Wonderful Day with a Wonderful Friend
I feel like a broken record, but yesterday was incredible!!! This will be a long one, so buckle up.
This Tuesday I had a non-existant drink with Dulce (the bar closed early, so we just talked) and she mentioned that she was wanting to visit the zoo. I told her that I was planning on going on Friday, and that we should go together. It was set, Friday was the day!
Set my alarm for 7 on my first day of my weekly three-day weekend, which was difficult. We decided to meet on the Opera House steps at 10, so I had to get going! Got there about half-an-hour late, but Dulce was late as well, so it was all good. Grabbed a fantastic shnitzel sandwich on the pier, and we jumped on the ferry to the zoo.
The ferrys are a LOT smaller than the ones I am used to, the ones that go from Washington to Canada. This was maybe 1/10th or even smaller than that. (They are the green ships/boats in my pics of the Sydney Harbour.) Because of this I was nervous about the vomiting thing, as usual, but as usual I got through it. We stepped onto the dock and both kind of remarked to each other that we felt dizzy, but realized that the dock was moving…hmm. Boats always sway a lot more when they were docked, so it was swayin quite a bit, but it got better as it started to move.
It was beautiful! A little bit overcast, but probably about 70-75. (Later it rained a little bit, but it was ok because it was so warm. After the rain it was sunny and gorgeous!) We just sat and chatted as we crossed the harbor, looking at all the beautiful sights. I still can’t believe that I’m in Sydney…AUSTRALIA. I was talking about that with Dulce and she was feelin the same way…I just hope it hits me before I leave. I think maybe it has to do with the fact that things aren’t really starkly different here…like, if I was in the bush or in the middle of Kenya or something things would hit me harder.
The ferry took about 15 minutes, and we were right at the zoo. It was about a 2 minute walk from the dock to the Zoo’s side entrance. Taronga Zoo!
The side entrance. I'm guessing the front entrance is bigger...
Here’s a little clipping from wikipedia…
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on October 7th, 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman. Taronga Zoo is managed by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales under the trading name, “Taronga Conservation Society”, along with Dubbo’s Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Divided into eight zoogeographic regions, Taronga Zoo is home to over 2,600 animals on 21 hectares, making it one of the largest of its kind.
All in all it cost me $33 round trip with the entrance to the zoo included.
The layout of the zoo was pretty amazing. It is literally about 100 yards or so from the edge of the water, on the side of a hill. Kinda laid out in a zig-zag manner.
Map--We arrived at the bottom... Click on the image to see it enlarged.
CAs you can see, it kind of snakes up the side of the hill, with different exhibits and animals sprinkled throughout. As you got higher, you got a better and clearer view of Sydney’s skyline and the harbor. I’m telling you, this place is a dream.
This is a tram that goes over the whole zoo. Just kinda wanted to show you the views from zoo trails...
Dulce and I
There were large netted areas for all kinds of tropical birds. We visited the kangaroo walkabout, where you entered off this fenced-off area where a pathway weaved its way through a bush-like environment, with kangaroos all around. There wasn’t any barriers, really, between the pathway and the kangaroos, it was awesome! Saw a wallaby in there, as well as an ostritch, which was funny.
KANGAROOS!!!!!!!!!
Cue the "Ahhhhhhs"
Dulce was super-psyched about seeing the ostriches, so we visited them. I dug the lions, as it was feeding time, and we saw them play/fight a little bit, and growling at each other. I’d never seen them so active in my life before, just running back and forth. It was crazy!
Oh man, I could write a whole post on the chimps alone. It was so fascinating seeing them, they are so human-like! (But if we evolved from them, why are they still here? Wouldn’t they have died if it was natural selection? Cause you evolve to overcome difficult circumstances…ANSWER MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!) The emotion that they show is incredible! Saw a baby get on the back of what I’m guessing is its mom, and the mom walked around with it. Also saw a chimp using a stick to get bugs out of a hole. At face value that doesn’t seem huge, but it is. Think about it! What other animals use tools, other than their own appendages, to achieve work? This chimp would put his stick inside the hole, pull it out, and lick the ants off of it. This shows just how smart the are. I remember watching a documentary about Jane Goodall talking about chimps’ tool-making. Apparently I was wrong in saying that other animals don’t use tools (as according to wikipedia) but chimps are one of the only animals other than humans to actually make tools. And I saw him pick one up, it was so cool!
