Meeting the roos!

On our last day in Sydney, Eric took me to Featherdale Wildlife Park.  He did the research beforehand and found a place that would actually let me pet a koala.  I was as excited as a kid in a candy shop!

Featherdale also let us feed the wallabies, kangaroos, and emus.  The emus were kind-of jerks and pecked at our feet or snuck up behind me and reached their long necks over my shoulder to try to pilfer treats.  Every time that happened it scared the heck out of me.  However, both the wallabies and the kangaroos had impeccable manners.  They really enjoyed the ice cream cones filled with grains!  

 

Eric made acquaintances with a little wombat who was rather friendly.  A bit later we encountered some spiky echidnas.  Their quills are surprisingly soft and felt almost like plastic.  Both of us found their rolling gait and little beaks quite endearing.

 

We also encountered some less personable friends at Featherdale that we weren't allowed to pet or feed.  Here's a true Aussie crock, a dingo, and a deceptively cute little Tasmanian devil with bright pink ears.

 

We walked by the petting-zoo area occupied primarily by farm animals.  They had kid-size cardboard cutouts for photo ops.  This sheep happened to be walking by at the same time we were, and this scene gave us a hearty chuckle:

We took the train back into downtown Sydney, grabbed a bite of lunch, and headed out jet boating on Sydney harbor.  It was really fun and really wet!

I tried to convince Eric to just stay in Sydney.  I told him we could relocate, ship out the pets, and find jobs there--but, alas, no deal.  Sadly, we had to bid Sydney farewell, though I do hope we will get another chance to go back again.  Eric and I have visited many cities together all over the globe, but Sydney is my definite favorite!

Traversing the Blue Mountains

We devoted one entire day in Sydney to the Blue Mountains.  Eric says they remind him of a forested, tropical Grand Canyon.  I can definitely see why he'd say that.  We rode a train about two hours out of the city, hopped on some charming double-decker buses, and climbed on a tram that took us up to a summit.  Then we rode a roller-coaster-train back down the mountain.  The seats were actually installed at a 45-degree angle because of the steep descent.  The trip down felt exactly like riding a roller coaster in slow motion.  For some inexplicable reason, I actually wasn't terrified out of my mind! 

The train dropped us off in the middle of the mountains and we leisurely strolled back to the main road.  On the way, we glimpsed the famous "Three Sisters" rock formation pictured below.  We also passed a bronze horse statue that Eric insisted I pose on.

We came upon this really interesting enormous tree.  For some reason the center of the tree died, but the rest of it survived leaving a hollow center.  Eric immediately climbed right inside the center to take some pictures.  I was less fascinated with the inside once I saw the cluster of inch-long red ants swarming around.  All I could think of was Leiningen Versus the Ants, and I hightailed it right back out of there.

Here I am testing the Tarzan-hypothesis.  Just in case you've been staying awake nights wondering about it, we concluded that it's totally bogus.  There's no way a person could actually swing from tree to tree on jungle vines.  First, they're really stiff, almost like tree branches.  Second, there's no earthly way you could swing from one tree to another without careening into something and doing yourself some serious damage.  

Before we'd embarked on this little adventure, Eric procured a Blue Mountains guide book with maps and descriptions of which trails to take to see which destinations.  You could hike between destinations on foot, or you could make your way to the main road and ride the bus from destination to destination.  We wanted the "full experience," so we opted for hiking.  We hiked up to a magnificent summit, and then back down to the bottom of some truly breathtaking waterfalls.  I will never forget the awe-inspriring scenery.

However, by about our 8th hour of traversing the mountainside we'd reached the bottom of the waterfalls.  Looking back up at the looming mountain above us, I started to regret our decision not to utilize the bus for at least a few of the 16 or so stops we visited.  My legs staged an unpleasant coup against my mind, and the ugly blisters on my feet literally bled through my socks, permanently staining the insides of my favorite tennis shoes.  Eric didn't have that problem because he was sporting his typical foot attire--sandals.  It's beyond me how he didn't impale his foot on a sharp rock or fallen stick.  The next day, both of us definitely fully understood why stair-climbing machines are such effective pieces of gym equipment.  

We got to the final destination about 30 minutes before the last bus arrived to take us back to the train station.  We sat on a bench, massaging our aches as we marveled at the majesty surrounding us.  This day will be one of those that I remember always and tell stories about to our grandchildren.  

Sydney Highlights

We embraced our inner tourists on our second day in Sydney and visited all the major attractions.  I LOVE that public transportation there is on open-air boats and not underground in stinky subways or on grimy buses.  The transport is almost as fun as the destination!

We headed straight for the famous Sydney Opera House.  What a stunning innovation in architecture.  The inside is just as beautiful and intriguing as the outer shell.  

After the Opera House, we toured the Rocks district and visited some historic homes.  Then Eric surprised me with a trip to the Sydney Wildlife Park to meet the KOALAS!!!  While we were there, we also got to meet our first wombat and kangaroos in Sydney.  

After the Wildlife Park, we headed next door to the Sydney Aquarium.  Let me just say, I find fish fascinating, but I discovered that I harbor a deeply irrational fear of sharks.  Maybe it has something to do with the rows and rows of sharp, jagged, needle-teeth.  Those spiral shells I'm touching in the water below are actually shark eggs.  Weird, gross, cool.   

I also re-discovered that I'm married to a total goon as he insisted that I photograph him climbing inside the old diving apparatus.  There's a bench inside that the occupant is supposed to stand upon to see out the glass face window, so you can easily infer the audience's intended age range.  I guess some little boys never fully grow up, and I sure am glad that I found one of them.  He makes everything new and fun and exciting!  


I love you, Eric!