birth control.
http://www.shitmykidsruined.com
this website is doing it right.
mercredi, juin 29, 2011
mardi, juin 28, 2011
sydney - kata tjuta & uluru sunset tour
after a burger at gecko's cafe (yeah, i'll do sports and lose weight when i get back, screw this), back on the road to visit walpa gorge within the kata tjuta conglomerate.
from environment.gov.au:
from environment.gov.au:"Uluru and Kata Tjuta lie near the southern margin of an area geologists call the Amadeus Basin. This depression in the Earth's crust formed about 900 million years ago, and received layer upon layer of sediment over several hundred million years. This stopped about 300 million years ago.
At times the Amadeus Basin was a shallow sea collecting these sediments. Some of it was blocked off from the sea and the water evaporated leaving crusted salt. A cold period left deposits of glacial rock.
These bare mountains eroded easily. Huge amounts of sediment washed away when it rained and formed alluvial fans adjacent to the ranges. It is the remains of at least two of these alluvial fans that are seen today as Uluru and Kata Tjuta."
couldn't say better.
afternoon light on uluru in the distance.
the entry of kata tjuta's walpa gorge
again, erosion wins the art contest.
can't get much redder than that. you know, it kinda reminds me of the red sand you find in the canyon regions in the US...
this is it. this is as far as it gets. walk in any direction now and you'll end up stumbling upon civilization. this is one of the few emptiest spaces remaining on earth. along with the sahara desert and siberia.
nearing the end of the gorge
uluru is mainly made of coarse-grained arkose, a sort of sandstone with much feldspar in it, as well as some conglomerate. on the other hand, kata tjuta's 36 domes consist mainly of conglomerate (sedimentary rock composed by cobbles and boulders of varying rock types, including granite and basalt), held together by sandstone.
walpa gorge, been there, done that.
the domes, in the already declining afternoon sun.
back to uluru and the sunset viewing area, where we were offered drinks (wines and lemonade) and nibbles (shape crackers and dried fruit).
and here we are. orangeness.
they see me rollin', they hatin'
i think i succeeded in finding the most ridiculous cap around.
again, the rock blazes in the dying sunrays.
again, a marvellous show.
the sun sets as quickly as it rises. incredible.
notice that blue part in the sky that rises as the sun sets? it's the earth shadow. It is bounded above by the pinkish antitwilight arch and below by the horizon.
from webexhibits.org:
"The sky’s strong color and brightness near sunset begin with small particles in the relatively thick lower atmosphere being illuminated by direct (reddened) sunlight. As the sun sets, the boundary between the earth’s shadow and the antitwilight arch rises in the sky and becomes progressively less distinct. As the boundary between the antitwilight arch and the earth’s shadow rises, it reaches an area where the atmosphere is thinner, and less red light is scattered. Eventually, only bluish light is scattered and only this blue light reaches our eyes. Ultimately, the antitwilight arch fades to blue, and the shadow blends smoothly with the deepening blue night sky.
How can we see the earth’s shadow before sunset? Is it geometrically impossible? In fact, its dark bluish rim can be seen several minutes before the sun disappears. Just as a piece of cloudy glass is able to cast its shadow on itself, we can see the shadow of the translucent atmosphere cast on itself."
the next day, it's back to sydney!
bye bye kata tjuta
view of uluru from the plane...
yeah! i got em! i got both! and there's not too much haze! yeehaw!
just before sydney, the blue mountains again. unfortunately the plane didn't land in the right direction for me to see sydney's bay. will have to wait for the return flight for that :/
so there, awesome week-end, many pictures!
sydney - uluru sunrise tour & cultural walk
so, woke up at 5 am on saturday morning and actually managed to run to the common bathroom just in time to avoid being turned into an icicle.
this is what you see when your coach reaches the sunrise viewing area. pretty dark aye?
gettin a bit lighter...
kata tjuta, far left
it's about to start...
yes, that beanie makes me look dumb. and i don't give a rat's arse about it, i'm warm :D
actually one of the tour guides offered me 10 bucks for my gloves...
they gave us hot beverages and little biscuits as breakfast. i think i'm gonna start venerating the great arnott's parrot.
then the sun came out, quick and efficient. went from not there to full ball in less than 2 minutes. a grand sight to behold.
