Things I've learnt this trip

1. There are 3 swayambhus in the area, the Father (Mt. Connell, the Mother (Olgas) and the Son (Uluru)
2. Uluru is also known as Ayers Rock because some guy named Ayers reckoned he saw the rock first.
3. Aborigines have a very rich and spiritual culture. It's amazing how they survive in the harsh conditions of the dessert and live in harmony with the nature and elements. I feel a lot of respect for them.
4. It really does rain on the Rock at certain times of the year. We could see the water trails on the Rock.
5. The Rock is still open for the public to climb despite of the Aborigines' plea of it being a spiritual site. We should all bandhan for the government to ban climbing on the Uluru as many have already been injured or lost their lives disturbing this swayambhu of Shri Ganesha.

A few pieces of advice

1. There are a lot of flies out there at Uluru and they like to get to your eyes, nose and mouth for moisture. Therefore, avoid crying or drooling in the desert unless you have one of those net thing that covers your head. They sell those at $5-$10 per piece at Uluru.
2. Most activities involve walking or climbing. Drink plenty of water and put on lots of sunscreen.
3. Be on time. Sahaj time doesn't apply to sunrise and sunset.
4. Trust the locals. If they tell you it's a snake hole, do not argue with them that it's an ant hole even though you see ants crawling all over it.
5. Check the back of the bus to see if there is a toilet on board before you rush off to the bush. Some people were just a wee bit too desperate.

When we first heard about the Uluru tour organized by Sydney, we were quite excited but didn't think we could join due to the expensive costs. However, for some reason, we kept receiving emails from Sydney asking if we were going even though we had said no. When we received another email from Sydney after declining for 3 times, we finally had to say "yes, Chris and I are going".

After a rather hectic Ganesha Puja (because of the egg) and a little drama with my suitcase after puja (my new suitcase wouldn't open for some reason and Chris had to break into it with a screwdriver at 3:30 a.m. in the morning or I would have to wear my sari to Uluru), I was really glad to be able to relax and enjoy the trip.

We flew to Alice Springs in the morning and drove down to Uluru (which took about 5 hours) with a few yuva shaktis from overseas. We thought we could save money that way instead of flying directly to Uluru. We were wrong. But it all worked out well and our rental car turned out to be quite useful when we were staying at Uluru. Anyway, the drive was quite exciting for the first couple of hours but then the excitement wore off as we kept seeing the same red earth and yellowish green bushes along the highway. The major highlights of the drive would be when Chris exclaimed, "Oh, poor little guy!" as we ran over a scary snake/lizard looking thing, and when we watched the silhoutte of a couple of camels drifting across the road before the sunset. There was also a few moments of panic as we drove further and further away from what appeared to be the Rock and disappeared from our sight completely as we continued along the highway. We later found that that was actually Mt. Connell, which is the swayambhu of Shri Shiva. Phew!

We were there from Monday to Saturday, staying an extra night. We did a lot of walking during that week. We went back to Uluru almost every day, and the vibrations were so nice. It's absolutely breath-taking to watch its color changing as the sun rises and sets. Doing the base walk around the whole rock took us about 3 hours, and it's so amazing to see so many different aspects of the Rock, as if all creations originated from and are incorporated into the Rock. With a little bit of imagination, one can see different parts of the Rock shaped like different animals. We've lost count of how many elephants we saw on the Rock. Some yogis even said that they saw Shri Mataji's profile on a shadow cast on the rock above the Waterhole.

One of the most unforgetable experiences I had in Uluru was the Sound of Silence dinner. We didn't have much expectation for it as we weren't really told what it was about (that's probably why we were all surprised by it). We were taken to the middle of the desert, at a lookout where we could see both Uluru and Olgas (swayambhu of Shri Parvati), to watch the sunset as a musician played the didgeridoo and talked to us a little bit about the Aboriginal culture. After that we were led to another area where we had a really nice dinner under the starry sky. I don't want to get into too much detail, so as not to spoil the surprise for others who might be going there in the future. All I can say is that it's a really special night for all of us. We also had some talented musicians with us on the tour and as we sang "Raining on the Rock" at the sunset, it was so beautiful that I had tears in my eyes.

Another really moving moment was when Uncle Bob (an Aboriginal elder, one of the "owners" of Uluru) spoke to us about the Aboriginal beliefs and culture. As he spoke, we could feel the cool vibrations and we realised how similar their knowledge is compared to Sahaj knowledge. I can't remember his exact words, but he mentioned something about human beings having the responsibility to take care of the Mother earth and that we are unconditional love. A lot of us had tears in our eyes and the flies started attacking me. That was when I asked Brian why the flies always surround my head and he told me that they're looking for water. I felt much better then, as for a while, I thought my head was dirty.

All in all, it was a very special trip, especially with the company of Sadhana Didi and Uncle Rommel. A lot of us found ourselves to be quite thoughtless and joyful while we were there. I urge everyone who hasn't been to Uluru to seriously consider taking a trip there, to visit this great Shri Ganesha swayambhu. It is so worth it!

Jai Shri Mataji

Videos:

• Driving away from Mt. Connell
• Singing Shri Ganesha song to Uncle Bob (An Uluru owner)
• Didgeridoo performance in the middle of the desert