The "spring" that the white man found here was just a small pond where rainwater gathered, but it was this pond that was the source of the Arrernte people's survival. ∑, red soil, desert, telegraph station, and "spring" together are life.
In fact, when traveling, it is often the moment that touches you. This time, An Qingju and Yunluo were deeply moved by Bob Taylor, the host of the Aboriginal dinner tour at Embantua on the last night in Alice Springs, because of his passion for travel.
His understanding of Aboriginal culture, his love for the profession of chef and his infinite sincerity. Bob is an Aboriginal tour guide and chef as well as the owner of RT Tour.
At 4pm, Bob came to the hotel to pick up An Qingju and Yunluo. He was a dark-skinned aboriginal who looked kind and healthy. His family was from the Arrernte people of Rainbow Valley (Ral Australia). He spoke very good English and told An Qingju and Yunluo that he was actually sent to a white school when he was a child.
He went to university in Sydney. Because he loves cooking and being a chef, he returned to Alice Springs and opened this Aboriginal tasting travel agency, hoping that through his efforts he could help tourists understand Australia's indigenous culture and food culture.
Today's journey started at 4am, and it was almost 10pm when we finished our dinner at Bob's. This day was long, but also short. In this empty and silent desert night, my body was tired but my heart could not sleep; I looked up at the night sky, and suddenly a shooting star passed by. I didn't have time to capture it with my camera, so I just made a wish in my heart; this wish is getting closer and closer to Yunluo.
Leaving Alice Springs, An Qingju and Yun Luo started their first four-wheel drive desert trip in the Red Center Desert, and headed to the next destination, the Valley of the Kings (), via the world-famous "Red Center Highway" (nearly 400 kilometers). The road is full of magical and ever-changing desert scenery.
Along the way, various unique geological landscapes show the past of the earth and also convey to An Qingju and Yunluo the traces of the past of the Aboriginal people. It is said that in the legend of the Arrernte Aboriginal people, the Simpson Rift was the home of a group of Australian goanna ancestors called Rungutjirpa.
The Aboriginal name for Ellery Cave is udepata, and the steady water supply makes it a special gathering place for the Arrernte Aboriginal people. The beautiful, shady canyons in the park are the best shelter for various plants and animals. As a result, some plants that are unique in the world grow here, and there are even species left over from the past tropical forest period.
For example, the MacDonnell Ranges cycads are common in the northern part of the park and the Rungutjirpa Mountains. Wildlife also regards this place as a paradise. Many rare birds, such as the peregrine falcon, make their home here.
From Alice Springs to Kings Valley to Uluru, An Qingju and Yunluo joined the Australian Uluru Chinese tour group. Their company is the only Chinese local travel agency certified for tourism in the Northern Territory.
The guide who came to pick up An Qingju and Yunluo was Owen, who is also the only qualified guide in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The wild journey in the Red Centre started from leaving Alice Springs Hotel at 10 am.
Various unnamed desert plants grow vigorously along this road; you may come across busy spiny horned lizards inadvertently; see clear springs running through the canyons; and catch a glimpse of the king of the sky in the inland desert, the Cerberus eagle.
You can't use ordinary cars on this road. Only 4wd four-wheel drive cars can drive on such a wild desert road! The big Isuzu above is the car that led An Qingju and Yunluo through the red soil desert.
The road the car drove on was full of red dust. It reminded Yunluo of the song "Red Dust Rolls", but such a lingering red dust rolls is not suitable to be sung on this road.
The best way to visit the Valley of the Kings is to hike, and in the desert you should avoid being exposed to the sun at noon, so the best time to climb the Valley of the Kings is usually early morning and evening. So the next day, An Qingju and Yun Luo got up at 5:30 and made an appointment with the tour guide Owen to climb the Valley of the Kings at 6:00.
Hiking in the Valley of the Kings usually takes three hours. Owen specifically told An Qingjue and Yunluo to bring enough water, because the most feared thing in the desert is water shortage.
