Early the next morning saw me taking another cross-city dash as I headed off to the airport for my f

Having a car was great but the city of Sydney - particularly the area around Potts Point and Kings Cross where I was staying - is decidedly unfriendly to the motorist hotel san carlos phoenix az discount and, unless you want to spend big bucks to park in the private car park, you have no choice but to take your chances with the on-street parking lottery. This usually involves driving round and round in circles in the vain hope of finding a vacant space where you can park for a couple of hours before having to return to move it to a different zone. The process is time consuming, frustrating and, if you are hoping to spend your day exploring the city, a royal pain in the arse. I decided that, to save stress, the best thing would be to return the car early or make use of it by heading out of the city for the day so, early on a cold Tuesday morning; I set off across town to visit the nearby Royal National Park.
Established in 1879, Royal National Park was Australia's - indeed the world's (Yellowstone hotel san carlos phoenix az discount was originally a described as Yellowstone Recreation Area) - very first National Park and I figured it had to be worth the trip.
It may have been a cold and dark morning - very English, I thought - but I had convinced myself that the weather gods were gonna smile on me. As I emerged from the visitor centre, clutching my day permit, I realised they weren't smiling on me but having a laugh at my expense: hotel san carlos phoenix az discount by adding strong wind and heavy rain to the equation. Much to my annoyance it simply wasn't the weather that I had been banking on so I settled for exploring the park from the questionable comfort of my car. Whilst the secluded beaches, lush rainforest and waterfalls were undoubtedly a pretty and interesting place to spend a day I couldn't enjoy it in its weather-challenged state and I eventually gave up and continued south along the Lawrence Hargrave Drive to visit the dramatic Sea Cliff Bridge.
hotel san carlos phoenix az discount In August 2005 the existing road from Coalcliff to Clifton - part of the famed Grand Pacific Drive - was lost to the sea due to a huge embankment slip. It was a regular hotel san carlos phoenix az discount occurrence and they NSW Government had decided enough was enough and had closed the road indefinitely causing a fierce public outcry. They would eventually back down and invited tenders for a replacement. Just two years later the Sea Cliff Bridge was completed and, to much acclaim within the community, the Great Pacific Drive was once again complete. hotel san carlos phoenix az discount It was an amazing feat to design, finance and construct a project of that scale in that timescale - a process that, anywhere else in the world, hotel san carlos phoenix az discount would surely drag on for many years.
I had first seen the bridge on that classic Shell advert - the one where they race various Ferrari F1 cars through, around and past some of the world's most recognisable cities and landmarks - and I had been keen to visit and see this striking example of spectacular hotel san carlos phoenix az discount form meeting everyday function ever since.
The weather was still antisocial when I reached the bridge but the sight presented as you approach - much like the Millau Bridge in France - somehow manages to lift your spirit and take your breath away. I couldn't help but park my car and walk its length in an effort to get my head around its scale and to appreciate its beauty. Part-way across I met a couple from Tokyo who were also braving the elements. They had also seen that commercial and had decided hotel san carlos phoenix az discount that it might be nice to travel to each location and grab a photo of them standing hotel san carlos phoenix az discount there holding a large photo grab from the commercial. I wish I had their time and money and, even though they seemed excited enough to be there, I really wish that they'd had better weather for their photo.
I headed back to Sydney with no choice but to play the parking lottery game and was lucky to only have to move the car twice before the restrictions ended in the daily 10pm free-for-all. hotel san carlos phoenix az discount Later that evening Dan suggested that we head out for a few hours and we ended up visiting the Sydney Olympic Park on the outskirts of town. I have been lucky enough to have visited various other Olympic sites on my travels (including Montreal and Atlanta as well as the Winter hotel san carlos phoenix az discount Olympic sites at Lillehammer and Vancouver) but Sydney was in a league of its own. The entire site was very impressive and it had clearly hotel san carlos phoenix az discount been a lovingly maintained facility since the Olympians hotel san carlos phoenix az discount packed hotel san carlos phoenix az discount their bags and left town after one of the most successful games of all time. Given the propensity for each host city to try and outdo the last (Beijing was said to have offered facilities which were superior even to Sydney) I look forward to seeing what London can offer in 2012. I suspect that, once again, we'll see low goals set and have to sit and watch as we fail in our efforts to meet even them. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Wembley Stadium, the Millennium Dome, the... hotel san carlos phoenix az discount oh, you get the idea.
