Day 6: Uluru (Yulara) to Coober Pedy (786 km. Total now 4,398 km)

From this point onwards; it's all just about getting home... Well, not to say that I'm no longer seeking for adventure but it felt that I have been to where I want to be and have achieved what I am here to achieve so I was just aiming for a smooth and enjoyable ride home... I hope...

There's something funny, well, more like embarrassing to me about this pic. This is Mt. Connor and this pic was taken at the Mt. Connor Lookout along the Lasseter Highway between Erldunda and Yulara on my return journey. On my way to Uluru the day before, I had probably missed the sign that tells me that this is Mt. Connor and I had mistakenly thought this is the Red Centre (Ayers Rock). How excited I was that I have reached my destination, punched my hand in the air triumphantly and only a moment later began to notice that the shape of the mountain is not quite the same as Ayers Rock I had remembered all along. I quickly came to realization when I saw that according to my SatNav, I am still a long way away from Ayers Rock! It's a good thing no one was around at that time... Haha!

The journey to Erldunda felt shorter this time and I stopped again for another fill up, preparing for the long stretch after that. I did my routine check around the bike to find if anything is amiss and all the panniers, top box and the tied-on items are properly secured. Then  I noticed something odd about my front brake caliper. It looks like something; like a cover, was missing. I took this pic and send it to my service guy in Brisbane. I hope nothing was wrong.

As I finished my drink and was about to go fill up, two guys on GS (BMW R1200GS - all terrain bike) rode into the service station. They saw me and waved so I thought I'd go over and say hi to them. They are two Hungarians who are here for a holiday. They rented the bikes (no wonder they look brand new!) and off for a ride from Melbourne to Darwin with a stop over in Uluru. Now, THAT's the kind of holiday for me! I also took the opportunity to compare their brake calipers with mine and fortunately, they look just the same! So, nothing to worry about. Here's the pic of me with one of them. The other guy doesn't seem to speak English well, so he had to be the photographer!

This is the sign as I left Northern Territory and enters South Australia. Hey, I've covered three states already so far!








Remember I said I was hoping for a smooth and enjoyable ride? This is where the first of the series of tests begins. Test one: Wind! With the flat terrain and virtually nothing on either side of the road to block the wind on this stretch, you are so exposed. The combined weight between the bike, me and the things I carry could have easily been close to 400 kg but we were swept easily by the wind and it was a tough job trying to maintain the bike on course. There's no point stopping either as rest areas along this stretch are all just an empty space with nowhere to hide! I remember stopping at one rest area and came across this couple in their motorhome enjoying their hot beverages inside the warmth and comfort of their motorhome. I don't suppose knocking on their door asking for a cup of hot coffee would be a good idea so I just ride on for the next two hours in the strong wind and the fast dropping temperature (this reminds me more like Scotland in autumn!)... Talking about test; imagine riding on 5th gear (on a six-gear bike) at 80 km/h for 2 hours straight, inclined to about 10 degrees! Both tyres were terribly worn out on the right edges!

It started getting dark as I approached Coober Pedy. I had listed this as one of the places to visit and spend at least a night there because I heard so much of it on (1) the opal centre of Australia and (2) the underground living of the people there - apparently the only way to get away from the scorching heat of the area is to build everything underground - how fascinating, I thought.

This was my first view as I entered the town. It was about dusk but darker due to the rain clouds. It was something about the town that gave me an uneasy feeling. If you're old enough to have watched Twilight Zone; you know what I mean. The whole town has that Twilight Zone feeling about it. As if something is not quite right or something terribly wrong is about to happen but I'm the only one who doesn't know about it... It's an unexplainable eerie and creepy feeling...



I checked in myself at an underground motel and chose the cheapest room they have - single dorm with communal bathroom and toilet. It's just one night; I thought.

 This is the view going down to my room. Now, imagine, having seen the Twilight Zone town, by now it's getting dark and then were told to go down here 6.5 meter underground to a dungeon-like place to spend the night. I would have really hesitated if not for the many other younger international tourists I saw, just going about happily in their own little groups.I quickly unload my stuffs then went out looking for something to eat. It wasn't that scary after all once you get used to it, really, I was convincing myself...