i think that would be decent background music for that moment.
it was so beautiful, so quiet, so empty. the first rays of the sun blazing over uluru's sides is an unforgettable sight. to be seen at least once in a lifetime.
in the distance, kata tjuta displays a lovely show as well. i think it's underrated, too overwhelmed by uluru.
after witnessing the sunrise, there was a guided walk along uluru's flanks.
the rock's true color isn't that orange/red actually; that's just the sand coating it. it's silvery-grey beneath in fact.
a very, very dry desert indeed. ahem.
the grey streaks are where the water mostly flows when it rains.
this is said to represent Lungkata the blue-tongued lizard. in aboriginal lore, it was very lazy and slow; upon meeting two human friends, hunters who had hurt an emu and were tracking it down, he lied to them by telling them he hadn't seen the bird, which in fact he had spotted, stole their prey and hid in a cave with the meat. so the blokes made a fire to engulf said cave in smoke and get Lungkata out to seek revenge and kill the liar and thief.
this teaches kids not to lie or steal, and to hunt lizards by putting smokes into the holes they live in to make them run out.
the walk was 3km long only; to fully go around the rock, it would be 9.6km long.
the willie wagtail, or jitta jitta according to the anangu, the local aboriginal people, named after the chirping sounds it produces. it is reputed to spread gossip and doesn't have a very good reputation among the anangu.
this is supposed to represent a tjita tjita. with the head on the left.
the rock has a very cold and surprising feel. its temperature is generally 5°c higher than the air's. in summer, when it's 50°c in the shade, the rock can be as hot as 60°c and makes the climb even more treacherous. last summer, apparently, a family of mexicans tried to climb the rock with crocs; obviously, after a few meters, the crappy plastic shoes melted and their feet were burnt to blisters. 3rd degree burns, they had to be flown by helicopter to the medic centre. stupid, stupid, stupid, dammit. contraceptive pills should be compulsory below a certain IQ or something.
and still we reel around the sun...
there is a sacred side of uluru (among many) that people aren't allowed to photograph. it's said to be kuniya piti, the place where kuniya, the mother snake (people identify to their animal totems) came to lay her eggs. the waves along the rock's surface are said to be the traces she left.
her eggs never cracked, because she never came back. that's because she met her nephew, who had been hurt by another tribe for breaking their law. his puncture wounds are represented above. (see the cute heart up there? ^^) he died and she mourned him sorely, not without seeking revenge on the foe tribe's members, who had been rude to her.
this story is meant to teach children to respect your elders.
the multitjulu waterhole at uluru's foot. not very drinkable water, as it doesn't move and allowed lots of bacteria to develop. one good thing to do if you're in dire need of water, is to filter it through some tissue; it should make the liquid safer to gulp.
rock paintings, used to illustrate stories told to children by teacher elders. the U shapes depict sitting people, the concentric circles, waterholes. the kids were taught where to find food and water, how to track animals, etc. later, initiation for adulthood was split between genders; men didn't know what women learnt and conversely.
after this lovely walk and all the stories told by our excellent guide (niall if you're reading this, great job!), we were taken further around the rock, to the climbing area.
in the late morning, it's a red center alright!
on the right, this is the slope on which some crazy folks climb. it's kinda pointless, horribly dangerous (the number of sprained ankles and dehydrated people...) and the anangu don't like it if you step on their rock. i guess it would be as if someone wanted to climb, i dunno, the kaaba, that great cube relic that stands in mecca. so might as well save everyone the trouble and look at uluru from the ground or the air without climbing it, right? no?... dammit tourists!
the only piece of safety on that very steep climb, is a single metal railing that runs along part of it. you have to do the first and last coupla meters for yourself. i'd actually ask to be paid to climb that thing. omg heights.
another little walk :)
OMG this thing is gonna melt on me! halp! or not.
erosion has an artistic sense that i fancy.
aaaand that's it for the morning :) next, kata tjuta (aka the olgas) and sunset on uluru!
this is what you see when your coach reaches the sunrise viewing area. pretty dark aye?
gettin a bit lighter...
kata tjuta, far left
it's about to start...
yes, that beanie makes me look dumb. and i don't give a rat's arse about it, i'm warm :Dactually one of the tour guides offered me 10 bucks for my gloves...
