The everyday blog of Richard Bartle.
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2:52pm on Saturday, 21st July, 2007:
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Continuing the occasional series...
Ayres Rock or Uhura or whatever it's called.
I generally do like impressive geographic features, and will probably list some in my series of places I'd like to visit, but this just isn't one of them.
It's a rock. It's in a desert. Why would I want to look at a rock in a desert?
Yes, it apparently has significant cultural and religious importance for the locals, but it has none for me. Indeed, its status as a sacred site is, for me, a turn-off. The fact that there are people still doing faith-driven cave paintings there is a matter of despair, not of respect or even curiosity. Now Lascaux, yes, I'd go there in a trice, but why would I want to look at caves that are constantly being redecorated with new images from a prehistoric religion? Beats me.
From the photos, it looks as if the rock's appearance in the setting sun might be worth witnessing. Whether it's worth flying to the other side of the planet to witness is another matter, of course. If I found myself in Alice Springs I suppose I could be persuaded to go out on a 560-mile round trip to see the place, in case my impression of it was wrong, but I've got no urge to visit it.
That said, 400,000 tourists a year disagree with me.
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Copyright © 2007 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).