This is the room. No window, no power outlet and no night light! I thought it would be pitch dark once I turned out the light but there were nice little crevices in the wall that allows the corridor light to shine in. I also noticed there's a gap between the laminated-wood wall and the ceiling which means you can hear every word from your neighbours! On the far end of the corridor there are three very chatty elderly Aussie ladies and a man who keep chatting throughout the night. Next to me were 2 young European ladies with a guy and they were giggling away too and in between them were two young Japanese ladies who were "whispering" and must be complaining about the other two groups. It was tough trying to get to sleep in such a merry neighbourhood but I think I must have finally dozed off at some point... and this time, it would be them complaining! Haha... zzzzzzzzzzzzz....!!!!

I dreamt that night that I dug out the biggest and rarest opal in the whole area and became the envy of all!

Day 6: Heading home...

I managed to wake up early this morning despite not sleeping well last night. It was raining but nothing was going to stop me from witnessing sunrise at Uluru today. Arrived there just in time for the first break of light and it was beautiful. There were buses and buses of tourists there as well but I don't seem to notice them. Occasionally you would hear comments from them like, "Huh? Is this all?", "...and we're here for an hour for THIS?" and "It looks just the same to me...". Well, I pity them. They were not here because they wanted to be here - it so happens to be in their tour itinerary. I bet most of them would rather be in bed or enjoying the early morning buffet at the resort. For me, you have to be here for a reason to be able to appreciate it. But still, I can't understand why they are not able to appreciate something this majestic. Glory be to God who created all this and all the rest of us on this earth...

I took a series of shots with the camera on my tripod and it was fascinating watching the colour changes by the minute and then how the sky in the background gets brighter and brighter slowly revealing many other beautiful parts of the surrounding. I can't help making full use of the time pondering over the whole journey that took me there. It was not a particularly good year for me. First it was something about work, then my Dad passed away. This trip was in a way to run from it all and at the same time to help me look at things from a different perspective. Sometimes you have to be out to be able to look in and properly see what you have never seen before. It was also meant to pause from the normal rat race routine and put myself in a totally different situation and reflect on everything.

Last night I was busy rearranging my itinerary with the help of my dedicated "home base support". I was planning to join a 3-hour walking tour around the base of Uluru today at 8:00 am. But I also don't want to stay here another night (it costs me $235 for a room last night! Any cheaper options, you'd say... now, that's a story for later...) but I don't think I can reach Coober Pedy by tonight. My wife finally managed to get me a cabin in Erldunda Roadhouse. But that also means, I would have to rush back quickly to hotel now, check out, leave my stuffs at the concierge, no time for breakfast, no time for anything else and quickly return back here for the tour. And after 3 hours wandering around in the desert, I would have to ride to Erldunda at noon!

But hang on... why did I keep doing that? Rush, rush, rush trying to achieve what I want to achieve? So what if I missed the tour. So what if I didn't get to walk around the base of the rock. I just realized; it was probably not about the rock after all... I did the journey. I get to ride my bike for as much as I ever wanted. I have seen interesting stuffs along the way. I arrived here safely and I proved to myself that  I can do it. Perhaps; it was not about the rock after all. Perhaps I found what I was looking for all along... Yes, it then struck upon me. I did. I found what I was looking for! The treasure that I was looking for (for those who have read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho) was where I left it 6 days ago. What matters the most to me, is waiting for me at home, right now!

I quickly gather all my things (hey, but first a few quick self-portrait shots now that all the tourists are gone!) and head straight to my bike. Forget the tour. I found what I was looking for and I'm going home for it now...! Some might say that you don't have to ride your bike alone like an idiot for days in the sun and the rain and the thunderstorm to figure that out... well, good for you then. Maybe it took me the whole journey to figure it out (one guy said, "If you want to find yourself, pegi umrah lah... buat apa nak pegi tengok batu!"). Maybe the rock was only the source that triggers the inspiration. But think about this; and maybe also, the fact that what I had to put myself through and endure for the last 6 days have given me a totally new perspective of everything... The time I spent reflecting, and later on reflecting some more on my previous reflections and all the solitary time I have with only me and my bike have given me the opportunity I never had to think things through, again and again. It was a soul-searching journey indeed. Hence, you will never see what I see and you will never have what I have found...

