Author Topic: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)  (Read 64001 times)

Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #120 on: January 02, 2013, 05:42:31 PM »
Australian hospitality...



We then took the ferry to the Rose Bay stop, and walked to the restaurant, Pita Mix, for dinner. I actually enjoyed the food here more than Katzy’s, but it’s insanely expensive. Coupled with the ‘karg’ness of the owner it would be hard to recommend this place. 







The next morning we headed out to the airport for our next destination…Ayers Rock. The cab the hotel arranged for us decided to charge us an extra $35 when we arrived at the airport, but one quick call to the PH solved the problem; they told me to send the taxi back to the hotel where they would pay the difference. Kudos to the Park Hyatt!
« Last Edit: January 02, 2013, 05:45:43 PM by moish »

Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #121 on: January 05, 2013, 02:58:50 PM »
keep going? anyone benefiting from/enjoying/reading this?

Offline ChAiM'l

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #122 on: January 05, 2013, 03:04:17 PM »
keep going? anyone benefiting from/enjoying/reading this?

I am.

Offline Achas Veachas

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #123 on: January 05, 2013, 06:31:49 PM »
Definitely! ENJoying it to the last drop!

Offline Ergel

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Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #125 on: January 05, 2013, 07:17:54 PM »
ok

Offline Moishebatchy

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Offline Devorah

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #127 on: January 05, 2013, 10:17:44 PM »
keep going? anyone benefiting from/enjoying/reading this?
Definitely.  Great report!

Offline Deal Guy

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #128 on: January 06, 2013, 04:27:58 AM »
Beautiful reports!!

Offline Dan

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #129 on: January 06, 2013, 09:31:31 AM »
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Online momo

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #130 on: January 06, 2013, 11:27:42 AM »
I am getting a malware warning on page 4 and 5 of this report.

Offline mmermss

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #131 on: January 06, 2013, 11:41:06 AM »
I am getting a malware warning on page 4 and 5 of this report.
+1
It's not about the quantity of your posts.  It's about the quality.

Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #132 on: January 06, 2013, 11:57:46 AM »
must be the pic that chaim'l posted

Offline andrew

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #133 on: January 07, 2013, 03:22:43 PM »

Offline daganster

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #134 on: January 11, 2013, 08:47:13 AM »
Really cool TR.

Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #135 on: January 20, 2013, 07:11:31 PM »
Part 8: Ayers Rock (Uluru)

I was kind of on the fence whether to visit Ayers Rock or not. On the one hand people were telling me that the local Australian communities laugh at the tourists who visit it. After all, it’s just a rock, right? On the other hand, I had a relative who had recently visited it and told me how amazing it was. In the back of my mind, I recalled a report on Australia I had done in the 4th grade, and how prominent a place Ayers Rock had when discussing Australia. In the end, we decided to give it a go, especially since the flights didn’t cost us anything extra. (We were on a Oneworld award.)

On the flight in, you start understanding why the area in which it’s located is called the “red center.”





As far as hotels go, all the hotels are located in the city of Yulara, a nice drive from the rock, and they are all owned by the same company. From a super luxury option (over $1000/night) to a budget option. We chose middle of the pack and stayed at the Sails in The Desert hotel.





Upon arrival at AYQ, all passengers are met by a shuttle which loops to all the hotels. I chose to rent a car since taxis from the hotels to the rock are extremely expensive. So I sent my family on the shuttle with the luggage, while I picked up a standard car from Avis.
After settling in, we decided to check out the other attraction in the area, called “Kata Tjuta.” Some even prefer this area to Uluru. As we aren’t the extreme hiker type, we took the beginner Walpa Gorge hike (2.6 km). It’s probably worthwhile to buy a fly net before heading out, as the flies can be quite annoying.






Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #136 on: January 20, 2013, 07:12:42 PM »






Uluru in the distance


Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #137 on: January 20, 2013, 07:15:59 PM »
One of the things Uluru is known for is the changing hues especially at sunset time. To properly view it, we drove out to the sunset viewing area with some food, and relaxed while watching the sun set, casting different colored glows on the rock. I also set up my tripod, and took pictures at 10 minute intervals.



Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #138 on: January 20, 2013, 07:20:17 PM »
The next morning, we drove out to join the free ranger guided walk at 8am. It was a very nice tour, explaining the history of Uluru, and its significance to the Aborigines.





On the walk, we were able to see thousand year old cave drawings, as well as various formations within the rock.






Offline moish

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Re: Oz Trip Report (w/ a splash of Abu Dhabi)
« Reply #139 on: January 20, 2013, 07:22:15 PM »