The Kings Canyon is more than 1,000 meters long and has a height difference of 270 meters. It is the deepest, steepest and most spectacular canyon in Australia. It is known as the "Grand Canyon of Australia" and is also the most worthwhile attraction to explore in Watarrka National Park.
The huge drop, the nearly vertical cliffs, and the huge "scar" that seems to have been cut by a knife, the extraordinary momentum of the Emperor Valley is indeed worthy of its domineering name.
Standing in front of this canyon that has spanned more than 300 million years, the vicissitudes of history, the weight of time, and the power of nature, everything is breathtaking. The sky seems to be much lower than usual, as if it is right above your head and within reach.
The rocks in the Imperial Valley are stacked in layers and have impressive shapes. As long as you are willing to explore and give full play to your imagination, you can find rocks of various shapes and your own memories of the Imperial Valley.
The Valley of the Kings in the photo is a spectacular and warm red, but when you get closer, you will find that these rocks have richer colors, white, red, purple, and are as colorful as a dream that has lasted for 300 million years. Few people would have thought that there is a different world in such a rugged and majestic canyon, hiding an oasis called Eden.
Rows of natural water holes, a variety of lush green desert plants, and red canyon cliffs make it hard to believe that you are in the desert of central Australia.
The climb to the Valley of the Kings was on a rainy morning. The desert rain came and went quickly, so An Qingju and Yunluo needed to complete a three-hour hike in the Valley of the Kings before the sun scorched them. The Valley of the Kings was discovered by explorers in the early 20th century, and has since been considered a challenge by professional and amateur explorers.
Apart from the original fault stairs, the only thing An Qingjue and Yun Luo could walk on was the steep plank road seen in the picture.
Fortunately, just when the burning red makes their eyes a little tired, An Qingjue and Yunluo are always surprised to find a deep valley suddenly appearing in front of them, a green area, a clear pool, just like the Garden of Eden in the desert. The man in the hat and shirt in the picture above is An Qingjue and Yunluo's tour guide Owen.
When Yunluo was sighing at his luck to witness this moment of change in the world over billions of years, the occasional desert lizard or rock kangaroo that popped out, as well as those ancient plants that inadvertently caught his eye, all vied with each other to show off the tenacity of life to people.
Here, the sky is right above, very close, within reach. It seems that it can hear Yunluo's heavy breathing and accelerated heartbeat as he climbs the mountain. There are also those layers upon layers, those staggered and orderly, and those immortal greens dotted in the canyon.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
The limestone cliffs formed by the accumulation of hills on the top of the Valley of the Kings are rich in iron and turn orange-red after oxidation. The orange-red limestone has regular checkerboard-like cracks after being exposed to the sun and rain. As weathering continues, the edges of the cracks are worn away, slowly forming the current dome-like or honeycomb-like appearance, like immovable sand dunes.
About three hours later, a huge rock suddenly jumped into view. I was a little stunned: Is this the legendary center of the world?
This is the largest and oldest single red rock in the world. It has been telling the legendary stories of this land in the center of Australia. Yun Luo has been close to it in his dreams more than once, and now he can finally listen to his heartbeat by his side.
We arrived at the long-dreamed Uluru (Ayers Rock) after traveling through time. I could hardly believe my eyes. Uluru is the only attraction in Australia that has been rated as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. Mysterious, spectacular, and gorgeous... these words cannot describe it in full. It is right before our eyes.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is the largest single rock in the world, 348 meters high and 9.4 kilometers in circumference. The ochre-red rock stands tall and straight in the vast desert, piercing the sky, like a huge red heart of Australia, standing slightly to the left of the center of Australia.
Uluru Ayers Rock has an iron content of up to 30%, which is simply a huge iron ore. There are many different opinions about the reason why Uluru changes color, but geologists conclude that it is related to its structure.
Ayers Rock is mainly composed of red gravel with a very high iron content. The oxides on the surface of the rock will constantly change color under the different angles of sunlight during the day. This wonderful change of light and shadow adds infinite fantasy and magic to Ayers Rock. (To be continued...)