The "Red Centre" is my heart.

It's time to ride home to what matters the most to me... my family...!

Day 5: Alice Springs to Uluru (536.8 km. Total now 3,613 km)

Last night was obviously not one of the most comfortable night. While I lay there awake in the middle of the night, I recalled that the last time I went camping was probably more than 7 years ago! Perhaps I'm too old for this... Oh how I miss the comfort of a motel room or a cabin...

Anyway, here's the view of our camp site. Not so much of wilderness to be bragged about but at least a certain level on inconvenience that demands a lot of effort to tolerate at this age. The bike is parked just next to the tent so that we can keep a close watch on one another...



Anyway, I woke up extra early this morning, all excited for the big day. If all goes well, we should reach Uluru by this afternoon!

First thing I noticed was that my shoo-roo was actually broken. No wonder the emu was just standing there staring at me the other day! Lucky I brought a spare...

We hit the road while the camping site was still quiet. It was a brilliant weather today and the road around Northern Territory was as usual, straight, long and virtually flat with scenery on either side of the road that can be exactly the same for miles after miles after miles. During times like this I'm so glad for having my auto-cruise function (yes, for those doesn't know, this bike does have an auto-cruise function like the one on cars. Cool eh?). First stop was at a roadhouse in Stuarts Well. Even after our 200 km ride we still arrive there very early in the morning and I was the only customer. I thought I'd order breakfast since we still have quite a long way to go that day. I went for my customary eggs-on-toasts and when the guy asked me about drink, I confidently requested for a large skinny flat white. He stared at me blankly, picked up a coffee mug, hand it over to me and gestured with the mug to a corner in the bar where I now see a big hot water pot, with a big jar of instant coffee, sugar and stuff and he said, "Go make yourself mate!". Lessons learnt; at a roadhouse, ask first what kind of coffee they have!

I also found out that they have quite an attraction there; "Dinky the singing Dingo" whom I judged from reading the many newspaper clips on the wall; is quite famous! I did ask the guy where Dinky is and he said, at this hour, he'd still be in his bed. Well, I guess I'd just have to take their words for it. (I did check out on YouTube later and guess what; there were actually quite a number of videos of Dinky "singing"!). But I still don't think I should get myself one of the t-shirts though...

When I was just about to leave, Dinky just woke up so I did get to say hi to the star in person...

This picture was taken at the Erldunda Roadhouse later that morning.Notice the sign? But they don't mind actually...

It was still another about 250 km to reach Uluru from there so we made our way quickly. This is one of the pic of a nice spot I found on the way there. There were quite a few of these called, "The Red Centre Way"





And after a ride that seems to be forever, it finally appears in the far distant; "The Red Centre" in its glory.

Wow! It was exactly the way I had imagine. It was quite an emotional moment. After months of planning and thousand of kms of riding, finally we made it here! I found a spot (there's hardly anyone else there at this hour) and started getting busy taking pictures of the bike, myself, myself with the bike and sending pics to FB and other BlackBerry friends announcing my arrival there. Yup, that's it... WE MADE IT!!! After that we made a quick "victory lap" around the 10 km track around the rock and I couldn't help but to congratulate the bike for taking me there with no problem whatsoever (touch wood for now!).

After bringing myself back to reality again, I realized that I had to start looking for a place to stay for the night (2 nights as per my original plan). I rode down to Yulara and true as what I have read before, it is a resort especially and exclusively created to serve the visitors of Uluru (Ayers Rock). And you can guess what people would do with "monopoly" market? Yes, charge them like crazy! It was quite a shocker for me because on my way there, I hardly bumped into any tourists at all but over here, they were everywhere; buses and buses of them and I also noticed that 90% of them are international tourists.

