Desert Weather

The weather here is really strange. We arrived at a hotel near Ayers Rock on January 13. After a 5 minute walk to a different part of the resort, sweat was dripping down my back. The sun beat down on my neck as I explored the sand dunes in the desert. I was expecting it to be boiling, and that it was. After dinner, the wind started howling. All day afternoon we had watched rain pour down on the horizon, and overnight that rain moved over our hotel. In the morning the formerly blue sky was replaced with a sleek grey blanket. It sprinkled as we drove the 20km to Ayers Rock, a sacred site to the aboriginals. While walking around the rock, the temperature was perfect. The sun didn't burn our shoulders, and the wind kept us cool. We couldn't have asked for a better day to hike. A couple hours later, we got on a bus to drive the 450km to Alice Springs. At our first pit stop, I got off the bus without my sweatshirt. I mean, we were in the desert, why would I need a sweater? But by the time I got back on the bus I was shivering. For the rest of the day, while the wind howled and the sun stayed hidden, I bundled up in my soft grey sweater. Who knew that in twelve hours it could go from scorching hot to freezing cold. The weather here sure is unpredictable. 

Maya