A SURFEIT OF
LANGUAGES
After I retired, Jill and I took a chunk of my
retirement fund and went on the trip that she
had always desired, to Australia and New
Zealand. Of all the many things that
happened and all the things we saw, one still
causes me to smile – and that is the visit to
Uluru, or Ayers Rock.
The rock is a fascinating place, sacred to the
aborigine people, and is a World Heritage
Site. Made of a single piece of sandstone, it
rises about 1,150 feet above the
surrounding desert. It's about two miles long
and three-quarters of a mile wide. The only
allowed route to the top has an average
slope of 45 degrees. A safety chain has been
installed above about 150 feet. This is not
there to assist climbing but for people to
grab hold of if anyone higher up should fall.
We were given the chance to climb it, but
only if we got up at some ungodly hour, as
no-one is allowed to start the climb after
08:00; this due to the ambient temperature
being too high later in the day. Jill decided to
turn down this offer, she liked her sleep too
much, and elected to remain in bed in order
to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast. I
finished up with a packed breakfast, and a
two-litre bottle of water. I had already bought
a two-litre bottle, and taken another litre out
of the mini-bar, making five in all – so I had
plenty!
I took about 25 minutes to get to the top. (As
an aside, John Walker, the New Zealand
distance runner, is reputed to have gone up
and down in 7 minutes!)
The top of the rock is not so much a plateau,
more a series of 30-foot undulations with the
preferred route indicated by splashes of
white paint. There are rock pools up there
containing fish! The fish are called Shield
Shrimps, and are believed to be unchanged
since the Triassic period.
Whilst wandering around up there I came
across a man of about 35, and his son of
about 5. What drew my attention to them
was that the father was speaking to the son
in German – and the son was replying in
English! At the time I could get by quite well
in German, having worked in Germany for a
number of years, so I asked the father, in
German, how this came about. He replied
'Because my Malaysian is not good enough!'
He then went on to explain that they were a
German family living in Malaysia, and the
son went to an English school. As a result
the son was already trilingual, and they
wanted to keep it that way.
Coming down about three-quarters of an
hour later, and still about 500 feet up, I came
across them again; this time sitting a few
feet off the path. So I asked if they were all
right and was told that the son was dehydrated. As I still had about half my water I
was more than happy to supply him with a
drink, and asked the father if he was O.K. He
was feeling de-hydrated as well. It was just
as well that I had started with five litres!
As I sat there I watched the next tour bus
arrive – and leave! I knew that I was
supposed to be on it because Jill had caught
that one for a tour around the base of the
rock with an aborigine guide. She was a bit
worried because I should have had plenty of
time to catch it. In the event I didn't get back
to the hotel until mid- afternoon, much to the
relief (I think) of my wife. I hope you can see
why this was one of the more memorable
moments from the trip.
Brian Davis
19