Now I know why there is an age limit for joining the army; if there wasn’t, they’d be in danger of losing some people on manoeuvres, even prior to encountering the enemy! We’ve just been on a route-march to the Bungle Bungles that would have tested any would-be recruit.
It all began when we boarded our “all singing, all dancing” bus that was equipped to deal with anything that Nature could throw at it. It bucked & pranced like a wild horse being broken in, as it negotiated the twists, turns, ups & downs in the rough, unmade road. There were rocks, boulders, pot-holes & creeks to cope with & the bus dealt with them all, like the brave bone-shaker that it was. Meanwhile, we passengers were experiencing the roughest massage we’d ever had, as all our body parts were bumped, thumped & vibrated! However, anything that’s worth seeing is worth suffering for & this was true of the Bungle Bungles, which were like nothing else that we’d ever seen.
Huge beehive-shaped domes appeared in the landscape, striped orange & grey by the rocks from which they were formed. There were fascinating walks to see special features, two of which Judy & I managed, whilst the men did three.
The most spectacular was “Cathedral Gorge”, which took us through striped domes, rocks, pot-holes & towering cliffs & culminated in a massive amphitheatre. Some of us couldn’t resist testing the gorge’s echoing qualities!
The sun was fierce & there was very little shade, so we were glad of our sun-screen, water bottles & hats (yes, I’ve relented & bought one). We’d earned the welcome lunch provided by our driver, when we arrived back at the bus. We all made pitta bread wraps from a selection of ham, cheese, tuna & salad that was laid out for us.
There was another fairly tough walk in the afternoon, which Bob & Charlie did but, because Judy & I found the heat intense, we sat with another lady, enjoying a chat & the scenery immediately around us. The walkers were exhausted when they returned & said we’d been wise to stay put.
The bumpy journey back to the caravan park was also exhausting & we were glad that we didn’t have to prepare dinner. The tour company provided us with a tasty meal of vegetable soup & beef curry, set out in a large tented area. Finally, we enjoyed sitting & chatting around a campfire before retiring to bed for a well-earned sleep. It had been a tiring day, but a very good one.
No comments:
Post a Comment