Taronga!

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore: no bags of milks

I'm going to be here all day if I try to write about everything. It's been so long since I've updated, and so much has happened (stuff happening being why I haven't updated, so it's a nice little circle). I may as well do this chronologically to avoid confusion, which means that I start with the zoo.

Tarongo Zoo is a really, really, good zoo. To get there, you either drive all the way around the inside of the bay, which would take forever, or you take a ferry from the Quay and arrive in 12 minutes, after enjoying a beautiful view of the Opera House, the opposite shoreline, and then the hill the zoo is on. We were supposed to meet Triona and Vikki at the wharf, but Triona had to stop at the bank and it didn't even open until we were supposed to be meeting. We called her mobile and said that we were taking the next ferry and that if they made it, great, and if they didn't we'd meet them when they arrived at the zoo on the next one (anticipating that I would be more than able to occupy myself for half an hour with the animal near the entrance). Apparently they actually managed to JUST catch the ferry we were on, but with so many people we didn't run into them until about 20 minutes after arriving at the zoo. Taronga is on a steep hill sloping down to the harbour. You can enter at the bottom and climb the hill all day, or you can take the Sky Safari and work your way down. The Sky Safari is pretty much a glorified ski lift with seating for six people. Ching and I ended up in our own.

Koalas have to be one of the absolute most adorable creatures on earth. And Taronga has many, many of them. In one spot, there's a circular walkway that curls up around the koala enclosure so you start at ground level, and then end up face to face with several koalas resting at the tops of the trees. With no glass or fence in the way. They're just far enough back that you can't touch them. Talk about a photo opportunity (and believe me, we all took advantage of it). The zoo also has what seems to be an excess of wallabies, but actually that's just because there are a lot more kinds of wallabies than you think there are. In the walkthrough area (Toronto has something like that too now, but I haven't been there when it was open), there was a wallaby with a little joey in her pouch and she was letting people come right up beside her for photos. Some people were even petting her, which I say not because I approve of it, but to illustrate how calm she was. Baby wallabies are SO cute.

Aviaries are scattered all over Taronga. Triona and Vikki were much amused by how much time I spent looking in them. The way I see it, you should try to see as many of the animals at the zoo as possible. And the elephants and giraffes and such are really hard to miss if you find their enclosures. It only takes a few minutes to admire them. But finding birds in an aviary takes a lot more time. Especially when what you're searching for is smaller than the palm of your hand. Australia has some really cool, flashy birds. Of particular note is the maniacal laughter of the kookabura, which has to be heard to be truly believed. Ching and I were wandering along a path when suddenly this loud, crazy sound filled the air. We stopped dead and stared at each other for a few seconds until I clued in and said "that's a KOOKABURA!" and spun around to find the side path to the aviaries that we'd just missed.

As noteworthy as the animals at Taronga is the view from Taronga. Staring ahead from a lookout point, tall city buildings, the Sydney Tower among them, fill the view. The harbour is below. Ahead and to the right is the Opera House, and just past that is the Harbour Bridge. On the right are the expensive suburbs, on a little point across from the Opera House. When my camera batteries have recharged, there will definately be pictures of this posted.

By the end of the day, we were all completely exhausted, but very satisfied. That zoo is worth every penny... wait, there are no pennies here... every 5 cent coin? The ferry ride back gave us another splendid view of the Opera House, this time after dark. We'd never seen it from that angle before. Vikki used the last shot on her camera to capture it. We got off the ferry and strolled through the Rocks, walking past what was left of the booths from the coffee festival. That's right, I'd forgotten about the coffee festival and made plans to go to zoo... The zoo was better, but the coffee festival is only once a year! I'm ok though.