Mother with baby
There was a huge one, just HUGE. It blew me away. We also observed one chasing a lizard, which was cute.
Look how huge it is in relation to the other!!!!!
At another exhibit we saw what looked like one doing yoga (on his back, legs spread, grabbing both his feet), and another chimp right up to the glass interacting with kids. It was wonderful.
Look Mom, YOGA!
Saw elephants play-fighting (SO much force, it was incredible. Just pushing each other around), giraffes and zebras with a backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and the skyline. I petted an echidna, went in the dark-room area to see all of the nocturnal animals, saw snakes and other reptiles, everything! A DINGO! “The dingo ate cha baby!” Oh, and a bear. psh. We had bagels for lunch, then headed back to the ferry at around 330.
See the Opera House?
DINGO!
Not my hands, but I DID pet it! Very spiny and plasticky. You can only pet one way!
See the elephant in the corner?!
It was wonderful, we sat for about half an hour in the seal room just talking, not paying attention to the exhibit or anything. I was so at ease with her, it was incredible.
Oh, I lost my ferry ticket, so I had to talk my way off the pier…but I got a little help from Dulce.
She wanted to go to an Opera Show that nite, but they were sold out, so I picked up tix for when my parents come and we headed over to the Botanical Gardens. Beautiful as always. She hadn’t been there, which is suprising because she lives in the city (but Darling Harbor, which is a little ways away) and she loved it! I showed her the HUGE bats, which she thought were awesome…
Sat on a bench in front of a pond inside the fernery, it was amazing. Let me paint you the picture. A wooden garden bench, with huge and small ferns all around, a small bubbling waterfall falling into a koi pond. About 75 degrees, moderately humid, with the fresh smell of nature in the air. Next to a good friend, a beautiful girl, just talking and relaxing after a day of walking and exploring together. Learning more about each other and each other’s cultures, and the culture that we are now immersed in. It was fantastic.
We headed back and she asked if i wanted to get a drink at the Opera Bar. OF COURSE! We headed down there and got some Rosé sparkling wine and some chips (french fries). It was a Friday night, and terribly busy, so it was very difficult to find chairs. I wanted to show my gentemanliness, so I found a chair for her, and stood while she sat. SCORE! About 15 minutes later I found one, but the gesture had been made.
This bar is incredible. Not really a bar, its set kind of below the Opera House, near sea level, right on the harbor. We sat outside, in the open air, with a view of the harbour bridge and the Opera House. Incredible!
The wine hit me pretty hard, I think due to the fact that I was so hungry. Made me tired, a little bit light-headed, and happy. I walked her part of the way back, then caught the train (where my hand/camera was pooped on by a pigeon) back to the apt, and got home at about 7 or so. 9 am to 7 pm, not bad! Incredible day. INCREDIBLE! Such a bonding experience with a wonderful friend. I was so pleased and blessed that I got to experience that day with her.
Sarah said,
March 16, 2009 at 7:29 am
We didn’t evolve from chimps. It’s likely that we evolved form a common ancestor, think of it like a tree, the trunk it the common ancestor, and the branches are all of the different animals that evolved from that ancestor. They evolved in different ways to adapt to different environments.
Peter said,
March 16, 2009 at 9:17 am
ah, that makes more sense. Thanks Sarah!
erin said,
March 16, 2009 at 10:03 am
If you still need to take a synthesis class for BaccCore when you get back to OSu, you might wanna check out ANTH 380. It deals with human evolution and why human societies create war/peace but it is epically awesome.
I loved it.
Peter said,
March 16, 2009 at 10:18 am
380????????? Do you have to write like 8 papers or somethin’?
Aunt Kathy said,
March 17, 2009 at 3:32 am
Great descriptions of the zoo, Peter. I’m pretty sure a couple of your photos are of gorillas, BTW. Mother with baby & the one below – with her back turned – the red-headed one with the baby.
I see Sarah has offered her explanation of evolution. I’m glad she did. As we all evolved from the same ancestors we were successful at different ‘things’. And, in different environments. Wonderfully diverse! Just like each of your readers.
I love reading your blog. It’s fascinating. Your descriptions [& the pics] put me there. ~Kathy
charlie said,
March 17, 2009 at 4:14 am
ya those are lowland gorillas peter….DUH!.
p.s. a lot of other animals use tools like finches and otters