I had a quick lunch at the tourists centre then went searching for accommodation. According to the lady at the info counter, all the cabins in the caravan park were fully booked. The only ones available are dormitory and single rooms in the resort. The 40-people sharing dorm is $35 a night, 4-sharing is $45 a night and the single room is $235 a night! I thought to myself, I'm not going to succumb to this extortion so I book myself in for a 4-sharing dorm room. I went to the "resort", checked in and were given the key to my shared room. As I stepped into the room, the other occupants were not there but I can guess they are buddies. The only bed left is one of the upper bunk bed. The room was probably not more than 8x10 ft wide, no aircond, packed with the stuffs from the current occupants and their clothes, wet towels and everything else were hanged all over the place! It was damp and dark and.... I don't think I can survive one night in there! They are probably just some 20 year olds, so this 40 year old tough and rugged biker would not have a problem handling them but I just can't take it!!! I'd probably handle it better and blend in well some 20 years ago but not anymore...

Another quick call to home base for advice and same advice like the night before; if you're not comfortable, just get out of it! Stop being stingy! Well, what to do... went back to the reception, asked for an upgrade, paid the $235 bucks and decided to book for only one night and see how it goes later. It was probably one of the best decision I made so far during the trip. I moved my stuffs from the dorm room to my single room so quick, I even forgotten to take a picture of it! But anyway, now finally I can rest easy, unpack my things in my comfortable room, went back out again to take pictures of Uluru at sunset. Came back later, had a nice quick dinner then had a very nice and more importantly, undisturbed sleep...

Sunset in Uluru. If I can wake up early tomorrow... sunrise in Uluru...!

Tips of the day: If you go there, never forget to slap on some generous amount of insect repellent. The flies there, all hundreds and hundreds of them, can be really annnoying!

Day 4: Mount Isa to Alice Springs (1,171 km. Total now 3,076 km)

This day has to be one of the earliest start since I'm planning to break the 1,000 km barrier. Why 1,000 km? I don't know. It's just that at one time the number seems impossible, to me at least, so now I'm just going to prove that it can be done. In comparison to Malaysia; you would have to travel from KL to the North all the way to Chumphon, Thailand (2/3 the distance to Bangkok!) to do a one-thousand km journey. In Down Under, you could still be in the same state!

Anyway, I did leave the caravan park before anyone was up and probably when the whole of Mount Isa was still sleeping. I came across a few cars heading out of town to the mines but that was about it. Luckily the weather was brilliant and as I entered Barkly Highway I came across this sign. This has to be one of the customary pic for any Oz tour! Where else would you have to rely on one road sign to cater for the next 190 km!

During my refueling stop in Camooweal (according to my plan, this should be the last gas station between here and Tennant Creek which is 471 km away!) I met these two surfer dudes, Niels from Holland and James from England in their "Sydney-to-Sydney" tour! I overtook their car earlier and they caught up with me later at the gas station. I find their story fascinating: They met in a surfing school in Sydney 8 months ago then decided that they both have the same keen interest in surfing, travelling and exploring so they decided to tour Australia. Got themselves a car, packed everything they own into it, and off they go! They have been everywhere and have done every kind of work including pineapple farming, work on freight barges, driving bus; you name it! They have just left a place called Currumba (?) where they last work in the pineapple farm - I couldn't even find the place in the map! Now they are on the way to Darwin - to find a job, then surf some more.

I started taking notes of their story and told them about my blog. Then we all went back onto Barkly Highway together and later will go our separate ways as we changed onto Stuart Highway.

Wherever you are guys; take care and have fun!!! Hope we meet again one day...


After that it was a long ride for me to Tennant Creek. What was in the beginning a good weather turned cloudy after the Barkly Homestead (my research was not right, or was probably outdated - there ARE at least three more gas stations along this route!) and I can see lightning in the far horizon. It was really not much of a choice - ride in the rain or what? Stay out there in the field and become a lightning target? It rained and it rained hard all the way to Tennant Creek. It was a tough ride (which I thought would have been the toughest part of this whole journey) and I arrived totally drenched in Tennant Creek.

As I entered the Red Rooster at the Rest Area, I thought, oh no, they must be having a leak in their roof. Newspapers were spread everywhere so I tip-toed in so as not to make a mess of everything. Then I realized, hey, this is actually their floor design! How embarrassing... Maybe I've just never been to a Red Rooster before...

