Australia 8/19/2022 - 9/6/2022 |
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Tuesday 8/30/2022 - Uluru to PerthWe woke up at 6:30 a.m. and finished getting packed to return to Perth.We met the Sonams at 8 o'clock for a buffet breakfast at the Mangata Bistro & Bar. It was busy, but we were able to get a table without waiting too long. The buffet had many choices, and we loaded up our plates with pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheddar cheese, muffins, jelly donuts, mushrooms, fruit, yogurt, and charcuterie. We also had coffee and orange juice. And even then, we hadn't even scratched the surface of all the buffet had to offer. The Sonams came back to the table with plates loaded with vegetarian fare. We would have no need for lunch with a breakfast this big! We checked out of the hotel at 9:15 and waited in the lobby for the 9:40 bus to the airport. When we got to the airport, we checked in, went through security, and found a place to sit. I went to the gift shop and bought an art glass pendant and earrings inspired by Uluru sunrise. The artist's name is Christine Stewart and she calls her dichroic glasswork "Glass of Fire." I also bought an Uluru ornament for our Christmas tree. Our Jetstar flight was at 11:40 a.m. Craig and I had an empty seat between us. Although the Sonams had had a view of Uluru when we arrived, Craig and I had a view of it while we were leaving. We could also see the dry salt crust from the salt lakes in the desert. Once again we had to crisscross the country to get back to Perth. This time, we arrived in rainy Brisbane at 3 p.m. We hadn't been able to check in for our connecting flight at Uluru, because it was Qantas instead of Jetstar. No problem, or so we thought. We would just find the Qantas check-in desk and go from there. But there was no Qantas check-in desk. You were literally required to check in online. When we asked an empolyee about it, they said that I should have received a text, and I could just follow the link to check in. But I didn't have international texting enabled on my phone, so I couldn't get the text that they had sent. A woman was helping people, and we decided to wait in line so that she could potentially check us in. Meanwhile, a man insisted that we check in online. He was very rude and wouldn't listen when I tried to explain why this wasn't working for us. It was ironic because there were signs hanging throughout the airport saying that abusive behavior toward the staff will not be tolerated. We tried to be as polite as possible, but the man was very rude to us. We stood our ground and waited for the woman to finish helping the people in front of us. She then asked if there was anything she could do to help us. We explained the situation, and she very politely checked us in with no problems. We were very grateful for her help, but by now we were frazzled and frustrated and just wanted to get back to Perth. We went through security and then to the gate. Sonam Tshering and I went to get some food. I got beef and cheese pies and orange soda for Craig and myself, and Sonam got fries for himself and Sonam (the vegetarian options a the airport were slim). Our flight was at 6 p.m. Craig and I once again had three seats to ourselves, nonetheless the seats weren't comfortable and it was a long 5 hour flight. They fed us macaroni and beef and cheese, chicken grain salad, and ginger beer. There was no vegetarian option, but they at least gave the Sonams some snacks that they could eat. We arrived in Perth at 9 p.m. Sonam Tshering called an Uber to take us back to their house. After some initial confusion as to where the rideshare pick-up area is, we found the car. We were a bit peckish by the time we arrived at the house. Of all of the food that we had bought at the IGA in Yulara, we had one bag of potato chips left. We broke it open and enjoyed them along with some spicy Koka noodles. We went to bed shortly after 11 o'clock after a few whirlwind days in Uluru. We are so happy that we were able to share the experience with the Sonams! |
 Enjoying the breakfast buffet  Waiting for the shuttle bus to the airport  Uluru from the air See all photos from August 30 |
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