Greetings from the great land down under! I've been in Australia for a week, and even though it is a very well developed country I haven't seem to have had much internet access. So, for the next few days I plan to update my blog readers on the happenings thus far.
Andrea's favorite animal in Australia is the bandicoot, which is kind of like a giant rat. Here are a few of them. But the bandicoot is not the reason her trip is business related. Tune in soon!
Today's post involves a favorite topic here on the blog: cute animals. There was one thing I really, really wanted to see in Australia, which was a cute koala bear. Even more than that, I wanted to cuddle with a cute koala, which is supposed to be possible.
Supposed to be.
Stop #1 was the Sydney Taronga Zoo with Sharon and Andrea. We loved the zoo and had a great time. But we arrived too late to get our pictures taken standing under a koala. Which may have been OK because koalas have been known to pee on people, according to the guide Moon Handbooks. Nonetheless, I took this photo of a cute koala:
And this photo of some napping kangaroos. In case I haven't mentioned, it's hot here.
Anyway, this really informative Australian guy on the plane on the way over told me about a park called Cleland Wildlife Park, on Mt. Lofty outside Adelaide. You can look them up at http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/cleland_wp/about/index.htm. But I have to tell you, I really don't like these people or the guy who suggested them. Taronga Zoo was as close as I got to a koala!
Why? Because apparently when it is over 32 degrees Celsius, they don't let the koalas come out to play. Even if you came all the way from the USA! It was 36 degrees when we got there, which is close to 100 degrees F. And the people at the park were a bit snooty about the whole thing. I was devastated.
Do you know what koalas do when it is that hot? They sleep wrapped around their eucalyptus trees like a pretzel. Observe:
Like everyone else, Wikipedia conveniently leaves out this fact. Here's what they have to say about koalas:
The Koala is found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from near Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula. Populations also extend for considerable distances inland in regions with enough moisture to support suitable woodlands. The Koalas of South Australia were largely exterminated during the early part of the 20th century, but the state has since been repopulated with Victorian stock. The Koala is not found in Tasmania or Western Australia.
Anyway, we did have fun at the Cleland park despite the fact that it was bloody freaking hot. Andrea and I fed kangaroos, here are some pictures:
Sharon - kangaroos drool a bit so it may be good you missed this part.
I'll keep up with my quest to snuggle with a cute koala. But at this point, don't hold your breath.
Tomorrow we'll hear about why Andrea's entire trip should be a business writeoff.
Andrea's favorite animal in Australia is the bandicoot, which is kind of like a giant rat. Here are a few of them. But the bandicoot is not the reason her trip is business related. Tune in soon!
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