It was a quick lunch then hit the road again. Oh but, I also just found out that when I used my "octane booster" at Barkly Homestead for the first time just now, I only used half a bottle and kept the remaining half bottle in the side pannier. What I found out when I reached Tennant Creek was that the top was probably not meant for safekeeping - the octane booster spilt all over the content of the pannier! Now, I'm wet and smell of gasoline!!! This couldn't be any worse, I thought, and I hope...

I also bumped into two bikers on Triumph tourers and seeing that they came from the opposite way, I thought of striking a conversation asking about the weather where they come from. Turned out they weren't that friendly (ask one; answer one!) so I went off my way. One thing I start noticing here also that (I apologize upfront as I don't really know how to make this sounds politically correct, but) there are a large number of native people wandering aimlessly around town mostly middle aged to old. They seemed "lost" in their own world. I just get this uneasy feeling over all this and at the same time glad that I'm not spending the night here.

On the road, I started to come across bikers, mostly in pairs or more and on rare occasions, solo riders like me. But think again if you think I'm crazy; twice I came across guys on bicycles!!! Now; THAT's crazy!

This pic is me at the Devils Marbles near Wauchope. Occasionally my bike does help take a picture of me... :-)

It was still a long ride away to destination; Alice Springs. I stopped for refueling in Wycliffe Well where they supposedly had UFO sightings there, many years ago.

Here are the "Aliens". I wonder, what people would do just to sell gas! But I know I did and I even took a picture of it - so it DOES work!

Yeay! I saved a bundle as compared to sleeping in motels) and went to find a spot. The guy said, "...just take any spot!". I wonder why then I noticed, in the park which could have fit at least 30-40 caravans, with maybe another 20 cabins and plenty of space for tents - I was the ONLY person there! Then I also noticed few other things; a few suspicious characters wandering around outside the fence and my phone doesn't have coverage! I went back to the "reception" and asked the guy about phone and he pointed me to a phone booth outside the bar. Now, it doesn't accept coins or credit card so I had to buy a phone card. And the booth is stenched with stale urine I had to cup my nose to talk! I called home for advice and the advice was, RUN!!! It was getting dark and I had very little time to react. I went back to the reception and told the guy I needed to stay at a place with mobile phone reception. He was kind enough to let me go and even returned my $12! I fled out as fast as I could. Now, I did say I want to camp out for the night but definitely not out here. I can almost hear the dingoes howling at night and I'll be the only person in the whole camp site in the outback! Hey, I am adventurous but I want to write about my experience, not to be written about in the local newspaper [Newsflash: The remains of a lone traveller found in a deserted campsite].

I covered the remaining distance to Alice with the sun setting down fast. Imagine the feeling as I saw my shadow to my left getting longer and longer and I kept hearing the advice - don't travel in the dark in the Outback. It's dangerous! Yes, but so does staying in a deserted camp site out in the nowhere! It was a race against the setting sun. I felt like Fiona!

At the first sight of street lights of Alice Springs I breath a relief. Have I turned soft? I would have craved for the kind of adventure just now many years back but now I longed for the shelter of a city? Just to prove a point; I picked a caravan park and asked for a tent site. Here I am, camping in the "wild", in my little tent. It was a quick pizza dinner then off to bed, actually foam mat (sponsored by Ezran!)

It took a while to go to sleep. But at least I achieve two things today - ride for 1,000 km and sleep in the tent! I'm proud of myself and dreamt of the next big day...

Day 3: Mt. Isa (Rest Day – 18 km. Total now 1,904 km)

I need a rest and the bike needs the rest too… Here it is, resting in front of the cabin. Notice the outhouse? (The little shed on the right) This would have failed my family’s mandatory requirement of a place to stay during their holiday! It was alright for me. It’s clean and it’s cheap... :-)

 

Anyway, one thing I didn’t mention in yesterday’s posting; the first downside (and hopefully the only one) so far. While travelling between Kynuna and Cloncurry, as you can imagine is another long and lonely stretch, there was hardly anyone else on the road. With the monotonous scenery for miles and miles sometimes you couldn’t even tell whether you are moving or not. I must have speed up a bit and as it so happens, out of nowhere just on the other side of a crest popped out a police trooper!!! Within a split second his siren was blaring and he made a U-turn – I knew this was going to be the lowest point of my trip… I received a "souvenir" from the kind police officer of Cloncurry. It’s a severe dent to my budget! Come to think of all the money I tried to save and here I did such a stupid thing and cost me money for nothing! I was so depressed the whole journey, it took me a while to recover. I just sat for a long time by the roadside in front of a grocery store in Cloncurry pondering on what had happened. This is NOT one of those moments I was hoping for…

Anyway, I had to accept what I deserved. You guys can help you know – now, start clicking all those ads on this blog and help me raise fund to pay the traffic ticket! Pleeaaasseeee….!!!