Early the next morning saw me taking another cross-city dash as I headed off to the airport for my flight to Ayers Rock where I would join a three-day tour of Uluru, Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Watarrka (Kings hotel san carlos phoenix az discount Canyon). Ayers Rock Airport is, like Gustavus in Alaska, one of those small airports where every landing turns into an emergency landing. Given the recent regularity at which Qantas has tried to kill it's passengers it was surprising that there was no real panic as we slammed into the tarmac and screeched hotel san carlos phoenix az discount to a rather exciting halt. Just three hours after leaving the cold and rain of Sydney I stepped out of the cabin and into 36 degrees of blistering heat. I could have kissed the tarmac!
We were ushered onto buses and ferried the short distance to our various hotels in the nearby Yulara Resort. I was staying in the Outback Pioneer Hotel which was very nice indeed but, given the cost of the tour that I'd signed up for, I would have expected no less. I figured that, having slummed it at Bathurst, I deserved a little bit of luxury and, much as it went against the grain, I decided to splash a little cash. Sometimes in this life you get what you pay for and this was definitely one of those times.
Despite the cost the entire tour was excellent and, after previous experiences, it was a real treat to be on a bus that didn't rain inside, which was immaculately maintained and driven by a competent driver who offered interesting and informative commentary whilst delivering us to some glorious hotel san carlos phoenix az discount locations. It was also a treat to spend each evening in quality accommodations rather than sleeping hotel san carlos phoenix az discount in the open in a swag.
Having had time to check in and grab lunch - a kangaroo wrap washed down with a pint of Guinness - the tour commenced with a drive out to Kata Tjuta. We stopped for photos at alookout before heading the short distance to Walpa Gorge. I had expected that the average age of passengers travelling with APT to be significantly higher than those who would travel with a company such as Western hotel san carlos phoenix az discount Xposure and had been concerned that the whole thing may be slowed down by a bunch of old women with pacemakers. Our next stop dispelled that preconception and, although the spread of ages and fitness levels was greater than I was used to, the level of personal determination was far higher. Everyone made it to the end of the Olga Gorge hike relatively quickly and without any heart attacks: a successful afternoon hotel san carlos phoenix az discount all-round hotel san carlos phoenix az discount then.
By the time that we headed to Uluru to watch the sunset the group had already started to gel but it really took off when, with typical APT style, the spectacular sunset was marked with a huge table full of snacks, nibbles and some very nice wine. It was very civilised indeed and pretty hotel san carlos phoenix az discount surreal to be standing in such beautiful surroundings, drinking wine and making new friends. I could get used to that life. There was certainly something to be said for spending hotel san carlos phoenix az discount that little extra money and, whilst I can't afford to do it very often, I was certainly gonna make the most of it whilst I was there.
The following morning - with a slight hangover from the wine; including an extra bottle of red that I had liberated from the table at the end of the previous evening - we had to pack our bags, check out of the hotel and meet the bus at the ungodly hour of 4am. We were then driven out to see the sun rising over Uluru (hot food and drinks provided, naturally) before we were led on the guided Mala Walk. The commentary was fascinating and, along with the stunning scenery, I don't think that there was one person on the tour who didn't leave with a love and respect for the place and the Anangu people.
After a couple of hours to be spent at our leisure, we hopped back onboard the coach and headed off on the 279 km drive to Wattarka National Park. Known to most people simply as Kings Canyon, hotel san carlos phoenix az discount Wattarka was declared a national park as late as 1983, the land being handed back to the local Luritja people at the same time. Today the Luritja are now heavily involved in the management of the spectacular sandstone gorge and the surrounding areas.
After 150km or so we stopped for a rest break at the Mount Conner Lookout which would normally present an excellent photo opportunity. Such a great photo opportunity, in fact, that it is said to be the outback's hotel san carlos phoenix az discount greatest hotel san carlos phoenix az discount red herring as, on first sighting, many mistake it for Uluru itself and start snapping away! Regardless, due to the huge dust storms blowing through the area on that day, we could see next to nothing of the 350m high mesa. In frustration I wandered across the Lasseter Highway where I clambered to the top of the huge sand dune and was surprised to discover that the vantage point presented a great view of the salt lake which was previously Lake Amadeus. Even our driver hadn't realised previously that it was there. In reality it wasn't much of a discovery hotel san carlos phoenix az discount but I was excited. You can only imagine what went through hotel san carlos phoenix az discount the mind of W.E Gosse when he discovered' Uluru in 1873.
At the junction of the Luritja Road and Lasseter Highway we stopped again to rendezvous with another APT tour bus for a passenger transfer. We had a 10-15 minute wait which could have been