chocolate shop where we had a chocolate tasting. It was so much fun!! We enjoyed tasting some authentic Australian Wines. Some of our favorites included Semillon, Shiraz, and Moscato. They were consistently delicious at every winery. Once we got back to Sydney we had some really great sushi at a restaurant at The Rocks.

On Friday morning we had another really early start as we made our way to the airport to fly to Uluru (some may know it as Ayers Rock).  This is the massive red rock which is in the outback at the heart of Australia. It has major significance to the Aboriginal people of Australia. When we arrived on Friday afternoon we had a little bit of time to settle into our hotel, The Outback Pioneer, and then we got on a bus to go to the Sounds of Silence dinner. This was a truly fantastic experience and if you ever make your way to the outback I highly recommend it! The first thing we did at this dinner was have champagne as we watched the sunset near Uluru. They served us Australian hors d'oeuvres which allowed us to sample both crocodile and kangaroo. We then moved to the dinner area which was lit by candle light and the digeridoo (aboriginal instrument) playing in the background.We were served wine and then helped ourselves to a buffet dinner where we got to try more Australian foods including more kangaroo and berramundi (a type of fish). After that a stargazer came out to explain the southern sky to us and pointed out some constellations we have never seen before as well as some of the stories behind them. They had telescopes set up as well. One was pointed towards Saturn and you could actually see the rings around the planet. The other was facing towards the blue moon where you could see the surface. Stargazing was followed up by dessert, my favorite meal of the day! After that we headed back to the hotel and went straight to bed!

Saturday was an extremely early morning as we were up well before sunrise. We had another bus ride to a viewing area so we could see the affect the sunrise has on the color of Uluru. It changes shades throughout the day so we were excited to see it at sunrise. The tour company served us coffee, tea, and breakfast cookies as we enjoyed the sunrise. After that was finished we got back on the bus and went on our walking tour of Uluru. We had a great guide who told us all about the amazing landscape, the Aboriginal people, their stories, and all sorts of facts about Uluru. It was our chance to really get up close to the rock. Its amazing how much intricate detail there is to the rock once you are up close to it. There are water holes all around it, aboriginal paintings, and different features all over the place. The tour we were on highlighted the main parts of it. We then headed to the cultural center where we learned more about the local aboriginals and their culture. We also hit up the gift shop (of course!) After that we grabbed some lunch and rested up for a bit since we were so tired from our late night and early morning! Once we had a bit of a nap we headed to the camel farm. We took the camel express tour where we rode camels for about an hour with Uluru and the near by Olgas (more big rocks) in the distance. Can you believe I rode a camel?! I can't! It was awesome!! After that we went back to the hotel and had a BBQ dinner where we got to cook our own meat (again crocodile, kangaroo, emu).

Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel, did some shopping and flew back to Sydney. From there, I caught the train back to school and Kristina and Rudy head up to Cairns to go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. I am so happy that I got to spend so much time with them! I'm also very happy that I made it to the outback. Its definitely a unique part of Australia and I am so glad I got to experience it.
Until next time,
Kimmy

The Queen Victoria building

Kristina and I on the ferry to Manly

Kristina, Rudy, and I at Manly

One of the wineries we visited. Iron Bark Hill. It was our favorite of the day! They had the BEST Moscato!

The three of us at Tempus Two, another winery. It had a very modern feel to it!

My chocolate koala bear I got at the chocolate tasting!

The hotel we stayed at in the outback

This is what the outback looks like!! It was unusually green because of the amount of rain they have had. That red sand gets everywhere!

A demonstration of Aboriginal dance

Uluru at sunset!

On our way to Sounds of Silence!

Sounds of Silence Dinner

Uluru at sunrise!

Sunrise at the outback!

A watering hole by the rock

Aboriginal paintings

This photo shows the chain that people use to climb Uluru. Climbing the rock is considered very disrespectful to the Aboriginal people and their culture. It is strongly discouraged. It is also very dangerous. 32 people have died in the attempt. The reason they keep the chain there is because they figure that people will climb the rock anyways so they leave the chain in hopes that fewer people are injured. At the cultural center you can sign a book that says "I did not climb Uluru!" to show your respect for the rock. 

Meeting a camel!

Riding camels!

Uluru in the background!

So much fun! 

Cooking dinner!