I decided to count my blessings and try to look on the positive side. Isn’t it good that it happened earlier on in the trip that it becomes a reminder for me not to ride too fast for the rest of the journey? I also decided not to let any mishap spoil the spirit of this journey. I move on… Sigh… it’s just that riding with the auto cruise on in this kind of road is so boring it would even affect my concentration. Well rules are rules… And let that be a very valuable lesson to you all too… Speeding is dangerous – to your life and your pocket!

Today I decided to explore Mount Isa (I have to spell in full now; if not some people thought I was referring to Mat Isa!). Having surveyed the brochures and internet, I chose to go to the “Outback at Isa” complex. I read that in Bill Bryson’s book Down Under.

They have this Underground Mine Tour in a real mine which I’m sure would be very cool. Everywhere I read their advert, it says, “BOOKING ESSENTIAL”. So I called them up early in the morning hoping to be able to get a place in today’s tour and to my surprise, the lady said, “Sorry, we might not have the tour today as there has been no booking”. Apparently, I was the only one! I still insists that she put my name down and I said I will come around the time of the tour in case some tourists came along (for once I was looking forward to bump into one of those bus load full of Japanese tourists!). I arrive there earlier than time hoping to be able to browse through the complex while waiting for my tour. To my surprise again; I was the only visitor there! The lady explained that this is their quiet season – I know, but I never expected it to be THIS quiet. Anyway, in the spirit of don’t-worry-be-happy, I took the “Isa Experience Gallery”, “Outback Park” and “Riversleigh Fossil Centre”. To my nice surprise this time, it was good! I learnt a lot about the history of the town and the mining process. And the Outback Park is a little park with collection of all the floras you can find in the outback – all in one place. There was this lizard too who spooked me but I don’t think it was part of the exhibits. And oh those annoying flies… they are everywhere!!! Plenty of pics below. 

The highlight of my visit was when I got a special personal tour (what do you expect; I was probably the only visitor for the day!) by the resident palaeontologist Dr. John Scanlon around his lab. Hey, this is a real deal palaeontologist okay; not like Ross Geller! And I get to touch a 26 million year old fossil! How cool is that!!!

There are so many stories to tell about the visit but I guess I would have to tell it in person later. By the way, do you know that there were 52 nationalities among the thousands of miners back during the WW2 period? Each of them had their own football team; except for Australia! There once lived carnivorous kangaroos 2 meters tall! A day’s gathering of fossil-containing rocks takes a year to analyse. Riversleigh’s water is super-saturated lime and that’s why the animals were properly fossilized. Ok, stop; now I’m beginning to sound like Ross!

Next stop is the City Lookout. It was beautiful but in the 38°C temperature, it was a bit unbearable. I decided to come back at dusk as recommended by the tourist brochure.

Went back, had a good nap, then went out again. Yes, it is more bearable now… I decided to switch off my SatNav as I already learnt the street within a day. I noticed the multi-ethnicity of the population just like the video I saw. I find it fascinating that a place out in the nowhere is like a mini world of its own. And it was so easy to find the Chinese Takeaway and the Indian Restaurant. And the people were very friendly too. Here’s the little girl at the caravan park who stopped by on her bicycle to have a chat with me. When I ask her, shouldn’t she be talking to strangers, she said, “Oh yes, my mum told me not to stop and chat with people…”, then she went off.

Below is the pic from the visit to the Lookout at dusk. Again, a Canon EOS-550D would probably have captured it better…

And not forgetting, here’s a picture of a road train!

So, that’s it for today. I’m excited for the big day tomorrow.