Lions and Tigers and (Koala) Bears, Oh My!

It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon when Ryan and I embarked on our journey to see koala bears, my favorite animal. The Taronga Zoo is located in the middle of the Sydney Harbour; the only way to get to it is by ferry. We ended up seeing heaps of animals including some Aussie favs like the Tasmanian Devil and wallaby.

We arrived right in time for the seal show, a main attraction at the zoo. The trainer brought out three different types of seals including a California sea lion named Archie. Archie was the biggest and most talented.

At one point, I looked up and a koala was hanging in the tree above me. According to a bush legend, koalas are permanently drunk on fermented gum leaves. In fact, eucalyptus leaves are low in energy and difficult to break down, which is why koala bears sleep up to 20 hours a day. Their laid-back pose also keeps them cool. It exposes the soft white belly fur which reflects the heat and is easily ruffled by the breeze.

How cute is he!

Did I mention that the Taronga Zoo has some of the best views of the Harbour. How cool is it that you can see the Opera House in the background of the giraffe area?

I would recommend this to anyone who is visiting Sydney!

Cheers for now,
Kim

[SDU Note: Just for you Mom-There were heaps of sailboats out in the harbour. I know you would have loved to be out sailing about. Miss you.]

Mardi Gras & other Sydney Shenanigans

Ryan & I at Mardi Gras

Yay he's finally here! After waiting at the airport for two hours, Ryan finally made his way through customs. My initial thought was that he got in trouble for all the Reese's I asked for.

The Easter Koala came early!

First up on Ryan and my weekend in Sydney was Mardi Gras. After checking into our hostel Wake Up! Sydney (definitely recommend and located right next to Central Station), we made our way to Oxford Street for the parade. The Sydney Mardi Gras is put on by the gay and lesbian community. The overall effect was a lot of feathers, sequins and leather. We were about three people back from the guardrail, but still had a decent view. People were selling foot stools to get a better view of the parade and at $10 a pop were making quite a profit.

The next day, we decided to explore the city. Seizing the day bright and early, we walked up George Street toward the Harbour. Our first quest of the day was finding Pancakes on the Rocks, a delicious 24-hour pancake restaurant. Although Ryan ordered the ribs, I went for the Strawberry Patch pancakes with chocolate sauce instead of strawberry sauce. Pancakes with cream, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce sounds more like dessert than breakfast but YUMMY!

The Rocks is the historical part of Sydney; it's where the first European settlers-British convicts-landed in Australia. We walked along the boardwalk around the Sydney Harbour and took the typical tourist pictures in front of the Opera House.

We sat on a bench in the Royal Bontanical Gardens, taking in the sights and trying to decide what to do. We wanted to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, but the steep price didn't seem worth it. So we opted for the Taronga Zoo instead. Great decision; I made a whole seperate post just about it. 

After a long day exploring, we headed to a local fav for some dinner: Chat Thai.

Overall, Ryan and I enjoyed ourselves. Be on the lookout for a guest post from Ryan about his time in Australia.

Cheers for now,

Kim