I'm getting better at early starts! This morning I was on a minibus at 5.15 kitted up for a walk in Kata Tjuta's Valley of the Winds.

We were dropped at a point where we reached a viewing platform that provided panoramic views of Kata Tjuta and Uluru as the sun rose. The weather wasn't quite so friendly this morning and the rain clouds made for a soggy start and short lived sunrise. We were then driven to a drop off for the 7.4K walk which took me 2.5h, 1.5h less than they predict! The cloud cover made for very pleasant walking conditions, despite a light rain shower.

Kata Tjuta, formerly known as the Olgas is formed of a series of 36 domed red rocks. This is the aboriginal place for men's business. Just like Uluru, at close quarters the rocks are full of character due to erosion. The initial walk was steep and involved scrambling up a steep rock face by a waterfall/ trickle. The immense rock faces which dwarfed me eventually led me to a descent into a flatter plain surrounded by rock domes. The valley lived up to its name at this point as the wind whistled up the gully. Fortunately this gave me some blissful respite from the crazy bush flies who had been terrorising me and had driven me to wrap my scarf around my head like a mad woman! I even started to think that a fly net might not be a bad idea after all!

The gentle stroll across the plain provided excellent views of the rocks and at one point I even thought the sun might come out- it didn't. The last bit past the next water station was challenging as it was wet underfoot, there were no way markers and no footprints to follow. I followed my instinct and found the main path back to the carpark.

I love walking alone and this was no exception. The isolation is great, almost like meditation, it allows me to totally clear my mind as I think of nothing other than where to make my next step. Listening to the wind and the birds. I'm glad I got out of bed early!

To compensate for two pre-5am starts I got back to the apartment and slept for nearly three hours. Meanwhile Tracy and Donks had been on their Harley Davidson tour if Uluru and were lying poolside.

When she got back Tracy and I sat chatting before I headed out to the village lawn to watch the aboriginal dancing. The dancers were all real characters and the dances all told stories. We saw the emu dance, kangaroo dance, little boy lost and eagle catching fish dance. It was very interactive and despite a heavy shower everyone hung around to watch, clap and cheer. I particularly liked that before each dance they acknowledged which elder had given them the dance. Good fun!

It was time to get ready for our Sounds of Silence tour. Back at the apartment with Tracy we were debating what time to leave when the phone rang telling us that the tour had been cancelled. I was gutted. I know they can't do anything different as the weather is unpredictable but this was one part of my holiday that I had really been looking forward to. Outside at sunset, eating and drinking, watching Uluru glow that gorgeous red-orange colour that she is so well known for.

We decided to go to the Agnuli grill, but they were fully booked so we walked across to the Outback Pioneer Lodge to see Uluru from the look out and have some food. Uluru was a dull red and having been bitten on the walk over we decided not to eat there as there was only an outdoor option. Back to Ilkari at Sails.... On the resort shuttle bus. We had the buffet meal and tried lots of things. The service was so much better than our previous nights experience but both Donks and I were given main courses which weren't hot, so we got alternative food ( more kangaroo kebabs for me!) and a 25% bill reduction. We haven't had much luck with food here!