they gave us hot beverages and little biscuits as breakfast. i think i'm gonna start venerating the great arnott's parrot.
then the sun came out, quick and efficient. went from not there to full ball in less than 2 minutes. a grand sight to behold.
i think that would be decent background music for that moment.
it was so beautiful, so quiet, so empty. the first rays of the sun blazing over uluru's sides is an unforgettable sight. to be seen at least once in a lifetime.
in the distance, kata tjuta displays a lovely show as well. i think it's underrated, too overwhelmed by uluru.
after witnessing the sunrise, there was a guided walk along uluru's flanks.
the rock's true color isn't that orange/red actually; that's just the sand coating it. it's silvery-grey beneath in fact.
a very, very dry desert indeed. ahem.
the grey streaks are where the water mostly flows when it rains.
this is said to represent Lungkata the blue-tongued lizard. in aboriginal lore, it was very lazy and slow; upon meeting two human friends, hunters who had hurt an emu and were tracking it down, he lied to them by telling them he hadn't seen the bird, which in fact he had spotted, stole their prey and hid in a cave with the meat. so the blokes made a fire to engulf said cave in smoke and get Lungkata out to seek revenge and kill the liar and thief.this teaches kids not to lie or steal, and to hunt lizards by putting smokes into the holes they live in to make them run out.
the walk was 3km long only; to fully go around the rock, it would be 9.6km long.
the willie wagtail, or jitta jitta according to the anangu, the local aboriginal people, named after the chirping sounds it produces. it is reputed to spread gossip and doesn't have a very good reputation among the anangu.
this is supposed to represent a tjita tjita. with the head on the left.
the rock has a very cold and surprising feel. its temperature is generally 5°c higher than the air's. in summer, when it's 50°c in the shade, the rock can be as hot as 60°c and makes the climb even more treacherous. last summer, apparently, a family of mexicans tried to climb the rock with crocs; obviously, after a few meters, the crappy plastic shoes melted and their feet were burnt to blisters. 3rd degree burns, they had to be flown by helicopter to the medic centre. stupid, stupid, stupid, dammit. contraceptive pills should be compulsory below a certain IQ or something.
and still we reel around the sun...
there is a sacred side of uluru (among many) that people aren't allowed to photograph. it's said to be kuniya piti, the place where kuniya, the mother snake (people identify to their animal totems) came to lay her eggs. the waves along the rock's surface are said to be the traces she left.her eggs never cracked, because she never came back. that's because she met her nephew, who had been hurt by another tribe for breaking their law. his puncture wounds are represented above. (see the cute heart up there? ^^) he died and she mourned him sorely, not without seeking revenge on the foe tribe's members, who had been rude to her.
this story is meant to teach children to respect your elders.
the multitjulu waterhole at uluru's foot. not very drinkable water, as it doesn't move and allowed lots of bacteria to develop. one good thing to do if you're in dire need of water, is to filter it through some tissue; it should make the liquid safer to gulp.
rock paintings, used to illustrate stories told to children by teacher elders. the U shapes depict sitting people, the concentric circles, waterholes. the kids were taught where to find food and water, how to track animals, etc. later, initiation for adulthood was split between genders; men didn't know what women learnt and conversely.
after this lovely walk and all the stories told by our excellent guide (niall if you're reading this, great job!), we were taken further around the rock, to the climbing area.
in the late morning, it's a red center alright!
on the right, this is the slope on which some crazy folks climb. it's kinda pointless, horribly dangerous (the number of sprained ankles and dehydrated people...) and the anangu don't like it if you step on their rock. i guess it would be as if someone wanted to climb, i dunno, the kaaba, that great cube relic that stands in mecca. so might as well save everyone the trouble and look at uluru from the ground or the air without climbing it, right? no?... dammit tourists!
the only piece of safety on that very steep climb, is a single metal railing that runs along part of it. you have to do the first and last coupla meters for yourself. i'd actually ask to be paid to climb that thing. omg heights.
another little walk :)
OMG this thing is gonna melt on me! halp! or not.
erosion has an artistic sense that i fancy.
aaaand that's it for the morning :) next, kata tjuta (aka the olgas) and sunset on uluru!
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